1EFX, 1QGK, 1QGR, 3FEX, 3FEY, 3WPT, 4E4V, 4WV6383816647ENSG00000182481ENSMUSG00000018362P52292P52293NM_002266NM_001320611NM_010655NP_001307540NP_002257NP_034785Importin subunit alpha-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KPNA2 gene.

[5][6] The import of proteins into the nucleus is a process that involves at least 2 steps.

Imported proteins require a nuclear localization sequence (NLS) which generally consists of a short region of basic amino acids or 2 such regions spaced about 10 amino acids apart.

These include the Xenopus protein importin and its yeast homolog, SRP1 (a suppressor of certain temperature-sensitive mutations of RNA polymerase I in Saccharomyces cerevisiae), which bind to the NLS.

KPNA2 also may play a role in V(D)J recombination[7] Karyopherin alpha 2 has been shown to interact with: