Regulation of Ribosomal RNA Production by RNA Polymerase I: Does Elongation Come First?
Figure 1
Budding yeast cells and ribosome production. (a) Morphology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells after cryofixation and freeze substitution. Ribosomes are individually localized in the cytoplasm (see individual ribosomes detected in the zoomed region). In the nucleus, the nucleolus (No) is detected as a large electron-dense region compared with low electron density of the nucleoplasm (Np). (b) Morphology of the nucleolus. The nucleus appears outlined by a double envelope with pores, and the nucleolus is in close contact with the nuclear envelope. In the nucleolus, a dense fibrillar network is visible throughout the nucleolar volume. Granular components are dispersed throughout the rest of the nucleolus. (c) Visualization of active genes in rDNA. Using a mutant strain with a reduced number of rDNA copies (strain NOY1071; 25 rDNA copies), Miller spreading of total nucleolar DNA allowed single-gene analysis of rRNA genes. (d) Quantification of actively transcribed rDNA. Using high magnification, we can detect individual polymerases associated with nascent rRNA. Bars represent 500 nm.
