1. The Role of Ran in Nuclear Import. - 1. Introduction. - 2. The Ran GTPase cycle and how it relates to nuclear protein import. - 3. Concluding remarks. - 4. References. - 2. Ran GTPase Regulation of the CRMl-Dependent Export Pathway. - 1. Introduction. - 2. Nuclear export signals. - 3. Identification of CRMl/exportin 1 the receptor for leucine-rich NES. - 4. Assembly of nuclear export complexes. - 5. Docking and translocation of the export complex through the NPC. - 6. Release of the export complex from the NPC. - 7. Concluding remarks. - 8. References. - 3. Role of Ran GTPase in RNA Processing and Export of RNA from the Nucleus to the Cytosol: Insights from Budding Yeast. - 1. Introduction. - 2. Ran pathway and tRNA biogenesis in S. cerevisiae. - 3. Ran and its role in ribosome biogenesis and nuclear export of ribosomes in S. cerevisiae. - 4. Ran and its role in nuclear export of mRNAs in S. cerevisiae. - 5. Concluding remarks. - 6. Acknowledgements. - 7. References. - 4. Direct and Indirect Roles of RanGTP in Nuclear Export of RNAs in Higher Eukaryotes. - 1. Introduction. - 2. Export of tRNA. - 3. Export of pre-snRNAs. - 4. Export of mRNAs. - 5. Export of ribosomal RNAs. - 6. Concluding remarks. - 7. Acknowledgements. - 8. References. - 5. The Role of Ran in Regulating Microtubule Spindle Assembly. - 1. Introduction. - 2. Studies that implicated Ran in the regulation of the microtubule cytoskeleton. - 3. Ran-GTP can stimulate microtubule spindle assembly in vitro. - 4. Generation of Ran-GTP by chromatin-bound RCC1 is required for spindle assembly. - 5. The molecular mechanism by which Ran regulates spindle assembly. - 6. Which spindle-forming processes does Ran regulate?. - 7. A model for how Ran-GTP regulates microtubule spindle assembly. - 8. Does Ran play a role in spindle assembly in vivo?. - 9. Could Ran-GTP have functions other than regulating spindle formation in mitosis?. - 10. Concluding remarks. - 11. Acknowledgements. - 12. References. - 6. Multiple Roles of the Ran GTPase During the Cell Cycle. - 1. Introduction. - 2. Expression of Ran pathway components in development and the cell cycle. - 3. Post-translational regulation of the Ran pathway. - 4. Ran's role in regulation of the onset and completion of mitosis. - 5. Ran and mitotic spindle assembly. - 6. Ran and post-mitotic nuclear assembly. - 7. Concluding remarks future directions. - 8. Acknowledgements. - 9. References. - 7. The Multiple Roles of Ran in the Fission Yeast Schizosac-charomyces pombe. - 1. Introduction. - 2. Introduction to the fission yeast S. pombe. - 3. Discovery of S. pombe Ran components. - 4. Localization of S. pombe Ran components. - 5. Phenotypic consequences of perturbing the Ran system. - 6. Evidence that the Ran system has multiple functions in fission yeast. - 7. Comparison of the phenotypic consequences of perturbing the Ran system in S. pombe and other experimental systems. - 8. Concluding remarks: Unanswered questions and future directions regarding the role of Ran in S. pombe. - 9. Acknowledgements. - 10. References. - 8. Mitotic Control by Ran and RanBPl in Mammalian Cells. - 1. Introduction. - 2. Mammalian RanBPl protein: structure and functions. - 3. Localization of components of the Ran network during the cell cycle. - 4. Spindle assembly in mammalian cells. - 5. Mitotic division. - 6. Nuclear reconstitution at mitotic exit. - 7. Concluding remarks. - 8. References. - 9. Ran Regulation by Ran GEF and Ran GAP. - 1. Introduction. - 2. Ran GEF stimulates guanine nucleotide exchange and the resulting active Ran-GTP terminates import into the nucleus. - 3. In the cytoplasm RanGAP induces Ran GTPaseactivity. - 4. with some help from RanBP2 and RanBPl. - 5. Mogl induces release of GTP from Ran. - 6. Concluding remarks. - 7. References. - 10. Structural Views of the Ran GTPase Cycle. - 1. Introduction. - 2. RanGTP and Ran-GDP active and inactive conformations. - 3. NTF2 a binding partner of RanGDP. - 4. Activation: RCC1 and its complex with Ran. - 5. Deactivation: RanGAP. - 6. Effectors of Ran. - 9. References. - 7. Concluding remarks. - 8. Acknowledgments. Language: English