Karyopherin alpha2 (KPNA2) is a member of the karyopherin alpha family. This protein plays a key role in the nuclear import of proteins with a classical nuclear localization signal (NLS). KPNA2 bound in vitro specifically and directly to substrates containing either a simple or bipartite NLS motif. It promoted docking of import substrates to the nuclear envelope and together with recombinant human Ran reconstituted complete nuclear protein import. Recombinant human KPNA2 protein, fused to His-tag at N-terminus, was expressed in E.coli and purified by using conventional chromatography. Synonyms: Importin subunit alpha-2, IPOA1, QIP2, SRP1alpha. NCBI no.: AAH05978