<p>Thousands of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) cover the nuclear surface of mammalian cells and establish selective transport conduits that biochemically segregate the nucleoplasm and cytoplasm. Although the molecular composition and structure of archetypical NPCs are well understood, distinct NPCs composed of varying nucleoporins exist in different cell types and even within individual cells. Furthermore, the integration of NPCs within mechanosensitive networks impacts their dilation state. However, whether (and how) the dilation or compositional plasticity of NPCs impacts their primary role as selective transport channels remains unclear. Based on our current understanding of NPC plasticity, we propose here that nuclear membrane tension and the resulting dilation of nuclear pores is a determinant of the compositional plasticity of NPCs, thus providing a framework to interpret how nucleoporins may influence cell fate decisions and explain the tissue-specificity of some NPC-related diseases.</p>