1
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Singh D, Soni N, Hutchings J, Echeverria I, Shaikh F, Duquette M, Suslov S, Li Z, van Eeuwen T, Molloy K, Shi Y, Wang J, Guo Q, Chait BT, Fernandez-Martinez J, Rout MP, Sali A, Villa E. The molecular architecture of the nuclear basket. Cell 2024; 187:5267-5281.e13. [PMID: 39127037 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024]
Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the sole mediator of nucleocytoplasmic transport. Despite great advances in understanding its conserved core architecture, the peripheral regions can exhibit considerable variation within and between species. One such structure is the cage-like nuclear basket. Despite its crucial roles in mRNA surveillance and chromatin organization, an architectural understanding has remained elusive. Using in-cell cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram analysis, we explored the NPC's structural variations and the nuclear basket across fungi (yeast; S. cerevisiae), mammals (mouse; M. musculus), and protozoa (T. gondii). Using integrative structural modeling, we computed a model of the basket in yeast and mammals that revealed how a hub of nucleoporins (Nups) in the nuclear ring binds to basket-forming Mlp/Tpr proteins: the coiled-coil domains of Mlp/Tpr form the struts of the basket, while their unstructured termini constitute the basket distal densities, which potentially serve as a docking site for mRNA preprocessing before nucleocytoplasmic transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Digvijay Singh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Neelesh Soni
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Joshua Hutchings
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ignacia Echeverria
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Farhaz Shaikh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Madeleine Duquette
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sergey Suslov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Zhixun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P.R. China
| | - Trevor van Eeuwen
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kelly Molloy
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yi Shi
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Junjie Wang
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Qiang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P.R. China
| | - Brian T Chait
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Javier Fernandez-Martinez
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain; Instituto Biofisika (UPV/EHU, CSIC), University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain.
| | - Michael P Rout
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Andrej Sali
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Villa
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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2
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Singh D, Soni N, Hutchings J, Echeverria I, Shaikh F, Duquette M, Suslov S, Li Z, van Eeuwen T, Molloy K, Shi Y, Wang J, Guo Q, Chait BT, Fernandez-Martinez J, Rout MP, Sali A, Villa E. The Molecular Architecture of the Nuclear Basket. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.27.587068. [PMID: 38586009 PMCID: PMC10996695 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.27.587068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the sole mediator of nucleocytoplasmic transport. Despite great advances in understanding its conserved core architecture, the peripheral regions can exhibit considerable variation within and between species. One such structure is the cage-like nuclear basket. Despite its crucial roles in mRNA surveillance and chromatin organization, an architectural understanding has remained elusive. Using in-cell cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram analysis, we explored the NPC's structural variations and the nuclear basket across fungi (yeast; S. cerevisiae), mammals (mouse; M. musculus), and protozoa (T. gondii). Using integrative structural modeling, we computed a model of the basket in yeast and mammals that revealed how a hub of Nups in the nuclear ring binds to basket-forming Mlp/Tpr proteins: the coiled-coil domains of Mlp/Tpr form the struts of the basket, while their unstructured termini constitute the basket distal densities, which potentially serve as a docking site for mRNA preprocessing before nucleocytoplasmic transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Digvijay Singh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Neelesh Soni
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joshua Hutchings
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ignacia Echeverria
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Farhaz Shaikh
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Madeleine Duquette
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sergey Suslov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Zhixun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Trevor van Eeuwen
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kelly Molloy
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yi Shi
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Junjie Wang
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Qiang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Brian T Chait
- Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Javier Fernandez-Martinez
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
- Instituto Biofisika (UPV/EHU, CSIC), University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Michael P Rout
- Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Andrej Sali
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Elizabeth Villa
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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3
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Fichtman B, Harel A. The magnified view: from ancient trinkets to single nuclear pore complexes. FEBS Lett 2023; 597:2590-2596. [PMID: 37777820 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
A journey from the earliest known use of lenses and magnifying glasses in ancient times, through the development of microscopes and towards modern electron microscopy techniques. The evolving technology and improved microscopes enabled the discovery of intracellular organelles, the nucleus and nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Current advances have led to composite three-dimensional models showing NPC structure in unprecedented detail but relying on the averaging of many images. A complementary approach is field emission scanning electron microscopy providing topographic surface images that are easily and intuitively interpreted by our brain. Recent advances in this technique have made it possible to expose nuclei from human cells and to focus on individual NPCs and their architectural features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Fichtman
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Amnon Harel
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
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4
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Gunkel P, Iino H, Krull S, Cordes VC. An evolutionarily conserved bimodular domain anchors ZC3HC1 and its yeast homologue Pml39p to the nuclear basket. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:ar40. [PMID: 36857168 PMCID: PMC10162418 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-09-0402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The proteins ZC3HC1 and TPR are structural components of the nuclear basket (NB), a fibrillar structure attached to the nucleoplasmic side of the nuclear pore complex (NPC). ZC3HC1 initially binds to the NB in a TPR-dependent manner and can subsequently recruit additional TPR polypeptides to this structure. Here, we examined the molecular properties of ZC3HC1 that enable its initial binding to the NB and TPR. We report the identification and definition of a nuclear basket-interaction domain (NuBaID) of HsZC3HC1 that comprises two similarly built modules, both essential for binding the NB-resident TPR. We show that such a bimodular construction is evolutionarily conserved, which we further investigated in Dictyostelium discoideum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Presenting ScPml39p as the ZC3HC1 homologue in budding yeast, we show that the bimodular NuBaID of Pml39p is essential for binding to the yeast NB and its TPR homologues ScMlp1p and ScMlp2p, and we further demonstrate that Pml39p enables linkage between subpopulations of Mlp1p. We eventually delineate the common NuBaID of the human, amoebic, and yeast homologue as the defining structural entity of a unique protein not found in all but likely present in most taxa of the eukaryotic realm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Gunkel
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Haruki Iino
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sandra Krull
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Volker C. Cordes
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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5
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Dultz E, Wojtynek M, Medalia O, Onischenko E. The Nuclear Pore Complex: Birth, Life, and Death of a Cellular Behemoth. Cells 2022; 11:1456. [PMID: 35563762 PMCID: PMC9100368 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are the only transport channels that cross the nuclear envelope. Constructed from ~500-1000 nucleoporin proteins each, they are among the largest macromolecular assemblies in eukaryotic cells. Thanks to advances in structural analysis approaches, the construction principles and architecture of the NPC have recently been revealed at submolecular resolution. Although the overall structure and inventory of nucleoporins are conserved, NPCs exhibit significant compositional and functional plasticity even within single cells and surprising variability in their assembly pathways. Once assembled, NPCs remain seemingly unexchangeable in post-mitotic cells. There are a number of as yet unresolved questions about how the versatility of NPC assembly and composition is established, how cells monitor the functional state of NPCs or how they could be renewed. Here, we review current progress in our understanding of the key aspects of NPC architecture and lifecycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Dultz
- Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Biology, ETHZ Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Matthias Wojtynek
- Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Biology, ETHZ Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland;
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Ohad Medalia
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Evgeny Onischenko
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway
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6
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Nag N, Sasidharan S, Uversky VN, Saudagar P, Tripathi T. Phase separation of FG-nucleoporins in nuclear pore complexes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2022; 1869:119205. [PMID: 34995711 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2021.119205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear envelope (NE) is a bilayer membrane that separates and physically isolates the genetic material from the cytoplasm. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are cylindrical structures embedded in the NE and remain the sole channel of communication between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The interior of NPCs contains densely packed intrinsically disordered FG-nucleoporins (FG-Nups), consequently forming a permeability barrier. This barrier facilitates the selection and specificity of the cargoes that are imported, exported, or shuttled through the NPCs. Recent studies have revealed that FG-Nups undergo the process of liquid-liquid phase separation into liquid droplets. Moreover, these liquid droplets mimic the permeability barrier observed in the interior of NPCs. This review highlights the phase separation of FG-Nups occurring inside the NPCs rooted in the NE. We discuss the phase separation of FG-Nups and compare the different aspects contributing to their phase separation. Furthermore, several diseases caused by the aberrant phase separation of the proteins are examined with respect to NEs. By understanding the fundamental process of phase separation at the nuclear membrane, the review seeks to explore the parameters influencing this phenomenon as well as its importance, ultimately paving the way for better research on the structure-function relationship of biomolecular condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niharika Nag
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India
| | - Santanu Sasidharan
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal 506004, India
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, United States; Center for Molecular Mechanisms of Aging and Age-Related Diseases, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskiy pereulok, 9, Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region 141700, Russia
| | - Prakash Saudagar
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Warangal, Warangal 506004, India.
| | - Timir Tripathi
- Molecular and Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022, India.
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7
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Raices M, D'Angelo MA. Structure, Maintenance, and Regulation of Nuclear Pore Complexes: The Gatekeepers of the Eukaryotic Genome. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2022; 14:a040691. [PMID: 34312247 PMCID: PMC8789946 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a040691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, the genetic material is segregated inside the nucleus. This compartmentalization of the genome requires a transport system that allows cells to move molecules across the nuclear envelope, the membrane-based barrier that surrounds the chromosomes. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are the central component of the nuclear transport machinery. These large protein channels penetrate the nuclear envelope, creating a passage between the nucleus and the cytoplasm through which nucleocytoplasmic molecule exchange occurs. NPCs are one of the largest protein assemblies of eukaryotic cells and, in addition to their critical function in nuclear transport, these structures also play key roles in many cellular processes in a transport-independent manner. Here we will review the current knowledge of the NPC structure, the cellular mechanisms that regulate their formation and maintenance, and we will provide a brief description of a variety of processes that NPCs regulate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Raices
- Cell and Molecular Biology of Cancer Program, NCI-Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Maximiliano A D'Angelo
- Cell and Molecular Biology of Cancer Program, NCI-Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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8
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Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a highly conserved channel in the nuclear envelope that mediates mRNA export to the cytosol and bidirectional protein transport. Many chromosomal loci physically interact with nuclear pore proteins (Nups), and interactions with Nups can promote transcriptional repression, transcriptional activation, and transcriptional poising. Interaction with the NPC also affects the spatial arrangement of genes, interchromosomal clustering, and folding of topologically associated domains. Thus, the NPC is a spatial organizer of the genome and regulator of genome function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Chas Sumner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Jason Brickner
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
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9
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Goldberg MW, Fišerová J. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Immuno-SEM of Nuclear Pore Complexes from Amphibian Oocytes, Mammalian Cell Cultures, Yeast, and Plants. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2502:417-437. [PMID: 35412254 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2337-4_27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can be used to image nuclear pore complex (NPC) surface structure of from a number of organisms and model systems. With a field emission SEM , this is a medium resolution technique where details of the organization of various components can be directly imaged. Some components, such as the NPC baskets and cytoplasmic filaments, are difficult to visualize in any other way. Protein components can be identified by immunogold labeling. Any surface that can be exposed can potentially be studied by SEM . Several overlapping protocols for SEM sample preparation and immunogold labeling of NPCs are given here. Various parameters for sample preparation, fixation, immunogold labeling, drying, metal coating, and imaging are detailed which have been optimized for different types of specimens and desired endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jindřiška Fišerová
- Department of Biology of the Cell Nucleus, Institute of Molecular Genetics AS CR, Prague, Czech Republic
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10
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Fichtman B, Regmi SG, Dasso M, Harel A. High-Resolution Imaging and Analysis of Individual Nuclear Pore Complexes. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2502:461-471. [PMID: 35412256 PMCID: PMC11166266 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2337-4_29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) is a well-established technique for acquiring three-dimensional surface images of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). We present an optimized protocol for the exposure of mammalian cell nuclei and direct surface imaging of nuclear envelopes by FESEM, allowing for a detailed morphological comparison of individual NPCs, without the need for averaging techniques. This provides a unique high resolution tool for studying the effects of cellular stress, specific genetic manipulations and inherited diseases on the ultrastructure of human NPCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Fichtman
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Saroj G Regmi
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mary Dasso
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Amnon Harel
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
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11
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Richardson AC, Fišerová J, Goldberg MW. NPC Structure in Model Organisms: Transmission Electron Microscopy and Immunogold Labeling Using High-Pressure Freezing/Freeze Substitution of Yeast, Worms, and Plants. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2502:439-459. [PMID: 35412255 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2337-4_28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a large elaborate structure embedded within the nuclear envelope, and intimately linked to the cytoskeleton, nucleoskeleton, and chromatin. Many different cargoes pass through its central channel and along the membrane at its periphery. The NPC is dismantled and reassembly, fully or partially, every cell cycle. In post-mitotic cells it consists of a combination of hyper-stable and highly dynamic proteins. Because of its size, dynamics, heterogeneity and integration, it is not possible to understand its structure and molecular function by any one, or even several, methods. For decades, and to this day, thin section transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been a central tool for understanding the NPC, its associations, dynamics and role in transport as it can uniquely answer questions concerning fine structural detail within a cellular context. Using immunogold labeling specific components can also be identified within the ultrastructural context. Model organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae are also central to NPC studies but have not been used extensively in structural work. This is because the cell wall presents difficulties with structural preservation and processing for TEM. In recent years, high-pressure freezing and freeze substitution have overcome these problems, as well as opened up methods to combine immunogold labeling with detailed structural analysis. Other model organisms such as the worm Caenorhabditis elegans and the plant Arabidopsis thaliana have been underused for similar reasons, but with similar solutions, which we present here. There are also many advantages to using these methods, adapted for use in mammalian systems, due to the instant nature of the initial fixation, to capture rapid processes such as nuclear transport, and preservation of dynamic membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jindřiška Fišerová
- Department of Biology of the Cell Nucleus, Institute of Molecular Genetics AS CR, Prague, Czech Republic
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12
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Czerwińska-Główka D, Krukiewicz K. Guidelines for a Morphometric Analysis of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells by Scanning Electron Microscopy. Cells 2021; 10:3304. [PMID: 34943812 PMCID: PMC8699492 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The invention of a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pushed the imaging methods and allowed for the observation of cell details with a high resolution. Currently, SEM appears as an extremely useful tool to analyse the morphology of biological samples. The aim of this paper is to provide a set of guidelines for using SEM to analyse morphology of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, taking as model cases Escherichia coli bacteria and B-35 rat neuroblastoma cells. Herein, we discuss the necessity of a careful sample preparation and provide an optimised protocol that allows to observe the details of cell ultrastructure (≥ 50 nm) with a minimum processing effort. Highlighting the versatility of morphometric descriptors, we present the most informative parameters and couple them with molecular processes. In this way, we indicate the wide range of information that can be collected through SEM imaging of biological materials that makes SEM a convenient screening method to detect cell pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katarzyna Krukiewicz
- Department of Physical Chemistry and Technology of Polymers, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland;
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13
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Gunkel P, Iino H, Krull S, Cordes VC. ZC3HC1 Is a Novel Inherent Component of the Nuclear Basket, Resident in a State of Reciprocal Dependence with TPR. Cells 2021; 10:1937. [PMID: 34440706 PMCID: PMC8393659 DOI: 10.3390/cells10081937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear basket (NB) scaffold, a fibrillar structure anchored to the nuclear pore complex (NPC), is regarded as constructed of polypeptides of the coiled-coil dominated protein TPR to which other proteins can bind without contributing to the NB's structural integrity. Here we report vertebrate protein ZC3HC1 as a novel inherent constituent of the NB, common at the nuclear envelopes (NE) of proliferating and non-dividing, terminally differentiated cells of different morphogenetic origin. Formerly described as a protein of other functions, we instead present the NB component ZC3HC1 as a protein required for enabling distinct amounts of TPR to occur NB-appended, with such ZC3HC1-dependency applying to about half the total amount of TPR at the NEs of different somatic cell types. Furthermore, pointing to an NB structure more complex than previously anticipated, we discuss how ZC3HC1 and the ZC3HC1-dependent TPR polypeptides could enlarge the NB's functional repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Volker C. Cordes
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany; (P.G.); (H.I.); (S.K.)
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14
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Gales JP, Kubina J, Geldreich A, Dimitrova M. Strength in Diversity: Nuclear Export of Viral RNAs. Viruses 2020; 12:E1014. [PMID: 32932882 PMCID: PMC7551171 DOI: 10.3390/v12091014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear export of cellular mRNAs is a complex process that requires the orchestrated participation of many proteins that are recruited during the early steps of mRNA synthesis and processing. This strategy allows the cell to guarantee the conformity of the messengers accessing the cytoplasm and the translation machinery. Most transcripts are exported by the exportin dimer Nuclear RNA export factor 1 (NXF1)-NTF2-related export protein 1 (NXT1) and the transcription-export complex 1 (TREX1). Some mRNAs that do not possess all the common messenger characteristics use either variants of the NXF1-NXT1 pathway or CRM1, a different exportin. Viruses whose mRNAs are synthesized in the nucleus (retroviruses, the vast majority of DNA viruses, and influenza viruses) exploit both these cellular export pathways. Viral mRNAs hijack the cellular export machinery via complex secondary structures recognized by cellular export factors and/or viral adapter proteins. This way, the viral transcripts succeed in escaping the host surveillance system and are efficiently exported for translation, allowing the infectious cycle to proceed. This review gives an overview of the cellular mRNA nuclear export mechanisms and presents detailed insights into the most important strategies that viruses use to export the different forms of their RNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jón Pol Gales
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) UPR2357, Université de Strasbourg, F-67084 Strasbourg, France; (J.P.G.); (J.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Julie Kubina
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) UPR2357, Université de Strasbourg, F-67084 Strasbourg, France; (J.P.G.); (J.K.); (A.G.)
- SVQV UMR-A 1131, INRAE, Université de Strasbourg, F-68000 Colmar, France
| | - Angèle Geldreich
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) UPR2357, Université de Strasbourg, F-67084 Strasbourg, France; (J.P.G.); (J.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Maria Dimitrova
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, The French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) UPR2357, Université de Strasbourg, F-67084 Strasbourg, France; (J.P.G.); (J.K.); (A.G.)
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15
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Evolutionary conservation of ‘Basket’ structure in nuclear pore complexes, and their possible role in mRNA export. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1017/s0424820100167792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a macromolecular complex which provides transport through the nuclear envelope. Each NPC has a diameter of around 120 nms, and extends outwards into the cytoplasm by some 20 nms via eight cytoplasmic filaments of granular substructure. On the nucleoplasmic face, NPC ‘cages’ or ‘baskets’ project some 60 nms into the nuclear interior where they terminate in an inner basket ring that supports a further structure, the nuclear envelope lattice (NEL), a network of filaments. Both the NEL and NPC baskets have been visualised to date only in amphibian germinal vesicle nuclear envelopes. All current models of NPC structure are based on data from amphibian oocytes, mainly due to the convenience of isolating clean and well preserved nuclear envelopes. It is important therefore to determine how widely these structures are conserved in other groups throughout the animal kingdom, as a basis for the overall evolutionary conservation of NPC structure.
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16
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Sun J, Shi Y, Yildirim E. The Nuclear Pore Complex in Cell Type-Specific Chromatin Structure and Gene Regulation. Trends Genet 2019; 35:579-588. [PMID: 31213386 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear pore complex (NPC)-mediated nucleocytoplasmic trafficking is essential for key cellular processes, such as cell growth, cell differentiation, and gene regulation. The NPC has also been viewed as a nuclear architectural platform that impacts genome function and gene expression by mediating spatial and temporal coordination between transcription factors, chromatin regulatory proteins, and transcription machinery. Recent findings have uncovered differential and cell type-specific expression and distinct chromatin-binding patterns of individual NPC components known as nucleoporins (Nups). Here, we examine recent studies that investigate the functional roles of NPCs and Nups in transcription, chromatin organization, and epigenetic gene regulation in the context of development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayu Sun
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Yuming Shi
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Eda Yildirim
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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17
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Grafe M, Batsios P, Meyer I, Lisin D, Baumann O, Goldberg MW, Gräf R. Supramolecular Structures of the Dictyostelium Lamin NE81. Cells 2019; 8:cells8020162. [PMID: 30781468 PMCID: PMC6406624 DOI: 10.3390/cells8020162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear lamins are nucleus-specific intermediate filaments (IF) found at the inner nuclear membrane (INM) of the nuclear envelope (NE). Together with nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins, they form the nuclear lamina and are crucial for gene regulation and mechanical robustness of the nucleus and the whole cell. Recently, we characterized Dictyostelium NE81 as an evolutionarily conserved lamin-like protein, both on the sequence and functional level. Here, we show on the structural level that the Dictyostelium NE81 is also capable of assembling into filaments, just as metazoan lamin filament assemblies. Using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, we show that NE81 expressed in Xenopous oocytes forms filamentous structures with an overall appearance highly reminiscent of Xenopus lamin B2. The in vitro assembly properties of recombinant His-tagged NE81 purified from Dictyostelium extracts are very similar to those of metazoan lamins. Super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) and expansion microscopy (ExM), as well as transmission electron microscopy of negatively stained purified NE81, demonstrated its capability of forming filamentous structures under low-ionic-strength conditions. These results recommend Dictyostelium as a non-mammalian model organism with a well-characterized nuclear envelope involving all relevant protein components known in animal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Grafe
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
| | - Petros Batsios
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
| | - Irene Meyer
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
| | - Daria Lisin
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
| | - Otto Baumann
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
| | - Martin W Goldberg
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
| | - Ralph Gräf
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
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18
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Onuma A, Fujioka YA, Fujii W, Sugiura K, Naito K. Effects of exportin 1 on nuclear transport and meiotic resumption in porcine full-grown and growing oocytes. Biol Reprod 2018; 98:501-509. [PMID: 29228114 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/iox168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Exportin 1 (XPO1) is a nuclear transport receptor involved in the nuclear export of majority proteins in somatic cells. In mammalian oocytes, however, only the presence of XPO1 has been reported at mRNA and protein levels, and the definitive functions of XPO1 and its effects on the meiotic maturation of oocytes have never been directly examined. In the present study, the expression state and the nuclear-export function of porcine XPO1 were analyzed in porcine oocytes. In addition, we investigated the effects of the overexpression and inhibition of XPO1 on meiotic regulation in full-grown and growing oocytes by mRNA injection and inhibitor treatment. Endogenous XPO1 was stably expressed in porcine oocytes during the germinal vesicle (GV) stage, and the expression of exogenous XPO1 significantly decreased the nuclear localization of XPO1 cargos, snurportin 1, and WEE1B. Inhibition of XPO1 by a specific inhibitor, leptomycin B, delayed the GV breakdown (GVBD), whereas the overexpression of XPO1 by mRNA injection accelerated the GVBD. XPO1 overexpression overcame the meiotic arrest induced by WEE1B expression in full-grown oocytes. Surprisingly, the GVBD of porcine growing oocytes, which could not resume meiosis by the maturation culture in vitro, was induced by the expression of exogenous XPO1. These results showed the presence of XPO1 and its function as a nuclear export receptor in mammalian oocytes, including growing oocytes, and they suggest that the regulation of nuclear transport has a large influence on the GV maintenance and meiotic resumption of oocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asuka Onuma
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshie A Fujioka
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Wataru Fujii
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koji Sugiura
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kunihiko Naito
- Department of Animal Resource Sciences, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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19
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Abstract
Scanning electron microscopes are useful biological tools that can be used to image the surface of whole organisms, tissues, cells, cellular components, and macromolecules. Processes and structures that exist at surfaces can be imaged in pseudo, or real 3D at magnifications ranging from about 10× to 1,000,000×. Therefore a whole multicellular organism, such as a fly, or a single protein embedded in one of its cell membranes can be visualized. In order to identify that protein at high resolution, or to see and quantify its distribution at lower magnifications, samples can be labeled with antibodies. Any surface that can be exposed can potentially be studied in this way. Presented here is a generic method for immunogold labeling for scanning electron microscopy, using two examples of specimens: isolated nuclear envelopes and the cytoskeleton of mammalian culture cells. Various parameters for sample preparation, fixation, immunogold labeling, drying, metal coating, and imaging are discussed so that the best immunogold scanning electron microscopy results can be obtained from different types of specimens.
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20
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Sellés J, Penrad-Mobayed M, Guillaume C, Fuger A, Auvray L, Faklaris O, Montel F. Nuclear pore complex plasticity during developmental process as revealed by super-resolution microscopy. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14732. [PMID: 29116248 PMCID: PMC5677124 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15433-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC) is of paramount importance for cellular processes since it is the unique gateway for molecular exchange through the nucleus. Unraveling the modifications of the NPC structure in response to physiological cues, also called nuclear pore plasticity, is key to the understanding of the selectivity of this molecular machinery. As a step towards this goal, we use the optical super-resolution microscopy method called direct Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (dSTORM), to analyze oocyte development impact on the internal structure and large-scale organization of the NPC. Staining of the FG-Nups proteins and the gp210 proteins allowed us to pinpoint a decrease of the global diameter by measuring the mean diameter of the central channel and the luminal ring of the NPC via autocorrelation image processing. Moreover, by using an angular and radial density function we show that development of the Xenopus laevis oocyte is correlated with a progressive decrease of the density of NPC and an ordering on a square lattice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Sellés
- Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Paris Diderot/CNRS (UMR 7057), 75205, Paris, Cedex 13, France
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université Paris Diderot/CNRS, UMR 7592, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75205, Paris, CEDEX 13, France
| | - May Penrad-Mobayed
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université Paris Diderot/CNRS, UMR 7592, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75205, Paris, CEDEX 13, France
| | - Cyndélia Guillaume
- Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Paris Diderot/CNRS (UMR 7057), 75205, Paris, Cedex 13, France
| | - Alica Fuger
- Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Paris Diderot/CNRS (UMR 7057), 75205, Paris, Cedex 13, France
| | - Loïc Auvray
- Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Paris Diderot/CNRS (UMR 7057), 75205, Paris, Cedex 13, France
| | - Orestis Faklaris
- ImagoSeine core facility, Institut Jacques Monod, Université Paris Diderot/CNRS, UMR 7592, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75205, Paris, CEDEX 13, France
| | - Fabien Montel
- Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Université Paris Diderot/CNRS (UMR 7057), 75205, Paris, Cedex 13, France.
- Univ Lyon, Ens de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique, F-69342, Lyon, France.
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21
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Nuclear pore complex tethers to the cytoskeleton. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 68:52-58. [PMID: 28676424 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear envelope is tethered to the cytoskeleton. The best known attachments of all elements of the cytoskeleton are via the so-called LINC complex. However, the nuclear pore complexes, which mediate the transport of soluble and membrane bound molecules, are also linked to the microtubule network, primarily via motor proteins (dynein and kinesins) which are linked, most importantly, to the cytoplasmic filament protein of the nuclear pore complex, Nup358, by the adaptor BicD2. The evidence for such linkages and possible roles in nuclear migration, cell cycle control, nuclear transport and cell architecture are discussed.
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22
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Besztejan S, Keskin S, Manz S, Kassier G, Bücker R, Venegas-Rojas D, Trieu HK, Rentmeister A, Miller RJD. Visualization of Cellular Components in a Mammalian Cell with Liquid-Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2017; 23:46-55. [PMID: 28137345 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927616012708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We present liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy (liquid-cell TEM) imaging of fixed and non-fixed prostate cancer cells (PC3 and LNCaP) with high resolution in a custom developed silicon nitride liquid cell. Fixed PC3 cells were imaged for 90-120 min without any discernable damage. High contrast on the cellular structures was obtained even at low electron doses (~2.5 e-/nm2 per image). The images show distinct structures of cell compartments (nuclei and nucleoli) and cell boundaries without any further sample embedding, dehydration, or staining. Furthermore, we observed dynamics of vesicles trafficking from the cell membrane in consecutive still frames in a non-fixed cell. Our findings show that liquid-cell TEM, operated at low electron dose, is an excellent tool to investigate dynamic events in non-fixed cells with enough spatial resolution (few nm) and natural amplitude contrast to follow key intracellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Besztejan
- 1Chemistry Department,Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,University of Hamburg,Martin-Luther-King Platz 6,20146 Hamburg,Germany
| | - Sercan Keskin
- 3Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter,Luruper Chaussee 149,Geb. 99 (CFEL),22761 Hamburg,Germany
| | - Stephanie Manz
- 3Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter,Luruper Chaussee 149,Geb. 99 (CFEL),22761 Hamburg,Germany
| | - Günther Kassier
- 3Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter,Luruper Chaussee 149,Geb. 99 (CFEL),22761 Hamburg,Germany
| | - Robert Bücker
- 3Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter,Luruper Chaussee 149,Geb. 99 (CFEL),22761 Hamburg,Germany
| | - Deybith Venegas-Rojas
- 4Institute of Microsystems Technology,Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH),Eißendorfer Straße 42,21073 Hamburg,Germany
| | - Hoc K Trieu
- 4Institute of Microsystems Technology,Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH),Eißendorfer Straße 42,21073 Hamburg,Germany
| | - Andrea Rentmeister
- 5Institute of Biochemistry,Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster,Wilhelm-Klemm-Strasse 2,48149 Muenster,Germany
| | - R J Dwayne Miller
- 2The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging,University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149,22761 Hamburg,Germany
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23
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Beck M, Hurt E. The nuclear pore complex: understanding its function through structural insight. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2016; 18:73-89. [PMID: 27999437 DOI: 10.1038/nrm.2016.147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 432] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) fuse the inner and outer nuclear membranes to form channels across the nuclear envelope. They are large macromolecular assemblies with a complex composition and diverse functions. Apart from facilitating nucleocytoplasmic transport, NPCs are involved in chromatin organization, the regulation of gene expression and DNA repair. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these functions has been hampered by a lack of structural knowledge about the NPC. The recent convergence of crystallographic and biochemical in vitro analysis of nucleoporins (NUPs), the components of the NPC, with cryo-electron microscopic imaging of the entire NPC in situ has provided first pseudo-atomic view of its central core and revealed that an unexpected network of short linear motifs is an important spatial organization principle. These breakthroughs have transformed the way we understand NPC structure, and they provide an important base for functional investigations, including the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying clinically manifested mutations of the nucleocytoplasmic transport system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Beck
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology Unit, Meyerhofstrasse 1, Heidelberg D-69117, Germany
| | - Ed Hurt
- Biochemistry Center of Heidelberg University, INF328, Heidelberg D-69120, Germany
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24
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Abstract
O-GlcNAc-ylation is the post-translational addition of an O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine to the serine and threonine residues of thousands of proteins in eukaryotic cells. Specifically, half of the thirty different types of protein components in the nuclear pore complex (NPC) are modified by O-GlcNAc, of which the majority are intrinsically disordered nucleoporins (Nups) containing multiple phenylalanine-glycine (FG) repeats. Moreover, these FG-Nups form a strict selectivity barrier with a high density of O-GlcNAc in the NPC to mediate bidirectional trafficking between the cytoplasm and nucleus. However, the roles that O-GlcNAc plays in the structure and function of the NPC remain obscure. In this review paper, we will discuss the current knowledge of O-GlcNAc-ylated Nups, highlight some new techniques used to probe O-GlcNAc's roles in the nuclear pore, and finally propose a new model for the effect of O-GlcNAc on the NPC's permeability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Ruba
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Weidong Yang
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
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25
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Goldberg MW. High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy and Immuno-Gold Labeling of the Nuclear Lamina and Nuclear Pore Complex. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1411:441-59. [PMID: 27147058 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3530-7_27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a technique used to image surfaces. Field emission SEMs (feSEMs) can resolve structures that are ~0.5-1.5 nm apart. FeSEM, therefore is a useful technique for imaging molecular structures that exist at surfaces such as membranes. The nuclear envelope consists of four membrane surfaces, all of which may be accessible for imaging. Imaging of the cytoplasmic face of the outer membrane gives information about ribosomes and cytoskeletal attachments, as well as details of the cytoplasmic peripheral components of the nuclear pore complex, and is the most easily accessed surface. The nucleoplasmic face of the inner membrane is easily accessible in some cells, such as amphibian oocytes, giving valuable details about the organization of the nuclear lamina and how it interacts with the nuclear pore complexes. The luminal faces of both membranes are difficult to access, but may be exposed by various fracturing techniques. Protocols are presented here for the preparation, labeling, and feSEM imaging of Xenopus laevis oocyte nuclear envelopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin W Goldberg
- School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
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26
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From hypothesis to mechanism: uncovering nuclear pore complex links to gene expression. Mol Cell Biol 2014; 34:2114-20. [PMID: 24615017 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.01730-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The gene gating hypothesis put forth by Blobel in 1985 was an alluring proposal outlining functions for the nuclear pore complex (NPC) in transcription and nuclear architecture. Over the past several decades, collective studies have unveiled a full catalog of nucleoporins (Nups) that comprise the NPC, structural arrangements of Nups in the nuclear pore, and mechanisms of nucleocytoplasmic transport. With this foundation, investigations of the gene gating hypothesis have now become possible. Studies of several model organisms provide credence for Nup functions in transcription, mRNA export, and genome organization. Surprisingly, Nups are not only involved in transcriptional events that occur at the nuclear periphery, but there are also novel roles for dynamic Nups within the nucleoplasmic compartment. Several tenants of the original gene gating hypothesis have yet to be addressed. Knowledge of whether the NPC impacts the organization of the genome to control subsets of genes is limited, and the cooperating molecular machinery or specific genomic anchoring sequences are not fully resolved. This minireview summarizes the current evidence for gene gating in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, and mammalian model systems. These examples highlight new and unpredicted mechanisms for Nup impacts on transcription and questions that are left to be explored.
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27
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Shaulov L, Fichtman B, Harel A. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy for the imaging of nuclear pore complexes and Ran-mediated transport. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1120:253-261. [PMID: 24470031 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-791-4_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
High-resolution scanning electron microscopy provides three-dimensional surface images of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) embedded in the nuclear envelope. Here, we describe a method for exposing the nuclear surface in mammalian tissue culture cells for imaging by scanning electron microscopy. Hypotonic treatment is followed by low-speed centrifugation onto polylysine-coated silicon chips, without the use of detergents. This helps to preserve NPCs close to their native morphology, embedded in undamaged nuclear membranes. This method is particularly advantageous for combining high-resolution imaging of NPCs with mammalian genetic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihi Shaulov
- Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
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28
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Roles of the Nucleoporin Tpr in Cancer and Aging. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2014; 773:309-22. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4899-8032-8_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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29
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Kiseleva E, Richardson AC, Fiserova J, Strunov AA, Spink MC, Johnson SR, Goldberg MW. Imaging yeast NPCs: from classical electron microscopy to Immuno-SEM. Methods Cell Biol 2014; 122:59-79. [PMID: 24857725 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-417160-2.00003-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Electron microscopy (EM) has been used extensively for the study of nuclear transport as well as the structure of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) and nuclear envelope. However, there are specific challenges faced when carrying out EM in one of the main model organisms used: the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These are due to the presence of a cell wall, vacuoles, and a densely packed cytoplasm which, for transmission EM (TEM), make fixation, embedding, and imaging difficult. These also present problems for scanning EM (SEM) because cell wall removal and isolation of nuclei can easily damage the relatively fragile NPCs. We present some of the protocols we use to prepare samples for TEM and SEM to provide information about yeast NPC ultrastructure and the location of nucleoporins and transport factors by immunogold labeling within that ultrastructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Kiseleva
- Laboratory of Morphology and Function of Cell Structure, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Russian Academy of Science, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - A Christine Richardson
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Jindriska Fiserova
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Anton A Strunov
- Laboratory of Morphology and Function of Cell Structure, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Russian Academy of Science, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Matthew C Spink
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Simeon R Johnson
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Martin W Goldberg
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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30
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Fichtman B, Shaulov L, Harel A. Imaging metazoan nuclear pore complexes by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Methods Cell Biol 2014; 122:41-58. [PMID: 24857724 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-417160-2.00002-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
High resolution three-dimensional surface images of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) can be obtained by field emission scanning electron microscopy. We present a short retrospective view starting from the early roots of microscopy, through the discovery of the cell nucleus and the development of some modern techniques for sample preparation and imaging. Detailed protocols are presented for assembling anchored nuclei in a Xenopus cell-free reconstitution system and for the exposure of the nuclear surface in mammalian cell nuclei. Immunogold labeling of metazoan NPCs and a promising new technique for delicate coating with iridium are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Fichtman
- Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Lihi Shaulov
- Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Amnon Harel
- Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
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Niepel M, Molloy KR, Williams R, Farr JC, Meinema AC, Vecchietti N, Cristea IM, Chait BT, Rout MP, Strambio-De-Castillia C. The nuclear basket proteins Mlp1p and Mlp2p are part of a dynamic interactome including Esc1p and the proteasome. Mol Biol Cell 2013; 24:3920-38. [PMID: 24152732 PMCID: PMC3861087 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e13-07-0412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mlp1p and Mlp2p form the basket of the yeast nuclear pore complex (NPC) and contribute to NPC positioning, nuclear stability, and nuclear envelope morphology. The Mlps also embed the NPC within an extended interactome, which includes protein complexes involved in mRNP biogenesis, silencing, spindle organization, and protein degradation. The basket of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) is generally depicted as a discrete structure of eight protein filaments that protrude into the nucleoplasm and converge in a ring distal to the NPC. We show that the yeast proteins Mlp1p and Mlp2p are necessary components of the nuclear basket and that they also embed the NPC within a dynamic protein network, whose extended interactome includes the spindle organizer, silencing factors, the proteasome, and key components of messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs). Ultrastructural observations indicate that the basket reduces chromatin crowding around the central transporter of the NPC and might function as a docking site for mRNP during nuclear export. In addition, we show that the Mlps contribute to NPC positioning, nuclear stability, and nuclear envelope morphology. Our results suggest that the Mlps are multifunctional proteins linking the nuclear transport channel to multiple macromolecular complexes involved in the regulation of gene expression and chromatin maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Niepel
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and Gaseous Ion Chemistry, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 Institute for Research in Biomedicine, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland Istituto Cantonale di Microbiologia, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605
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32
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Fiserova J, Spink M, Richards SA, Saunter C, Goldberg MW. Entry into the nuclear pore complex is controlled by a cytoplasmic exclusion zone containing dynamic GLFG-repeat nucleoporin domains. J Cell Sci 2013; 127:124-36. [PMID: 24144701 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.133272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) mediate nucleocytoplasmic movement. The central channel contains proteins with phenylalanine-glycine (FG) repeats, or variations (GLFG, glycine-leucine-phenylalanine-glycine). These are 'intrinsically disordered' and often represent weak interaction sites that become ordered upon interaction. We investigated this possibility during nuclear transport. Using electron microscopy of S. cerevisiae, we show that NPC cytoplasmic filaments form a dome-shaped structure enclosing GLFG domains. GLFG domains extend out of this structure and are part of an 'exclusion zone' that might act as a partial barrier to entry of transport-inert proteins. The anchor domain of a GLFG nucleoporin locates exclusively to the central channel. By contrast, the localisation of the GLFG domains varied between NPCs and could be cytoplasmic, central or nucleoplasmic and could stretch up to 80 nm. These results suggest a dynamic exchange between ordered and disordered states. In contrast to diffusion through the NPC, transport cargoes passed through the exclusion zone and accumulated near the central plane. We also show that movement of cargo through the NPC is accompanied by relocation of GLFG domains, suggesting that binding, restructuring and movement of these domains could be part of the translocation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jindriska Fiserova
- School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
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33
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Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the sole gateway between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. NPCs fuse the inner and outer nuclear membranes to form aqueous translocation channels that allow the free diffusion of small molecules and ions, as well as receptor-mediated transport of large macromolecules. The NPC regulates nucleocytoplasmic transport of macromolecules, utilizing soluble receptors that identify and present cargo to the NPC, in a highly selective manner to maintain cellular functions. The NPC is composed of multiple copies of approximately 30 different proteins, termed nucleoporins, which assemble to form one of the largest multiprotein assemblies in the cell. In this review, we address structural and functional aspects of this fundamental cellular machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Einat Grossman
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Beersheva 84105, Israel
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34
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Holz RW. Peptide ordering within nuclear pores in living cells. Biophys J 2013; 104:6-7. [PMID: 23332053 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.11.3824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2012] [Revised: 11/19/2012] [Accepted: 11/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ronald W Holz
- University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Pharmacology, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
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35
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Shaulov L, Harel A. Improved Visualization of Vertebrate Nuclear Pore Complexes by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. Structure 2012; 20:407-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2012.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2011] [Revised: 01/29/2012] [Accepted: 01/31/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, the spatial segregation of replication and transcription in the nucleus and translation in the cytoplasm imposes the requirement of transporting thousands of macromolecules between these two compartments. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are the sole gateways that facilitate this macromolecular exchange across the nuclear envelope with the help of soluble transport receptors. Whereas the mobile transport machinery is reasonably well understood at the atomic level, a commensurate structural characterization of the NPC has only begun in the past few years. Here, we describe the recent progress toward the elucidation of the atomic structure of the NPC, highlight emerging concepts of its underlying architecture, and discuss key outstanding questions and challenges. The applied structure determination as well as the described design principles of the NPC may serve as paradigms for other macromolecular assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Hoelz
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
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37
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Flannery AR, Huynh C, Mittra B, Mortara RA, Andrews NW. LFR1 ferric iron reductase of Leishmania amazonensis is essential for the generation of infective parasite forms. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:23266-79. [PMID: 21558274 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.229674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Leishmania is the causative agent of serious human infections worldwide. The parasites alternate between insect and vertebrate hosts and cause disease by invading macrophages, where they replicate. Parasites lacking the ferrous iron transporter LIT1 cannot grow intracellularly, indicating that a plasma membrane-associated mechanism for iron uptake is essential for the establishment of infections. Here, we identify and functionally characterize a second member of the Leishmania iron acquisition pathway, the ferric iron reductase LFR1. The LFR1 gene is up-regulated under iron deprivation and accounts for all the detectable ferric reductase activity exposed on the surface of Leishmania amazonensis. LFR1 null mutants grow normally as promastigote insect stages but are defective in differentiation into the vertebrate infective forms, metacyclic promastigotes and amastigotes. LFR1 overexpression partially restores the abnormal morphology of infective stages but markedly reduces parasite viability, precluding its ability to rescue LFR1 null replication in macrophages. However, LFR1 overexpression is not toxic for amastigotes lacking the ferrous iron transporter LIT1 and rescues their growth defect. In addition, the intracellular growth of both LFR1 and LIT1 null parasites is rescued in macrophages loaded with exogenous iron. This indicates that the Fe(3+) reductase LFR1 functions upstream of LIT1 and suggests that LFR1 overexpression results in excessive Fe(2+) production, which impairs parasite viability after intracellular transport by LIT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Flannery
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-5815, USA
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38
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Fernandes MC, Cortez M, Flannery AR, Tam C, Mortara RA, Andrews NW. Trypanosoma cruzi subverts the sphingomyelinase-mediated plasma membrane repair pathway for cell invasion. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 208:909-21. [PMID: 21536739 PMCID: PMC3092353 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20102518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi takes advantage of a sphingomyelinase-dependent plasma membrane repair pathway to gain access to host cells. Upon host cell contact, the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi triggers cytosolic Ca2+ transients that induce exocytosis of lysosomes, a process required for cell invasion. However, the exact mechanism by which lysosomal exocytosis mediates T. cruzi internalization remains unclear. We show that host cell entry by T. cruzi mimics a process of plasma membrane injury and repair that involves Ca2+-dependent exocytosis of lysosomes, delivery of acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane, and a rapid form of endocytosis that internalizes membrane lesions. Host cells incubated with T. cruzi trypomastigotes are transiently wounded, show increased levels of endocytosis, and become more susceptible to infection when injured with pore-forming toxins. Inhibition or depletion of lysosomal ASM, which blocks plasma membrane repair, markedly reduces the susceptibility of host cells to T. cruzi invasion. Notably, extracellular addition of sphingomyelinase stimulates host cell endocytosis, enhances T. cruzi invasion, and restores normal invasion levels in ASM-depleted cells. Ceramide, the product of sphingomyelin hydrolysis, is detected in newly formed parasitophorous vacuoles containing trypomastigotes but not in the few parasite-containing vacuoles formed in ASM-depleted cells. Thus, T. cruzi subverts the ASM-dependent ceramide-enriched endosomes that function in plasma membrane repair to infect host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cecilia Fernandes
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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39
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Liashkovich I, Meyring A, Kramer A, Shahin V. Exceptional structural and mechanical flexibility of the nuclear pore complex. J Cell Physiol 2011; 226:675-82. [PMID: 20717933 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.22382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) mediate all transport between the cytosol and the nucleus and therefore take centre stage in physiology. While transport through NPCs has been extensively investigated little is known about their structural and barley anything about their mechanical flexibility. Structural and mechanical flexibility of NPCs, however, are presumably of key importance. Like the cell and the cell nucleus, NPCs themselves are regularly exposed to physiological mechanical forces. Besides, NPCs reveal striking transport properties which are likely to require fairly high structural flexibility. The NPC transports up to 1,000 molecules per second through a physically 9 nm wide channel which repeatedly opens to accommodate macromolecules significantly larger than its physical diameter. We hypothesised that NPCs possess remarkable structural and mechanical stability. Here, we tested this hypothesis at the single NPC level using the nano-imaging and probing approach atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM presents the NPC as a highly flexible structure. The NPC channel dilates by striking 35% on exposure to trans-cyclohexane-1,2-diol (TCHD), which is known to transiently collapse the hydrophobic phase in the NPC channel like receptor-cargo complexes do in transit. It constricts again to its initial size after TCHD removal. AFM-based nano-indentation measurements show that the 50 nm long NPC basket can astonishingly be squeezed completely into the NPC channel on exposure to incremental mechanical loads but recovers its original vertical position within the nuclear envelope plane when relieved. We conclude that the NPC possesses exceptional structural and mechanical flexibility which is important to fulfilling its functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Liashkovich
- Institute of Physiology II, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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40
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Kinugasa S, Tojo A, Sakai T, Fujita T. Silver-enhanced immunogold scanning electron microscopy using vibratome sections of rat kidneys: detection of albumin filtration and reabsorption. Med Mol Morphol 2011; 43:218-25. [DOI: 10.1007/s00795-010-0500-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2009] [Accepted: 02/02/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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41
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The nuclear pore complex: bridging nuclear transport and gene regulation. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2010; 11:490-501. [DOI: 10.1038/nrm2928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 390] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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42
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Glover DJ, Leyton DL, Moseley GW, Jans DA. The efficiency of nuclear plasmid DNA delivery is a critical determinant of transgene expression at the single cell level. J Gene Med 2010; 12:77-85. [DOI: 10.1002/jgm.1406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
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43
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Abstract
Scanning electron microscopes are useful biological tools that can be used to image the surface of whole organisms, tissues, cells, cellular components and macromolecules. Processes and structures that exist at surfaces can be imaged in pseudo or real 3D at magnifications of anything from about x10 to x1,000,000. Therefore a whole multicellular organism, such as a fly, or a single protein embedded in one of its cell membranes can be visualised. In order to identify that protein at high resolution, or to see and quantify its distribution at lower magnifications, samples can be labelled with antibodies. Any surface that can be exposed can potentially be studied in this way. Presented here is a generic method for immunogold labelling for scanning electron microscopy, using two examples of specimens: isolated nuclear envelopes and the cytoskeleton of mammalian culture cells. Various parameters for sample preparation, fixation, immunogold labelling, drying, metal coating and imaging are discussed so that the best immunogold scanning electron microscopy results can be obtained from different types of specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin W Goldberg
- School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
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44
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Kylberg K, Björk P, Fomproix N, Ivarsson B, Wieslander L, Daneholt B. Exclusion of mRNPs and ribosomal particles from a thin zone beneath the nuclear envelope revealed upon inhibition of transport. Exp Cell Res 2009; 316:1028-38. [PMID: 19853599 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2009.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2009] [Accepted: 10/16/2009] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
We have studied the nucleocytoplasmic transport of a specific messenger RNP (mRNP) particle, named Balbiani ring (BR) granule, and ribosomal RNP (rRNP) particles in the salivary glands of the dipteran Chironomus tentans. The passage of the RNPs through the nuclear pore complex (NPC) was inhibited with the nucleoporin-binding wheat germ agglutinin, and the effects were examined by electron microscopy. BR mRNPs bound to the nuclear basket increased in number, while BR mRNPs translocating through the central channel decreased, suggesting that the initiation of translocation proper had been inhibited. The rRNPs accumulated heavily in nucleoplasm, while no or very few rRNPs were recorded within nuclear baskets. Thus, the transport of rRNPs had been blocked prior to the entry into the baskets. Remarkably, the rRNPs had been excluded both from baskets and the space in between the baskets. We propose that normally basket fibrils move freely and repel RNPs from the exclusion zone unless the particles have affinity for and bind to nucleoporins within the baskets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Kylberg
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
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45
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Fiserova J, Kiseleva E, Goldberg MW. Nuclear envelope and nuclear pore complex structure and organization in tobacco BY-2 cells. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2009; 59:243-55. [PMID: 19392704 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313x.2009.03865.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear envelope (NE) is a fundamental structure of eukaryotic cells with a dual role: it separates two distinct compartments, and enables communication between them via nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Little is known about NPCs and NE structural organization in plants. We investigated the structure of NPCs from both sides of the NE in tobacco BY-2 cells. We detected structural differences between the NPCs of dividing and quiescent nuclei. Importantly, we also traced the organizational pattern of the NPCs, and observed non-random NPC distribution over the nuclear surface. Lastly, we observed an organized filamentous protein structure that underlies the inner nuclear membrane, and interconnects NPCs. The results are discussed within the context of the current understanding of NE structure and function in higher eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jindriska Fiserova
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH13LE, UK
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46
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Abstract
Lamins are intermediate filament proteins that form a network lining the inner nuclear membrane. They provide mechanical strength to the nuclear envelope, but also appear to have many other functions as reflected in the array of diseases caused by lamin mutations. Unlike other intermediate filament proteins, they do not self-assemble into 10 nm filaments in vitro and their in vivo organization is uncertain. We have recently re-examined the organization of a simple B-type lamina in Xenopus oocytes [Goldberg, Huttenlauch, Hutchison and Stick (2008) J. Cell Sci. 121, 215-225] and shown that it consists of tightly packed 8-10 nm filaments with regular cross-connections, tightly opposed to the membrane. When lamin A is expressed in oocytes, it forms organized bundles on top of the B lamina. This has led to a new model for lamina organization which is discussed in the present paper.
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47
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Nagasaka A, Oda N, Nakai A, Hotta K, Nagata M, Kato T, Suzuki A, Itoh M, Miura H, Hakuta M, Yoshida S, Hibi Y, Iwase K. Thyroglobulin may affect telomerase activity in thyroid follicular cells. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2008; 24:524-30. [PMID: 18830915 DOI: 10.1080/14756360802218920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase (TA) activity is known to be present in malignant tumor cells, but not in most somatic differentiated cells. TA shows relatively high activity in thyroid cancer cells, but reports vary. This fact prompted us to elucidate whether cell component inhibitors of TA in the thyroid follicles can modulate its activity. The activity of TA extracted from Hela cells was inhibited by mixing with the supernatant fraction of human thyroid tissue extract. To examine the effect of iodine, thyroid hormones (l-T3 and l-T4) and human thyroglobulin (hTg) contained in the thyroid follicles, l-T3, l-T4 and hTg were added to the TRAP assay system in vitro, using TA from Hela cells. Iodine, l-T3 and l-T4 did not affect TA activity, but hTg inhibited the TA activity in a dose-dependent manner (IC(50) of hTg: ca 0.45 microM: inhibiting concentration of hTg was from 0.15 microM to 3.0 microM). The hTg inhibition was not evident in the RT-PCR system, suggesting no effect of hTg on Taq DNA polymerase activity. The hTg inhibition of TA activity was attenuated by dNTP but not significantly by TS primer. These data suggest that hTg contained in thyroid follicular cells of various thyroid diseases may affect the TA activity measured in biopsied thyroid specimens, and that the reduction of the TA activity by hTg may induce slow progression and growth, and low grade malignancy of thyroid cancer, particularly differentiated carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akio Nagasaka
- Department of Internal Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
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Goldberg MW, Huttenlauch I, Hutchison CJ, Stick R. Filaments made from A- and B-type lamins differ in structure and organization. J Cell Sci 2008; 121:215-25. [PMID: 18187453 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.022020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lamins are intermediate filament proteins and the major component of the nuclear lamina. Current views of the lamina are based on the remarkably regular arrangement of lamin LIII in amphibian oocyte nuclei. We have re-examined the LIII lamina and propose a new interpretation of its organization. Rather than consisting of two perpendicular arrays of parallel filaments, we suggest that the oocyte lamina consists of parallel filaments that are interconnected in register to give the impression of a second set of perpendicular filaments. We have also used the oocyte system to investigate the organization of somatic lamins. Currently, it is not feasible to examine the organization of somatic lamins in situ because of their tight association with chromatin. It is also difficult to assemble vertebrate lamin filaments in vitro. Therefore, we have used the oocyte system, where exogenously expressed somatic B-type and A-type lamins assemble into filaments. Expression of B-type lamins induces the formation of intranuclear membranes that are covered by single filament layers. LIII filaments appear identical to the endogenous lamina, whereas lamin B2 assembles into filaments that are organized less precisely. Lamin A induces sheets of thicker filaments on the endogenous lamina and significantly increases the rigidity of the nuclear envelope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin W Goldberg
- School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.
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49
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Allen TD, Rutherford SA, Murray S, Sanderson HS, Gardiner F, Kiseleva E, Goldberg MW, Drummond SP. A protocol for isolating Xenopus oocyte nuclear envelope for visualization and characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nat Protoc 2008; 2:1166-72. [PMID: 17546011 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2007.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
This protocol details methods for the isolation of oocyte nuclear envelopes (NEs) from the African clawed toad Xenopus laevis, immunogold labeling of component proteins and subsequent visualization by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This procedure involves the initial removal of the ovaries from mature female X. laevis, the dissection of individual oocytes, then the manual isolation of the giant nucleus and subsequent preparation for high-resolution visualization. Unlike light microscopy, and its derivative technologies, electron microscopy enables 3-5 nm resolution of nuclear structures, thereby giving unrivalled opportunities for investigation and immunological characterization in situ of nuclear structures and their structural associations. There are a number of stages where samples can be stored, although we recommend that this protocol take no longer than 2 d. Samples processed for FESEM can be stored for weeks under vacuum, allowing considerable time for image acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- T D Allen
- Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Manchester, Wilmslow Road, Withington, Manchester M20 4BX, UK.
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50
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Goldberg MW. Chapter 7 Immunolabeling for Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Field Emission SEM. Methods Cell Biol 2008; 88:109-30. [DOI: 10.1016/s0091-679x(08)00407-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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