An understanding of how the nuclear pore complex (NPC) mediates nucleocytoplasmic exchange requires a comprehensive inventory of the molecular components of the NPC and a knowledge of how each component contributes to the overall structure of this large molecular translocation machine. Therefore, we have taken a comprehensive approach to classify all components of the yeast NPC (nucleoporins). ...

Coarse-grained simulations in the united-atom-model approximation are used to investigate confinement-induced morphological changes in Nafion-like ionomers. The system we study models a cylindrical pore in a hydrophobic matrix of supporting material with pore diameters that vary from 0.7 to 3.96 nm. Simulation results indicate a strong dependence of the equilibrium ionomer structures both on th...

Compacted clays are considered as excellent candidates for barriers to radionuclide transport in future repositories for nuclear waste due to their very low hydraulic permeability. Diffusion is the dominant transport mechanism, controlled by a nano-scale pore system. Assessment of the clays' long-term containment function requires adequate modelling of such pore systems and their evolution. Exi...

To go beyond the current structural consensus model of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), we performed cryo-electron tomography of fully native NPCs from Xenopus oocyte nuclear envelopes (NEs). The cytoplasmic face of the NPC revealed distinct anchoring sites for the cytoplasmic filaments, whereas the nuclear face was topped with a massive distal ring positioned above the central pore with indicat...

Much of life's essential molecular machinery consists of large protein assemblies that currently pose challenges for structure determination. A prominent example is the nuclear pore complex (NPC), for which the organization of its individual components remains unknown. By combining stochastic super-resolution microscopy, to directly resolve the ringlike structure of the NPC, with single particl...

Formation of the nuclear pore is an intricate process involving membrane fusion and the ordered assembly of up to 1,000 pore proteins. As such, the study of pore assembly is not a simple one. Interestingly, annulate lamellae, a cytoplasmic organelle consisting of stacks of flattened membrane cisternae perforated by numerous pore complexes, have been found to form spontaneously in a reconstituti...

High surface charges of polymer pore walls and applied electric fields can lead to the formation and subsequent dissolution of precipitates in nanopores. These precipitates block the pore, leading to current fluctuations. We present an extended Poisson-Nernst-Planck system which includes chemical reactions of precipitation and dissolution. We discuss the mathematical modeling and present 2D num...

The objective of the present work is to demonstrate the effect of pore structure on fluid transport and electrical properties of homogeneous or dual-porosity pore structures for drainage conditions. To this end, a pore network numerical simulator is used that calculates multiphase flow and electrical properties taking into account the pore structure specificities. The characteristics of the 3-D...

The time sequence of nuclear pore frequency changes was determined for phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human lymphocytes and for HeLa S-3 cells during the cell cycle. The number of nuclear pores/nucleus was calculated from the experimentally determined values of nuclear pores/micro(2) and the nuclear surface. In the lymphocyte system the number of pores/nucleus approximately doubles during ...