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On the Octagonal Structure of the Nuclear Pore Complex: Insights from Coarse-Grained Models

Molecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720

Correspondence: Address reprint requests to Mohammad R. K. Mofrad, Dept. of Bioengineering, University of California, 208A Stanley Hall No. 1762, Berkeley, California 94720-1762. Tel.: 510-643-8165, Fax: 510-642-5835; E-mail: mofrad{at}berkeley.edu.

The basic structure of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), conserved across almost all organisms from yeast to humans, persists in featuring an octagonal symmetry involving the nucleoporins that constitute the NPC ring. In this article, we seek to understand and evaluate the potential biomechanical reasons for this eightfold symmetry. Our analytical investigation shows that the eightfold symmetry maximizes the bending stiffness of each of the eight NPC spokes while our computational analyses identify the most likely deformation modes, frequencies, and associated kinetic energies of the NPC. These modes have energies close to other published findings using membrane analysis of the nuclear membrane pore opening, and deformation states in agreement with experimental observations. A better understanding of NPC mechanics is essential for characterizing the nucleocytoplasmic transport, which has a central importance in cell biology.