Structure of Importin-α from a Filamentous Fungus in Complex with a Classical Nuclear Localization Signal.

ABSTRACT: Neurospora crassa is a filamentous fungus that has been extensively studied as a model organism for eukaryotic biology, providing fundamental insights into cellular processes such as cell signaling, growth and differentiation. To advance in the study of this multicellular organism, an understanding of the specific mechanisms for protein transport into the cell nucleus is essential. Importin-α (Imp-α) is the receptor for cargo proteins that contain specific nuclear localization signals (NLSs) that play a key role in the classical nuclear import pathway. Structures of Imp-α from different organisms (yeast, rice, mouse, and human) have been determined, revealing that this receptor possesses a conserved structural scaffold. However, recent studies have demonstrated that the Impα mechanism of a

SUBMITTER: Bernardes NE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4474859 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature