About
Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry
SEMINAR
Mercredi 10 avril 2019 à 14h00
Salle AUDITORIUM CENTRE F. JACOB – CFJ RdC 17c
Pr Michael P. Rout
Rockefeller University, New York
A Hole New View: Structure-Function Mapping of the Nuclear Pore Complex
Abstract: Nuclear Pore Complexes (NPCs) serve as the gatekeepers of RNA and protein transport between the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm. Despite this central cellular role, their large size and dynamic nature have impeded a full structural and functional elucidation. We have recently determined a subnanometer precision structure for the entire 52 MDa, 552-protein yeast NPC by satisfying diverse data including stoichiometry, a cryo-electron tomography map, and chemical cross-links, revealing the NPC’s functional elements in unprecedented detail. The NPC is surprisingly modular, consisting of only 30 proteins of the nucleoporin family (Nups). These Nups assemble into sub-complexes that form higher-order structures called spokes. Eight spokes assemble into even larger modules: coaxial outer and inner rings form a symmetric core scaffold at the heart of which are found sturdy diagonal columns. The scaffold is connected to a membrane ring, a nuclear basket and cytoplasmic RNA export platform. Flexible connector cables hold these discrete and relatively rigid modules together, an arrangement that imbues the NPC’s scaffold with both strength and flexibility. The scaffold surrounds a central channel that is formed in part by nucleoporins termed FG Nups, from which multiple intrinsically disordered Phe-Gly (FG) repeat motifs project, contributing to an organized central density termed the central transporter. These FG motifs mediate selective nucleocytoplasmic transport through specific interactions with nuclear transport factors. Taken together, this integrative structure allows us to rationalize the architecture and transport mechanism of the NPC.
Contact : Riccardo Pellarin
Structural Bioinformatics Unit
riccardo.pellarin@pasteur.fr
Location
Building: François Jacob
Address: 28 Rue du Dr Roux, Paris, France