O complexo do poro nuclear completo ten un diámetro duns 120 nanómetros en vertebrados.<ref name=winey1997>{{cite journal|last1=Winey|first1=Mark|last2=Yarar|first2=Defne|last3=Giddings, Jr.|first3=Thomas H|last4=Mastronarde|first4=David N|title=Nuclear Pore Complex Number and Distribution throughout the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cell Cycle by Three-Dimensional Reconstruction from Electron Micrographs of Nuclear Envelopes|journal=Molecular Biology of the Cell|date=1 November 1997|volume=8|issue=11|pages=2119–2132|doi=10.1091/mbc.8.11.2119|url=http://www.molbiolcell.org/content/8/11/2119.long|accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref> Pero o diámetro da canle interna é menor e varía segundo as especies, desde uns 5,2 nanómetros enata humanos10,7 nm, cunha profundidade duns 45 nm.<ref name=mohr2009keminer1999>{{cite journal|last1=MohrKeminer|first1=DagmarOliver|last2=FreyPeters|first2=Steffen|last3=Fischer|first3=Torsten|last4=Güttler|first4=Thomas|last5=Görlich|first5=DirkReiner|title=CharacterisationPermeability of theSingle passiveNuclear permeability barrier of nuclear pore complexesPores|journal=The EMBOBiophysical Journal|date=13 AugustJuly 20091999|volume=2877|issue=171|pages=2541–2553217–228|doi=10.10381016/emboj.2009.200S0006-3495(99)76883-9|url=http://embojwww.embopressncbi.orgnlm.nih.gov/contentpmc/28articles/17PMC1300323/2541.long|accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref> ata 10,7 nm na ra ''[[Xenopus laevis]]'', cunha profundidade duns 45 nm.<ref name=keminer1999mohr2009>{{cite journal|last1=KeminerMohr|first1=OliverDagmar|last2=PetersFrey|first2=ReinerSteffen|last3=Fischer|first3=Torsten|last4=Güttler|first4=Thomas|last5=Görlich|first5=Dirk|title=PermeabilityCharacterisation of Singlethe Nuclearpassive Porespermeability barrier of nuclear pore complexes|journal=BiophysicalThe EMBO Journal|date=July13 1999August 2009|volume=7728|issue=117|pages=217–2282541–2553|doi=10.10161038/S0006-3495(99)76883-9emboj.2009.200|url=http://wwwemboj.ncbiembopress.nlm.nih.govorg/pmccontent/articles28/PMC130032317/2541.long|accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref> Como comparación, as moléculas de [[ARNm]], que son monocatenarias e teñen que atravesar os poros, teñen un grosor duns 0,5 a 1 nm.<ref name=kuznetsov2005>{{cite journal|last1=Kuznetsov|first1=Yurii G.|last2=Daijogo|first2=Sarah|last3=Zhou|first3=Jiashu|last4=Semler|first4=Bert L.|last5=McPherson|first5=A.|title=Atomic Force Microscopy Analysis of Icosahedral Virus RNA|journal=Journal of Molecular Biology|date=March 2005|volume=347|issue=1|pages=41–52|doi=10.1016/j.jmb.2005.01.006|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022283605000288|accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref> A [[masa molecular]] dos complexos do poro de mamíferos é duns 124 [[Dalton (unidade)|megadaltons]] e contén aproximadamente 30 compoñentes proteicos diferentes, cada un con múltiples copias.<ref name=Alber_2007>{{cite journal |author=Alber F, Dokudovskaya S, Veenhoff LM, ''et al.'' |título=Determining the architectures of macromolecular assemblies |journal=Nature |volume=450 |issue=7170 |pages=683–94 |year=2007 |month=November |pmid=18046405 |doi=10.1038/nature06404}}</ref> Polo contrario, no lévedo ''[[Saccharomyces cerevisiae]]'' é menor, e pesa só 66MDa.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rout MP, Blobel G |título=Isolation of the yeast nuclear pore complex |journal=J. Cell Biol. |volume=123 |issue=4 |pages=771–83 |year=1993 |month=November |pmid=8227139 |pmc=2200146 |doi= |url=http://www.jcb.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=8227139}}</ref>
== Transporte a través do complexo do poro nuclear ==
