Moore Foundation grantees at Caltech have produced the most detailed map yet of the massive protein machine that controls access to the DNA-containing heart of the cell.
In a new study, a team led by André Hoelz reports the successful mapping of the structure of the symmetric core of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), a cellular gatekeeper that determines what molecules can enter and exit the nucleus, where a cell's genetic information is stored.
Hoelz's research group now has solved the crystal structures of the last remaining components of the symmetric core's inner ring and determined where all of the rings' pieces fit in the NPC's overall structure.
The findings are the culmination of more than a decade of work by Hoelz's research group and could lead to new classes of medicine against viruses that subvert the NPC to hijack infected cells.
This study recently appeared in Science magazine and was featured on the cover. Read the full article here and watch a video here.
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