Biophysical coarse-grained modeling provides insights into transport through the nuclear pore complex.

ABSTRACT: The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the gatekeeper of the nucleus, capable of actively discriminating between the active and inert cargo while accommodating a high rate of translocations. The biophysical mechanisms underlying transport, however, remain unclear due to the lack of information about biophysical factors playing role in transport. Based on published experimental data, we have established a coarse-grained model of an intact NPC structure to examine nucleocytoplasmic transport with refined spatial and temporal resolutions. Using our model, we estimate the transport time versus cargo sizes. Our findings suggest that the mean transport time of cargos smaller than 15 nm is independent of size, while beyond this size, there is a sharp increase in the mean transport time. The model conf

SUBMITTER: Moussavi-Baygi R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3059569 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature