Studying nuclear disassembly in vitro using Xenopus egg extract. Methods 2006 Aug;39(4):284-90
Date
08/02/2006Pubmed ID
16879978DOI
10.1016/j.ymeth.2006.06.004Scopus ID
2-s2.0-33748446828 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 10 CitationsAbstract
Xenopus egg extract provides an extremely powerful approach in the study of cell cycle regulated aspects of nuclear form and function. Each egg contains enough membrane and protein components to support multiple rounds of cell division. Remarkably, incubation of egg extract with DNA in the presence of an energy regeneration system is sufficient to induce formation of a nuclear envelope around DNA. In addition, these in vitro nuclei contain functional nuclear pore complexes, which form de novo and are capable of supporting nucleocytoplasmic transport. Mitotic entry can be induced by the addition of recombinant cyclin to an interphase extract. This initiates signaling that leads to disassembly of the nuclei. Thus, this cell-free system can be used to decipher events involved in mitotic remodeling of the nuclear envelope such as changes in nuclear pore permeability, dispersal of membrane, and disassembly of the lamina. Both general mechanisms and individual players required for orchestrating these events can be identified via biochemical manipulation of the egg extract. Here, we describe a procedure for the assembly and disassembly of in vitro nuclei, including the production of Xenopus egg extract and sperm chromatin DNA.
Author List
Higa MM, Ullman KS, Prunuske AJAuthor
Amy Jeanette Prunuske PhD Associate Professor in the Medical School Regional Campuses department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsCell Extracts
Cell Fractionation
Cell Nucleus
Cell-Free System
Chromatin
DNA
DNA-Binding Proteins
Female
In Vitro Techniques
Male
Nuclear Envelope
Nuclear Pore
Ovum
Sperm-Ovum Interactions
Spermatozoa
Xenopus
