A nuclear export sequence promotes CRM1-dependent targeting of the nucleoporin Nup214 to the nuclear pore complex

Protection of the genome and the central exome by peripheral non-coding DNA against DNA damage in health, ageing and age-related diseases

DNA in eukaryotic genomes is under constant assault from both exogenous and endogenous sources, leading to DNA damage, which is considered a major molecular driver of ageing. Fortunately, the genome and the central exome are safeguarded against these attacks by abundant peripheral non-coding DNA. Non-coding DNA codes for small non-coding RNAs that inactivate foreign nucleic acids in the cytoplasm and physically blocks these attacks in the nucleus. Damage to non-coding DNA produced during such blockage is removed in the form of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) through nucleic pore complexes. Consequently, non-coding DNA serves as a line of defence for the exome against DNA damage. The total amount of non-coding DNA/heterochromatin declines with age, resulting in a decrease in both physical blockage and eccDNA exclusion, and thus an increase in the accumulation of DNA damage in the nucleus during ageing and in age-related diseases. Here, we summarize recent evidence supporting a protective role of non-coding DNA in healthy and pathological states and argue that DNA damage is the proximate cause of ageing and age-related genetic diseases. Strategies aimed at strengthening the protective role of non-coding DNA/heterochromatin could potentially offer better systematic protection for the dynamic genome and the exome against diverse assaults, reduce the burden of DNA damage to the exome, and thus slow ageing, counteract age-related genetic diseases and promote a healthier life for individuals.

Nuclear pore complex and nucleocytoplasmic transport disruption in neurodegeneration

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) play a critical role in maintaining the equilibrium between the nucleus and cytoplasm, enabling bidirectional transport across the nuclear envelope, and are essential for proper nuclear organization and gene regulation. Perturbations in the regulatory mechanisms governing NPCs and nuclear envelope homeostasis have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases. The ESCRT-III pathway emerges as a critical player in the surveillance and preservation of well-assembled, functional NPCs, as well as nuclear envelope sealing. Recent studies have provided insights into the involvement of nuclear ESCRT-III in the selective reduction of specific nucleoporins associated with neurodegenerative pathologies. Thus, maintaining quality control of the nuclear envelope and NPCs represents a pivotal element in the pathological cascade leading to neurodegenerative diseases. This review describes the constituents of the nuclear-cytoplasmic transport machinery, encompassing the nuclear envelope, NPC, and ESCRT proteins, and how their structural and functional alterations contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

N-acetyltransferase 10 promotes cutaneous wound repair via the NF-κB-IL-6 axis

Cutaneous wound healing, an integral part for protection of skin barrier, is a complex biological process and intimately associated with keratinocyte migration. However, mechanisms regulating keratinocyte migration in the process of cutaneous wound repair remain largely unknown. Here, we found that N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) is essential for cutaneous wound repair in an in vivo skin wound healing model-a significant delay of wound repair in Nat10 haploinsufficient mice and a remarkable inhibition of keratinocyte migration by NAT10 knockdown in an in vitro keratinocyte migration model. We further demonstrate that loss of NAT10 expression attenuates the wound-induced IL-6/IL-8 expression through inhibiting NF-κB/p65 activity in keratinocytes. By deeply digging, silencing NAT10 compromises the level of nuclear p65 by facilitating its poly-ubiquitination, thus accelerates its degradation in the nucleus. Notably, we detected a strong positive correlation between the expression of NAT10 and relevant NF-kB/p65-IL6 signaling activity in mouse wound skin tissues. Overall, our study reveals an important role of NAT10 on cutaneous wound repair by potentiating NF-κB/p65-IL-6/8-STAT3 signaling. Targeting NAT10 might be a potential strategy for the treatment of skin wound dysfunctions and related diseases.

Selective nuclear export inhibitor KPT‑330 enhances the radiosensitivity of esophageal carcinoma cells

Although the concurrent application of definitive chemoradiation has improved the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer, resistance to therapy poses a major threat to treatment. The present study aimed to investigate whether the use of KPT-330, a selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE), enhances the radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer cells. Immunohistochemical staining assays were employed to evaluate the expression and prognostic significance of chromosome maintenance protein-1 (CRM1) in 111 esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) tissues collected from patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The data showed that the expression of CRM1 in the ESCA tissues was significantly upregulated compared with that in the normal adjacent tissues. Furthermore, patients with higher CRM1 expression had significantly decreased overall survival compared with those with lower CRM1 expression. The effects of KPT-330 and/or radiation on ECA109 human ESCA cells were also evaluated. KPT-330 suppressed the viability of the ECA109 cells. A colony formation assay demonstrated that a combination of KPT-330 and radiation significantly decreased ECA109 cell proliferation. Flow cytometric analysis showed that KPT-330 increased the arrest of the ECA109 cells at the G₂/M phase and induced apoptosis. In addition, western blotting revealed that the inhibitory effect of KPT-330 on cell viability was associated with the increased expression of p53 and promotion of the nuclear accumulation of the p53 protein. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that CRM1 expression is associated with the prognosis of patients with ESCA following radiotherapy. The inhibition of CRM1 expression by the SINE inhibitor KPT-330 increases radiosensitivity and is potentially useful in a combination treatment strategy for esophageal cancers.

Architecture of the cytoplasmic face of the nuclear pore

INTRODUCTION The subcellular compartmentalization of eukaryotic cells requires selective transport of folded proteins and protein-nucleic acid complexes. Embedded in nuclear envelope pores, which are generated by the circumscribed fusion of the inner and outer nuclear membranes, nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are the sole bidirectional gateways for nucleocytoplasmic transport. The ~110-MDa human NPC is an ~1000-protein assembly that comprises multiple copies of ~34 different proteins, collectively termed nucleoporins. The symmetric core of the NPC is composed of an inner ring encircling the central transport channel and outer rings formed by Y‑shaped coat nucleoporin complexes (CNCs) anchored atop both sides of the nuclear envelope. The outer rings are decorated with compartment‑specific asymmetric nuclear basket and cytoplasmic filament nucleoporins, which establish transport directionality and provide docking sites for transport factors and the small guanosine triphosphatase Ran. The cytoplasmic filament nucleoporins also play an essential role in the irreversible remodeling of messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) as they exit the central transport channel. Unsurprisingly, the NPC's cytoplasmic face represents a hotspot for disease‑associated mutations and is commonly targeted by viral virulence factors. RATIONALE Previous studies established a near-atomic composite structure of the human NPC's symmetric core by combining (i) biochemical reconstitution to elucidate the interaction network between symmetric nucleoporins, (ii) crystal and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy structure determination of nucleoporins and nucleoporin complexes to reveal their three-dimensional shape and the molecular details of their interactions, (iii) quantitative docking in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) maps of the intact human NPC to uncover nucleoporin stoichiometry and positioning, and (iv) cell‑based assays to validate the physiological relevance of the biochemical and structural findings. In this work, we extended our approach to the cytoplasmic filament nucleoporins to reveal the near-atomic architecture of the cytoplasmic face of the human NPC. RESULTS Using biochemical reconstitution, we elucidated the protein-protein and protein-RNA interaction networks of the human and Chaetomium thermophilum cytoplasmic filament nucleoporins, establishing an evolutionarily conserved heterohexameric cytoplasmic filament nucleoporin complex (CFNC) held together by a central heterotrimeric coiled‑coil hub that tethers two separate mRNP‑remodeling complexes. Further biochemical analysis and determination of a series of crystal structures revealed that the metazoan‑specific cytoplasmic filament nucleoporin NUP358 is composed of 16 distinct domains, including an N‑terminal S‑shaped α‑helical solenoid followed by a coiled‑coil oligomerization element, numerous Ran‑interacting domains, an E3 ligase domain, and a C‑terminal prolyl‑isomerase domain. Physiologically validated quantitative docking into cryo-ET maps of the intact human NPC revealed that pentameric NUP358 bundles, conjoined by the oligomerization element, are anchored through their N‑terminal domains to the central stalk regions of the CNC, projecting flexibly attached domains as far as ~600 Å into the cytoplasm. Using cell‑based assays, we demonstrated that NUP358 is dispensable for the architectural integrity of the assembled interphase NPC and RNA export but is required for efficient translation. After NUP358 assignment, the remaining 4-shaped cryo‑ET density matched the dimensions of the CFNC coiled‑coil hub, in close proximity to an outer-ring NUP93. Whereas the N-terminal NUP93 assembly sensor motif anchors the properly assembled related coiled‑coil channel nucleoporin heterotrimer to the inner ring, biochemical reconstitution confirmed that the NUP93 assembly sensor is reused in anchoring the CFNC to the cytoplasmic face of the human NPC. By contrast, two C. thermophilum CFNCs are anchored by a divergent mechanism that involves assembly sensors located in unstructured portions of two CNC nucleoporins. Whereas unassigned cryo‑ET density occupies the NUP358 and CFNC binding sites on the nuclear face, docking of the nuclear basket component ELYS established that the equivalent position on the cytoplasmic face is unoccupied, suggesting that mechanisms other than steric competition promote asymmetric distribution of nucleoporins. CONCLUSION We have substantially advanced the biochemical and structural characterization of the asymmetric nucleoporins' architecture and attachment at the cytoplasmic and nuclear faces of the NPC. Our near‑atomic composite structure of the human NPC's cytoplasmic face provides a biochemical and structural framework for elucidating the molecular basis of mRNP remodeling, viral virulence factor interference with NPC function, and the underlying mechanisms of nucleoporin diseases at the cytoplasmic face of the NPC. [Figure: see text].

CRM1 Promotes Capsid Disassembly and Nuclear Envelope Translocation of Adenovirus Independently of Its Export Function

After receptor-mediated endocytosis and endosomal escape, adenoviral capsids can travel via microtubule organizing centers to the nuclear envelope. Upon capsid disassembly, viral genome import into nuclei of interphase cells then occurs through nuclear pore complexes, involving the nucleoporins Nup214 and Nup358. Import also requires the activity of the classic nuclear export receptor CRM1, as it is blocked by the selective inhibitor leptomycin B. We have now used artificially enucleated as well as mitotic cells to analyze the role of an intact nucleus in different steps of the viral life cycle. In enucleated U2OS cells, viral capsids traveled to the microtubule organizing center, whereas their removal from this complex was blocked, suggesting that this step required nuclear factors. In mitotic cells, on the other hand, CRM1 promoted capsid disassembly and genome release, suggesting a role of this protein that does not require intact nuclear envelopes or nuclear pore complexes and is distinct from its function as a nuclear export receptor. Similar to enucleation, inhibition of CRM1 by leptomycin B also leads to an arrest of adenoviral capsids at the microtubule organizing center. In a small-scale screen using leptomycin B-resistant versions of CRM1, we identified a mutant, CRM1 W142A P143A, that is compromised with respect to adenoviral capsid disassembly in both interphase and mitotic cells. Strikingly, this mutant is capable of exporting cargo proteins out of the nucleus of living cells or digitonin-permeabilized cells, pointing to a role of the mutated region that is not directly linked to nuclear export. IMPORTANCE A role of nucleoporins and of soluble transport factors in adenoviral genome import into the nucleus of infected cells in interphase has previously been established. The nuclear export receptor CRM1 promotes genome import, but its precise function is not known. Using enucleated and mitotic cells, we showed that CRM1 does not simply function by exporting a crucial factor out of the nucleus that would then trigger capsid disassembly and genome import. Instead, CRM1 has an export-independent role, a notion that is also supported by a mutant, CRM1 W142A P143A, which is export competent but deficient in viral capsid disassembly, in both interphase and mitotic cells.