NUP390

NUP390 (PF3D7_0212400) is a Plasmodium-specific nucleoporin that is a component of the parasite nuclear pore complex (NPC), identified by TurboID proximity labeling with affinity purification and mass spectrometry and confirmed to localize to the NPC by GFP tagging in P. berghei (PMID:36040030). Gene deletion attempts indicate NUP390 is essential for parasite survival, and the protein lacks primary sequence homology to proteins outside the Plasmodium genus (PMID:36040030). Beyond its identification as an essential NPC component (PMID:36040030), no further mechanistic detail — including its specific molecular function, interacting substructures within the NPC, or role in nucleocytoplasmic transport — has been characterized in the available corpus.

1. 2022 Medium

   Whether PF3D7_0212400 belongs to the parasite nuclear pore complex was unknown; proximity labeling and imaging established it as an essential, Plasmodium-specific nucleoporin.

   Evidence TurboID proximity labeling with affinity purification and mass spectrometry, GFP tagging for localization, and gene deletion attempts in P. berghei

   PMID:36040030

   Open questions at the time

   • The precise molecular function of NUP390 within the NPC is not defined
   • Direct binding partners and NPC substructure assignment are not established
   • Essentiality is inferred from failed deletion attempts rather than a conditional knockdown mechanistic study

• The specific molecular role of NUP390 in nuclear pore assembly, nucleocytoplasmic transport, or other NPC-associated processes remains unresolved.
• No functional assay linking NUP390 to a specific NPC activity
• No structural model or sub-complex assignment
• No characterization of how loss of NUP390 impairs parasite survival at the molecular level