Active liquid-like behavior of nucleoli determines their size and shape in Xenopus laevis oocytes

For most intracellular structures with larger than molecular dimensions, little is known about the connection between underlying molecular activities and higher order organization such as size and shape. Here, we show that both the size and shape of the amphibian oocyte nucleolus ultimately arise because nucleoli behave as liquid-like droplets of RNA and protein, exhibiting characteristic viscous fluid dynamics even on timescales of

• HH
  Helen Hay Whitney Foundation
• MF
  Max-Planck-Institut für Physik Komplexer Systeme