The transmembrane nucleoporin NDC1 is required for targeting of ALADIN to nuclear pore complexes

NDC1 is a transmembrane nucleoporin that is required for NPC assembly and nucleocytoplasmic transport. We show here that NDC1 directly interacts with the nucleoporin ALADIN, mutations of which are responsible for triple-A syndrome, and that this interaction is required for targeting of ALADIN to nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Furthermore, we show that NDC1 is required for selective nuclear import. Our findings suggest that NDC1-mediated localization of ALADIN to NPCs is essential for selective nuclear protein import, and that abrogation of the interaction between ALADIN and NDC1 may be important for the development of triple-A syndrome.