Abstract
For researchers trying to elucidate how one protein activity or intermolecular interaction contributes to a complex metabolic pathway, a specific chemical inhibitor can be an invaluable tool, yet in living cells, disrupting a single activity is often insufficient to elicit a discernible response. Moore and Rosbash discusses recent research that describes the rational design of an inhibitor panel that targets three different routes of messenger RNA export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm of living mammalian cells.