Mediates the nuclear export of proteins (cargos) with broad substrate specificity. In the nucleus binds cooperatively to its cargo and to the GTPase Ran in its active GTP-bound form. Docking of this trimeric complex to the nuclear pore complex (NPC) is mediated through binding to nucleoporins. Upon transit of a nuclear export complex into the cytoplasm, disassembling of the complex and hydrolysis of Ran-GTP to Ran-GDP (induced by RANBP1 and RANGAP1, respectively) cause release of the cargo from the export receptor. XPO7 then return to the nuclear compartment and mediate another round of transport. The directionality of nuclear export is thought to be conferred by an asymmetric distribution of the GTP- and GDP-bound forms of Ran between the cytoplasm and nucleus.
Subcellular locations: Cytoplasm, Nucleus
Shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.
Strong expression in testis, thyroid and bone marrow, low expression in lung, liver and small intestine, no expression in thymus, and remaining tissues studied have moderate expression. Expressed in red blood cells; overexpressed in red blood cells (cytoplasm) of patients with hereditary non-spherocytic hemolytic anemia of unknown etiology.