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Nuclear bodies are relatively immobile organelles. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying their movement using experimentally induced interphase prenucleolar bodies (iPNBs). Most iPNBs demonstrated constrained diffusion, exhibiting infrequent fusions with other iPNBs and nucleoli. Fusion events were actin-independent and appeared to be the consequence of stochastic collisions between iPNBs. Most iPNBs were surrounded by condensed chromatin, while fusing iPNBs were usually found in a single heterochromatin-delimited compartment ("cage"). The experimentally induced over-condensation of chromatin significantly decreased the frequency of iPNB fusion. Thus, the data obtained indicate that the mobility of nuclear bodies is restricted by heterochromatin.

The hypothesis that the genome is composed of a patchwork of structural and functional domains (units) that may be either active or repressed was proposed almost 30 years ago. Here, we examine the evolution of the domain model of eukaryotic genome organization in view of the expansion of genome-scale techniques in the twenty-first century that have provided us with a wealth of information on genome organization, folding, and functioning.

The first papers coining the term "nuclear matrix" were published 40 years ago. Here, we review the data obtained during the nuclear matrix studies and discuss the contribution of this controversial concept to our current understanding of nuclear architecture and three-dimensional organization of genome.