Two distinct human POM121 genes: Requirement for the formation of nuclear pore complexes

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 581; no. 25; pp. 4910 - 4916
• Main Authors: Funakoshi, Tomoko, Maeshima, Kazuhiro, Yahata, Kazuhide, Sugano, Sumio, Imamoto, Fumio, Imamoto, Naoko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 16.10.2007
• Subjects: 5' Flanking Region; Base Sequence; Cell Nucleus - ultrastructure; Chromosome Mapping; Cloning, Molecular; Exons; Gene Duplication; HeLa Cells; Humans; Membrane Glycoproteins - chemistry; Membrane Glycoproteins - genetics; Membrane Glycoproteins - metabolism; Molecular Sequence Data; NPC; nuclear envelope; Nuclear Pore - ultrastructure; Nuclear pore complex; Nuclear structure; nucleoporin; Nup; Pom121; Protein Structure, Tertiary; reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction; RNA Interference; RNAi; RT-PCR; Segmental-duplication; siRNA; small interfering RNA; NPC; Pom121; Nuclear structure; RNAi; Nuclear pore complex; RT-PCR; NE; Nup; siRNA; Segmental-duplication
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2007.09.021

Pom121 is one of the integral membrane components of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) in vertebrate cells. Unlike rodent cells carrying a single POM121 gene, human cells possess multiple POM121 gene loci on chromosome 7q11.23, as a consequence of complex segmental-duplications in this region during human evolution. In HeLa cells, two “full-length” Pom121 are transcribed and translated by two distinct genetic loci. RNAi experiments showed that efficient depletion of both Pom121 proteins significantly reduces assembled NPCs on nuclear envelope. Pom121-depletion also induced clustering of NPCs, indicating its role on maintenance of NPC structure/organization.