Why Are Nuclear Localization Signals Not Cleaved

Nuclear localization signals are not cleaved off after transport into the nucleus. This is presumably because nuclear proteins need to be imported repeatedly, once after every cell division.

Is nuclear localization signal cleaved?

Although there is no single consensus sequence for NLSs, they possess several common features. Typically, an NLS is rich in basic amino acids, not cleaved from the protein after import, and functionally independent of its position within the protein molecule.

What does the nuclear localization signal do?

Nuclear localization signals (NLS) are generally short peptides that act as a signal fragment that mediates the transport of proteins from the cytoplasm into the nucleus.