Some Electrical Properties of a Nuclear Membrane Examined with a Microelectrode

Abstract

Electrical potential and resistance were measured with microelectrodes in in situ and isolated nuclei of gland cells of Drosophila flavorepleta. The nucleus-cytoplasm boundary was found to be rather impermeable to ion diffusion. It presents a resistance of the order of 1 Q cm2 and sustains a "resting" potential, the nucleoplasm being about 15 mv negative with respect to the cytoplasm. Both the resistance and potential appear to be associated with the nuclear membrane the potential declines to zero and the resistance to a fraction of its original value, when the membrane is perforated experimentally.