How to understand the mechanism of nuclear transport of nanoparticles in mammalian cells?

Hi Gargi nuclear import usually involves the small GTPase RAN

The nuclear membrane is "studded" with basket like structures (nuclear pores) that are involved in active transport through the nuclear membrane - however smaller molecules ~24 kDa or less (it is shape as well as size dependent) can pass through the "gaps" in the basket like structures and so diffuse passively into the nucleus.

I may be wrong but it is likely that the import/export of a nano-particle will not be affected by chemical inhibitors.

The fact that your nano-particle is not diffused throughout the cytoplasm/nucleus indicates to me that it may be binding to a nuclear localised protein/chemical and accumulating or binding to a protein that is actively localising to the nucleus.

Although not my field there are several papers that may be of assistance;

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0062018

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1818087613000020

Unfortunately I am unaware of many drugs that inhibit nuclear import (there are several such as leptomycin B that inhibit export

http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/content/dam/sigma-aldrich/docs/Sigma/General_Information/vol2-issue1-cell-bio.pdf

Some people have inhibit nuclear import using non-hydrolysable GTP or by the use of peptide inhibitors

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1074552108002895

which normally target NLS signals or the protein importin.

As mentioned these would only work if the particles are associating with something that is being actively transported (rather than passive diffusion followed by adherence to a nuclear structure/element).

Sorry I can't be more help,

Gary

I need to image mesoporous silica nanoparticles that are in ~100 nm size and do high resolution TEM to look at mesopores. what grids should I use?

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