A GIANT NUCLEOPORE PROTEIN THAT BINDS RAN/TC4

RAN/TC4 is a small nuclear G protein(1) that forms a complex with the chromatin-bound guanine nucleotide release factor RCC1 (ref. 2). Loss of RCC1 causes defects in cell-cycle progression(3,4), RNA export(5-7) and nuclear protein import(8). Some of these can be suppressed by overexpression of Ran/TC4 (ref. 1), suggesting that Ran/TC4 functions downstream of RCC1. We have searched for proteins that bind Ran/TC4 by using a two-hybrid screen, and here we report the identification of RanBP2, a novel protein of 3,224 residues. This giant protein comprises an amino-terminal 700-residue leucine-rich region, four RanBP1-homologous (refs 9, 10) domains, eight zinc-finger motifs similar to those of NUP153 (refs 11, 12), and a carboxy terminus with high homology to cyclophilin(13). The molecule contains the XFXFG pentapeptide motif characteristic of nuclear pore complex (NPC) proteins(14), and immunolocalization suggests that RanBP2 is a constituent of the NPC. The fact that NLS-mediated nuclear import can be inhibited by an antibody directed against RanBP2 supports a functional role in protein import through the NPC.