A nuclear pore is a channel as part of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), a large protein complex found in the nuclear envelope of eukaryotic cells. The nuclear envelope (NE) surrounds the cell nucleus containing DNA and facilitates the selective membrane transport of various molecules.

The nuclear envelope, also known as the nuclear membrane, is made up of two lipid bilayer membranes that in eukaryotic cells surround the nucleus, which encloses the genetic material.