A new role for the nuclear basket network

Abstract

Our view of the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) as gateways between the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments has been largely expanded in recent years. NPCs have now demonstrated roles in genome regulation and maintenance from single cells to multicellular organisms. Both NPC proteins as well as components of the NPC basket act as dynamic scaffolds for silencing factors, and chromatin and cell cycle regulators. Components of the NPC basket also couple mRNA production and export, and prevent the exit of unprocessed mRNAs from the nucleus. Our recent work describes a novel function of the fission yeast nuclear basket component-the translocated promoter region (TPR) nucleoporin Alm1-in proper localization of the proteasome to the nuclear envelope. Here we discuss how regulation of proteasome localization to the nuclear envelope by Alm1 is key to maintain kinetochores homeostasis and proper chromosome segregation.