The nuclear envelope is a membrane system which surrounds the nucleoplasm of eukaryotic cells. It is composed of the nuclear lamina, nuclear pore complexes and two nuclear membranes. The space between the two membranes is called the nuclear intermembrane space.
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) constitutes the exclusive means of nucleocytoplasmic transport. NPCs allow the passive diffusion of ions and small molecules and the active bidirectional transport of macromolecules such as proteins, RNAs etc across the double-membrane nuclear envelope.The NPC is composed of at least 30 distinct subunits known as Nucleoporins (NUPs).
Required for the assembly of a functional nuclear pore complex (NPC) on the surface of chromosomes as nuclei form at the end of mitosis. May initiate NPC assembly by binding to chromatin and recruiting the Nup107-160 subcomplex, which may in turn recruit membrane vesicles containing pom121 and tmem48/ndc1. Association with chromatin may require the presence of the mcm2-mcm7 complex, suggesting a mechanism for coordination of nuclear assembly and the inactivation of replication licensing. {Experimental EvidencePubMed:17235358, Experimental EvidencePubMed:17825564, Experimental EvidencePubMed:18596237}.
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Department of Biology
Biophysics & Bioinformatics Laboratory