Akirin is a molecular adapter that acts as a bridge between a variety of multiprotein complexes, and which is required for embryonic development and for normal innate immune response[, ]. It plays a central role in immune gene expression in insects and mammals, linking the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodelling complex with the transcription factor NFkappaB [, ]. Ankirin-2 plays a key role in nuclear protein degradation by promoting import of proteasomes into the nucleus as it directly binds to fully assembled 20S proteasomes at one end and to nuclear import receptor IPO9 at the other end, bridging them together and mediating the import of pre-assembled proteasome complexes through the nuclear pore [].
