Nuclear envelope assembly in Xenopus extracts visualized by scanning EM reveals a transport-dependent ‘envelope smoothing’ event

1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (13) ◽  
pp. 1489-1502 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Wiese ◽  
M.W. Goldberg ◽  
T.D. Allen ◽  
K.L. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Egg Extracts ◽  
Nuclear Envelope Assembly ◽  
Attachment Proteins ◽  
Scanning Em ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Xenopus Egg Extracts

We analyzed the pathway of nuclear envelope assembly in Xenopus egg extracts using field emission in-lens scanning electron microscopy. The binding, fusion, and flattening of vesicles onto the chromatin surface were visualized in detail. The first nuclear pore complexes assembled in flattened patches of nuclear envelope, before the chromatin was fully enclosed by membranes. Confirming previous transmission electron microscope observations, two morphologically distinct types of vesicles contributed to the nuclear membranes: ribosome-carrying (‘rough’) vesicles, many of which bound directly to chromatin, and ‘smooth’ vesicles, which appeared to associate primarily with other nuclear vesicles or membrane patches. The presence of ribosomes, an outer nuclear membrane marker, on many chromatin-binding vesicles suggested that chromatin-attachment proteins integral to the inner membrane were present on vesicles that also carried markers of the outer membrane and endoplasmic reticulum. Chromatin-associated vesicles also carried pore membrane proteins, since pore complexes formed when these vesicles were incubated with cytosol. A change in nuclear envelope morphology termed ‘envelope smoothing’ occurred 5–15 minutes after enclosure. Nuclear envelopes that were assembled in extracts depleted of wheat-germ-agglutinin-binding nucleoporins, and therefore unable to form functional pore complexes, remained wrinkled, suggesting that ‘smoothing’ required active nuclear transport. Lamins accumulated with time when nuclei were enclosed and had functional pore complexes, whereas lamins were not detected on nuclei that lacked functional pore complexes. Very low levels of lamins were detected on nuclear intermediates whose surfaces were substantially covered with patches of pore-complex-containing envelope, suggesting that pore complexes might be functional before enclosure.

scholarly journals Nup53 Is Required for Nuclear Envelope and Nuclear Pore Complex Assembly

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 1753-1762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Hawryluk-Gara ◽  
Melpomeni Platani ◽  
Rachel Santarella ◽  
Richard W. Wozniak ◽  
Iain W. Mattaj
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Egg Extracts ◽  
Multiple Copies ◽  
Xenopus Egg ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Xenopus Egg Extracts

Transport across the nuclear envelope (NE) is mediated by nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). These structures are composed of various subcomplexes of proteins that are each present in multiple copies and together establish the eightfold symmetry of the NPC. One evolutionarily conserved subcomplex of the NPC contains the nucleoporins Nup53 and Nup155. Using truncation analysis, we have defined regions of Nup53 that bind to neighboring nucleoporins as well as those domains that target Nup53 to the NPC in vivo. Using this information, we investigated the role of Nup53 in NE and NPC assembly using Xenopus egg extracts. We show that both events require Nup53. Importantly, the analysis of Nup53 fragments revealed that the assembly activity of Nup53 depleted extracts could be reconstituted using a region of Nup53 that binds specifically to its interacting partner Nup155. On the basis of these results, we propose that the formation of a Nup53–Nup155 complex plays a critical role in the processes of NPC and NE assembly.

Dimples, pores, star-rings, and thin rings on growing nuclear envelopes: evidence for structural intermediates in nuclear pore complex assembly

1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.W. Goldberg ◽  
C. Wiese ◽  
T.D. Allen ◽  
K.L. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Pore Complex ◽  
Wheat Germ Agglutinin ◽  
Wheat Germ ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Complex Assembly ◽  
Egg Extracts ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Xenopus Egg Extracts

We used field emission in-lens scanning electron microscopy to examine newly-assembled, growing nuclear envelopes in Xenopus egg extracts. Scattered among nuclear pore complexes were rare ‘dimples’ (outer membrane depressions, 5–35 nm diameter), more abundant holes (pores) with a variety of edge geometries (35–45 nm diameter; 3.3% of structures), pores containing one to eight triangular ‘star-ring’ subunits (2.1% of total), and more complicated structures. Neither mature complexes, nor these novel structures, formed when wheat germ agglutinin (which binds O-glycosylated nucleoporins) was added at high concentrations (>500 microg/ml) directly to the assembly reaction; low concentrations (10 microg/ml) had no effect. However at intermediate concentrations (50–100 microg/ml), wheat germ agglutinin caused a dramatic, sugar-reversible accumulation of ‘empty’ pores, and other structures; this effect correlated with the lectin-induced precipitation of a variable proportion of each major Xenopus wheat-germ-agglutinin-binding nucleoporin. Another inhibitor, dibromo-BAPTA (5,5′-dibromo-1,2-bis[o-aminophenoxylethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid), had different effects depending on its time of addition to the assembly reaction. When 1 mM dibromo-BAPTA was added at time zero, no pore-related structures formed. However, when dibromo-BAPTA was added to growing nuclei 40–45 minutes after initiating assembly, star-rings and other structures accumulated, suggesting that dibromo-BAPTA can inhibit multiple stages in pore complex assembly. We propose that assembly begins with the formation and stabilization of a hole (pore) through the nuclear envelope, and that dimples, pores, star-rings, and thin rings are structural intermediates in nuclear pore complex assembly.

scholarly journals The nucleoporin Nup50 activates the Ran guanyl-nucleotide exchange factor RCC1 to promote mitotic NPC assembly

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Holzer ◽  
Paola De Magistris ◽  
Cathrin Gramminger ◽  
Ruchika Sachdev ◽  
Adriana Magalska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Exchange Factor ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange Factor ◽  
Egg Extracts ◽  
Importin Α ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Xenopus Egg Extracts

During mitotic exit, thousands of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) assemble concomitant with the nuclear envelope to build a transport-competent nucleus. We show here that Nup50 plays a crucial role in NPC assembly that is independent of its well-established function in nuclear transport. RNAi-mediated downregulation in cells or immunodepletion of the protein in Xenopus egg extracts interferes with NPC assembly. We define a conserved central region of 46 residues in Nup50 that is crucial for Nup153 and MEL28/ELYS binding, and NPC interaction. Surprisingly, neither NPC interaction nor binding of Nup50 to importin α, β, the GTPase Ran or chromatin is crucial for its function in the assembly process. Instead, we discovered that an N-terminal fragment of Nup50 can stimulate the Ran guanine exchange factor RCC1 and NPC assembly, indicating that Nup50 acts via the Ran system in mitotic NPC reformation. In support of this conclusion, Nup50 mutants defective in RCC1 binding and stimulation cannot replace the wild type protein in in vitro NPC assembly assays.

scholarly journals TPX2 is required for postmitotic nuclear assembly in cell-free Xenopus laevis egg extracts

2006 ◽  
Vol 173 (5) ◽  
pp. 685-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori L. O'Brien ◽  
Christiane Wiese
Keyword(s):  
Xenopus Laevis ◽  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Nuclear Assembly ◽  
Egg Extracts ◽  
Mitotic Spindle Assembly ◽  
Pore Complexes

Cell division in many metazoa is accompanied by the disassembly of the nuclear envelope and the assembly of the mitotic spindle. These dramatic structural rearrangements are reversed after mitosis, when the mitotic spindle is dismantled and the nuclear envelope reassembles. The targeting protein for XKlp2 (TPX2) plays important roles in mitotic spindle assembly. We report that TPX2 depletion from nuclear assembly extracts prepared from Xenopus laevis eggs results in the formation of nuclei that are only about one fifth the size of control nuclei. TPX2-depleted nuclei assemble nuclear envelopes, nuclear pore complexes, and a lamina, and they perform nuclear-specific functions, including DNA replication. We show that TPX2 interacts with lamina-associated polypeptide 2 (LAP2), a protein known to be required for nuclear assembly in interphase extracts and in vitro. LAP2 localization is disrupted in TPX2-depleted nuclei, suggesting that the interaction between TPX2 and LAP2 is required for postmitotic nuclear reformation.

scholarly journals Nuclear envelope assembly defects link mitotic errors to chromothripsis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiwei Liu ◽  
Mijung Kwon ◽  
Mark Mannino ◽  
Nachen Yang ◽  
Alexey Khodjakov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dna ◽  
Cancer Genomes ◽  
Nuclear Envelope Assembly ◽  
Spindle Disassembly ◽  
Physiological Impact ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Regulatory Controls

Defects in the architecture or integrity of the nuclear envelope (NE) are associated with a variety of human diseases1. Micronuclei, one common nuclear aberration, are an origin for chromothripsis2,3, a catastrophic mutational process commonly observed in cancer genomes and other contexts4-6. Micronuclei have a defective NE, with the extensive chromosome fragmentation that generates chromothripsis occurring after abrupt, spontaneous loss of NE integrity7. After NE disruption, the exposed cytoplasmic DNA can additionally initiate proinflammatory signaling linked to senescence, metastasis, and the immune clearance of tumor cells8. Despite its broad physiological impact, the basis for the nuclear envelope fragility of micronuclei is unknown. Here we demonstrate that micronuclei undergo markedly defective NE assembly: Only “core” NE proteins9,10 assemble efficiently on lagging chromosomes whereas “non-core” NE proteins9,10, including nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), fail to properly assemble. Consequently, micronuclei have impaired nuclear import, and key nuclear proteins required to maintain the integrity of the NE and the genome fail to accumulate normally. We show that densely bundled spindle microtubules inhibit non-core NE assembly, leading to an irreversible NE assembly defect. Accordingly, experimental manipulations that position missegregated chromosomes away from the spindle correct defective NE assembly, prevent spontaneous NE disruption, and suppress DNA damage in micronuclei. Our findings indicate that chromosome segregation and NE assembly are only loosely coordinated through the timing of mitotic spindle disassembly. The absence of precise regulatory controls can explain why errors during mitotic exit are frequent, and a major trigger for catastrophic genome rearrangements5,6.

scholarly journals A distinct vesicle population targets membranes and pore complexes to the nuclear envelope in Xenopus eggs.

1991 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
G P Vigers ◽  
M J Lohka
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Gradient Centrifugation ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Nuclear Envelope Assembly ◽  
Pore Complexes ◽  
Envelope Membranes ◽  
Alpha Glucosidase ◽  
Soluble Components

Extracts from Xenopus eggs capable of nuclear envelope assembly in vitro were fractionated by differential and density gradient centrifugation. Nuclear envelope assembly was found to require soluble components in the cytosol and two distinct particulate fractions, which we have called nuclear envelope precursor fractions A and B (NEP-A and NEP-B). Both NEP-A and NEP-B are sensitive to treatments with trypsin, sodium carbonate, and detergents, but can be distinguished from each other by their sensitivities to high salt and N-ethylmaleimide and by their levels of alpha-glucosidase activity. Vesicles in NEP-B bind to chromatin, whereas those in NEP-A do not. NEP-B may therefore be involved in the targeting of membranes to the surface of the chromatin, whereas NEP-A may provide a pool of vesicles that contributes many of the nuclear envelope membranes. NEP-B may also play a role in the assembly of nuclear pore complexes because the density of nuclear pores in the resulting envelope is dependent on the ratio of NEP-B to NEP-A in the reconstituted extract.

Nuclear Envelope Dynamics During Mitosis

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 224-225
Author(s):  
Brian Burke
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Animal Cells ◽  
Interphase Chromosome ◽  
Lamin B ◽  
Chromosome Architecture ◽  
Complex Membrane ◽  
Pore Complexes

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.

scholarly journals The Three Fungal Transmembrane Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins of Aspergillus nidulans Are Dispensable in the Presence of an Intact An-Nup84-120 Complex

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 616-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Lin Liu ◽  
Colin P.C. De Souza ◽  
Aysha H. Osmani ◽  
Stephen A. Osmani
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Aspergillus Nidulans ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complex ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Spindle Pole ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Spindle Pole Bodies ◽  
Pore Complexes

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.

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 Phosphorylation-dependent mitotic SUMOylation drives nuclear envelope–chromatin interactions

2021 ◽  
Vol 220 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Ptak ◽  
Natasha O. Saik ◽  
Ashwini Premashankar ◽  
Diego L. Lapetina ◽  
John D. Aitchison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
G1 Phase ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Nuclear Pore Complexes ◽  
Chromatin Binding ◽  
Chromatin Interactions ◽  
Sumo Ligase ◽  
Pore Complexes

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.

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