Foreign protein can be carried into the nucleus of mammalian cell by conjugation with nucleoplasmin.

In studies on the specific migration of macromolecules across the nuclear envelope, a karyophilic protein was injected into the cytoplasm of cultured cells and its subsequent location in the cell was examined. Nucleoplasmin of frog nuclear protein was used for this experiment. When [125I]nucleoplasmin was introduced into the cytoplasm of mammalian cells (human and mouse) by red blood cell-mediated microinjection, it rapidly accumulated in the nucleus. When nucleoplasmin conjugated with [125I]IgG against chromosomal protein was introduced similarly, it also accumulated rapidly in the nucleus, and reacted with its antigen inside the nucleus. On the contrary, when IgG alone or IgG conjugated with BSA were introduced, they did not migrate from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. These findings imply that the migration of macromolecules from the cytoplasm to the nucleus does not depend only on their molecular size but also on a specific transport mechanism, and that karyophilic proteins may act as useful carriers in the transfer of exogenous proteins into the nucleus.