XPO1en bidezko garraio nukleozitoplasmikoa: oinarrizko mekanismoak eta hurbilketa esperimentalak

Abstract

The nuclear envelope, a double membrane that encloses the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, establishes a physical separation between the two main cellular compartments: the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Continuous communication between these compartments is crucial for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. This communication relies on the bidirectional transport of macromolecules across the nuclear envelope. We focus here on a protein, called XPO1, which plays a key role in nucleocytoplasmic transport. XPO1 is the main receptor that mediates the export of hundreds of proteins and several RNA molecules from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. In this article we first review the molecular mechanisms that underlie nucleocytoplasmic transport. Next, we focus on XPO1 to describe some of the experimental approaches that are frequently applied to investigate its function. Finally, we illustrate the use of these approaches using the recently described case of the USP12/WDR20 complex [1] as an example.