Octagonal Nuclear Pores

Negative staining of isolated nuclear envelopes by phosphotungstate shows that the nuclear pores are octagonal rather than circular. Pores of the same shape and approximately the same width, 663 +/- 5 A, were demonstrated in the newt, Triturus, the frog, Rana, and the starfish, Henricia. The outer and inner diameters of the annulus associated with each pore are respectively greater and less than the width of the pore itself. For this reason surface views of the envelope, unless negatively stained, fail to show the true dimensions of the pores.