nuclear pore

GO:0005643 · Other · Multiprotein complex · Proposed

A membrane-embedded eukaryotic protein complex that forms a discrete pore in the nuclear envelope where the inner and outer nuclear membranes join and mediates exchange between the nucleus and cytoplasm. [GO:0005643]

Synonyms: nuclear pore complex; NPC

Part of: nuclear envelope (GO:0005635)

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Essential	Role
scaffold nucleoporins	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Structural nucleoporins that build the spoke and ring scaffold of the nuclear pore complex. `DOI:10.1083/jcb.148.4.635` Rout et al. 2000 mapped the yeast NPC into subcomplexes that form the pore architecture. `DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.015` Akey et al. 2022 resolved the comprehensive yeast NPC scaffold architecture.
FG-repeat nucleoporins	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Nucleoporins whose FG-repeat regions line the central channel and form the selective transport barrier. `DOI:10.1534/genetics.111.127803` Aitchison and Rout 2012 review FG Nups in the yeast nuclear pore transport barrier. `DOI:10.1101/cshperspect.a000562` Wente and Rout 2010 review FG-repeat nucleoporins as central NPC transport factors.
transmembrane nucleoporins	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Integral membrane nucleoporins that anchor the pore complex in the fused nuclear-envelope membrane. `DOI:10.1083/jcb.148.4.635` Rout et al. 2000 identified integral membrane proteins within the yeast NPC architecture. `DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.015` Akey et al. 2022 modeled the membrane-proximal adaptations of the yeast NPC.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:2759 Eukaryota — COMMON: Nuclear pore complexes are embedded in the nuclear envelope of eukaryotic cells and mediate gated exchange between the nucleus and cytoplasm. [DOI:10.1101/cshperspect.a000562]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — Budding-yeast model in which the nuclear pore complex composition, architecture, and transport mechanism were mapped by proteomics and localization. [DOI:10.1083/jcb.148.4.635]

Functions

nucleocytoplasmic transport — The nuclear pore complex forms the gated channel for macromolecular transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.
- GO:0005643 GO:0005643 defines the nuclear pore as the protein complex that provides an opening in the nuclear envelope.
- DOI:10.1534/genetics.111.127803 Aitchison and Rout 2012 review yeast NPC organization and transport through it.

Mechanism graphs

Nucleoporins build a nuclear-envelope pore (ASSEMBLY)

Membrane nucleoporins anchor the nuclear pore at the fused nuclear-envelope membrane, scaffold nucleoporins build the pore architecture, and FG-repeat nucleoporins line the central channel.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
transmembrane nucleoporins	anchor	nuclear pore	`GO:0005643` GO:0005643 places the pore at the junction between the inner and outer nuclear membranes. `DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.015` Akey et al. 2022 modeled membrane anchors in the yeast NPC.
scaffold nucleoporins	assemble into	nuclear pore	`DOI:10.1083/jcb.148.4.635` Rout et al. 2000 mapped the yeast NPC composition and architecture.
FG-repeat nucleoporins	line	nuclear pore	`DOI:10.1534/genetics.111.127803` Aitchison and Rout 2012 review FG nucleoporins in yeast NPC transport.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact source-neutral family groundings for scaffold, FG-repeat, and membrane nucleoporins. The first NPC record groups Saccharomyces nucleoporins by architectural class and deliberately avoids guessing one InterPro, Pfam, NCBIfam, or UniProtKB accession for classes with many unrelated Nup folds.

Evidence

GO:0005643 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for nuclear pore.
GO:0005635 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for nuclear envelope.
DOI:10.1083/jcb.148.4.635 Rout et al. 2000, 'The Yeast Nuclear Pore Complex: Composition, Architecture, and Transport Mechanism', Journal of Cell Biology.
DOI:10.1101/cshperspect.a000562 Wente and Rout 2010, 'The Nuclear Pore Complex and Nuclear Transport', Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology.
DOI:10.1534/genetics.111.127803 Aitchison and Rout 2012, 'The Yeast Nuclear Pore Complex and Transport Through It', Genetics.
DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.015 Akey et al. 2022, 'Comprehensive structure and functional adaptations of the yeast nuclear pore complex', Cell.

Curation history

2026-09-11T06:14:58Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-11T06:16:55Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added nuclear pore complex synonymy, nuclear-envelope parthood, scaffold, FG-repeat and membrane nucleoporin component classes, Eukaryota distribution, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae example, nucleocytoplasmic transport function, DOI/GO evidence, a nucleoporin assembly and transport graph, and a Nup grounding TODO.
2026-09-11T06:25:32Z codex · NARROWED_ESSENTIALITY — Changed scaffold, FG-repeat, and membrane nucleoporin essentiality from ESSENTIAL to UNKNOWN because the first-pass sources establish them as architectural constituents but do not directly support class-level pore-assembly requirements.
2026-09-11T06:30:26Z codex · ADDRESSED_REVIEW — Resolved #428 and #429 by removing the disconnected nuclear envelope graph node, removing the transport-process node and edge from the assembly graph, and tightening the graph title and description.

Source: data/structures/other/nuclear_pore.yaml