scholarly journals Recapitulation of selective nuclear import and export with a perfectly repeated 12mer GLFG peptide

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheung Chun Ng ◽  
Thomas Güttler ◽  
Dirk Görlich
Keyword(s):  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Cargo Transport ◽  
Fast Transport ◽  
Import And Export ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Fundamental Requirement

AbstractThe permeability barrier of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) controls nucleocytoplasmic transport. It retains inert macromolecules while allowing facilitated passage of importins and exportins, which in turn shuttle cargo into or out of cell nuclei. The barrier can be described as a condensed phase assembled from cohesive FG repeat domains. NPCs contain several distinct FG domains, each comprising variable repeats. Nevertheless, we now found that sequence heterogeneity is no fundamental requirement for barrier function. Instead, we succeeded in engineering a perfectly repeated 12mer GLFG peptide that self-assembles into a barrier of exquisite transport selectivity and fast transport kinetics. This barrier recapitulates RanGTPase-controlled importin- and exportin-mediated cargo transport and thus represents an ultimately simplified experimental model system. An alternative proline-free sequence forms an amyloid FG phase. Finally, we discovered that FG phases stain bright with ‘DNA-specific’ DAPI/ Hoechst probes, and that such dyes allow for a photo-induced block of nuclear transport.

scholarly journals O-GlcNAc modification of nuclear pore complexes accelerates bi-directional transport

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae Yeon Yoo ◽  
Timothy J Mitchison
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Import ◽  
Nuclear Transport ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Facilitated Diffusion ◽  
Import And Export ◽  
Pore Complexes

AbstractMacromolecular transport across the nuclear envelope depends on facilitated diffusion through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). The interior of NPCs contains a permeability barrier made of phenylalanine-glycine (FG) repeat domains that selectively facilitates the permeation of cargoes bound to nuclear transport receptors (NTRs). FG repeats in NPC are a major site of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification, but the functional role of this modification in nucleocytoplasmic transport is unclear. We developed high-throughput assays based on optogenetic probes to quantify the kinetics of nuclear import and export in living human cells. We found that increasing O-GlcNAc modification of the NPC accelerated NTR-facilitated nucleocytoplasmic transport of proteins in both directions, and decreasing modification slowed transport. Super-resolution imaging revealed strong enrichment of O-GlcNAc at the FG-repeat barrier. O-GlcNAc modification also accelerated passive permeation of a small, inert protein through NPCs. We conclude that O-GlcNAc modification accelerates nucleocytoplasmic transport by enhancing the non-specific permeability the FG-repeat barrier, perhaps by steric inhibition of interactions between FG repeats.SummaryNuclear pore complexes mediate nuclear transport and are highly modified with O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) on FG repeat domains. Using a new quantitative live-cell imaging assay, Yoo and Mitchison demonstrate acceleration of nuclear import and export by O-GlcNAc modification.

scholarly journals O-GlcNAc modification of nuclear pore complexes accelerates bidirectional transport

2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae Yeon Yoo ◽  
Timothy J. Mitchison
Keyword(s):  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Facilitated Diffusion ◽  
Macromolecular Transport ◽  
Superresolution Imaging ◽  
Bidirectional Transport ◽  
Import And Export ◽  
Pore Complexes

Macromolecular transport across the nuclear envelope depends on facilitated diffusion through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). The interior of NPCs contains a permeability barrier made of phenylalanine-glycine (FG) repeat domains that selectively facilitates the permeation of cargoes bound to nuclear transport receptors (NTRs). FG-repeat domains in NPCs are a major site of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification, but the functional role of this modification in nucleocytoplasmic transport is unclear. We developed high-throughput assays based on optogenetic probes to quantify the kinetics of nuclear import and export in living human cells. We found that increasing O-GlcNAc modification of the NPC accelerated NTR-facilitated transport of proteins in both directions, and decreasing modification slowed transport. Superresolution imaging revealed strong enrichment of O-GlcNAc at the FG-repeat barrier. O-GlcNAc modification also accelerated passive permeation of a small, inert protein through NPCs. We conclude that O-GlcNAc modification accelerates nucleocytoplasmic transport by enhancing the nonspecific permeability of the FG-repeat barrier, perhaps by steric inhibition of interactions between FG repeats.

scholarly journals Motor-driven motility of fungal nuclear pores organizes chromosomes and fosters nucleocytoplasmic transport

2012 ◽  
Vol 198 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gero Steinberg ◽  
Martin Schuster ◽  
Ulrike Theisen ◽  
Sreedhar Kilaru ◽  
Andrew Forge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Lamina ◽  
Ustilago Maydis ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Nuclear Pores ◽  
Gfp Reporter ◽  
Import And Export ◽  
Reporter Proteins ◽  
Pore Complexes

Exchange between the nucleus and the cytoplasm is controlled by nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). In animals, NPCs are anchored by the nuclear lamina, which ensures their even distribution and proper organization of chromosomes. Fungi do not possess a lamina and how they arrange their chromosomes and NPCs is unknown. Here, we show that motor-driven motility of NPCs organizes the fungal nucleus. In Ustilago maydis, Aspergillus nidulans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae fluorescently labeled NPCs showed ATP-dependent movements at ∼1.0 µm/s. In S. cerevisiae and U. maydis, NPC motility prevented NPCs from clustering. In budding yeast, NPC motility required F-actin, whereas in U. maydis, microtubules, kinesin-1, and dynein drove pore movements. In the latter, pore clustering resulted in chromatin organization defects and led to a significant reduction in both import and export of GFP reporter proteins. This suggests that fungi constantly rearrange their NPCs and corresponding chromosomes to ensure efficient nuclear transport and thereby overcome the need for a structural lamina.

scholarly journals Organelle-specific targeting of polymersomes into the cell nucleus

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (6) ◽  
pp. 2770-2778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Zelmer ◽  
Ludovit P. Zweifel ◽  
Larisa E. Kapinos ◽  
Ioana Craciun ◽  
Zekiye P. Güven ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Nucleus ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Nuclear Interior ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Localization Signal ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Detailed Chemical

Organelle-specific nanocarriers (NCs) are highly sought after for delivering therapeutic agents into the cell nucleus. This necessitates nucleocytoplasmic transport (NCT) to bypass nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). However, little is known as to how comparably large NCs infiltrate this vital intracellular barrier to enter the nuclear interior. Here, we developed nuclear localization signal (NLS)-conjugated polymersome nanocarriers (NLS-NCs) and studied the NCT mechanism underlying their selective nuclear uptake. Detailed chemical, biophysical, and cellular analyses show that karyopherin receptors are required to authenticate, bind, and escort NLS-NCs through NPCs while Ran guanosine triphosphate (RanGTP) promotes their release from NPCs into the nuclear interior. Ultrastructural analysis by regressive staining transmission electron microscopy further resolves the NLS-NCs on transit in NPCs and inside the nucleus. By elucidating their ability to utilize NCT, these findings demonstrate the efficacy of polymersomes to deliver encapsulated payloads directly into cell nuclei.

scholarly journals Altering nuclear pore complex function impacts longevity and mitochondrial function in S. cerevisiae

2015 ◽  
Vol 208 (6) ◽  
pp. 729-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Lord ◽  
Benjamin L. Timney ◽  
Michael P. Rout ◽  
Susan R. Wente
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Function ◽  
Complex Function ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Small Gtpase ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Dependent Transport ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
And Function

The eukaryotic nuclear permeability barrier and selective nucleocytoplasmic transport are maintained by nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), large structures composed of ∼30 proteins (nucleoporins [Nups]). NPC structure and function are disrupted in aged nondividing metazoan cells, although it is unclear whether these changes are a cause or consequence of aging. Using the replicative life span (RLS) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model, we find that specific Nups and transport events regulate longevity independent of changes in NPC permeability. Mutants lacking the GLFG domain of Nup116 displayed decreased RLSs, whereas longevity was increased in nup100-null mutants. We show that Nup116 mediates nuclear import of the karyopherin Kap121, and each protein is required for mitochondrial function. Both Kap121-dependent transport and Nup116 levels decrease in replicatively aged yeast. Overexpression of GSP1, the small GTPase that powers karyopherin-mediated transport, rescued mitochondrial and RLS defects in nup116 mutants and increased longevity in wild-type cells. Together, these studies reveal that specific NPC nuclear transport events directly influence aging.

scholarly journals Flexible Gates: Dynamic Topologies and Functions for FG Nucleoporins in Nucleocytoplasmic Transport

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1814-1827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Terry ◽  
Susan R. Wente
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Pore Complexes

ABSTRACT The nuclear envelope is a physical barrier between the nucleus and cytoplasm and, as such, separates the mechanisms of transcription from translation. This compartmentalization of eukaryotic cells allows spatial regulation of gene expression; however, it also necessitates a mechanism for transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Macromolecular trafficking of protein and RNA occurs exclusively through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), specialized channels spanning the nuclear envelope. A novel family of NPC proteins, the FG-nucleoporins (FG-Nups), coordinates and potentially regulates NPC translocation. The extensive repeats of phenylalanine-glycine (FG) in each FG-Nup directly bind to shuttling transport receptors moving through the NPC. In addition, FG-Nups are essential components of the nuclear permeability barrier. In this review, we discuss the structural features, cellular functions, and evolutionary conservation of the FG-Nups.

scholarly journals In Vivo Dynamics of Nuclear Pore Complexes in Yeast

1997 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
pp. 1185-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirella Bucci ◽  
Susan R. Wente
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Recipient Cell ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Central Location ◽  
Nuclear Membranes ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
Pore Complexes

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.

scholarly journals The nuclear pore complex: mediator of translocation between nucleus and cytoplasm

2000 ◽  
Vol 113 (10) ◽  
pp. 1651-1659 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.D. Allen ◽  
J.M. Cronshaw ◽  
S. Bagley ◽  
E. Kiseleva ◽  
M.W. Goldberg
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Export ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Complete Breakdown ◽  
Import And Export ◽  
Complex Structural ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Giant Nuclei

The enclosure of nuclear contents in eukaryotes means that cells require sites in the boundary that mediate exchange of material between nucleus and cytoplasm. These sites, termed nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), number 100–200 in yeast, a few thousand in mammalian cells and approximately 50 million in the giant nuclei of amphibian oocytes. NPCs are large (125 MDa) macromolecular complexes that comprise 50–100 different proteins in vertebrates. In spite of their size and complex structure, NPCs undergo complete breakdown and reformation at cell division. Transport through NPCs can be rapid (estimated at several hundred molecules/pore/second) and accommodates both passive diffusion of relatively small molecules, and active transport of complexes up to several megadaltons in molecular mass. Each pore can facilitate both import and export. The two processes apparently involve multiple pathways for different cargoes, and their transport signals, transport receptors and adapters, and the molecules (and their regulators) that underpin the transport mechanisms. Over the past few years there has been an increasing interest in the pore complex: structural studies have been followed by elucidation of the biochemical aspects of nuclear import, and subsequent investigations into nuclear export. The current challenge is to understand the interactions between the structural elements of the pore complex and the mechanisms that drive the physical processes of translocation through it.

scholarly journals Nuclear envelope organization in Dictyostelium discoideum

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (8-9-10) ◽  
pp. 509-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros Batsios ◽  
Ralph Gräf ◽  
Michael P. Koonce ◽  
Denis A. Larochelle ◽  
Irene Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Nuclear Membrane ◽  
Nuclear Lamina ◽  
Major Constituent ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Linc Complex ◽  
Family Protein ◽  
Import And Export ◽  
Pore Complexes

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.

scholarly journals Nuclear Pore Proteins in Regulation of Chromatin State

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terra M. Kuhn ◽  
Maya Capelson
Keyword(s):  
Nucleosome Occupancy ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Chromatin State ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Regulation Of Transcription ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Functional Connection ◽  
Histone Modifiers ◽  
Pore Complexes

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are canonically known to regulate nucleocytoplasmic transport. However, research efforts over the last decade have demonstrated that NPCs and their constituent nucleoporins (Nups) also interact with the genome and perform important roles in regulation of gene expression. It has become increasingly clear that many Nups execute these roles specifically through regulation of chromatin state, whether through interactions with histone modifiers and downstream changes in post-translational histone modifications, or through relationships with chromatin-remodeling proteins that can result in physical changes in nucleosome occupancy and chromatin compaction. This review focuses on these findings, highlighting the functional connection between NPCs/Nups and regulation of chromatin structure, and how this connection can manifest in regulation of transcription.

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