Importin Beta: Conducting a Much Larger Cellular Symphony

Importin β, once thought to be exclusively a nuclear transport receptor, is emerging as a global regulator of diverse cellular functions. Importin β acts positively in multiple interphase roles: in nuclear import, as a chaperone for highly charged nuclear proteins, and as a potential motor adaptor f...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular Cell 2004-11, Vol.16 (3), p.319-330
Main Authors: Harel, Amnon, Forbes, Douglass J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
beta Karyopherins - physiology
Cell Nucleus - metabolism
Guanosine Triphosphate - metabolism
Humans
Microtubules - metabolism
Protein Transport
ran GTP-Binding Protein - metabolism
Spindle Apparatus - metabolism
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Importin β, once thought to be exclusively a nuclear transport receptor, is emerging as a global regulator of diverse cellular functions. Importin β acts positively in multiple interphase roles: in nuclear import, as a chaperone for highly charged nuclear proteins, and as a potential motor adaptor for movement along microtubules. In contrast, importin β plays a negative regulatory role in mitotic spindle assembly, centrosome dynamics, nuclear membrane formation, and nuclear pore assembly. In most of these, importin β is counteracted by its regulator, Ran-GTP. In light of this, the recent discovery of Ran's involvement in spindle checkpoint control suggested a potential new arena for importin β action, although it is also possible that one of importin β's relatives, the karyopherin family of proteins, manages this checkpoint. Lastly, importin β plays a role in transducing damage signals from the axons of injured neurons back to the cell body.
ISSN:1097-2765
1097-4164
DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2004.10.026