Dynamics of the Plant Nuclear Envelope and Nuclear Pore

The nucleus is the most prominent compartment of any eukaryotic cell and home to its genetic information. The nucleoplasm is surrounded by a double membrane system, the nuclear envelope (NE). The outer nuclear membrane (ONM) and the inner nuclear membrane (INM) are separated by the perinuclear space (or periplasmic space; Hetzer et al., 2005). The lipid bilayer of the ONM is continuous with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), thus allowing for direct insertion of NE membrane proteins and translocation of proteins into the perinuclear space (Hetzer and Wente, 2009); however, the ONM protein composition differs from the ER (Hetzer et al., 2005). The INM has a distinct protein composition and specialized functions.