bims-nucpor Biomed News
on Nuclear pore complex and nucleoporins in stress, aging and disease
Issue of 2023–09–17
two papers selected by
Sara Mingu, Johannes Gutenberg University



  1. DNA Repair (Amst). 2023 Sep 04. pii: S1568-7864(23)00119-2. [Epub ahead of print]130 103565
      The nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), one of the hallmarks of eukaryotic nuclei, allow selective transport of macromolecules between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Besides this canonical function, an increasing number of additional roles have been attributed to the NPCs and their constituents, the nucleoporins. Here we review recent insights into the mechanisms by which NPCs and nucleoporins affect transcription and DNA repair in metazoans. In the first part, we discuss how gene expression can be affected by the localization of genome-nucleoporin interactions at pores or "off-pores", by the role of nucleoporins in chromatin organization at different scales, or by the physical properties of nucleoporins. In the second part, we review the contribution of NPCs to genome stability, including transport-dependent and -independent functions and the role of positioning at NPCs in the repair of heterochromatic breaks and the regulation of replication stress.
    Keywords:  DNA repair; Gene regulation; Nuclear pore complexes; Nucleoporin
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dnarep.2023.103565
  2. Med Sci (Paris). 2023 Aug-Sep;39(8-9):39(8-9): 625-631
      The nuclear pore, which can be seen as the gateway to the cell nucleus, is central to many processes including gene regulation. It is a complex and dynamic structure composed of more than 30 proteins present in multiple copies that allows the selective and directional transport of RNA and proteins. As shown by recent studies, it is able to adapt its overall structure to the state of the cell. These results suggest that the structural and mechanical plasticity of the nuclear pore is important for its function but also in the development of cancer or viral infections.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1051/medsci/2023096