nuclear pore central transport channel

GO:0044613 · Other · Multiprotein complex · Proposed

A central eukaryotic nuclear pore substructure composed of FG-repeat channel nucleoporins that forms the selective transport path for RNAs, proteins, and small molecules. [GO:0044613]

Synonyms: central channel

Part of: nuclear pore (GO:0005643)

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

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Genes	Essential	Role
Nup57-family channel nucleoporin	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	NUP57	UNKNOWN	Channel nucleoporin family represented in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae central transport-channel Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 complex. `DOI:10.1038/s41422-022-00632-y` Li et al. 2022 modeled the Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 central-channel complex in the Saccharomyces nuclear pore inner-ring map. `DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2021.12.015` Akey et al. 2022 resolved the yeast nuclear pore architecture with central-channel FG nucleoporins. `DOI:10.1126/science.aac9176` Stuwe et al. 2015 used fungal Nup57, Nup49, and Nsp1 proteins when determining inner-ring and channel-nucleoporin architecture.
Nup49-family FG-channel nucleoporin	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	NUP49	UNKNOWN	FG-repeat nucleoporin family represented in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae central transport-channel Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 complex. `DOI:10.1038/s41422-022-00632-y` Li et al. 2022 modeled the Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 central-channel complex in the Saccharomyces nuclear pore inner-ring map. `DOI:10.1534/genetics.111.127803` Aitchison and Rout 2012 review yeast central-channel FG-repeat nucleoporins. `DOI:10.1126/science.aac9176` Stuwe et al. 2015 used fungal Nup57, Nup49, and Nsp1 proteins when determining inner-ring and channel-nucleoporin architecture.
Nsp1-family FG-channel nucleoporin	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	NSP1	UNKNOWN	FG-repeat nucleoporin family represented in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae central transport-channel Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 complex. `DOI:10.1038/s41422-022-00632-y` Li et al. 2022 modeled the Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 central-channel complex in the Saccharomyces nuclear pore inner-ring map. `DOI:10.1534/genetics.111.127803` Aitchison and Rout 2012 review yeast central-channel FG-repeat nucleoporins. `DOI:10.1126/science.aac9176` Stuwe et al. 2015 used fungal Nup57, Nup49, and Nsp1 proteins when determining inner-ring and channel-nucleoporin architecture.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:4890 Ascomycota — VARIABLE: Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1-family channel nucleoporins have been characterized in budding yeast and a thermophilic ascomycete, establishing sampled fungal central-channel complexes without proving uniform phylum-wide composition. [DOI:10.1126/science.aac9176]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — Budding-yeast model in which the Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 central-channel complex was placed in a near-atomic nuclear pore structure. [DOI:10.1038/s41422-022-00632-y]

Functions

selective nucleocytoplasmic transport channel — The nuclear pore central transport channel is the FG-repeat-rich path through which nucleocytoplasmic cargoes cross the pore.
- GO:0044613 GO:0044613 defines the central transport channel as the NPC substructure through which RNAs, proteins, and small molecules pass.
- DOI:10.1101/cshperspect.a000562 Wente and Rout 2010 review FG-repeat nucleoporins as central NPC transport factors.

Mechanism graphs

FG-channel Nups form the NPC transport path (ASSEMBLY)

Saccharomyces Nup57, Nup49, and Nsp1 nucleoporins contribute to a central-channel complex in the nuclear pore.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
Nup57-family channel nucleoporin	contributes to	nuclear pore central transport channel	`DOI:10.1038/s41422-022-00632-y` Li et al. 2022 placed Nup57 in the Saccharomyces Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 central-channel complex.
Nup49-family FG-channel nucleoporin	contributes to	nuclear pore central transport channel	`DOI:10.1038/s41422-022-00632-y` Li et al. 2022 placed Nup49 in the Saccharomyces Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 central-channel complex.
Nsp1-family FG-channel nucleoporin	contributes to	nuclear pore central transport channel	`DOI:10.1038/s41422-022-00632-y` Li et al. 2022 placed Nsp1 in the Saccharomyces Nup57/Nup49/Nsp1 central-channel complex.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact source-neutral family groundings for Nup57, Nup49, and Nsp1 central-channel nucleoporins. The first central-channel record avoids guessing one exact InterPro, Pfam, or NCBIfam accession for fungal channel Nup classes whose orthology and FG-repeat boundaries need a dedicated pass.

Evidence

GO:0044613 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the nuclear pore central transport channel.
GO:0005643 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the nuclear pore.
DOI:10.1534/genetics.111.127803 Aitchison and Rout 2012, 'The Yeast Nuclear Pore Complex and Transport Through It', Genetics.
DOI:10.1101/cshperspect.a000562 Wente and Rout 2010, 'The Nuclear Pore Complex and Nuclear Transport', Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology.
DOI:10.1126/science.aac9176 Stuwe et al. 2015, 'Architecture of the fungal nuclear pore inner ring complex', Science.
DOI:10.1038/s41422-022-00632-y Li et al. 2022, 'Near-atomic structure of the inner ring of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear pore complex', Cell Research.
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

2026-09-11T08:17:18Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-11T08:18:07Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added central-channel synonymy, nuclear-pore parthood, three Saccharomyces central-channel nucleoporin component classes, Ascomycota taxonomic scope, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae example, transport-channel function, DOI/GO evidence, a conservative FG-channel assembly graph, and a channel-Nup grounding TODO.
2026-09-11T08:19:05Z codex · TIGHTENED_SCOPE_EVIDENCE — Attached the Ascomycota taxonomic row and central-channel component evidence to fungal inner-ring literature so the fungal scope is not supported only by a Saccharomyces map.
2026-09-11T08:27:50Z codex · ADDRESSED_REVIEW — Resolved #441 and #442 by removing the unsupported CNT synonym and narrowing central-channel component labels, graph nodes, and the grounding TODO to fungal Nup57, Nup49, and Nsp1 source labels.
2026-09-11T08:28:05Z codex · FIXED_DISCUSSION_ANCHORS — Updated central-channel review TODO anchors after narrowing component ids.

Source: data/structures/other/nuclear_pore_central_transport_channel.yaml