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Doye, V.

Publications and source records attributed to Doye, V..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Nuclear pores safeguard the integrity of the nuclear envelope

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) constitute giant channels within the nuclear envelope that mediate nucleocytoplasmic exchange. NPC diameter is thought to be regulated by nuclear envelope tension, but how such diameter changes are physiologically linked to cell differentiation, where mechanical properties of nuclei are remodeled and nuclear mechanosensing occurs, remains unstudied. Here we used cryo-electron tomography to show that NPCs dilate during differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into neural progenitors. In Nup133-deficient cells, which are known to display impaired neural differentiation, NPCs however fail to dilate. By analyzing the architectures of individual NPCs with template matching, we revealed that the Nup133-deficient NPCs are structurally heterogeneous and frequently disintegrate, resulting in the formation of large nuclear envelope openings. We propose that the elasticity of the NPC scaffold mechanically safeguards the nuclear envelope. Our studies provide a molecular explanation for how genetic perturbation of scaffolding components of macromolecular complexes causes tissue-specific phenotypes.

cell biology↗

Y-complex nucleoporins independently contribute to nuclear pore assembly and gene regulation in neuronal progenitors

From their essential function in building up the nuclear pore complexes, nucleoporins have expanded roles beyond nuclear transport. Hence, their contribution to chromatin organization and gene expression has set them as critical players in development and pathologies. We previously reported that Nup133 and Seh1, two components of the Y-complex subunit of the nuclear pore scaffold, are dispensable for mouse embryonic stem cell viability but required for their survival during neuroectodermal differentiation. Here, a transcriptomic analysis revealed that Nup133 regulates a subset of genes at early stages of neuroectodermal differentiation, including Lhx1 and Nup210L, encoding a newly validated nucleoporin. These genes were also misregulated in Nup133{triangleup}Mid neuronal progenitors, in which NPC basket assembly is impaired, as previously observed in pluripotent cells. However, a four-fold reduction of Nup133, despite affecting basket assembly, is not sufficient to alter Nup210L and Lhx1 regulation. Finally, these two genes are also misregulated in Seh1-deficient neural progenitors that only show a mild decrease in NPC density. Together these data reveal a shared function of Y-complex nucleoporins in gene regulation during neuroectodermal differentiation, which seem independent of nuclear pore basket assembly.

cell biology↗

Nucleoporin 133 deficiency leads to glomerular damage in zebrafish

Although structural nuclear pore proteins (nucleoporins) are seemingly required in every cell type to assemble a functional nuclear transport machinery, mutations or deregulation of a subset of them have been associated with specific human hereditary diseases. In particular, previous genetic studies of patients with nephrotic syndrome identified mutations in Nup107 that impaired the expression or the localization of its direct partner at nuclear pores, Nup133. In the present study, we characterized the zebrafish nup133 orthologous gene and its expression pattern during larval development. Morpholino-mediated gene knockdown revealed that Nup133 depletion in zebrafish larvae leads to the formation of kidney cysts, a phenotype that can be rescued by co-injection of wild type mRNA. Analysis of different markers for tubular and glomerular development shows that the overall kidney development is not affected by nup133 knockdown. On the other hand, we demonstrate that nup133 is essential for the organization and functional integrity of the pronephric glomerular filtration barrier, as its downregulation results in proteinuria and moderate foot process effacement, mimicking some of the abnormalities typically featured by patients with nephrotic syndrome. These data indicate that nup133 is a new gene required for proper glomerular structure and function in zebrafish.

developmental biology↗