nucleoids
Nucleoids are DNA–protein complexes that organize and package genetic material in cells where there is no membrane-bound nucleus. The term is used for the region containing chromosomal DNA in bacteria and many archaea, as well as for similarly organized genomes inside mitochondria and chloroplasts. In all cases, nucleoids serve to compact DNA, protect it, and coordinate replication, transcription, and repair processes.
In bacteria, the nucleoid region is not enclosed by a membrane. Most bacteria carry a single circular
In archaea, nucleoids resemble bacterial ones but rely on histone-like proteins and Alba to compact DNA, reflecting
In mitochondria and chloroplasts, nucleoids are suborganellar DNA–protein complexes containing multiple copies of the organellar genome
Overall, nucleoids unify the theme of genome organization across diverse cellular contexts, balancing compaction with accessibility