KARYOTHECA OR NUCLEAR MEMBRANE

1. It is also called Nucleolemma, term given by Erclab & Hertwig.
2. Karyotheca composed of two unit membranes separated by a 150-300 A° wide perinuclear space. Outer membrame may have 80s ribosomes.E.R. is connected to outer nuclear membrane at several places.
3. Just beneath inner nuclear membrane, there is a fibrous layer called fibrous lamina. It provides strength to nuclear membrane and also provides attachment site to peripheral heterochromatin.
4. Nuclear membrane is perforated by nuclear pores of 400 - 1000 Aº diameter with space 1500 Aº . In the oocyte of frog (Xenopus laevis) 30 million nuclear pores are present. Nuclear pores are covered by an octagonal structure composed of eight granular subunits called Annulus or Bleb. Anulus and nuclear pore collectively called pore complex.
5. These pores regulates transport bet. nucleoplasm and cytoplasm, Small ions like K+, Na+ and Cl- move through nuclear membrane while t-RNA ,r-RNA and m- RNA pass through nuclear pores. Protein nucleoplasmin which occur in pore complex regulates the nucleo cytoplasmic traffic .