{
  "id": 8141888,
  "title": "Evolutionary diversification of the nuclear pore complex in Entamoeba histolytica reveals conserved and lineage-specific nucleoporins",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/evolutionary-diversification-of-the-nuclear-pore-complex-in-entamoeba",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.13.750810v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) serve as gateways for macromolecular exchange between the nucleus and cytoplasm across eukaryotes. While NPCs maintain a broadly conserved architecture, significant lineage-specific diversification has occurred, especially among divergent protists. This study delves into the NPC of Entamoeba histolytica, a divergent amoebozoan responsible for amebiasis. Through affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry using EhNup98-like as bait, researchers identified numerous associated proteins, including a novel candidate nucleoporin with resemblance to Nup53/Nup35. Subsequent reciprocal proteomic analysis of EhNup53-like unearthed a wider array of candidate NPC components, encompassing both conserved nucleoporins and several uncharacterized nuclear pore-associated proteins.\n\nStructural analyses unveiled that the EhNup53-like protein harbors a conserved RNA recognition motif (RRM)-like fold, despite extensive primary-sequence divergence. Additionally, it exhibits lineage-specific features, such as an expanded repeat-rich region and truncation of the C-terminal region typically associated with Nup155 binding. These findings augment the known candidate nucleoporins in E. histolytica and unveil NPC-associated networks that amalgamate recognizable conserved components with extensively remodeled and poorly characterized proteins. The study underscores the evolutionary flexibility of the NPC and offers a framework for comprehending the diversification of nuclear pore architecture across deeply divergent eukaryotic lineages.",
  "summary": "Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are the gateways for macromolecular exchange between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Although NPC architecture is broadly conserved across eukaryotes, substantial lineage-specific diversification has emerged, particularly among divergent protists. Here, we investigated the NPC of Entamoeba histolytica, an evolutionarily divergent amoebozoan and the causative agent of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}