The Role of Nuclear Stiffness and Resilience in Mechanotransduction

Abstract

Mechanical force is found to be increasingly important during development and for proper homeostatic maintenance of cells and tissues. The nucleus occupies a large volume fraction of the cell and is interconnected with the cytoskeleton. Here, to determine the direct role of the nucleus itself in converting forces to changes in gene expression, also known as, mechanotransduction, we examine changes in nuclear mechanics and gene reorganization associated with cell fate and with extracellular force. We measure mechanics of nuclei in many model cell systems using micropipette aspiration to show changes in nuclear mechanics. In intact cells we characterize the rheological changes induced in the genome organization with live cell imaging and particle tracking, and we suggest how these changes relate to gene expression.