Oldies but goldies: searching for Christmas trees within the nucleolar architecture.

The nucleolus is the prominent nuclear organelle in which the biogenesis of ribosomal RNA and ribosomes takes place. Understanding of the molecular processes in the nucleolus is rapidly expanding; however, opinions and results on the precise localization of active ribosomal genes - in either of two nucleolar subcompartments, fibrillar centers and dense fibrillar components - are still divided. This review discusses the difficulties in studying the nucleolar structure using microscopy, and provides an overview of the published data, critically examining their relevance to the controversy. Additionally, evidence showing that the dense fibrillar components encompass the Christmas tree structures is discussed and ways to reconcile the controversy are proposed.