Cytoplasmic protein aggregates interfere with nucleocytoplasmic transport of protein and RNA

Location, location, location Aggregates of certain disease-associated proteins are involved in neurodegeneration. Woerner et al. now show that the exact location of these aggregates in the cell may be the key to their pathology (see the Perspective by Da Cruz and Cleveland). An artificial aggregate-prone protein caused problems when expressed in the cytoplasm but not when expressed in the nucleus. Cytoplasmic aggregates interfered with nucleocytoplasmic import and export. Perhaps if we can shunt pathological aggregates to the nucleus in the future, we will be able to ameliorate some forms of degenerative disease. Science , this issue p. 173 ; see also p. 125