Nucleoskeleton articles from across Nature Portfolio

Replication fork plasticity upon genotoxic stress is modulated by nuclear architectural components by elusive mechanisms. Here the authors implicate Lamin A/C – best known for its structural support of nuclear periphery – in the control of replication fork restart throughout the nucleus, by supporting heterochromatin establishment and ADP ribosylation levels at replication factories.

Extracellular matrices are viscoelastic, yet how matrix viscoelasticity regulates the epigenome remains unclear. Here, the authors show that cells cultured on viscoelastic matrices exhibit changes in the nucleoskeleton and in chromatin that enhance cell reprogramming.

Changes in nuclear and genome organization promote the repair of DNA double-strand breaks and genome stability. Processes that are involved include the modulation of chromatin state, condensates of repair proteins and cytoskeleton reorganization. The reshaping of the nucleus and genome is commonly altered in cancer and during ageing, which could be targeted to provide new therapeutic opportunities.

This study combines lattice light sheet microscopy and single molecule imaging to study protein dynamics and chromatin structure in live cells. The authors describe how nucleosomes and proteins move and are organised in relation to chromatin density.

We found that aging is accompanied by a reduction in cardiomyocyte nuclear size and increased stiffness, dependent on loss of A-type lamins. Mechanistically, age-dependent nuclear remodeling represses expression of cardiogenic transcription factors that are required for heart contractility. Preserving lamin or transcription factors delays cardiac decline.

The oligomerization of scaffold attachment factor A through its binding to chromatin-associated RNAs regulates the structure of interphase chromosomes.

LINC complex structure and nucleoskeleton organization are key factors in the transmission of mechanical stress to the nucleus.

Two studies reveal roles for B-type lamins in organogenesis and cell proliferation.