Mitotic checkpoint protein Mad1 is required for early Nup153 recruitment to chromatin and nuclear envelope integrity

Nucleoporin Nup153 is a multifunctional protein and mitotic checkpoint protein Mad1 a known binding partner. The functional relevance of their interaction has remained elusive. Here, we have further dissected Nup153's and Mad1's interface and functional interplay. By in situ proximity ligation assays, we found that the presence of a nuclear envelope (NE) is prerequisite for the Nup153-Mad1 association. Time-lapse microscopy revealed that depletion of Mad1 delayed recruitment of Nup153 to anaphase chromatin, which was often accompanied by a prolongation of anaphase. Furthermore, as seen by electron microscopic and three-dimensional structured illumination investigations, Nup153 and Mad1 depletion led to alterations in NE architecture, characterised by a change of membrane curvature at nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and an expansion of the spacing between inner and outer nuclear membrane. Nup153 depletion, but not of Mad1, caused defects in interphase NPC assembly with partial displacement of cytoplasmic nucleoporins and a reduction in NPC density. Together our results suggest that Nup153 has separable roles in NE and NPC formation: in post-mitotic NE reformation in concert with Mad1 and in interphase NPC assembly, independent of Mad1.