Abstract
The cell nucleus is three-dimensionally and dynamically organized by nuclear components with high molecular density, such as chromatin and nuclear bodies. The structure and functions of these components are represented by the diffusion and interaction of related factors. Recent studies suggest that the nucleolus can be assessed using various protein probes, as the probes are highly mobile in this organelle, although it is known that they have a densely packed structure. However, physicochemical properties of the nucleolus itself, such as molecular density and volume when cellular conditions are changed, are not yet fully understood. In this study, physical parameters such as the refractive index (RI) and volume of the nucleoli in addition to the diffusion coefficient (D) of fluorescent probe protein inside the nucleolus are quantified and compared by combining label-free optical diffraction tomography (ODT) with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM)-based fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). 3D evaluation of RI values and corresponding RI images of nucleoli in live HeLa cells successfully demonstrated varying various physiological conditions. Our complimentary method suggests that physical property of the nucleolus in live cell is sensitive to ATP depletion and transcriptional inhibition, while it is insensitive to hyper osmotic pressure when compared with the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. The result demonstrates that the nucleolus has unique physicochemical properties when compared with other cellular components.
Highlights
The cell nucleus is three-dimensionally organized into subnuclear structures, including chromatin containing genomic information and nuclear bodies such as the nucleolus, nuclear speckles, and Cajal bodies
To demonstrate how refractive index (RI) images of the nucleolus were accurately constructed by optical diffraction tomography (ODT) analysis, live
Our result suggests that the structural changes induced by ATP depletion and transcriptional inhibition observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and ODT are correlated
Summary
The cell nucleus is three-dimensionally organized into subnuclear structures, including chromatin containing genomic information and nuclear bodies such as the nucleolus, nuclear speckles, and Cajal bodies. The nucleolus, a factory for ribosome biogenesis, is considered as related to various cell functions such as aging, tumor suppressor regulation, and stress sensing [1,2,3]. It has been demonstrated that the nucleolus contains high concentrations of over 489 proteins, which vary in function and cellular condition [4]. The organization and function of the nucleolus is maintained by high mobility and interaction kinetics of nuclear and nucleolar factors and ribosomal. DNA/RNA (rDNA/RNA) [5,6,7], the nucleolus shows a densely packed structure in fixed cells observed by electron microscopy. Many studies have demonstrated that the nucleoli are dynamic structures with highly mobile constituents that can diffuse in and out of the nucleoplasm.
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