scholarly journals Identification of cytosolic factors required for nuclear location sequence-mediated binding to the nuclear envelope.

1994 ◽  
Vol 125 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
E J Adam ◽  
S A Adam

Nuclear protein import can be separated into two distinct steps: binding to the nuclear pore complex followed by translocation to the nuclear interior. A previously identified nuclear location sequence (NLS) receptor and a 97-kD protein purified from bovine erythrocytes reconstitute the binding step in a permeabilized cell assay. Binding to the envelope is specific for a functional SV-40 large T antigen NLS and is not ATP or temperature dependent. Modification of p97 with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) decreases binding to the pore, but interestingly, NEM treatment of the NLS receptor does not. Nuclear envelope binding is inhibited by wheat germ agglutinin suggesting a possible mechanism for the inhibition of transport by the lectin.

1990 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 807-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
S A Adam ◽  
R S Marr ◽  
L Gerace

We have developed an in vitro system involving digitonin-permeabilized vertebrate cells to study biochemical events in the transport of macromolecules across the nuclear envelope. While treatment of cultured cells with digitonin permeabilizes the plasma membranes to macromolecules, the nuclear envelopes remain structurally intact and nuclei retain the ability to transport and accumulate proteins containing the SV40 large T antigen nuclear location sequence. Transport requires addition of exogenous cytosol to permeabilized cells, indicating the soluble cytoplasmic factor(s) required for nuclear import are released during digitonin treatment. In this reconstituted import system, a protein containing a nuclear location signal is rapidly accumulated in nuclei, where it reaches a 30-fold concentration compared to the surrounding medium within 30 min. Nuclear import is specific for a functional nuclear location sequence, requires ATP and cytosol, and is temperature dependent. Furthermore, accumulation of the transport substrate within nuclei is completely inhibited by wheat germ agglutinin, which binds to nuclear pore complexes and inhibits transport in vivo. Together, these results indicate that the permeabilized cell system reproduces authentic nuclear protein import. In a preliminary biochemical dissection of the system, we observe that the sulfhydryl alkylating reagent N-ethylmaleimide inactivates both cytosolic factor(s) and also component(s) in the insoluble permeabilized cell fraction required for nuclear protein import. Because this permeabilized cell model is simple, efficient, and works effectively with cells and cytosol fractions prepared from a variety of different vertebrate sources, it will prove powerful for investigating the biochemical pathway of nuclear transport.


1995 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
N C Chi ◽  
E J Adam ◽  
S A Adam

Nuclear location sequence-mediated binding of karyophilic proteins to the nuclear pore complexes is one of the earliest steps in nuclear protein import. We previously identified two cytosolic proteins that reconstitute this step in a permeabilized cell assay: the 54/56-kD NLS receptor and p97. A monoclonal antibody to p97 localizes the protein to the cytoplasm and the nuclear envelope. p97 is extracted from nuclear envelopes under the same conditions as the O-glycosylated nucleoporins indicating a tight association with the pore complex. The antibody inhibits import in a permeabilized cell assay but does not affect binding of karyophiles to the nuclear pore complex. Immunodepletion of p97 renders the cytosol inactive for import and identifies at least three other cytosolic proteins that interact with p97. cDNA cloning of p97 shows that it is a unique protein containing 23 cysteine residues. Recombinant p97 binds zinc and a bound metal ion is required for the nuclear envelope binding activity of the protein.


2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 930-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Ródenas ◽  
Cristina González-Aguilera ◽  
Cristina Ayuso ◽  
Peter Askjaer

Nuclear pore complexes consist of several subcomplexes. The NUP107 complex is important for nucleocytoplasmic transport, nuclear envelope assembly, and kinetochore function. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and the roles of individual complex members remain elusive. We report the first description of a genetic disruption of NUP107 in a metazoan. Caenorhabditis elegans NUP107/npp-5 mutants display temperature-dependent lethality. Surprisingly, NPP-5 is dispensable for incorporation of most nucleoporins into nuclear pores and for nuclear protein import. In contrast, NPP-5 is essential for proper kinetochore localization of NUP133/NPP-15, another NUP107 complex member, whereas recruitment of NUP96/NPP-10C and ELYS/MEL-28 is NPP-5 independent. We found that kinetochore protein NUF2/HIM-10 and Aurora B/AIR-2 kinase are less abundant on mitotic chromatin upon NPP-5 depletion. npp-5 mutants are hypersensitive to anoxia, suggesting that the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is compromised. Indeed, NPP-5 interacts genetically and physically with SAC protein MAD1/MDF-1, whose nuclear envelope accumulation requires NPP-5. Thus our results strengthen the emerging connection between nuclear pore proteins and chromosome segregation.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 1230-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Theisen ◽  
Anne Straube ◽  
Gero Steinberg

Mitosis in animals starts with the disassembly of the nuclear pore complexes and the breakdown of the nuclear envelope. In contrast to many fungi, the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis also removes the nuclear envelope. Here, we report on the dynamic behavior of the nucleoporins Nup214, Pom152, Nup133, and Nup107 in this “open” fungal mitosis. In prophase, the nuclear pore complexes disassembled and Nup214 and Pom152 dispersed in the cytoplasm and in the endoplasmic reticulum, respectively. Nup107 and Nup133 initially spread throughout the cytoplasm, but in metaphase and early anaphase occurred on the chromosomes. In anaphase, the Nup107-subcomplex redistributed to the edge of the chromosome masses, where the new envelope was reconstituted. Subsequently, Nup214 and Pom152 are recruited to the nuclear pores and protein import starts. Recruitment of nucleoporins and protein import reached a steady state in G2 phase. Formation of the nuclear envelope and assembly of nuclear pores occurred in the absence of microtubules or F-actin, but not if both were disrupted. Thus, the basic principles of nuclear pore complex dynamics seem to be conserved in organisms displaying open mitosis.


1996 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 1835-1855 ◽  
Author(s):  
C DeHoratius ◽  
P A Silver

To identify components involved in nuclear protein import, we used a genetic selection to isolate mutants that mislocalized a nuclear-targeted protein. We identified temperature-sensitive mutants that accumulated several different nuclear proteins in the cytoplasm when shifted to the semipermissive temperature of 30 degrees C; these were termed npl (nuclear protein localization) mutants. We now present the properties of yeast strains bearing mutations in the NPL4 gene and report the cloning of the NPL4 gene and the characterization of the Np14 protein. The npl4-1 mutant was isolated by the previously described selection scheme. The second allele, npl4-2, was identified from an independently derived collection of temperature-sensitive mutants. The npl4-1 and npl4-2 strains accumulate nuclear-targeted proteins in the cytoplasm at the nonpermissive temperature consistent with a defect in nuclear protein import. Using an in vitro nuclear import assay, we show that nuclei prepared from temperature-shifted npl4 mutant cells are unable to import nuclear-targeted proteins, even in the presence of cytosol prepared from wild-type cells. In addition, npl4-2 cells accumulate poly(A)+ RNA in the nucleus at the nonpermissive temperature, consistent with a failure to export mRNA from the nucleus. The npl4-1 and npl4-2 cells also exhibit distinct, temperature-sensitive structural defects: npl4-1 cells project extra nuclear envelope into the cytoplasm, whereas npl4-2 cells from nuclear envelope herniations that appear to be filled with poly(A)+ RNA. The NPL4 gene encodes an essential M(r) 64,000 protein that is located at the nuclear periphery and localizes in a pattern similar to nuclear pore complex proteins. Taken together, these results indicate that this gene encodes a novel nuclear pore complex or nuclear pore complex-associated component required for nuclear membrane integrity and nuclear transport.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 5104-5115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Galy ◽  
Iain W. Mattaj ◽  
Peter Askjaer

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) span the nuclear envelope and mediate communication between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. To obtain insight into the structure and function of NPCs of multicellular organisms, we have initiated an extensive analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans nucleoporins. Of 20 assigned C. elegans nucleoporin genes, 17 were found to be essential for embryonic development either alone or in combination. In several cases, depletion of nucleoporins by RNAi caused severe defects in nuclear appearance. More specifically, the C. elegans homologs of vertebrate Nup93 and Nup205 were each found to be required for normal NPC distribution in the nuclear envelope in vivo. Depletion of Nup93 or Nup205 caused a failure in nuclear exclusion of nonnuclear macromolecules of ∼70 kDa without preventing active nuclear protein import or the assembly of the nuclear envelope. The defects in NPC exclusion were accompanied by abnormal chromatin condensation and early embryonic arrest. Thus, the contribution to NPC structure of Nup93 and Nup205 is essential for establishment of normal NPC function and for cell viability.


1995 ◽  
Vol 128 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
U F Greber ◽  
L Gerace

Nuclear pore complexes provide channels for molecular transport across the nuclear envelope. Translocation of most proteins and RNAs through the pore complex is mediated by signal- and ATP-dependent mechanisms, while transport of small molecules is accomplished by passive diffusion. We report here that depletion of calcium from the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope with ionophores or the calcium pump inhibitor thapsigargin rapidly and potently inhibits signal mediated transport of proteins into the nucleus. Lumenal calcium depletion also inhibits passive diffusion through the pore complex. Signal-mediated protein import and passive diffusion are rapidly restored when the drugs depleting lumenal calcium are removed and cells are incubated at 37 degrees C in calcium-containing medium. These results indicate that loss of calcium from the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope reversibly affects properties of pore complex components located on the nuclear/cytoplasmic membrane surfaces, and they provide direct functional evidence for conformational flexibility of the pore complex. These methods will be useful for achieving reversible inhibition of nucleocytoplasmic trafficking for in vivo functional studies, and for studying the structure of the passive diffusion channel(s) of the pore complex.


1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Sterne-Marr ◽  
J M Blevitt ◽  
L Gerace

Mediated import of proteins into the nucleus requires cytosolic factors and can be blocked by reagents that bind to O-linked glycoproteins of the nuclear pore complex. To investigate whether a cytosolic transport factor directly interacts with these glycoproteins, O-linked glycoproteins from rat liver nuclear envelopes were immobilized on Sepharose beads via wheat germ agglutinin or specific antibodies. When rabbit reticulocyte lysate (which provides cytosolic factors required for in vitro nuclear import) was incubated with the immobilized glycoproteins, the cytosol was found to be inactivated by up to 80% in its ability to support mediated protein import in permeabilized mammalian cells. Inactivation of the import capacity of cytosol, which was specifically attributable to the glycoproteins, involves stoichiometric interactions and is likely to involve binding and depletion of a required factor from the cytosol. This factor is distinct from an N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive receptor for nuclear localization sequences characterized recently since it is insensitive to N-ethylmaleimide. Cytosol inactivation is suggested to be caused by at least two proteins of the glycoprotein fraction, although substantial capacity for inactivation can be attributed to protein bound by the RL11 antibody, consisting predominantly of a 180-kD glycosylated polypeptide. Considered together, these experiments identify a novel cytosolic factor required for nuclear protein import that directly interacts with O-linked glycoproteins of the pore complex, and provide a specific assay for isolation of this component.


1996 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 559-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
N C Chi ◽  
E J Adam ◽  
G D Visser ◽  
S A Adam

Three factors have been identified that reconstitute nuclear protein import in a permeabilized cell assay: the NLS receptor, p97, and Ran/TC4. Ran/TC4, in turn, interacts with a number of proteins that are involved in the regulation of GTP hydrolysis or are components of the nuclear pore. Two Ran-binding proteins, RanBP1 and RanBP2, form discrete complexes with p97 as demonstrated by immunoadsorption from HeLa cell extracts fractionated by gel filtration chromatography. A > 400-kD complex contains p97, Ran, and RanBP2. Another complex of 150-300 kD was comprised of p97, Ran, and RanBP1. This second trimeric complex could be reconstituted from recombinant proteins. In solution binding assays, Ran-GTP bound p97 with high affinity, but the binding of Ran-GDP to p97 was undetectable. The addition of RanBP1 with Ran-GDP or Ran-GTP increased the affinity of both forms of Ran for p97 to the same level. Binding of Ran-GTP to p97 dissociated p97 from immobilized NLS receptor while the Ran-GDP/RanBP1/p97 complex did not dissociate from the receptor. In a digitonin-permeabilized cell docking assay, RanBP1 stabilizes the receptor complex against temperature-dependent release from the pore. When added to an import assay with recombinant NLS receptor, p97 and Ran-GDP, RanBP1 significantly stimulates transport. These results suggest that RanBP1 promotes both the docking and translocation steps in nuclear protein import by stabilizing the interaction of Ran-GDP with p97.


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