Biozentrum, ME Müller Institute for Structural Biology, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 70, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland. stoffler@ubaclu.unibas.ch
Toward dissecting the molecular composition and architecture of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), over the past 18 months novel nucleoporins and NPC subcomplexes were identified and characterized. The three-dimensional structure of isolated yeast NPCs was determined by electron cryomicroscopy. New specimen preparation and labeling protocols localized a number of nucleoporins and NPC subcomplexes within the three-dimensional architecture of the yeast NPC. Structural changes of native NPCs mediated by physiological effectors such as calcium or ATP were monitored by time-lapse atomic force microscopy, thus revealing a first glimpse of the NPC's functional dynamics.