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Recapitulation of selective nuclear import and export with a perfectly repeated 12mer GLFG peptide

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  • Sheung Chun Ng

    (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry)

  • Thomas Güttler

    (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry)

  • Dirk Görlich

    (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry)

Abstract

The permeability barrier of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) controls nucleocytoplasmic transport. It retains inert macromolecules while allowing facilitated passage of importins and exportins, which in turn shuttle cargo into or out of cell nuclei. The barrier can be described as a condensed phase assembled from cohesive FG repeat domains. NPCs contain several distinct FG domains, each comprising variable repeats. Nevertheless, we now found that sequence heterogeneity is no fundamental requirement for barrier function. Instead, we succeeded in engineering a perfectly repeated 12mer GLFG peptide that self-assembles into a barrier of exquisite transport selectivity and fast transport kinetics. This barrier recapitulates RanGTPase-controlled importin- and exportin-mediated cargo transport and thus represents an ultimately simplified experimental model system. An alternative proline-free sequence forms an amyloid FG phase. Finally, we discovered that FG phases stain bright with ‘DNA-specific’ DAPI/ Hoechst probes, and that such dyes allow for a photo-induced block of nuclear transport.

Suggested Citation

  • Sheung Chun Ng & Thomas Güttler & Dirk Görlich, 2021. "Recapitulation of selective nuclear import and export with a perfectly repeated 12mer GLFG peptide," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-24292-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24292-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Eszter E. Najbauer & Sheung Chun Ng & Christian Griesinger & Dirk Görlich & Loren B. Andreas, 2022. "Atomic resolution dynamics of cohesive interactions in phase-separated Nup98 FG domains," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Sheung Chun Ng & Dirk Görlich, 2022. "A simple thermodynamic description of phase separation of Nup98 FG domains," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Sheung Chun Ng & Abin Biswas & Trevor Huyton & Jürgen Schünemann & Simone Reber & Dirk Görlich, 2023. "Barrier properties of Nup98 FG phases ruled by FG motif identity and inter-FG spacer length," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.

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