Direct membrane protein-DNA interactions required early in nuclear envelope assembly.
Among the earliest events in postmitotic nuclear envelope (NE) assembly are the interactions between chromatin and the membranes that will fuse to form the NE. It has been proposed that interactions between integral NE proteins and chromatin proteins mediate initial membrane recruitment to chromatin. We show that several transmembrane NE proteins bind to DNA directly and that NE membrane proteins as a class are enriched in long, basic domains that potentially bind DNA. Membrane fractions that are essential for NE formation are shown to bind directly to protein-free DNA, and our data suggest that these interactions are critical for early steps in NE assembly.
Ulbert
Sebastian
S
European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
Platani
Melpomeni
M
Boue
Stephanie
S
Mattaj
Iain W
IW
D000818:Animals; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009685:Nuclear Envelope / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009865:Oocytes; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D022161:Transport Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism; D014982:Xenopus laevis
D002843:Chromatin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D004247:DNA