= Nuclear pore complex
{wiki}
= Nuclear pore
{synonym}
A <nuclear pore complex> is an assembly of <proteins> spanning the <nuclear envelope> and regulating passage between the <cell nucleus> and <cytosol>. It is a selective gateway, not simply an unregulated hole: <messenger RNA> export and import of nuclear <proteins> require appropriate transport machinery. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26932/[Alberts et al.: nuclear pore complexes].
The <nuclear pore complex> occupies a junction of both <nuclear envelope> membranes. Its <protein> scaffold surrounds an aqueous passage connecting <cytosol> to the <cell nucleus>, rather than the intermembrane space. <Diffusion> permits small soluble cargo to pass; selective receptors transport other cargo. <Molecular mass> alone is not a universal cutoff.<Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others>[Nuclear Pore Complexes Perforate the Nuclear Envelope, Figures 12-10–12-11; Nuclear Localization Signals Direct Nuclear Proteins to the Nucleus]{ref}
\Image[/nuclear-pore-envelope-topology.png]
{title=The <nuclear pore complex> bridges both membranes of the <nuclear envelope>}
{description=Original topology schematic, not a measured structure. The central passage connects <cytosol> and <cell nucleus>; cargo does not enter the intermembrane space. Shapes, distances and arrows are illustrative.}
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