Going green: plants' alternative way to position the Ran gradient

Meier, I., Xu, X. M., Brkljacic, J., Zhao, Q., Wang, H. J. (August 2008) Going green: plants' alternative way to position the Ran gradient. Journal of Microscopy-Oxford, 231 (2). pp. 225-233. ISSN 0022-2720

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18778420
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2818.2008.02038.x

Abstract

Ran is a multi-functional small GTPase of the Ras super-family involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport, mitotic spindle assembly, cell cycle control and nuclear envelope (NE) formation. Its roles are accomplished by the asymmetric distribution of its GTP- and GDP-bound forms, enabled by the specific localization of Ran accessory proteins, the Ran GTPase-activating protein RanGAP and the nucleotide exchange factor RCC1. Mammalian RanGAP1 is targeted to the NE during interphase and to the spindle and kinetochores during mitosis via a SUMOylated C-terminal domain and interaction with the nucleoporin Nup358/RanBP2. Arabidopsis RanGAP1 (AtRanGAP1) lacks the SUMOylated C-terminal domain of vertebrate RanGAP, but contains a plant-specific N-terminal domain (WPP domain), which is necessary and sufficient for its targeting to the NE in interphase. AtRanGAP1 has a mitotic trafficking pattern uniquely different from that of vertebrate RanGAP, which includes targeting to the outward-growing rim of the cell plate. The WPP domain is necessary and sufficient for this targeting. Now, a novel family of plant-specific, nuclear pore-associated proteins has been identified in Arabidopsis, which is essential for anchoring RanGAP to the Arabidopsis nuclear envelope at the root meristem. This suggests that RanGAP anchoring to the nuclear pore has been solved in two fundamentally different ways in animals and plants. These findings support a separate evolution of RanGAP targeting mechanisms in different kingdoms, possibly related to different functional geometries of the Ran gradient in animal and higher plant cell division.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: Arabidopsis coiled coil nuclear pore RanGAP tail-anchored protein NUCLEAR-PORE-COMPLEX ACTIVATING PROTEIN RANGAP1 TAIL-ANCHORED PROTEIN XENOPUS EGG EXTRACTS RNA1 GENE-PRODUCT SMALL GTPASE RAN BIOCHEMICAL-CHARACTERIZATION SUMO-1 MODIFICATION EXPORT SIGNALS IMPORTIN-BETA
Subjects: organism description > plant > Arabidopsis
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > protein structure, function, modification
organism description > plant
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Jackson lab
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: August 2008
Date Deposited: 26 Feb 2013 20:03
Last Modified: 26 Feb 2013 20:03
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/27538

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