Role of the Bidirectional Nuclear Transporter Importin 13 in Stress

The transport of molecules into and out of the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell is carried out by a family of proteins called the “Importins”. When cells are exposed to environmental stresses that cause damage to the cell, transport carried out by Importins is inhibited. I have shown that a member of this family, Importin 13, is unlike most Importins and can continue to carry out transport of proteins in cells exposed to stress, and show that Importin 13 plays a key role in determining whether the cell should try to recover from the damage or induce cell death.