Analysis of gene regulation and eye development by a novel nuclear protein, Nemp1

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We investigated the molecular mechanism of the role of a nuclear membrane protein, Nemp1, in gene regulation during early Xenopus eye development. We found that Nemp1 is localized to the inner nuclear membrane with region B facing the nucleoplasm, and that Nemp1 binds to Barrier-to-Autointegration Factor (BAF) and the GTP form of the small GTPase Ran. Nemp1 inhibits activation of a rax enhancer reporter gene by Otx2 in a region B-dependent manner. These data lead to the possibility that Nemp1 is involved in the expression of the eye-specific gene rax by functioning at the inner nuclear membrane through interactions with BAF and Ran.