Characterization of an ATPase/dATPase activity associated with the Drosophila nuclear matrix-pore complex-lamina fraction. Identification of the putative enzyme polypeptide by direct ultraviolet photoaffinity labeling

An ATPase/dATPase activity found associated with the nuclear matrix-pore complex-lamina fraction isolated from embryos of Drosophila melanogaster has been characterized. In the presence of either Ca2+ or Mg2+, this activity hydrolyzed either ATP or dATP to ADP or dADP, respectively, and Pi. Hydrolysis was optimal from pH 6.5-7.2, did not require either Na+ or K+, and was not significantly inhibited by NaF, ouabain, quercetin, Na3VO4, CTP, or GTP. In contrast, hydrolysis was inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide, EDTA, and cordycepin 5'-triphosphate. In all respects tested, hydrolysis of ATP was indistinguishable from that of dATP and when incubated in the same reaction mixture, each was linearly competitive with the other. Based upon these properties, a series of direct UV photoaffinity labeling experiments was performed. Using alpha-[32P]dATP, alpha-[32P]ATP, or gamma-[32P]ATP, only a single polypeptide (Mr approximately 174,000) was photolabeled in a manner completely consistent with the enzymology of ATP and dATP hydrolysis; cell fractionation studies revealed a predominantly or exclusively nuclear localization. A polypeptide with virtually the identical mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels was similarly identified as the major photolabeled species in nuclear envelope fractions obtained from chickens, opossums, rats, and guinea pigs. Thus, it seems probable that this 174-kilodalton polypeptide constitutes at least the active site-containing subunit of the major insoluble ATPase/dATPase found in structural protein subfractions prepared from higher invertebrate as well as vertebrate nuclei.     

Monoclonal antibodies prepared against the major Drosophila nuclear Matrix-pore complex-lamina glycoprotein bind specifically to the nuclear envelope in situ

A high molecular weight glycoprotein found associated with a nuclear matrix-pore complex-lamina (NMPCL) preparation obtained from Drosophila melanogaster embryos has been shown by in vitro analyses to be largely confined to this subcellular fraction. In contrast with several of the NMPCL proteins, this glycoprotein remains completely insoluble after treatment with 5 M urea. It has, therefore, been possible to separate the glycoprotein from other NMPCL components by differential urea extraction. The glycoprotein in the 5 M urea-extracted pellet has been solubilized by boiling in sodium dodecyl sulfate and purified to near-homogeneity by sequential steps of chromatography on hydroxylapatite and Sephacryl S-300 (both run in the presence of 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate), followed by affinity chromatography on lentil lectin-Sepharose. Over 30 hybridoma cell lines producing antibodies against this glycoprotein have been obtained. Monoclonality has been established for two of these lines (designated AGP-26 and AGP-78), and the antibodies they secrete have been further characterized. Western blot analysis has shown both antibodies to be monospecific (with respect to other Drosophila embryo polypeptides) for the major NMPCL glycoprotein; in addition, antibody AGP-78 has been shown to be weakly cross-reactive with glycoproteins of similar or identical molecular weight found associated with isolated nuclear fractions obtained from Xenopus oocytes, as well as chicken, opossum, and rat livers. Finally, both antibodies AGP-26 and AGP-78 react exclusively with the Drosophila nuclear periphery (nuclear envelope) in situ as demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence analysis of larval cryosections. Based on these results as well as upon those of biochemical studies reported previously (Berrios, M., Filson, A. J., Blobel, G, and Fisher, P. A. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 13384-13390), we conclude that the major Drosophila NMPCL glycoprotein is the specific homolog of the high molecular weight glycoprotein recently shown using immunoelectron microscopy to be a distinct component of the rat liver nuclear pore complex (Gerace, L., Ottaviano, Y., and Kondor-Koch, C. (1982) J. Cell Biol. 95, 826-837).     

A myosin heavy-chain-like polypeptide is associated with the nuclear envelope in higher eukaryotic cells

A high molecular weight polypeptide, identified as an ATPase subunit by direct ultraviolet photoaffinity labeling, has been shown to be a component of nuclear envelope-enriched fractions prepared from a variety of higher eukaryotes (Berrios, M., G. Blobel, and P. A. Fisher, 1983, J. Biol. Chem., 258:4548-4555). In rat liver as well as Drosophila melanogaster embryos, this polypeptide appears to be a form of myosin heavy chain. This conclusion is based on both immunochemical and immunocytochemical data, as well as on the results of CNBr and chymotryptic peptide map analyses. In Drosophila, the identification of this myosin heavy chain-like polypeptide as a nuclear envelope component has been corroborated in situ by indirect immunofluorescence analyses using permeabilized whole cells, mechanically extruded nuclei, and cryosections obtained from a number of larval tissues. Localization appears to be restricted to the nuclear periphery in a manner similar to that observed for the nuclear lamins and the pore complex glycoprotein. Antibodies directed against the Drosophila nuclear envelope ATPase have also been shown to decorate mammalian and higher plant cell nuclei in situ. Implications for intracellular nuclear mobility and for nucleocytoplasmic exchange of macromolecules in vivo are discussed.     

Isolation and characterization of a proteinaceous subnuclear fraction composed of nuclear matrix, peripheral lamina, and nuclear pore complexes from embryos of Drosophila melanogaster

Morphologically intact nuclei have been prepared from embryos of Drosophila melanogaster by a simple and rapid procedure. These nuclei have been further treated with high concentrations of DNase I and RNase A followed by sequential extraction with 2% Triton X-100 and 1 M NaCl to produce a structurally and biochemically distinct preparation designated Drosophila subnuclear fraction I (DSNF-I). As seen by phase- contrast microscopy, DSNF-I is composed of material which closely resembles unfractionated nuclei; residual internal nuclear structures including nucleolar remnants are clearly visible. By transmission electron microscopy, nuclear lamina, pore complexes, and a nuclear matrix are similarly identified. Biochemically, DSNF-I is composed almost entirely of protein (greater than 93%). SDS PAGE analysis reveals several major polypeptides; species at 174,000, 74,000, and 42,000 predominate. A polypeptide coincident with the Coomassie Blue- stainable 174-kdalton band has been shown by a novel technique of lectin affinity labeling to be a glycoprotein; a glycoprotein of similar or identical molecular weight has been found to be a component of nuclear envelope fractions isolated from the livers of rats, guinea pigs, opossums, and chickens. Antisera against several of the polypeptides in DSNF-I have been obtained from rabbits, and all of them show only little or no cross-reactivity with Drosophila cytoplasmic fractions. Initial results of immunocytochemical studies, while failing to positively localize either the 174- or 16-kdalton polypeptides, demonstrate a nuclear localization of the 74-kdalton antigen in all of several interphase cell types obtained from both Drosophila embryos and third-instar larvae.     

Identification of a major polypeptide of the nuclear pore complex

The nuclear pore complex is a prominent structural component of the nuclear envelope that appears to regulate nucleoplasmic molecular movement. Up to now, none of its polypeptides have been defined. To identify possible pore complex proteins, we fractionated rat liver nuclear envelopes and microsomal membranes with strong protein perturbants into peripheral and intrinsic membrane proteins, and compared these fractions on SDS gels. From this analysis, we identified a prominent 190-kilodalton intrinsic membrane polypeptide that occurs specifically in nuclear envelopes. Lectin binding studies indicate that this polypeptide (gp 190) is the major nuclear envelope glycoprotein. Upon treatment of nuclear envelopes with Triton X-100, gp 190 remains associated with a protein substructure of the nuclear envelope consisting of pore complexes and nuclear lamina. We prepared monospecific antibodies to gp 190 for immunocytochemical localization. Immunofluorescence staining of tissue culture cells suggests that gp 190 occurs exclusively in the nucleus during interphase. This polypeptide becomes dispersed throughout the cell in mitotic prophase when the nuclear envelope is disassembled, and subsequently returns to the nuclear surfaces during telophase when the nuclear envelope is reconstructed. Immunoferritin labeling of Triton-treated rat liver nuclei demonstrates that gp 190 occurs exclusively in the nuclear pore complex, in the regions of the cytoplasmic (and possibly nucleoplasmic) pore complex annuli. A polypeptide that cross-reacts with gp 190 is present in diverse vertebrate species, as shown by antibody labeling of nitrocellulose SDS gel transfers. On the basis of its biochemical characteristics, we suggest that gp 190 may be involved in anchoring the pore complex to nuclear envelope membranes.     

Intranuclear location of the adenovirus type 5 E1B 55-kilodalton protein.

The intracellular location of the adenovirus type 5 E1B 55-kilodalton (kDa) protein, particularly the question of whether it is associated with nuclear pore complexes, was examined. Fractionation of adenovirus type 5-infected HeLa cell nuclei by an established procedure (N. Dwyer and G. Blobel, J. Cell. Biol. 70:581-591, 1976) yielded one population of E1B 55-kDa protein molecules released by digestion of nuclei with RNase A and a second population recovered in the pore complex-lamina fraction. Free and E1B 55-kDa protein-bound forms of the E4 34-kDa protein (P. Sarnow, C. A. Sullivan, and A. J. Levine, Virology 120:387-394, 1982) were largely recovered in the pore complex-lamina fraction. Nevertheless, the association of E1B 55-kDa protein molecules with this nuclear envelope fraction did not depend on interaction of the E1B 55-kDa protein with the E4 34-kDa protein. Comparison of the immunofluorescence patterns observed with antibodies recognizing the E1B 55-kDa protein or cellular pore complex proteins and of the behavior of these viral and cellular proteins during in situ fractionation suggests that the E1B 55-kDa protein does not become intimately or stably associated with pore complexes in adenovirus-infected cells.     

A modified procedure for the isolation of a pore complex-lamina fraction from rat liver nuclei

A modified procedure for the isolation of a nuclear pore complex-lamina fraction from rat liver nuclei is described. Evidence is provided that the isolated lamina, a 150-A thick, proteinaceous structure, apposes the inner nuclear envelope membrane, connecting nuclear pore complexes and surrounding the entire nucleus.     

Oxidation-reduction potential of cytochrome C oxidase in mitochondria of yeast grown under various copper concentrations

The pore complex-lamina fraction obtained from nuclear envelope contains a protein phosphokinase activity capable of phosphorylating endogenous and exogenous protein substrates. Its specific activity in the presence of MgCl₂ is approximately twice that of intact nuclear envelope. However, when MgCl₂ is replaced by CoCl₂ in the reaction mixture, a 7 to 12-fold increase in incorporation of ³²P from γ-³²P-ATP into protein substrate occurs. This appears not to be due to an effect of the divalent cation on the substrate, or to inhibition of a phosphoprotein phosphatase activity. Substitution of CuCl₂, MnCl₂, CaCl₂, and ZnCl₂ for MgCl₂ results in a 20 to 30% decrease in incorporation of ³²P. Cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP at 1 μM were without apparent effect. Approximately 40% of the total protein phosphokinase activity of the nuclear envelope is associated with the pore complex-lamina fraction.     

Heat shock-induced changes in the structural stability of proteinaceous karyoskeletal elements in vitro and morphological effects in situ

Karyoskeletal protein fractions prepared from Drosophila melanogaster embryos contain morphologically identifiable remnants of nuclear pore complexes and peripheral lamina as well as what appears to be an internal nuclear "matrix" (Fisher, P. A., M. Berrios, and G. Blobel, 1982, J. Cell Biol., 92: 674-686). Structural stability of these proteinaceous assemblies is dependent on thermal incubation in vitro (37 degrees C, 15 min) before subfractionation of nuclei. In the absence of such incubation, greater than 90% of the total karyoskeletal protein including major polypeptide components of internal "matrix," pore complexes, and the peripheral lamina, is solubilized by 1 M NaCl. In vivo heat shock induces karyoskeletal stabilization resembling that resulting from thermal incubation in vitro. Immunocytochemical studies have been used to establish the effects of heat shock on the organization and distribution of major karyoskeletal marker proteins in situ. Taken together, these results are consistent with the notion that in vivo, regulation of karyoskeletal plasticity (and perhaps form) may be a functionally significant component of the Drosophila heat shock response. They also have broad practical implications for studies pertaining to the structure and function of karyoskeletal protein (nuclear "matrix") fractions isolated from higher eukaryotic cells.     

Interaction of antibodies against nuclear envelope-associated proteins from rat liver nuclei with rodent and human cells

Antibodies have been prepared against the three major polypeptides of the nuclear pore complex-lamina fraction from rat liver nuclei. The three antisera prepared in chickens give similar results in indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. In rat embryo fibroblasts we observe bright fluorescence at the level of the nuclear envelope, with no fluorescence of the nuclear interior and little or no fluorescence of the cytoplasm. The nuclear envelope regions of rat hepatoma cells, mouse A9 cells, HeLa cells and rat liver nuclei also fluoresce brightly. HeLa nucleoids, which are depleted of nuclear envelope components, still exhibit specific fluorescence when reacted with these antibodies. Distribution of the antigens changes during mitosis. Fluorescence in the cytoplasm is observed following the breakdown of the nuclear envelope at prometaphase. The antigens appear to progressively accumulate at the periphery of the chromosomes until telophase. In late telophase fluorescence occurs predominantly at the periphery of the chromosomes where the new nuclear envelope is formed.     

Cell type-specific differences in protein composition of nuclear pore complex-lamina structures in oocytes and erythrocytes of Xenopus laevis

Nuclear envelopes from oocytes of Xenopus laevis are rich in pore complexes and contain a major polypeptide of apparent molecular weight (M_r) 68,000. A rapid extraction procedure using buffer containing 1% ($\text{v}\text{v}$) Triton X-100 and 1.0 m-KCl allows the preparation of insoluble nuclear envelope skeletons showing only residual pore complex structures, with some interconnecting filament material, and one major polypeptide; i.e. that of M_r 68,000. This skeletal protein, which is not found in nuclear contents, reveals, on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, a series of distinct isoelectric variants focusing in the pH range from 6.4 to 6.6. In living oocytes, this protein is continuously synthesized, as demonstrated by incorporation of labelled amino acids, and phosphorylated, A similar prominent skeletal protein has been found in nuclear envelopes of oocytes of other amphibia; however, slight but significant differences in electrophoretic mobility can be noted between different amphibian species.For comparison, nucleocortical lamina structures containing few pore complexes have been isolated, using similar extraction procedures, from various somatic cells of X. laevis, including erythrocytes. Laminae from these cells contain two major polypeptides, one (L_I) of M_r 72,000 focusing at approximately pH 5.35 and another (L_II) of M_r 69,000 focusing in several variants between pH 6.20 and 6.35. Similarly extracted “pore complex-lamina” fractions from rat liver contain a polypeptide of similar size and electrical charge as protein L_I from Xenopus and, in addition, two other polypeptides (M_r values: 74,000 and 62,000) both focusing between pH 6.6 and 6.9.It is concluded that the pore complex-lamina structure of the oocyte nucleus is assembled by only one major protein of M_r 68,000. The results also show that the protein composition of this insoluble nucleocortical structure can be different in different cells of the same organism. The compositional differences of these nuclear envelope skeletons are discussed in relation to the relative proportions of pore complex and interporous (lamina) material in the nuclear envelopes of the specific cells. It is suggested that the M_r 68,000 protein predominant in oocyte nuclear envelopes contributes, as an architectural component, to the formation of the highly organized nuclear pore complex.     

A prepriming DNA replication enzyme of Escherichia coli. I. Purification of protein n': a sequence-specific, DNA-dependent ATPase

Protein n', an enzyme essential for in vitro conversion of single-stranded phiX174 DNA to the duplex replicative form, has been purified about 16,000-fold from Escherichia coli. The enzyme is a single polypeptide chain with a native molecular weight of 76,000; about 70 enzyme molecules are present in an E. coli cell. Nearly homogeneous preparations display an ATPase (dATPase) activity which depends on a unique sequence in the phiX174 DNA. Replicative activity of n' protein and its phiX174 DNA-dependent ATPase activity were present in a constant ratio during the latter stages of purification, upon sedimentation in a glycerol gradient, and during heat inactivation. Further studies of the properties of protein n' are presented in a succeeding paper.     

A monoclonal antibody against nuclear lamina proteins reveals cell type-specificity in Xenopus laevis

Immunofluorescence microscopy shows that the monoclonal murine antibody PKB8 stains the nuclear lamina of various somatic cells from vertebrates as diverse as mammals, birds and amphibia. It also decorates the nuclear periphery of oocytes from rat and chicken but does not react with spermatocytes, spermatids and spermatozoa. Immunoblotting experiments demonstrate reaction with lamina polypeptides A, B and C of rat, with lamina polypeptide A of chicken, and with lamina polypeptides LI and LII of erythrocytes of the frog, Xenopus laevis. Antibody PKB8 does, however, not bind, on blotted polypeptides and on sections through ovaries, to the pore complex-lamina polypeptide of Mr 68000 present in Xenopus oocytes. These results reveal the existence of a common antigenic determinant in all three lamina polypeptides of mammals, in one lamina polypeptide of chicken and in two amphibian lamina polypeptides. The immunological data also indicate that, in Xenopus laevis, pore complex-lamina polypeptides of somatic cells and oocytes are distinct. The Mr 68000 protein of Xenopus oocytes is also different from polypeptides LI and LII of somatic Xenopus cells by tryptic peptide mapping. The results suggest that nuclear pore complex-lamina polypeptides represent a family of related polypeptides containing regions highly conserved during evolution and that these polypeptides can be differentially expressed in cells of at least one species, Xenopus laevis.     

Transmembrane envelope glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 and simian immunodeficiency virus SIV-mac exist as homodimers.

An 80-kilodalton glycoprotein (gp80) was produced in human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2)-infected cells along with three envelope glycoproteins that we have recently reported: the extracellular glycoprotein (gp125), the envelope glycoprotein precursor (gp140), and the transient dimeric form of the precursor (gp300). gp125 and gp80 were detectable after the synthesis of gp140 and the formation of gp300. Using a specific monoclonal antibody, we showed here that gp80 is a dimeric form of the transmembrane glycoprotein gp36 of HIV-2. Dimerization of the envelope glycoprotein precursor and dimeric forms of the transmembrane glycoproteins were also observed in cells infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV-mac), a virus closely related to HIV-2. Under routine conditions of our experiments (i.e., extraction by 1% Triton X-100 before polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS]), monomeric forms of the transmembrane glycoprotein of HIV-2 and SIV-mac were only seldomly observed. Dimeric forms of the envelope precursors and the transmembrane glycoproteins are probably stabilized by extraction in the nonionic detergent Triton X-100 since such dimeric forms resist dissociation during subsequent electrophoresis in the presence of the ionic detergent SDS. However, the dissociation of these dimeric forms might occur when samples are prepared by extraction directly in 1% SDS or by incubation of the purified dimers at acidic pH. Dimerization of the envelope precursor might be required for its processing to give the mature envelope proteins, whereas the transmembrane dimer might be essential for optimal structure of the virion and thus its infectivity.     

Identification and characterization of a nuclear pore complex protein

We describe studies using a monoclonal antibody that recognizes a 62 kd protein (p62) of rat liver nuclei. This protein remains associated with the nuclear pore complex-lamina fraction resulting from treatment of nuclei with DNAase, RNAase, and nonionic detergent. Immunofluorescence revealed a strikingly punctate pattern of nuclear rim staining. By immunoferritin microscopy, p62 was specifically localized to the pore complex. Thus, pore complexes can be resolved by fluorescence light microscopy. Pulse chase analysis of labeled tissue culture cells showed that p62 is synthesized as a soluble cytoplasmic precursor of 61 kd, which is incorporated into the nuclear fraction with an unusually long t1/2 of about 6 hr. Incorporation is followed by modification that may involve addition of N-acetylglucosamine residues.     

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PLASMA MEMBRANE FRACTIONS FROM GARFISH LEPISOSTEUS OSSEUS OLFACTORY NERVE

Garfish Lepisosteus osseus olfactory nerve, because of its large size and the unusually high concentration of axonal membrane, is an excellent source of axonal membrane. A procedure is described for the isolation of two types of plasma membranes from the nerve which are obtained in yields of about 20 mg (fraction I) and 1.5 mg (fraction II) per g of wet nerve. Both membrane fractions consist mostly of rounded membrane vesicles, with a unit membrane thickness of ~7.5 nm. The two membrane fractions are different in their lipid to protein ratios, Na-K ATPase activities, polypeptide patterns on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) gel electrophoresis, and fatty acid compositions. They have similar phospholipid composition. On the basis of the relative concentration of axonal and Schwann cell plasma membranes in the nerve, the Na-K ATPase activities of the two membrane fractions and a comparison of the properties of the membrane fractions to those of squid and lobster nerve membrane preparations, fraction I seems to be the axonal membrane and fraction II the Schwann cell plasma membrane. Fraction I has a low protein to lipid ratio. Its polypeptide pattern on SDS gel appears to be much more complex as compared to that of fraction II membrane.     

Yeast nuclear envelope proteins cross react with an antibody against mammalian pore complex proteins

We have used a monoclonal antibody raised against rat liver nuclear proteins to study two cross-reactive proteins in the yeast nucleus. In rat liver, this monoclonal antibody, mAb 414, binds to nuclear pore complex proteins, including one of molecular weight 62,000 (Davis, L. I., and G. Blobel. 1987. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 84:7552-7556). In yeast, mAb 414 cross reacts by immunoblotting with two proteins that have apparent molecular weights of 110,000 and 95,000, and are termed p110 and p95, respectively. Examination of subcellular fractions by immunoblotting shows that both p110 and p95 are located exclusively in the nuclear fraction. The mAb 414 immunoprecipitates several proteins from a crude yeast cell extract, including p110, p95, and a approximately 55-kD protein. Immunoprecipitation from subcellular fractions yields only p110 and p95 from purified nuclei, whereas the approximately 55-kD protein is immunoprecipitated from the soluble fraction. Digestion of purified nuclei with DNase to produce nuclear envelopes releases some of p110, but the majority of p110 is solubilized only after treatment of envelopes with 1 M NaCl. Immunofluorescence localization using yeast cells and isolated nuclei shows a punctate and patchy staining pattern of the nucleus. Confocal laser scanning immunofluorescence microscopy resolves the punctate and patchy staining pattern better and shows regions of fluorescence at the nuclear envelope. Postembedding immunogold electron microscopy using purified nuclei and mAb 414 shows colloidal gold decoration of the yeast nuclear envelope, but resolves pore complexes too poorly to achieve further ultrastructural localization. Immunogold labeling of nuclei followed by embedding suggests decoration of pore complexes. Thus, p110 and/or p95 are localized to the nuclear envelope in yeast, and may be components of the nuclear pore complex.     

Immunological localization of a major karyoskeletal protein in nucleoli of oocytes and somatic cells of Xenopus laevis

Oocyte nuclei of Xenopus laevis contain two major karyoskeletal proteins characterized by their resistance to extractions in high salt buffers and the detergent Triton X-100, i.e. a polypeptide of 68,000 mol wt which is located in the core complex-lamina structure and a polypeptide of 145,000 mol wt enriched in nucleolar fractions. Both proteins are also different by tryptic peptide maps and immunological determinants. Mouse antibodies were raised against insoluble karyoskeletal proteins from Xenopus oocytes and analyzed by immunoblotting procedures. Affinity purified antibodies were prepared using antigens bound to nitrocellulose paper. In immunofluorescence microscopy of Xenopus oocytes purified antibodies against the polypeptide of 145,000 mol wt showed strong staining of nucleoli, with higher concentration in the nucleolar cortex, and of smaller nucleoplasmic bodies. In various other cells including hepatocytes, Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, and cultured kidney epithelial cells antibody staining was localized in small subnucleolar granules. The results support the conclusion that this "insoluble" protein is a major nucleus-specific protein which is specifically associated with--and characteristic of--nucleoli and certain nucleolus-related nuclear bodies. It represents the first case of a positive localization of a karyoskeletal protein in the nuclear interior, i.e. away from the pore complex-lamina structure of the nuclear cortex.     

The two steps of nuclear import, targeting to the nuclear envelope and translocation through the nuclear pore, require different cytosolic factors.

We have isolated two cytosolic fractions from Xenopus oocytes that contain all of the activity necessary to support both steps of nuclear import in digitonin-permeabilized mammalian cells: binding at the nuclear envelope and translocation through the nuclear pore. The first cytosolic fraction (fraction A) interacts with an import-competent, but not a mutant, nuclear localization sequence-bearing conjugate and stimulates its accumulation at the nuclear envelope in an ATP-independent fashion. The second cytosolic fraction (fraction B) gives no discernible effect when added alone; but when added either together with fraction A, or after fraction A, stimulates the passage of the conjugate from the outer nuclear envelope to the interior of the nucleus in an ATP-dependent fashion.