Stochaj Flashcards
What does formation of a biomolecular condensate involve?
Liquid-liquid phase separation
What are the different activities of biomolecular condensates?
- Activation / inactivation
- Buffering
- Force generation (droplet bending)
- Filtration (< NPC) → regulate trafficking
- Localization
- Sensing (formation of smaller/bigger condensates)
What is the role of the nucleoli ?
Biomolecular condensate inside the nucleus → involved in assembly and maturation of ribosomes (transcription of ribosomal RNA)
Phase separation required for efficiency
What possibilities for formation of biomolecular condensates?
They can be inducible or constitutive
Ex: inducible stress granules, constitutive → complex of protein+mRNA for transport out of the nucleus
What is the size of the nucleus?
What is the structure of the nuclear envelope?
Size of the nucleus ~ size of RBC ~ 5-10 um in diameter
- Nuclear lamina → structural support, connected to chromatin
- Inner nuclear membrane
- Perinuclear space → contiguous with the ER
- Outer nuclear membrane → similar composition as ER membrane/contiguous
*NPC found at the junction of inner and outer nuclear membrane → phase separation controls transport
Name 3 different condensates in the cell.
- Nuclear pore → transport
- Stress granule → storage, transcription regulation
- Transport granule → intracellular transport
- Centrosome → cell division
- Signalling cluster → cell-cell signaling
- Germ granule → Germ cell specification, storage of RNA and proteins
- Heterochromatin → gene regulation
- Nucleolus → Ribosomal synthesis
- Transcription foci → gene regulation
What are the components of the nuclear interior?
- Nucleolus → formed by phase separation
- Chromatin → phase separation regulates transcription
- Nuclear bodies → formed by phase separation
- Nuclear matrix
Where is lamina in the nucleus? What is it connected to?
Lamina is just under the inner nuclear envelop
Connected to proteins and chromatin → regulates communication to control cytoskeleton structure
How is transport from the nucleus and the cytosol different than transport from the cytosol to other compartments?
It goes both ways: cytosol ↔ nucleus
What is the structure/characteristics of the nuclear pore complex?
NPC ~ 125 MDA (huge) → 30 different proteins (at least 8 copies of each)
*8 identical subunits
Cytosol
- Cytosolic filaments (cytosolic fibrils)
- Central gated channel (ring subunit + annular subunit + column subunit + ring subunit)
- Nuclear basket (nuclear fibrils)
Nucleus
What are FXF and GLFG repeats?
Both found in FG repeat domains of Nucleoporins:
FXF repeats → ex: Nup358, Nup62, Nup153 → mediate phase separation, hydrophobic barrier by F
GLFG → Nup98
GLFG stands for Glycine-Leucine-Phenylalanine-Glycine → role in export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm
What are the 2 types of movement across the NPC?
Passive diffusion:
- smaller than the diffusion channel of NPC ~ 8 nm / < 40 kDa
- Proteins larger than 70 kDa are excluded form the nucleus if they have no import signal
- no energy required
- no transport apparatus
- movement depending on concentration gradient
Active transport:
- Particles > 70 kDa
- Particles up to ~ 45 nm can be translocated if they have proper signal
- Requires energy → RanGTP
- Specialized transport apparatus required (soluble transport factors and nucleoporins)
- 2-way movement = shuttling (ex: RNA binding proteins to help mRNA come out for translation)
How does liquid-liquid phase separation occur at the NPC?
FG-Nucleoporins form mesh like hydrogel blocker inside the channel → large molecules are blocked unless they have proper signal
What is required in an NLS?
- Permanent signal, not cleaved after transport
- Can be located anywhere within the polypeptide chaine
- mediate post-translational import/modifications (import after complete folding)
- Stretch of positively charged amino acids
Simple/monopartite:
KKKRK → can’t be reversed or changed
Bipartite:
avKRpaatkkagaKKK → not reversed, its another signal when bipartite
*1st discovered in SV40
What are the steps for import of a protein from the cytosol to the nucleus through the NPC?
- NLS receptors (importin alpha) binds to NLS on cargo protein
- importin beta binds to NPC (no energy, nor heat needed)
- Translocation of the whole complex across the NPC → importin beta interacts with FXF repeats (requires energy, does not occur at low temperatures)
- Dissociation of the complex → recycling of importins to the cytoplasm (requires energy)
How does the RanGTPase cycle occur?
In nucleus → RCC1 bound to chromatin = Ran GEF → RanGTP»_space; RanGDP
In cytoplasm → Cytosolic filament-RanBP1/2-RanGAP → RanGDP»_space; RanGTP
*RanGTP binds to the beta subunit of the importin complex → dissociation of the complex → recycling to the cytoplasm (bound to RanGTP)
What are the nuclear export signals (NES)?
NES are recognized by Crm1 (exportin protein involved in export of ribosomal subunits with GTP)
Ex: PKI (PKA inhibitor) and HIV protein Rev
Leucine-rich hydrophobic sequences
What proteins are involved in nuclear export ?
Nucleus → Exportin-cargo complex is only stable when bound to RanGTP (on exportin)
RanGTP-Exportin-Cargo → through NPC
Cytoplasm → Ran hydrolized to GDP → dissociation of the complex → exportin by itself is recycled to the nucleus (concentration gradient)
How does mRNA export occur?
Through the NPC, but NOT Ran-dependent, NO exportins
Are importins alpha always required to bind cargo?
No, they are adaptors, but some importins beta can direclty recognize cargos
*Different importin-betas fro different cargos → all RanGTP-dependent
*Transport signals are recognized by carriers, not by the NPC
How is nuclear transport sensitive to stress?
Some transport protein end up stuck in stress granules → reduction of transport
Importin-beta family → involved in stress granules, protein disaggregation, chaperone function
Importin-alpha → involved in stress granules
How does aging affect nuclear transport?
How about diseased neuron?
Aging cells become more leaky:
- Reduction in nucleocytoplasmic compartmentalization
- Deterioration of nuclear pore complex
- Reduced RanPB17
Compared to a diseased neuron:
- partial dislocation of NPC
- increase mRNA retention in the nucleus
- Some nuclear transporters make aggregates