Nuclear Pore Complex in Nanomedicine: Third Edition
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 117
Special Issue Editor
Interests: nuclear pore; intracellular transport; cell cycle; high-speed AFM; STED imaging; holotomography; machine learning; nano cell biology; nanomedicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) serve as essential molecular “supply chain stations” within our cells, mediating selective macromolecule trafficking across the nuclear envelope. Composed of approximately 30 nucleoporins (Nups), NPCs form a dynamic, multilayered structure that employs liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) to construct their central channel. This channel, often described as spiderweb-like, brush-like, or hydrogel-like, establishes the selective permeability barrier critical for maintaining eukaryotic cellular homeostasis. However, the precise phase state of the barrier, built from intrinsically disordered phenylalanine–glycine (FG) repeat proteins, remains enigmatic due to the limitations of current imaging and biochemical tools.
During mitosis, the disassembly of the nuclear envelope leads to the rapid breakdown of NPCs, allowing certain Nups to assume key roles in kinetochore architecture, spindle bipolarity, and centrosome stability. Dysfunctional nucleoporins and NPCs have been implicated in an array of pathologies, including autoimmune diseases, viral infections, neurological disorders, cardiomyopathies, and cancers, such as leukemia and brain tumors. Furthermore, post-translational modifications of Nups—such as glycosylation, SUMOylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, acetylation, methylation, and lipidation—add layers of regulation to the NPC-mediated molecular transport system alongside their inverse reactions. Recently, NPC components have been recognized as regulators in broader cellular processes, including autophagy and programmed necrosis, with significant implications for innate and adaptive immunity. This makes NPC modulation a promising avenue for enhancing drug delivery systems (DDSs) or optimizing the efficacy of existing chemotherapeutics. Building on these advances, this third edition of the Special Issue continues to explore the intricate role of NPC homeostasis in nanomedicine development, inviting contributions that shed light on the mechanisms, functions, and potential therapeutic applications of NPCs.
Prof. Dr. Richard W. Wong
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- intracellular transport
- NPC
- mitosis
- nano
- cancer
- brain
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