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	2004 Fellow			Maximiliano A. D'Angelo, Ph.D. Lab. of: Martin Hetzer, Ph.D. Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory., MCBL-Z The Salk Institute for Biological Studies 10010 North Torrey Pines Road La Jolla, CA 92037 Phone: (858) 453-4100 x1568 Fax: (858) 457-4765 E-mail: dangelo@salk.edu

Country: Argentina

Field: Cell Biology

Research Interest: When a eukaryotic cell divides the duplicated chromatin has to be segregated and enclosed by a new nuclear envelope, a double membrane that separates the nuclear interior from the cytosol. Failure in this key process results in alteration of gene expression patterns and genomic instability. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are large protein structures that penetrate the nuclear envelope. They consist of 30 different proteins, nucleoporins, which form channels through which nucleocytoplamsic transport occurs. During cell division of higher eukaryotic cells nuclear pore complexes undergo a cycle of disassembly and reformation. In many tumor cells nuclear pore complexes reassemble not only into the NE but also into membranes of the cytosol, to form structures called annulate lamellae (AL). The mechanism of nuclear pore complex assembly and the function of annulate lamellae are unclear. The main focus of this research proposal is to analyze the biogenesis of nuclear pore complexes and annulate lamellae. We intend to characterize the subcomplexes of the disassembled NPCs during mitosis and analyze their re-assembly pathway into the reforming nuclear envelopes and cytoplasmic membranes (AL). This will provide new insights into the dynamics of nucleoporins and their role in the proliferation of normal and cancer cells.