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Nuclear envelope, nuclear lamina, and inherited disease.

The nuclear envelope is composed of the nuclear membranes, nuclear lamina, and nuclear pore complexes. In recent years, mutations in nuclear-envelope proteins have been shown to cause a surprisingly wide array of inherited diseases. While the mutant proteins are generally expressed in most or all differentiated somatic cells, many mutations cause fairly tissue-specific disorders. Perhaps the most dramatic case is that of mutations in A-type lamins, intermediate filament proteins associated with the inner nuclear membrane. Different mutations in the same lamin proteins have been shown to cause striated muscle diseases, partial lipodystrophy syndromes, a peripheral neuropathy, and disorders with features of severe premature aging. In this review, we summarize fundamental aspects of nuclear envelope structure and function, the inherited diseases caused by mutations in lamins and other nuclear envelope proteins, and possible pathogenic mechanisms.

Animals↗

Nuclear envelope: nuclear pore complexity.

A new study shows that the filamentous fungus, Aspergillus nidulans, which has a closed mitosis, does not maintain a continuous permeability barrier during mitosis. This work challenges current views of the differences between closed and open mitosis and has implications for understanding mitotic specific changes in the nuclear pore complex and Ran GTPase system in lower eukaryotes.

Aspergillus nidulans↗

Characterization of a thyroid-hormone-binding site on nuclear envelopes and nuclear matrices of the male-rat liver.

Nuclear envelopes and nuclear matrices were isolated from the male-rat liver. Incubation of 125I-labelled 3,3',5-tri-iodothyronine (T3) with the nuclear-envelope fraction resulted in specific binding of T3 to the membranes. Maximum specific binding occurred at 30 degrees C after 2h incubation. Storage for 1 week at -80 degrees C resulted in no loss of binding. Scatchard analysis revealed a class of binding sites with KD 86 nM. 3,3',5'-Tri-iodothyronine was as effective a competitor of [125I]T3 binding to nuclear envelopes as was L-T3 itself, and tri-iodothyroacetic acid was 70% as potent as T3. L- and D-thyronine did not compete for [125I]T3 binding. Incubation of nuclear envelopes with 0.6 M-NaCl before addition of T3 resulted in the complete loss of specific binding sites, whereas exposure of the membranes to 2.0 M-NaCl after incubation with T3 did not extract binding sites. Nuclear matrices, after incubation with [125I]T3 under the same conditions, were shown to possess a class of binding sites with a similar KD but with approx. 30% of the maximum binding capacity. Nuclear envelopes from hypothyroid animals may possess slightly lower numbers of binding sites compared with nuclear envelopes from the intact animal, whereas nuclear matrices from hypothyroid animals have the same number of binding sites as do nuclear envelopes from the intact animal. In conclusion, nuclear envelopes and nuclear matrices have a class of binding sites with relatively high affinity for T3. It is distinct from nuclear and cytosolic binding sites.

Animals↗

Nuclear pores form de novo from both sides of the nuclear envelope.

Nuclear pore complexes are multiprotein channels that span the double lipid bilayer of the nuclear envelope. How new pores are inserted into the intact nuclear envelope of proliferating and differentiating eukaryotic cells is unknown. We found that the Nup107-160 complex was incorporated into assembly sites in the nuclear envelope from both the nucleoplasmic and the cytoplasmic sides. Nuclear pore insertion required the generation of Ran guanosine triphosphate in the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. Newly formed nuclear pore complexes did not contain structural components of preexisting pores, suggesting that they can form de novo.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗

The function of the nuclear envelope in nuclear protein accumulation.

The mechanism by which proteins accumulate in the cell nucleus is not yet known. Two alternative mechanisms are discussed here: (a) selective unidirectional entry of karyophilic proteins through the nuclear pores, and (b) free diffusion of all proteins through the nuclear pores and specific binding of nuclear proteins to nondiffusible components of the nucleoplasm. We present experiments designed to distinguish between these alternatives. After mechanical injury of the Xenopus oocyte nuclear envelope, nuclear proteins were detected in the cytoplasm by immunohistochemical methods. In a second approach, nuclei from X. borealis oocytes were isolated under oil, the nuclear envelopes were removed, and the pure nucleoplasm was injected into the vegetal pole of X. laevis oocytes. With immunohistochemical methods, it was found that each of five nuclear proteins rapidly diffuses out of the injected nucleoplasm into the surrounding cytoplasm. The subsequent transport and accumulation in the intact host nucleus could be shown for the nuclear protein N1 with the aid of a species-specific mAb that reacts only with X. borealis N1. Purified and iodinated nucleoplasmin was injected into the cytoplasm of Xenopus oocytes and its uptake into the nucleus was studied by biochemical methods.

Animals↗

Multiple thyroid hormone binding sites on rat liver nuclear envelopes.

Nuclear envelopes relatively free of plasma membrane contamination were isolated from the male rat liver. Equilibrium binding of T3 to nuclear envelopes occurred after incubation for 3 h at 20 degrees C. Scatchard analysis revealed two classes of binding sites; a high affinity site having a KD of 1.8 nM with a maximum binding capacity of 14.5 pmol/mg protein and a low affinity site having a KD of 152.1 nM with a maximum binding capacity of 346.8 pmol/mg protein. No degradation of the radioligand occurred during incubation with the nuclear envelope. T4, rT3 and Triac competed effectively for the binding of T3 to the high affinity site whereas only T4 competed well for binding to the lower affinity site. The binding site was protease sensitive but not salt extractable. Multiple T3 binding sites having similar affinities have been reported on plasma membranes. An intriguing possibility is that membrane binding sites may be involved in translocation of thyroid hormone across membrane barriers.

5'-Nucleotidase↗

Androgen-dependent peptides of the rat ventral prostate nuclear envelope.

Nuclear envelope peptides of the rat ventral prostate in the molecular weight region 18,400 to 19,400 show marked androgen dependence. After castration these peptides disappear. Re-administration of testosterone restores them. They were not extracted by 0.1 M NaCl or 5% HClO4 but were partially extracted by 0.35 M NaCl and 1% Triton. These peptides were not present in rat liver nuclear envelopes. As these androgen-dependent non-histone peptides have similar characteristics to androgen-dependent peptides identified in the prostate nucleus, we conclude that the nuclear peptides are at least partially localized to the nuclear envelope.

Animals↗

Purification and characterization of the major nucleoside triphosphatase from rat liver nuclear envelopes.

Nuclear envelopes contain a nucleoside triphosphatase. Hydrolysis of ATP or GTP by this enzyme parallels energy-dependent efflux of poly(A)-containing mRNA from nuclei in vitro. Nucleoside triphosphatase has been purified from highly purified preparations of nuclear envelopes from rat liver by three successive affinity steps. The essentially homogeneous enzyme has an apparent molecular weight of 40,000 as checked by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and displays a rather broad substrate specificity. ATP and GTP are hydrolyzed at nearly equal rates, whereas UTP and CTP are only half as active as substrates. For optimal activity, a one-to-one ratio of a divalent cation (Mg2+, Mn2+, or Ca2+) and the nucleoside triphosphate substrate, an alkaline pH and a temperature of 34 degrees C are required. In contrast to the enzyme associated with nuclear envelopes which is stimulated by synthetic poly(A) and the poly(A) segment of the natural poly(A)-containing mRNA, homogeneous nucleoside triphosphatase is unable to be modulated by this polynucleotide species.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Isolation and fractionation of rat liver nuclear envelopes and nuclear pore complexes.

The nuclear envelope is a double lipid bilayer that physically separates the functions of the nucleus and the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. Regulated transport of molecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm is essential for normal cell metabolism and is mediated by large protein complexes, termed nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which span the inner and outer membranes of the nuclear envelope. Significant progress has been made in the past 10 years in identifying the protein composition of NPCs and the basic molecular mechanisms by which these complexes facilitate the selective exchange of molecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. However, many fundamentally important questions about the functions of NPCs, the specific functions of individual NPC-associated proteins, and the assembly and disassembly of NPCs, remain unanswered. This review describes approaches for isolating and characterizing nuclear envelopes and NPC-associated proteins from mammalian cells. It is anticipated that these procedures can be used as a starting point for further molecular and biochemical analysis of the mammalian nuclear envelope, NPCs, and NPC-associated proteins.

Animals↗

GTP-binding proteins in rat liver nuclear envelopes.

Nuclear transport as well as reassembly of the nuclear envelope (NE) after completion of mitosis are processes that have been shown to require GTP and ATP. To study the presence and localization of GTP-binding proteins in the NE, we have combined complementary techniques of [alpha-32P]GTP binding to Western-blotted proteins and UV crosslinking of [alpha-32P]GTP with well-established procedures for NE subfractionation. GTP binding to blotted NE proteins revealed five low molecular mass GTP-binding proteins of 26, 25, 24.5, 24, and 23 kDa, and [alpha-32P]GTP photoaffinity labeling revealed major proteins with apparent molecular masses of 140, 53, 47, 33, and 31 kDa. All GTP-binding proteins appear to localize preferentially to the inner nuclear membrane, possibly to the interface between inner nuclear membrane and lamina. Despite the evolutionary conservation between the NE and the rough endoplasmic reticulum, the GTP-binding proteins identified differed between these two compartments. Most notably, the 68- and 30-kDa GTP-binding subunits of the signal recognition particle receptor, which photolabeled with [alpha-32P]GTP in the rough endoplasmic reticulum fraction, were totally excluded from the NE fraction. Conversely, a major 53-kDa photolabeled protein in the NE was absent from rough endoplasmic reticulum. Whereas Western-blotted NE proteins bound GTP specifically, all [alpha-32P]GTP photolabeled proteins could be blocked by competition with ATP, although with a competition profile that differed from that obtained with GTP. In comparative crosslinking studies with [alpha-32P]ATP, we have identified three specific ATP-binding proteins with molecular masses of 160, 78, and 74 kDa. The localization of GTP- and ATP-binding proteins within the NE appears appropriate for their involvement in nuclear transport and in the GTP-dependent fusion of nuclear membrane vesicles required for reassembly of the nucleus after mitosis.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Potentiation of a sodium-calcium exchanger in the nuclear envelope by nuclear GM1 ganglioside.

Calcium is recognized as an important intracellular messenger with a pivotal role in the regulation of many cytosolic and nuclear processes. Gangliosides of various types, especially GM1, are known to have a role in some aspects of Ca2+ regulation, operating through a variety of mechanisms that are gradually coming to light. The present study provides evidence for a sodium-calcium exchanger in the nuclear envelope of NG108-15 neuroblastoma cells that is potently and specifically activated by GM1. Immunoblot analysis revealed an unusually tight association of GM1 with the exchanger in the nuclear envelope but not with that in the plasma membrane. Exchanger and associated GM1 were located in the inner membrane of the nuclear envelope, suggesting this system could function to transfer Ca2+ between nucleoplasm and the envelope lumen. The GM1-enhanced exchange was blocked by cholera toxin B subunit while C2-ceramide, a recently discovered inhibitor of the exchanger, blocked all transfer. Exchanger activity was significantly elevated in nuclei isolated from cells that were induced to differentiate by KCl + dibutyryl-cAMP, a treatment previously shown to promote up-regulation of nuclear GM1 in conjunction with axonogenesis. Similar enhancement was achieved by addition of exogenous GM1 to nuclei from undifferentiated cells. These results suggest a prominent role for nuclear GM1 in regulation of nuclear Ca2+ homeostasis.

Animals↗

Nuclear envelope and nuclear pore assembly: analysis of assembly intermediates by electron microscopy.

At mitosis, the nucleus of higher eukaryotic cells disassemblies into components which subsequently reform functional nuclear envelopes in the two daughter cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying this remarkable morphological reorganization are the focus of active investigation. Recent electron microscopy techniques have provided intriguing glimpses of intermediate structures in both nuclear envelope and nuclear pore complex reassembly.

Animals↗

Comparative genomics, evolution and origins of the nuclear envelope and nuclear pore complex.

The presence of a distinct nucleus, the compartment for confining the genome, transcription and RNA maturation, is a central (and eponymous) feature that distinguishes eukaryotes from prokaryotes. Structural integrity of the nucleus is maintained by the nuclear envelope (NE). A crucial element of this structure is the nuclear pore complex (NPC), a macromolecular machine with over 90 protein components, which mediates nucleo-cytoplasmic communication. We investigated the provenance of the conserved domains found in these perinuclear proteins and reconstructed a parsimonious scenario for NE and NPC evolution by means of comparative-genomic analysis of their components from the available sequences of 28 sequenced eukaryotic genomes. We show that the NE and NPC proteins were tinkered together from diverse domains, which evolved from prokaryotic precursors at different points in eukaryotic evolution, divergence from pre-existing eukaryotic paralogs performing other functions, and de novo. It is shown that several central components of the NPC, in particular, the RanGDP import factor NTF2, the HEH domain of Src1p-Man1, and, probably, also the key domains of karyopherins and nucleoporins, the HEAT/ARM and WD40 repeats, have a bacterial, most likely, endosymbiotic origin. The specialized immunoglobulin (Ig) domain in the globular tail of the animal lamins, and the Ig domains in the nuclear membrane protein GP210 are shown to be related to distinct prokaryotic families of Ig domains. This suggests that independent, late horizontal gene transfer events from bacterial sources might have contributed to the evolution of perinuclear proteins in some of the major eukaryotic lineages. Snurportin 1, one of the highly conserved karyopherins, contains a cap-binding domain which is shown to be an inactive paralog of the guanylyl transferase domain of the mRNA-capping enzyme, exemplifying recruitment of paralogs of pre-exsiting proteins for perinuclear functions. It is shown that several NPC proteins containing super-structure- forming alpha-helical and beta-propeller modules are most closely related to corresponding proteins in the cytoplasmic vesicle biogenesis and coating complexes. From these observations, we infer an autogenous scenario of nuclear evolution in which the nucleus emerged in the primitive eukaryotic ancestor (the "prekaryote") as part of cell compartmentalization triggered by archaeo-bacterial symbiosis. A pivotal event in this process was the radiation of Ras-superfamily GTPases yielding Ran, the key regulator of nuclear transport. A primitive NPC with approximately 20 proteins and a Src1p-Man1-like membrane protein with a DNA-tethering HEH domain are inferred to have been integral perinuclear components in the las common ancestor of modern eukaryotes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of cytosolic factors required for nuclear location sequence-mediated binding to the nuclear envelope.

Nuclear protein import can be separated into two distinct steps: binding to the nuclear pore complex followed by translocation to the nuclear interior. A previously identified nuclear location sequence (NLS) receptor and a 97-kD protein purified from bovine erythrocytes reconstitute the binding step in a permeabilized cell assay. Binding to the envelope is specific for a functional SV-40 large T antigen NLS and is not ATP or temperature dependent. Modification of p97 with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) decreases binding to the pore, but interestingly, NEM treatment of the NLS receptor does not. Nuclear envelope binding is inhibited by wheat germ agglutinin suggesting a possible mechanism for the inhibition of transport by the lectin.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Nup155 regulates nuclear envelope and nuclear pore complex formation in nematodes and vertebrates.

Nuclear envelope (NE) formation during cell division in multicellular organisms is a central yet poorly understood biological process. We report that the conserved nucleoporin Nup155 has an essential function in NE formation in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos and in Xenopus laevis egg extracts. In vivo depletion of Nup155 led to failure of nuclear lamina formation and defects in chromosome segregation at anaphase. Nup155 depletion inhibited accumulation of nucleoporins at the nuclear periphery, including those recruited to chromatin early in NE formation. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that Nup155 is also required for the formation of a continuous nuclear membrane in vivo and in vitro. Time-course experiments indicated that Nup155 is recruited to chromatin at the time of NE sealing, suggesting that nuclear pore complex assembly has to progress to a relatively late stage before NE membrane assembly occurs.

Animals↗

PKCeta is localized in the Golgi, ER and nuclear envelope and translocates to the nuclear envelope upon PMA activation and serum-starvation: C1b domain and the pseudosubstrate containing fragment target PKCeta to the Golgi and the nuclear envelope.

Protein kinase C (PKC) represents a family of serin/threonine kinases, playing a central role in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation and transformation. These enzymes differ in their primary structure, biochemical properties, tissue distribution and subcellular localization. The specific cellular functions of PKC isoforms are largely controlled by their localization. PKCeta, a member of the novel subfamily, is expressed predominantly in epithelial tissues. However, not much is known with respect to its mechanism of activation and regulation. Our recent studies suggest its role in cell cycle control. Here we show that PKCeta is localized at the Golgi apparatus, ER and the nuclear envelope. Furthermore, using GFP-fusion proteins of the different functional domains of PKCeta we deciphered the specific structural domains of the protein responsible for its apparent localization. We show that the cysteine-rich repeat C1b is responsible for its Golgi localization, while for its presence at the ER/nuclear envelope the pseudosubstrate containing fragment coupled to the C1 domain is required. In response to short-term activation by PMA we show translocation of PKCeta to the plasma membrane and the nuclear envelope. We demonstrate that the C1b is sufficient for its translocation to the plasma membrane. Interestingly, accumulation of PKCeta at the nuclear envelope also occurred in response to serum-starvation. It should be noted that interaction of PKCeta with the cyclin E/Cdk2 complex at the perinuclear region was recently reported by us in response to serum-starvation. Thus, our studies demonstrate translocation of PKCeta to the nuclear envelope, and suggest that the spatial regulation of PKCeta could be important for its cellular functions including effects on cell cycle control and involvement in tumor promotion.

Animals↗

Nuclear envelope and nuclear matrix: interactions and dynamics.

The peripheral nuclear lamina is located near the nuclear inner membrane and consists of lamin filaments and integral membrane proteins, including the lamin B receptor and various isoforms of lamina-associated polypeptides (LAP) 1 and 2. Several nuclear membrane proteins also interact with chromatin proteins BAF and Hp1. Lamins in the nuclear interior associate with at least one soluble (non-membrane-bound) LAP2 isoform named LAP2alpha. The internal lamins, together with Tpr-based filaments that connect to nuclear pore complexes, are proposed to be major structural elements of the internal nuclear matrix. We describe the structural links between the peripheral lamina and the internal nuclear matrix that are thought to be mediated by LAP2 family members, filament protein Tpr and nucleoporin Nup153. These findings are discussed in relation to human diseases that arise from mutations in nuclear lamina proteins.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗