Chapter 5, Problem 14Q

Summary Introduction

To determine: Which of the two cells is transcribing more of its gene content as shown in the given electron micrograph of two nuclei in two different cells.

Concept introduction: Chromatin can be distinguished into two main classes based on their appearance when viewed under a light microscope. The darkly stained region present in a cell is heterochromatin and the lightly stained region is the euchromatin. The heterochromatin region looks clumped in the nucleus and it remains condensed throughout the cell cycle. But the euchromatin region is less condensed when viewed under a microscope.