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Schwartz, Thomas U.

Publications and source records attributed to Schwartz, Thomas U..

5 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

A nanobody suite for yeast scaffold nucleoporins provides details of the nuclear pore complex structure

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are the main conduits for molecular exchange across the nuclear envelope. The NPC is a modular assembly of ~500 individual proteins, called nucleoporins or nups. Most scaffolding nups are organized in two multimeric subcomplexes, the Nup84 or Y complex and the Nic96 or inner ring complex. Working in S. cerevisiae, and to study the assembly of these two essential subcomplexes, we here develop a set of twelve nanobodies that recognize seven constituent nucleoporins of the Y and Nic96 complexes. These nanobodies all bind specifically and with high affinity. We present structures of several nup-nanobody complexes, revealing their binding sites. Additionally, constitutive expression of the nanobody suite in S. cerevisiae detect accessible and obstructed surfaces of the Y complex and Nic96 within the NPC. Overall, this suite of nanobodies provides a unique and versatile toolkit for the study of the NPC.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Yeast Nup84-Nup133 complex structure details flexibility and reveals conservation of the membrane anchoring ALPS motif

The hallmark of the eukaryotic cell is the complex endomembrane system that compartmentalizes cellular functions. Transport into and out of the nucleus occurs through the nuclear pore complex (NPC). The heptameric Nup84 or Y complex is an essential scaffolding component of the NPC. Here we report two nanobody-bound structures: the full-length Nup84-Nup133 C-terminal domain complex and the Nup133 N-terminal domain, both from S. cerevisiae. Together with previously published structures, this work enables the structural description of the entire 575 kDa Y complex from one species. The structure of Nup84-Nup133CTD details the high flexibility of this dimeric unit of the Y complex. Further, the Nup133NTD contains a structurally conserved amphipathic lipid packing sensor motif, confirmed by liposome interaction studies. The presented structures reveal important details about the function of the Y complex that affect our understanding of NPC structure and assembly.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗