Here i highlight several recent findings on npc architectures and briefly discuss how chemical biologists might use this information to design synthetic devices and improve strategies. The giant npc structures are extremely complex. Nuclear pore complexes npcs are the macromolecular turnstiles between the cytoplasm and the nucleus that control the trafficking of proteins rnas and viruses.
Our studies show conformational changes to select domains of nups within. We developed sensors that report on the orientation of npc components by rigidly conjugating megfp to different npc proteins. While the static structure of the nuclear pore complex npc continues to be refined with cryo em and x ray crystallography the in vivo conformational dynamics of the npc remain under explored.
It serves to store and organize genetic information the atomic blueprint for the organism while separating and protecting this very important information from the host of other cellular components. Schematic cross section of the nuclear pore complex showing major components the nucleus of the cell is centrally important to an organism. Another npc sub complex which serves as an adaptor proteins complex that links the fg nups to the nuclear membrane is the nup93 nic96 complex.
Each contains fg repeats and they are all found in the central pore. The nup62 complex comprises nup62 nup58 nup45 and nup54. An animation of a model nuclear pore complex npc highlighting the many natively unfolded proteins fg nucleoporins that line the central channel connecting the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm.
A nuclear pore is a part of a large complex of proteins known as a nuclear pore complex that spans the nuclear envelope which is the double membrane surrounding the eukaryotic cell nucleus there are approximately 1 000 nuclear pore complexes npcs in the nuclear envelope of a vertebrate cell but it varies depending on cell type and the stage in the life cycle. The eightfold rotational symmetry of the pore is evident. A schematic view of the pore looking down from the cytoplasmic face.
A schematic of the pore in the plane of the nuclear membrane showing the cytoplasmic filaments and the nuclear basket. Schematic of the nuclear pore complex npc. For example the inner and outer nuclear membranes were.
Because nuclear pore complexes were primarily imaged in top view the resulting structures were distorted along the nucleocytoplasmic axis.
