Apoptosis leads to a degradation of vital components of active nuclear transport and a dissociation of the nuclear lamina.

ABSTRACT: Apoptosis, a physiologically critical process, is characterized by a destruction of the cell after sequential degradation of key cellular components. Here, we set out to explore the fate of the physiologically indispensable nuclear envelope (NE) in this process. The NE mediates the critical nucleocytoplasmic transport through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). In addition, the NE is involved in gene expression and contributes significantly to the overall structure and mechanical stability of the cell nucleus through the nuclear lamina, which underlies the entire nucleoplasmic face of the NE and thereby interconnects the NPCs, the NE, and the genomic material. Using the nano-imaging and mechanical probing approach atomic force microscopy (AFM) and biochemical methods, we unveiled the fate of th

SUBMITTER: Kramer A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2516273 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature