is also a plurifunctional domain involved in assembly of RNPs and a target for viral proteins and viral RNAs. [8][9][10][11] The assembly of the nucleolus starts during telophase by activation of rDNA transcription of several nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) and by progressive recruitment of early and late processing proteins on rRNA transcripts. In parallel, prenucleolar bodies (PNBs) are assembled. [12][13][14][15][16] The PNBs contain nucleolar processing proteins, pre-rRNAs and snoRNAs. 17 Even though PNBs are formed in all animal and plant cells, their role in the dynamics of DFC and GC assembly is still unknown.It is possible to observe and measure the motion of proteins or RNP complexes in living cells. Using these approaches it was demonstrated that macromolecules within the nucleus are highly mobile by a combination of passive diffusion and highaffinity binding sites. [18][19][20] It was also established that the assembly of nuclear bodies after mitosis is strictly ordered. 14,[21][22][23][24] It is now important to characterize the dynamics of the complexes during the building of the functional domains integrated in the nuclear network. We examined the role of the PNB step in the kinetics of DFC and GC assembly. Using photoactivation, 25 weThe building of nuclear bodies after mitosis is a coordinated event crucial for nuclear organization and function. The nucleolus is assembled during early G 1 phase. Here, two periods (early G1a and early G1b) have been defined. During these periods, the nucleolar compartments (DFC, GC) corresponding to different steps of ribosome biogenesis are progressively assembled. In telophase, rDNA transcription is first activated and PNBs (reservoirs of nucleolar processing proteins) are formed. The traffic of the processing proteins between incipient nucleoli and PNBs was analyzed using photoactivation. We demonstrate that the DFC protein fibrillarin passes from one incipient nucleolus to other nucleoli but not to PNBs, and that the GC proteins, B23/NPM and Nop52, shuttle between PNBs and incipient nucleoli. This difference in traffic suggests a way of regulating assembly first of DFC and then of GC. The time of residency of GC proteins is high in incipient nucleoli compared to interphase nuclei, it decreases in LMB-treated early G1a cells impairing the assembly of GC. Because the assembly of the nucleolus and that of the Cajal body at the exit from mitosis are both sensitive to CRM1 activity, we discuss the fact that assembly of GC and/or its interaction with DFC in early G1a depends on shuttling between PNBs and NORs in a manner dependent on Cajal body assembly.www.landesbioscience.comNucleus 203 RESEARCH PAPER decreases as expected of proteins trafficking between nucleolus and nucleoplasm. Surprisingly, activated PAGFP-B23/NPM is detected in PNBs 5-10 seconds after activation (Fig. 1D). The uptake of B23/NPM in PNBs is observed in all PNBs containing mDsRed-Nop52 visible in the focal plane. This indicates that feedback of activated molecules occurs between incipient nuc...