Nuclear Transport: Target for Therapy

Drugs directed at plasma membrane receptors target environment–cell interactions and are the mainstay of clinical pharmacology. Decoding mechanisms that govern intracellular signaling has recently opened new therapeutic avenues for interventions at cytosol–organellar interfaces. The nuclear envelope and nuclear transport machinery have emerged central in the discovery and development of experimental therapeutics capable of modulating cellular genetic programs. Insight into nucleocytoplasmic exchange has unmasked promising anticancer, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory strategies. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2007) 81, 880–886. doi:10.1038/sj.clpt.6100141; published online 18 April 2007