A Question For The Lone Ranger

[The Lone Ranger]

The nuclear envelope that surrounds a eukaryote's nucleus has quite a few relatively large nuclear pores in it that are easily large-enough to allow even molecules the size of nucleic acids to move into and out of the nucleus.

In addition, specialized transport proteins (transportins) can bind to nucleic acids (normally mRNA) and help to move them out of (or into) the nucleus. Off the top of my head, I'd guess that the plasmids are bound by transportins and brought into the nucleus that way, through the nuclear pores.


Cheers,

Michael