Nuclear gene

Nuclear gene is a gene located in the cell nucleus of an eucaryote. The term is used to distinguish nuclear genes from the genes in the mitochondrion, or in case of plants, also the chloroplast. The term "gene" most often refers to nuclear genes.

Nuclear genes are the "original" genes of the eukaryotes. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are tought to be symbiotic bacteria that are now so intergrated to their host cells that they essentially function as integral cell components or organelles. Both of these organelles still retain a small genome. Most of their proteins are products of nuclear genes. These are produced in the cytoplasm like all nuclear gene products and then transported to their final destination.