Cm. Zhang et Pr. Clarke, Chromatin-independent nuclear envelope assembly induced by Ran GTPase in Xenopus egg extracts, SCIENCE, 288(5470), 2000, pp. 1429-1432
The nuclear envelope (NE) forms a controlled boundary between the cytoplasm
and the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. To facilitate investigation of mechan
isms controlling NE assembly, we developed a cell-free system made from Xen
opus laevis eggs to study the process in the absence of chromatin. NEs inco
rporating nuclear pores were assembled around beads coated with the guanosi
ne triphosphatase Ran, forming pseudo-nuclei that actively imported nuclear
proteins. NE assembly required the cycling of guanine nucleotides on Ran a
nd was promoted by RCC1, a nucleotide exchange factor recruited to beads by
Ran-guanosine diphosphate (Ran-GDP). Thus, concentration of Ran-GDP follow
ed by generation of Ran-GTP is sufficient to induce NE assembly.