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Nucleolus facts for kids

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Nucleus&Nucleolus
Photomicrograph of nucleus and nucleolus

A nucleolus (plural: nucleoli) is considered the brain of the cell nucleus. It is made up of RNA and protein. It is the part that puts ribosomes together. The ribosomes then travel out through the nuclear envelope to the cytoplasm, where they do their work, which is to make new proteins.

There is a special area in the nucleus of a cell where the nucleoli form called the nucleolus organizer region (NOR). Seen under a microscope, the nucleolus is a dark spot inside the cell's nucleus. It helps keep the shape of the nucleus.

Nucleoli have a part in how the cell responds to stress. When nucleoli do not work correctly, diseases can happen. A cell can have one or many nucleoli.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Nucléolo para niños

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