Structural Biology of Macromolecular Transport into and out of the Cell Nucleus

Abstract

Active transport of macromolecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm is mediated by transport receptors (carriers) that facilitate the passage of specific cargoes through the nuclear pore complexes. All of the nuclear transport pathways are based on a common principle: translocation across the nuclear pore appears to be reversible, and the directionality of transport depends on assembly of cargo-carrier complexes on one side of the nuclear envelope and disassembly of the transport complexes on the other side. This review highlights recent progress in understanding the structural basis of nuclear transport, especially in terms of CRM1-mediated nuclear export.