YOU ARE LEARNING:
The Nucleus
The Nucleus
The nucleus stores the cell's genetic material.
This is an animal cell. What do you think we call the different parts inside the cell, like A, D and E?
A cell has just one nucleus. Which letter do you think points to this cell's nucleus?
Where in the cell do you find the nucleus?
Not all cells have a nucleus. Pick all the options below that you think do not have a nucleus.
You can select multiple answers
So bacteria don't have a nucleus. That means that ________________ cells don't have nuclei.
The nucleus is a large organelle at the centre of eukaryotic cells - that is multicellular organisms like plants and animals.
What do you think is the function of the nucleus?
This is a cell nucleus
It has been cut open so you can look inside it.
Which two letters point to the genetic material that is stored inside the nucleus?
C also points to a subpart of the nucleus - the nucleolus
It's a particularly dense part of the nucleus, because it contains both DNA, RNA and proteins. More on that later.
The nucleus has a double membrane. Which letter points to the two membranes?
Sometimes we also refer to the nucleus' double membrane as the nuclear envelope
The nuclear envelope surrounds the nucleus and holds it together, just like an envelope holds pieces of paper together.
The letter A points to nuclear pores between the two membranes. What do you think their function is?
A) They connect the nuclear envelope to the cell membrane. B) They give strength to the nuclear envelope. C) They allow transport through the nuclear envelope.
DNA is like a recipe for how to build stuff that the body needs, like proteins. RNA is like a copy of that recipe. Why do you think the cell produces RNA?
Choose the best answer to the following question:
How does RNA exit the nucleus to reach the ribosomes?
Summary
The nucleus is a very large very important organelle at the centre of eukaryotic cells.
It stores genetic material, like DNA and RNA.
It contains the nucleolus and has a double membrane (the "nuclear envelope")
The envelope is full of nuclear pores that allow transport through it.
RNA passes through the nuclear pores
RNA is like copies of sections of DNA that the cell uses to produce proteins in the ribosomes outside the nucleus. DNA is extremely precious to the cell, so the cell would rather keep DNA protected inside the nucleus instead of exporting that to the ribosomes. More on that in later lessons.