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Title: The liquid state of FG-nucleoporins mimics permeability barrier properties of nuclear pore complexes

Journal Article · · Journal of Cell Biology

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) regulate all cargo traffic across the nuclear envelope. The transport conduit of NPCs is highly enriched in disordered phenylalanine/glycine-rich nucleoporins (FG-Nups), which form a permeability barrier of still elusive and highly debated molecular structure. Here we present a microfluidic device that triggered liquid-to-liquid phase separation of FG-Nups, which yielded droplets that showed typical properties of a liquid state. On the microfluidic chip, droplets were perfused with different transport-competent or -incompetent cargo complexes, and then the permeability barrier properties of the droplets were optically interrogated. We show that the liquid state mimics permeability barrier properties of the physiological nuclear transport pathway in intact NPCs in cells: that is, inert cargoes ranging from small proteins to large capsids were excluded from liquid FG-Nup droplets, but functional import complexes underwent facilitated import into droplets. Collectively, these data provide an experimental model of how NPCs can facilitate fast passage of cargoes across an order of magnitude in cargo size.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
NONE; NA0003525
OSTI ID:
1574083
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1595029
Journal Information:
Journal of Cell Biology, Journal Name: Journal of Cell Biology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 219; ISSN 0021-9525
Publisher:
Rockefeller University PressCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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