Cell Nucleus Course

Lesson 1 • The Nucleus in Cell Types

Compares nuclear features across prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and specialized cell types. Highlights how nuclear structure varies with cell function.

Lesson 2 • Overview of Nuclear Architecture

Introduces the structural organization of the nucleus and its major subcomponents. Connects physical structure to functional roles covered in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Historical Discovery of the Nucleus

Traces key milestones from early microscopy to modern nuclear biology. Provides context for why the nucleus is central to cell biology.

Lesson 1 • Nuclear Lamina and Structural Support

Covers the intermediate filament network underlying the inner membrane and its role in nuclear shape. Links lamina integrity to chromatin organization and gene regulation.

Lesson 2 • Structure of the Nuclear Envelope

Details the inner and outer nuclear membranes, their lipid bilayer composition, and connection to the ER. Establishes the physical boundary separating nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments.

Lesson 3 • Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Mechanisms

Explains passive diffusion versus active transport through NPCs, including importin and exportin cycles. Connects transport regulation to gene expression and cell signaling.

Lesson 4 • Envelope Dynamics During Cell Division

Examines nuclear envelope breakdown and reassembly during mitosis and meiosis. Connects envelope dynamics to chromosome segregation accuracy.

Lesson 1 • Chromatin Remodelling Complexes

Introduces ATP-dependent remodelling complexes that reposition or evict nucleosomes. Connects remodelling activity to transcription factor access and gene activation.

Lesson 2 • Euchromatin and Heterochromatin

Distinguishes constitutive and facultative heterochromatin from transcriptionally active euchromatin. Links chromatin state to gene silencing and cell identity.

Lesson 3 • Nuclear Compartmentalisation of Chromatin

Examines chromosome territories, A/B compartments, and radial positioning within the nucleus. Connects spatial organization to transcriptional output.

Lesson 4 • Nucleosome Structure and Assembly

Covers the histone octamer, DNA wrapping, and linker histone H1 function. Establishes the fundamental repeating unit of chromatin compaction.

Lesson 1 • DNA Methylation and Nuclear Regulation

Covers CpG methylation patterns, DNMT enzymes, and TET-mediated demethylation. Links DNA methylation to gene silencing, imprinting, and X-inactivation.

Lesson 2 • Writers, Readers, and Erasers

Describes enzymes that add, recognise, and remove histone marks, including HATs, HDACs, and KMTs. Connects enzymatic activity to dynamic regulation of chromatin states.

Lesson 3 • Types of Histone Modifications

Catalogues acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and other histone marks. Provides the chemical vocabulary needed to interpret the histone code.

Lesson 4 • Active and Repressive Histone Marks

Contrasts marks associated with transcriptional activation (H3K4me3, H3K27ac) with repressive marks (H3K27me3, H3K9me3). Enables functional interpretation of ChIP-seq data.

Lesson 1 • RNA Polymerase II Structure and Function

Describes the 12-subunit Pol II complex, its catalytic mechanism, and CTD domain. Establishes the core enzyme before introducing regulatory factors.

Lesson 2 • Transcription Elongation and Pausing

Examines promoter-proximal pausing, pause release by P-TEFb, and productive elongation. Connects elongation control to rapid gene induction.

Lesson 3 • Promoter Recognition and PIC Assembly

Covers TATA box, Inr, and DPE core promoter elements and stepwise preinitiation complex assembly. Links promoter architecture to transcription efficiency.

Lesson 4 • Transcription Termination and mRNA Release

Describes cleavage/polyadenylation-coupled termination and torpedo model for Pol II release. Links termination to co-transcriptional mRNA processing.

Lesson 1 • Replication Origin Licensing and Firing

Covers ORC binding, MCM helicase loading, and origin firing regulation across S phase. Connects licensing control to prevention of re-replication.

Lesson 2 • DNA Damage Recognition and Signalling

Covers major DNA lesion types, sensor proteins, and ATM/ATR kinase activation cascades. Connects damage sensing to cell cycle checkpoint activation.

Lesson 3 • DNA Repair Pathways

Compares NER, BER, MMR, NHEJ, and HR repair mechanisms and their substrate specificities. Enables selection of the appropriate repair pathway for a given lesion type.

Lesson 4 • Chromatin Replication and Histone Recycling

Examines parental histone recycling, new histone deposition, and epigenetic mark propagation during replication. Links chromatin reassembly to epigenetic inheritance.

Lesson 1 • Ribosomal Protein Assembly and Quality Control

Examines import of ribosomal proteins, their ordered assembly onto pre-rRNA, and surveillance of aberrant particles. Links quality control to prevention of defective ribosomes.

Lesson 2 • Pre-rRNA Processing and Cleavage

Traces the stepwise endonucleolytic and exonucleolytic cleavages converting 47S pre-rRNA to mature 18S, 5.8S, and 28S rRNAs. Connects processing accuracy to ribosome function.

Lesson 3 • Nucleolar Organisation and Subcompartments

Describes fibrillar centres, dense fibrillar component, and granular component of the nucleolus. Links each subcompartment to a distinct stage of ribosome biogenesis.

Lesson 4 • rDNA Transcription by RNA Polymerase I

Covers rDNA repeat organisation, Pol I preinitiation complex, and UBF/SL1 regulatory factors. Establishes the transcriptional basis for bulk rRNA production.

Lesson 1 • Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Defects

Covers mislocalisation of transcription factors, nucleoporin mutations, and transport factor alterations in disease. Links transport dysfunction to neurodegeneration and cancer.

Lesson 2 • Laminopathies and Nuclear Envelope Diseases

Covers mutations in lamin A/C and associated proteins causing muscular dystrophy, progeria, and lipodystrophy. Links structural defects to tissue-specific pathology.

Lesson 3 • Therapeutic Targeting of Nuclear Processes

Surveys HDAC inhibitors, DNMT inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, and nuclear export inhibitors in clinical use. Connects mechanistic understanding to rational drug design.

Lesson 4 • Defective DNA Repair and Genome Instability

Links inherited repair deficiencies to cancer predisposition syndromes and describes somatic mutation landscapes. Connects repair pathway choice to chromosomal rearrangements.