Import and nuclear size

摘要

The size of a cell's nucleus is usually proportional to the size of the cell itself. How are the two linked? The answer lies, at least in part, in the import of one or more cytoplasmic cargoes into the nucleus.rnIt is rare to come across a basic question in cell biology that is almost entirely unresolved, but what determines the size of a cell or of an organelle is one such question. Does the cell use a 'molecular ruler' to directly assess the size of its compartments, or does it use a surrogate, such as protein concentration, to determine how big its structures are? Reporting in Cell, Levy and Heald provide evidence that at least partly answers these questions in regard to the size of the cell nucleus.