The electrical properties of the nuclear envelope, and their possible role in the regulation of eukaryotic gene expression

Abstract

The regulation of eukaryotic gene expression is discussed from a bioelectrochemical perspective. The ways in which the nuclear envelope/membranes can regulate ion fluxes and generate electrical potentials and fields at the nuclear periphery are considered. Evidence for close association of DNA and proteins with the nuclear envelope is also presented. Possible functional consequences of this association are outlined in view of the polyelectrolyte nature of DNA and proteins, and the behavior of such biopolymers in the presence of the strong electric fields and ion microenvironments which can be generated at the perimeter of the nucleoplasm.