Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2026
12:13
Single-Molecule Imaging of Nuclear Transport
Published on: June 10, 2010
The nuclear pore complex: nucleocytoplasmic transport and beyond.
1Maurice E. Müller Institute for Structural Biology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland. birthe.fahrenkrog@unibas.ch
Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology
|October 23, 2003
Summary
Recent findings reveal an unexpected connection between nuclear pore complex structure, dynamics, and chromosome segregation. New 3D reconstructions show novel structural features of this essential cellular machine.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Structural Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is crucial for regulating nucleocytoplasmic transport.
- Understanding NPC structure and dynamics is key to comprehending cellular processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the recent discoveries linking NPC structure and dynamics to chromosome segregation.
- To discuss novel structural features of NPCs revealed by advanced imaging techniques.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature.
- Analysis of tomographic three-dimensional reconstructions of native NPCs.
- Discussion of physical principles governing nucleocytoplasmic transport.
Main Results:
- An unexpected link between NPC structure/dynamics and chromosome segregation has been identified.
- New structural features of the NPC supramolecular machine have been revealed through 3D cryo-tomography.
Conclusions:
- Recent advances provide new insights into NPC function.
- The review integrates structural data with physical principles to explain nucleocytoplasmic transport and its relation to chromosome segregation.
Related Concept Videos
02:31Nuclear Export of mRNA
Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...
01:34Nuclear Protein Sorting
Nuclear protein sorting is the selective trafficking of histones, polymerases, gene regulatory proteins into the nucleus and exporting RNAs and ribosomes to the cytosol. It is a tightly controlled process that regulates gene expression within a cell.
Proteins targeted to the nucleus carry nuclear localization signals or NLS recognized by import receptors in the cytosol. Similarly, proteins with nuclear export signals are recognized by export receptors. Import and export receptors are...
Proteins targeted to the nucleus carry nuclear localization signals or NLS recognized by import receptors in the cytosol. Similarly, proteins with nuclear export signals are recognized by export receptors. Import and export receptors are...
01:46Nuclear Localization Signals and Import
Proteins targeted to the nucleus carry short stretches of amino acid sequences called the nuclear localization signal or NLS. Classical nuclear localization signals are of two types: monopartite and bipartite NLS. Monopartite classical NLS (cNLS) consists of a single cluster of 4-8 amino acids. Bipartite cNLS consists of two clusters of 2-3 amino acids and a 9-12 residue long proline-rich linker bridging the two clusters. Signal clusters are rich in positively charged amino acids such as...
01:42Nuclear Export
The nucleus restricts several proteins within and allows others to pass. The restricted proteins possess a nuclear retention sequence or NRS, anchoring them to the nuclear lamins and preventing their transport to the cytosol. The non-restricted proteins, after their synthesis, are transported to their site of action, such as the cytosol or other organelles, with the help of nuclear export signals or NES.
NES are of three types- the canonical 10-residue long leucine-rich signal and other...
NES are of three types- the canonical 10-residue long leucine-rich signal and other...
01:45Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
Nuclear protein sorting regulates nucleus composition and gene expression, crucial for determining the fate of a eukaryotic cell. Hence, the entry and exit of molecules across the nuclear envelope is a tightly controlled process. Nuclear protein sorting can be inhibited by one of the following ways: 1) masking cargo signal sequences, 2) modifying the nuclear receptor's affinity for cargo, 3) controlling the nuclear pore size, 4) retaining the cargo during its transit to the cytosol or the...
02:31Nuclear Export of mRNA
Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...