Nuclear lamina

The nuclear lamina is a dense (~30 to 100 nm thick) fibrillar network inside the nucleus of most cells. It is composed of intermediate filaments and membrane associated proteins. Besides providing mechanical support, the nuclear lamina regulates important cellular events such as DNA replication and cell division. Additionally, it participates in chromatin organization and it anchors the nuclear pore complexes embedded in the nuclear envelope.

The nuclear lamina is associated with the inner face of the double bilayer nuclear envelope, whereas the outer face is continuous with the endoplasmic reticulum. The nuclear lamina is similar in structure to the nuclear matrix, but the latter extends throughout the nucleoplasm.

Structure and composition