Macronucleus

A macronucleus is the larger type of nucleus in ciliates. Macronuclei are polyploid and undergo direct division without mitosis. It controls the non-reproductive cell functions such as metabolism. During conjugation, the macronucleus disingtegrates, and a new macronucleus is formed by karyogamy of the micronuclei. The macronucleus contains hundreds of chromosomes, each present in ~50 copies. The macronucleus lacks a mechanism to precisely partition this complex genome equally during nuclear division; thus how the cell manages to maintain a balanced genome after generations of divisions is a mystery.Protozoan nucleus: the larger of two nuclei in most ciliate protozoans, involved in nonreproductive functions such as feeding and metabolismCategory:Organelles Macrophages (From the Wikpedia article Macronucleus.)

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Recent Publications on Macronucleus:
C-5(6) sterol desaturase from tetrahymena thermophila: Gene identification and knockout, sequence analysis, and comparison to other C-5(6) sterol desaturases. The gene coding for a C-5(6) sterol desaturase in Tetrahymena thermophila,...	11th November, 2009	Catedra de Biotecnologia y Microbiologia Industrial, Universidad de Buenos	Eukaryot Cell. 2009 Aug;8(8):1287-97. Epub 2009 Jun 12. DOI Direct Link
"Candidatus Paraholospora nucleivisitans", an intracellular bacterium in Paramecium sexaurelia shuttles between the cytoplasm and the nucleus of its host. An intracellular bacterium was discovered in two isolates of Paramecium...	10th November, 2009	Universitat Stuttgart, Biologisches Institut, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569	Syst Appl Microbiol. 2009 Oct;32(7):490-500. Epub 2009 Aug 12. DOI Direct Link
The presence of chimeric DNA consisting of 5' regions of the hemoglobin and nucleosome assembly protein-1 genes in Paramecium caudatum macronuclear genomic DNA. We detected an unexpected small-sized DNA fragment during polymerase chain...	7th November, 2009	Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Shizuoka University,	Zoolog Sci. 2009 Apr;26(4):259-65.
PiggyMac, a domesticated piggyBac transposase involved in programmed genome rearrangements in the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia. Programmed genome rearrangements drive functional gene assembly in...	4th November, 2009	CNRS FRE 3144, Centre de Genetique Moleculaire, Gif-sur-Yvette F-91198	Genes Dev. 2009 Nov 1;23(21):2478-83. DOI Direct Link
Subtraction by addition: domesticated transposases in programmed DNA elimination. The ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia must eliminate approximately 60,000...	4th November, 2009	Biology Department, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis,	Genes Dev. 2009 Nov 1;23(21):2455-60. DOI Direct Link
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Macronucleus Patents:
US Patent No.	Title
7060480	MRE11 orthologue and uses thereof
7202396	Rad3 orthologues and uses therof
7205453	Crop plant cystatin proteinase inhibitors encoding nucleic acids and methods of use
7214512	Genomic mammary Amyloid a sequence
7214852	Maize cellulose synthases encoding nucleic acids and uses thereof
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