title: Nuclear pore complex structure and dynamics revealed by cryoelectron tomography.
abstract: Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are gateways for nucleocytoplasmic exchange. To analyze their structure in a close-to-life state, we studied transport-active, intact nuclei from Dictyostelium discoideum by means of cryoelectron tomography. Subvolumes of the tomograms containing individual NPCs were extracted in silico and subjected to three-dimensional classification and averaging, whereby distinct structural states were observed. The central plug/transporter (CP/T) was variable in volume and could occupy different positions along the nucleocytoplasmic axis, which supports the notion that it essentially represents cargo in transit. Changes in the position of the CP/T were accompanied by structural rearrangements in the NPC scaffold.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Förster
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ecke
authors.forename: Jürgen M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Plitzko
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Melchior
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gerisch
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.forename: Ohad
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Medalia
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D022022:Nuclear Pore / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014054:Tomography / Q000379:methods*