Electron microscopic in situ hybridization and autoradiography: localization and transcription of rDNA in human lymphocyte nucleoli.

The distribution of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) in the nucleoli of human lymphocytes was revealed by in situ hybridization with a nonautoradiographic procedure at the electron microscopic level. rDNA is located in the dense fibrillar component of the nucleolus but not in the fibrillar centers. In the same cells the incorporation of tritiated uridine takes place in the dense fibrillar component of the nucleolus as seen by autoradiography followed by gold latensification. From these findings it can be concluded that the transcription of ribosomal DNA takes place in the dense fibrillar component of the nucleolus.