The Nucleus By: Megan Mercanti
Some History of the Nucleus Was discovered by Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealand born British physicist, in May of In a well-known experiment done by one of Rutherford's students, alpha particles were observed to scatter backwards from a gold foil. Rutherford’s explanation was that the scattering was caused by a hard, dense core at the center of the atom–the nucleus.
Structure Consists of a: Nuclear envelope(outer membrane) Nucleoplasm(chromatin and nucleolus) Nuclear envelope is a double bound membrane with four phospholipid bilayers and large pores that passes material back and forth.
Function of the Nucleus Regulates all cell activity(control center of the cell) Controls the enzymes present Contains the information for the production of proteins within the DNA Regulates gene expression
Diseases/Disabilities associated with the Nucleus Downs Syndrome- the nucleus of the human cell typically contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. Downs Syndrome occurs when the individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. Cancer- in the majority of healthy cells, the nucleus is smooth and has a spherical shape. People with cancer have a nucleus that is abnormal in shape and size characterized by blebs(irregular bulge).
Continued.. Spinal Muscular Atrophy- caused by a genetic defect in the SMN1 gene. SMN1 is necessary for the development of motor neurons. A diminished abundance of the protein results in death of neuronal cells in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and subsequent system-wide muscle wasting (atrophy).
Interesting facts Under a light microscope the nucleus looks like a black dot Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46 chromosomes in the nucleus. Only eukaryotes contain a nucleus
Works Cited Chodos, Allen, ed. "May, 1911: Rutherford and the Discovery of the Atomic Nucleus." American Physical Society. AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY, n.d. Web. 7 Mar Davidson, Michael. "Cell Biology and Microscopy Structure and Function of Cells and Viruses." Molecular Expressions. Florida State University, 14 May Web. 7 Mar "Physical Sciences in Oncology." National Cancer Institute. National Cancer Institute. Web. 7 Mar < "Spinal muscular atrophy." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 06 March Web. 7 Mar "The Virtual Cell Web Page.". N.p.. Web. 7 Mar "What is Downs Syndrome?." National Downs Syndrome Society. National Down Syndrome Society, n.d. Web. 7 Mar