Simulations of nuclear pore transport yield mechanistic insights and quantitative predictions

摘要

The passage of macromolecules into and out of the cell nucleus, a highly selective process, occurs through a channel on the envelope surrounding the nucleus termed the nuclear pore complex (NPC). The NPC selectively imports cargo molecules that contain a nuclear localization signal (NLS), a kind of address tag for proteins destined for the nucleus. Import is mediated by the interaction of proteins known as karyopherins, Ran, and phenylalanine-glycine nucleopore proteins (FG-Nups). The karyopherins are transport chaperones that bind NLS cargo. Ran is a