Getting across the nuclear pore complex

Abstract

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) connects the cytoplasm and nucleus through the nuclear envelope and serves as the pipeline for moving material between the two compartments. Macromolecules that move through the NPC range in size from the very small (for example, ions and ATP) to the very large (for example, ribonucleoprotein particle complexes). Unlike translocation across other organelle membranes, proteins do not have to be unfolded to be transported through the NPC, and the NPC also routinely transports large, multicomponent substrates in both directions. This review focuses on current understanding of the different mechanisms by which macromolecules move across the NPC.