Nuclear Envelope Dynamics During Mitosis

Author(s):  
Brian Burke

The nuclear envelope is a complex membrane structure that forms the boundary of the nuclear compartment in eukaryotes. It regulates the passage of macromolecules between the two compartments and may be important for organizing interphase chromosome architecture. In interphase animal cells it forms a remarkably stable structure consisting of a double membrane ouerlying a protein meshwork or lamina and penetrated by nuclear pore complexes. The latter form the channels for nucleocytoplasmic exchange of macromolecules, At the onset of mitosis, however, it rapidly disassembles, the membranes fragment to yield small vesicles and the lamina, which is composed of predominantly three polypeptides, lamins R, B and C (MW approx. 74, 68 and 65 kDa respectiuely), breaks down. Lamins B and C are dispersed as monomers throughout the mitotic cytoplasm, while lamin B remains associated with the nuclear membrane vesicles.

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 829-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jindriska Fiserova ◽  
Martin W. Goldberg

The nuclear envelope comprises a distinct compartment at the nuclear periphery that provides a platform for communication between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Signal transfer can proceed by multiple means. Primarily, this is by nucleocytoplasmic trafficking facilitated by NPCs (nuclear pore complexes). Recently, it has been indicated that signals can be transmitted from the cytoskeleton to the intranuclear structures via interlinking transmembrane proteins. In animal cells, the nuclear lamina tightly underlies the inner nuclear membrane and thus represents the protein structure located at the furthest boundary of the nucleus. It enables communication between the nucleus and the cytoplasm via its interactions with chromatin-binding proteins, transmembrane and membrane-associated proteins. Of particular interest is the interaction of the nuclear lamina with NPCs. As both structures fulfil essential roles in close proximity at the nuclear periphery, their interactions have a large impact on cellular processes resulting in affects on tissue differentiation and development. The present review concentrates on the structural and functional lamina–NPC relationship in animal cells and its potential implications to plants.


2003 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Foisner

The nuclear envelope (NE) consists of an inner and an outer membrane, nuclear pore complexes, and the underlying nuclear lamina, a filamentous scaffold structure formed by lamins. The inner membrane is linked to the lamina and chromatin by its integral membrane proteins, such as lamin B receptor (LBR), emerin, and various isoforms of lamina-associated polypeptides (LAP) 1 and 2, which bind lamins and/or chromatin. During mitosis, the NE is disassembled upon phosphorylation of its core components, and the NE is torn apart by a dynein-driven microtubule-dependent mechanism. Nuclear reassembly after sister chromatid separation requires a timely coordinated and dephosphorylation-dependent association of lamin-binding proteins and lamins with chromosomal proteins and targeting of membranes to specific sites on chromosomes. Various chromatin-binding domains in lamina proteins, such as the LEM domain, present in all LAP2 isoforms and in emerin, as well as unique regions in lamina proteins and in specific LAP2 isoforms have been implicated in defined steps of NE reformation. Furthermore, novel mechanisms of membrane fusion involving Ran GTPase are just beginning to emerge.


1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 1743-1753 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Buendia ◽  
A. Santa-Maria ◽  
J.C. Courvalin

We have studied the fate of the nuclear envelope (NE) in different human cells committed to apoptosis by different chemical agents. Using a battery of antibodies against marker proteins of the three domains of the nuclear envelope, namely lamin B (LB) for the lamina, transmembrane proteins LBR and LAP2 for the inner nuclear membrane, and nucleoporins p62, Nup153 and gp210 for the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), we observed a selective and conserved cleavage of LB, LAP2 and Nup153. In lymphoid cells, the rate of cleavage of these markers was independent of the apoptosis inducing agent, actinomycin D or etoposide, and more rapid than in attached epithelial cells. While lamin B is cleaved by caspase 6, the protease responsible for the cleavage of LAP2 and Nup153 was probably caspase 3, since (1) cleavage of both proteins was specifically prevented by in vivo addition of caspase 3 inhibitor Ac-DEVD-CHO and (2) consensus sites for these caspases are present in both proteins. As LB, LAP2 and Nup153 are exposed at the inner face of the nuclear envelope and all interact with chromatin, we suggest that their cleavage allows both the detachment of NE from chromatin and the clustering of NPCs in the plane of the membrane, two conserved morphological features of apoptosis observed in this study.


2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 616-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Lin Liu ◽  
Colin P.C. De Souza ◽  
Aysha H. Osmani ◽  
Stephen A. Osmani

In Aspergillus nidulans nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) undergo partial mitotic disassembly such that 12 NPC proteins (Nups) form a core structure anchored across the nuclear envelope (NE). To investigate how the NPC core is maintained, we affinity purified the major core An-Nup84-120 complex and identified two new fungal Nups, An-Nup37 and An-ELYS, previously thought to be vertebrate specific. During mitosis the An-Nup84-120 complex locates to the NE and spindle pole bodies but, unlike vertebrate cells, does not concentrate at kinetochores. We find that mutants lacking individual An-Nup84-120 components are sensitive to the membrane destabilizer benzyl alcohol (BA) and high temperature. Although such mutants display no defects in mitotic spindle formation, they undergo mitotic specific disassembly of the NPC core and transient aggregation of the mitotic NE, suggesting the An-Nup84-120 complex might function with membrane. Supporting this, we show cells devoid of all known fungal transmembrane Nups (An-Ndc1, An-Pom152, and An-Pom34) are viable but that An-ndc1 deletion combined with deletion of individual An-Nup84-120 components is either lethal or causes sensitivity to treatments expected to destabilize membrane. Therefore, the An-Nup84-120 complex performs roles, perhaps at the NPC membrane as proposed previously, that become essential without the An-Ndc1 transmembrane Nup.


1997 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
pp. 1185-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirella Bucci ◽  
Susan R. Wente

While much is known about the role of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) in nucleocytoplasmic transport, the mechanism of NPC assembly into pores formed through the double lipid bilayer of the nuclear envelope is not well defined. To investigate the dynamics of NPCs, we developed a live-cell assay in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The nucleoporin Nup49p was fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) of Aequorea victoria and expressed in nup49 null haploid yeast cells. When the GFP–Nup49p donor cell was mated with a recipient cell harboring only unlabeled Nup49p, the nuclei fused as a consequence of the normal mating process. By monitoring the distribution of the GFP–Nup49p, we could assess whether NPCs were able to move from the donor section of the nuclear envelope to that of the recipient nucleus. We observed that fluorescent NPCs moved and encircled the entire nucleus within 25 min after fusion. When assays were done in mutant kar1-1 strains, where nuclear fusion does not occur, GFP–Nup49p appearance in the recipient nucleus occurred at a very slow rate, presumably due to new NPC biogenesis or to exchange of GFP– Nup49p into existing recipient NPCs. Interestingly, in a number of existing mutant strains, NPCs are clustered together at permissive growth temperatures. This has been explained with two different hypotheses: by movement of NPCs through the double nuclear membranes with subsequent clustering at a central location; or, alternatively, by assembly of all NPCs at a central location (such as the spindle pole body) with NPCs in mutant cells unable to move away from this point. Using the GFP–Nup49p system with a mutant in the NPCassociated factor Gle2p that exhibits formation of NPC clusters only at 37°C, it was possible to distinguish between these two models for NPC dynamics. GFP– Nup49p-labeled NPCs, assembled at 23°C, moved into clusters when the cells were shifted to growth at 37°C. These results indicate that NPCs can move through the double nuclear membranes and, moreover, can do so to form NPC clusters in mutant strains. Such clusters may result by releasing NPCs from a nuclear tether, or by disappearance of a protein that normally prevents pore aggregation. This system represents a novel approach for identifying regulators of NPC assembly and movement in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Ptak ◽  
Natasha O. Saik ◽  
Ashwini Premashankar ◽  
Diego L. Lapetina ◽  
John D. Aitchison ◽  
...  

In eukaryotes, chromatin binding to the inner nuclear membrane (INM) and nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) contributes to spatial organization of the genome and epigenetic programs important for gene expression. In mitosis, chromatin–nuclear envelope (NE) interactions are lost and then formed again as sister chromosomes segregate to postmitotic nuclei. Investigating these processes in S. cerevisiae, we identified temporally and spatially controlled phosphorylation-dependent SUMOylation events that positively regulate postmetaphase chromatin association with the NE. Our work establishes a phosphorylation-mediated targeting mechanism of the SUMO ligase Siz2 to the INM during mitosis, where Siz2 binds to and SUMOylates the VAP protein Scs2. The recruitment of Siz2 through Scs2 is further responsible for a wave of SUMOylation along the INM that supports the assembly and anchorage of subtelomeric chromatin at the INM and localization of an active gene (INO1) to NPCs during the later stages of mitosis and into G1-phase.


1978 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-90
Author(s):  
J.R. Harris

A procedure is described for the preparation of avian erythrocyte nuclear envelope ghosts which remain enclosed by the ellipsoid plasma membrane. Haemoglobin-free nucleated chicken erythrocyte ghosts are treated in a low ionic strength buffer plus heparin which brings about decondensation of the chromatin. This is followed by solubilization of the chromatin by digestion with pancreatic deoxyribonuclease-1. When studied by light microscopy using either phase-contrast or Nomarski interference optics, the ellipsoid plasma membrane is clearly seen to remain with the collapsed nuclear envelope trapped inside. This interpretation is supported by negative-staining electron microscopy using ammonium molybdate, which in addition reveals the presence of the nuclear pore complexes. The suggestion is advanced that structural protection is provided for the fragile nuclear envelope system by the surrounding plasma membrane, which might account for the final nuclear envelope being in the form of relatively intact ghosts with well defined nuclear pore complexes. The nuclear envelope is highly fragmented when the plasma membrane is absent, the nuclear pore complexes showing appreciable breakdown. Thin sectioning supports the results of negative staining and in addition shows the nuclear envelope retained within the plasma membrane to be composed of both inner and outer nuclear membranes, but the nuclear pore complexes are not clearly defined.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (8-9-10) ◽  
pp. 509-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros Batsios ◽  
Ralph Gräf ◽  
Michael P. Koonce ◽  
Denis A. Larochelle ◽  
Irene Meyer

The nuclear envelope consists of the outer and the inner nuclear membrane, the nuclear lamina and the nuclear pore complexes, which regulate nuclear import and export. The major constituent of the nuclear lamina of Dictyostelium is the lamin NE81. It can form filaments like B-type lamins and it interacts with Sun1, as well as with the LEM/HeH-family protein Src1. Sun1 and Src1 are nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins involved in the centrosome-nucleus connection and nuclear envelope stability at the nucleolar regions, respectively. In conjunction with a KASH-domain protein, Sun1 usually forms a so-called LINC complex. Two proteins with functions reminiscent of KASH-domain proteins at the outer nuclear membrane of Dictyostelium are known; interaptin which serves as an actin connector and the kinesin Kif9 which plays a role in the microtubule-centrosome connector. However, both of these lack the conserved KASH-domain. The link of the centrosome to the nuclear envelope is essential for the insertion of the centrosome into the nuclear envelope and the appropriate spindle formation. Moreover, centrosome insertion is involved in permeabilization of the mitotic nucleus, which ensures access of tubulin dimers and spindle assembly factors. Our recent progress in identifying key molecular players at the nuclear envelope of Dictyostelium promises further insights into the mechanisms of nuclear envelope dynamics.


Author(s):  
Naomi Hachiya ◽  
Marta Sochocka ◽  
Anna Brzecka ◽  
Takuto Shimizu ◽  
Kazimierz Gąsiorowski ◽  
...  

Abstract Transport of proteins, transcription factors, and other signaling molecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm is necessary for signal transduction. The study of these transport phenomena is particularly challenging in neurons because of their highly polarized structure. The bidirectional exchange of molecular cargoes across the nuclear envelope (NE) occurs through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are aqueous channels embedded in the nuclear envelope. The NE and NPCs regulate nuclear transport but are also emerging as relevant regulators of chromatin organization and gene expression. The alterations in nuclear transport are regularly identified in affected neurons associated with human neurodegenerative diseases. This review presents insights into the roles played by nuclear transport defects in neurodegenerative disease, focusing primarily on NE proteins and NPCs. The subcellular mislocalization of proteins might be a very desirable means of therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative disorders.


2009 ◽  
Vol 185 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Rexach

All nucleocytoplasmic traffic of macromolecules occurs through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which function as stents in the nuclear envelope to keep nuclear pores open but gated. Three studies in this issue (Flemming, D., P. Sarges, P. Stelter, A. Hellwig, B. Böttcher, and E. Hurt. 2009. J. Cell Biol. 185:387–395; Makio, T., L.H. Stanton, C.-C. Lin, D.S. Goldfarb, K. Weis, and R.W. Wozniak. 2009. J. Cell Biol. 185:459–491; Onishchenko, E., L.H. Stanton, A.S. Madrid, T. Kieselbach, and K. Weis. 2009. J. Cell Biol. 185:475–491) further our understanding of the NPC assembly process by reporting what happens when the supply lines of key proteins that provide a foundation for building these marvelous supramolecular structures are disrupted.


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