The multifunctional nuclear pore complex: a platform for controlling gene expression

In addition to their established roles in nucleocytoplasmic transport, the intimate association of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) with chromatin has long led to speculation that these structures influence peripheral chromatin structure and regulate gene expression. These ideas have their roots in morphological observations, however recent years have seen the identification of physical interactions between NPCs, chromatin, and the transcriptional machinery. Key insights into the molecular functions of specific NPC proteins have uncovered roles for these proteins in transcriptional activation and elongation, mRNA processing, as well as chromatin structure and localization. Here, we review recent studies that provide further molecular detail on the role of specific NPC components as distinct platforms for these chromatin dependent processes.