Transgenic mice model of nucleoporins

Most human cancers have irregular chromosome content, a condition known as aneuploidy. However, the molecular defects underlying the development of aneuploidy and its role in tumorigenesis remain poorly understood. Studying the molecular networks in vivo that regulate the proper segregation of chromosomes in mitosis is essential to understand the chromosomal instability and their role in cancer development. The nuclear pore complex (NPC) mediates the selective exchange of macromolecules between the cytoplasm and nucleus. The NPC is one of the largest supramolecular assemblies in the eukaryotic cell, composed of about 30 different proteins termed nucleoporins (nups). In cells with open mitosis, the NPC is disassembled either into individual nups or various nup subcomplexes during mitosis. Several nuclear pore proteins have recently been implicated in cancer. We start to generate the transgenic mice of nucleoporins and studying their roles in carcinogenesis.