The nucleus is a central organelle of eukaryotic cells undergoing dynamic structural changes during cellular fundamental processes such as proliferation and differentiation. These changes rely on the integration of developmental and stress signals at the nuclear envelope (NE), orchestrating responses at the nucleo-cytoplasmic interface for efficient genomic functions such as DNA transcription, replication and repair. While in animals, correlation has already been established between NE dynamics and chromatin remodeling using last-generation tools and cutting-edge technologies, this topic is just emerging in plants, especially in response to mechanical cues. This review summarizes recent data obtained in this field with more emphasis on the mechanical stress response. It also highlights similarities/differences between animal and plant cells at multiples scales, from the structural organization of the nucleo-cytoplasmic continuum to the functional impacts of NE dynamics.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16246 | DOI Listing |
Nat Nanotechnol
January 2025
ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Castelldefels, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.
Quantifying the mechanical response of the biological milieu (such as the cell's interior) and complex fluids (such as biomolecular condensates) would enable a better understanding of cellular differentiation and aging and accelerate drug discovery. Here we present time-shared optical tweezer microrheology to determine the frequency- and age-dependent viscoelastic properties of biological materials. Our approach involves splitting a single laser beam into two near-instantaneous time-shared optical traps to carry out simultaneous force and displacement measurements and quantify the mechanical properties ranging from millipascals to kilopascals across five decades of frequency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
December 2024
Department of General Surgery, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Biodiagnostic & Biotherapy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710004, China.
Liver metastasis is the main cause of cancer-related mortality. During the metastasis process, circulating carcinoma cells hardly pass through narrow capillaries, leading to nuclear deformation. However, the effects of nuclear deformation and its underlying mechanisms on metastasis need further study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDev Biol
December 2024
Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA. Electronic address:
The cell nuclei of Ophisthokonts, the eukaryotic supergroup defined by fungi and metazoans, is remarkable in the constancy of their double-membraned structure in both somatic and germ cells. Such remarkable structural conservation underscores common and ancient evolutionary origins. Yet, the dynamics of disassembly and reassembly displayed by Ophisthokont nuclei vary extensively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
IFOM ETS, The AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy.
Targeting nuclear mechanics is emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy for sensitizing cancer cells to immunotherapy. Inhibition of the mechano-sensory kinase ATR leads to mechanical vulnerability of cancer cells, causing nuclear envelope softness and collapse and activation of the cGAS-STING-mediated innate immune response. Finding novel compounds that interfere with the non-canonical role of ATR in controlling nuclear mechanics presents an intriguing therapeutic opportunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biochem
December 2024
Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) act as gateways across the nuclear envelope for molecular transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm in eukaryotes. NPCs consist of several subcomplexes formed by multiple copies of approximately 30 different proteins known as nucleoporins (Nups). In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the NPC structure is unique, particularly in its outer ring subcomplexes, where the cytoplasmic and nucleoplasmic outer rings are composed of distinct sets of proteins.
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