User:JmwBIO401/Nucleoplasm

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The nucleoplasm makes up the most prominent organelle of the Eukaryotic cell, the nucleus. It is enclosed by the nuclear envelope, also known as the nuclear membrane. The nucleoplasm resembles the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell in that it is a gel-like substance found within a membrane, although the nucleoplasm only fills out the space in the nucleus and has its own unique functions. The nucleoplasm suspends structures within the nucleus that are not membrane-bound and is responsible for maintaining the shape of the nucleus. The structures suspended in the nucleoplasm include DNA, nuclear bodies, nucleoporins, and nuclear speckles.

Nucleoplasm Role in the Cell
There are many important cell functions that take place in the nucleus, more specifically in the nucleoplasm. The main function of the nucleoplasm is to provide the proper environment for essential processes that take place in the nucleus and to store the structures that are used in these processes. In fact, the nucleoplasm stores about 34% of proteins found in the human body. These proteins take part in transcription and gene regulation in the nucleoplasm. Proteins located in the nucleoplasm are involved in the activation of genes that are used in the cell cycle. Some nucleoporins which typically make up the nuclear pore, can be mobile and participate in the regulation of gene expression in the nucleoplasm. The nuclear pore is where molecules travel from inside the nucleoplasm to the cytoplasm and vice versa. The nucleoplasm is also a route for many molecules to travel through. Smaller molecules are able to pass freely through the nuclear pore to get into and out of the nucleoplasm, while larger proteins need the help of receptors on the surface of the nuclear envelope.