Multifunctional Roles of Brr6 and Brl1 in Nuclear Envelope Fusion During Nuclear Pore Complex Biogenesis

Abstract

Brl1 and Brr6 are essential, paralogous integral membrane proteins of the yeast nuclear envelope (NE) that transiently associate with nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) during their assembly to promote fusion of the inner (INM) and outer nuclear membranes (ONM). An amphipathic -helix (AH) in Brl1 is critical for mediating this fusion during NPC biogenesis. However, the exact roles of Brl1 and Brr6 in the molecular mechanisms of NPC assembly are still unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Brr6 operates at both early and late stages of NPC assembly. Its early function is supported by AH mutants that fail to permit nucleoporin recruitment and INM deformation, while mutations in conserved cysteine residues lead to NE herniations and defective membrane fusion. Additionally, the N-terminus of Brl1 interacts with Nic96, likely promoting its recruitment to nascent NPC assembly sites. We further provide evidence that the length of the perinuclear space-spanning region of Brl1 and Brr6 is critical for proper NE fusion during NPC formation. Artificial elongation of this region produces a toxic phenotype marked by Nup82 mislocalisation and severe NE integrity defects. This phenotype supports a model in which Brl1 and Brr6 promote NE fusion following INM deformation, when the distance between the INM and ONM is reduced--a process initiated by nucleoporin assembly on the nuclear side of the INM.