E-raamat: Nuclear Trafficking

This text summarizes the current state of knowledge in the rapidly expanding field of nuclear trafficking. While long-time researchers in the field should find this book both enlightening and practical, newcomers may be able to rely on the first two chapters for a fundamental knowledge to guide them through the rest of the book. These introductory chapters overview diffusion and signal-mediated transport through the pores, topics vital to understanding the latest advances in cellular activity. The subsequent sections contain detailed accounts of pore structure and composition, nuclear localization signals, signal binding proteins, RNA efflux, and biochemical factors influencing nucleocytoplasmic exchange. In the early 1980s the nuclear uptake of karyophilic proteins was found to be a highly selective, signal-mediated process. Since then, the utilization of molecular and immunological techniques has made it possible not only to characterize the targeting sequences, but also to identify poor complex proteins involved in the transport process. Advances in cryoelectron microscopy and procedures for analyzing transport in isolated nuclei have further facilitated research in this area.