The three fungal transmembrane nuclear pore complex proteins of Aspergillus nidulans are dispensable in the presence of an intact An-Nup84-120 complex

Mol Biol Cell. 2009 Jan;20(2):616-30. doi: 10.1091/mbc.e08-06-0628. Epub 2008 Nov 19.

Abstract

In Aspergillus nidulans nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) undergo partial mitotic disassembly such that 12 NPC proteins (Nups) form a core structure anchored across the nuclear envelope (NE). To investigate how the NPC core is maintained, we affinity purified the major core An-Nup84-120 complex and identified two new fungal Nups, An-Nup37 and An-ELYS, previously thought to be vertebrate specific. During mitosis the An-Nup84-120 complex locates to the NE and spindle pole bodies but, unlike vertebrate cells, does not concentrate at kinetochores. We find that mutants lacking individual An-Nup84-120 components are sensitive to the membrane destabilizer benzyl alcohol (BA) and high temperature. Although such mutants display no defects in mitotic spindle formation, they undergo mitotic specific disassembly of the NPC core and transient aggregation of the mitotic NE, suggesting the An-Nup84-120 complex might function with membrane. Supporting this, we show cells devoid of all known fungal transmembrane Nups (An-Ndc1, An-Pom152, and An-Pom34) are viable but that An-ndc1 deletion combined with deletion of individual An-Nup84-120 components is either lethal or causes sensitivity to treatments expected to destabilize membrane. Therefore, the An-Nup84-120 complex performs roles, perhaps at the NPC membrane as proposed previously, that become essential without the An-Ndc1 transmembrane Nup.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Aspergillus nidulans / cytology*
  • Aspergillus nidulans / genetics
  • Aspergillus nidulans / metabolism*
  • Benzyl Alcohol / pharmacology
  • Cell Membrane / drug effects
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism*
  • Mitosis / physiology
  • Nuclear Pore / chemistry*
  • Nuclear Pore / metabolism
  • Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins / genetics
  • Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins / metabolism*
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Spindle Apparatus / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Benzyl Alcohol