Nucleation of Nuclear Bodies

The nucleus is a complex organelle containing numerous highly dynamic, structurally stable domains and bodies, harboring functions that have only begun to be defined. However, the molecular mechanisms for their formation are still poorly understood. Recently it has been shown that a nuclear body can form de novo by self-organization. But little is known regarding what triggers the formation of a nuclear body and how subsequent assembly steps are orchestrated. Nuclear bodies are frequently associated with specific active gene loci that directly contribute to their formation. Both coding and noncoding RNAs can initiate the assembly of nuclear bodies with which they are physiologically associated. Thus, the formation of nuclear bodies occurs via recruitment and consequent accumulation of resident proteins in the nuclear bodies by nucleating RNA acting as a seeder. In this chapter I describe how to set up an experimental cell system to probe de novo biogenesis of a nuclear body by nucleating RNA and nuclear body components tethered on chromatin.