The nuclei (red) and DNA (blue) in several cells

Blueprints in Blue

The nucleus of a cell contains most of its DNA – essentially the blueprint for all the proteins and molecules the cell makes. In this image, the DNA is shown in blue and proteins present on the outer membrane of the nucleus are in red.

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The nuclei (red) and DNA (blue) in several cells

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Blueprints in Blue

The nucleus of a cell contains most of its DNA – essentially the blueprint for all the proteins and molecules the cell makes. In this image, the DNA is shown in blue and proteins present on the outer membrane of the nucleus are in red.

What am I looking at?

This is a fluorescent image of several nuclei from individual cells. The DNA is light blue (1). RNA-processing proteins that are embedded in the nuclear envelope (the membrane around the nucleus) are red (2).

Biology in the background

The nucleus is the organelle that contains and protects the cell’s DNA. However, it is much more complex than just a sac for DNA. It has its own membrane, which wraps around the DNA and has a variety of different proteins embedded in it. The proteins seen here in red are RNA-processing proteins, which edit RNA as it leaves the nucleus for the cytoplasm. The membrane also contains pores that allow RNA to exit the nucleus and also allows proteins, like DNA polymerase and RNA polymerase, to enter the nucleus.

The nucleus of a human cell is about 10 micrometers across, or roughly 7.5 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Technique

This image was created using confocal microscopy.

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Contributor(s)

Steve Mabon and Tom Misteli, NCI Center for Cancer Research