The Nuclear Pore Complex As a Flexible and Dynamic Gate

Overview

Journal Cell

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2016 Mar 12

PMID 26967283

Citations 193

Authors

Kevin E Knockenhauer

Thomas U Schwartz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) perforate the nuclear envelope and serve as the primary transport gates for molecular exchange between nucleus and cytoplasm. Stripping the megadalton complex down to its most essential organizational elements, one can divide the NPC into scaffold components and the disordered elements attached to them that generate a selective barrier between compartments. These structural elements exhibit flexibility, which may hold a clue in understanding NPC assembly and function. Here we review the current status of NPC research with a focus on the functional implications of its structural and compositional heterogeneity.

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