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Nuclear Sensing of Mechanical Cues

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biophysics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2021) | Viewed by 11967

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg 12, rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg, France
Interests: nuclear envelope; mechanical stress response; gene expression; cell division; nuclear shaping; microtubules; GIP/MZT1

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Co-Guest Editor
Laboratoire de Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCBL, INRAE, CNRS, 46 Allée d’Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
Interests: mechanical signals; plant development; cell biology and biophysics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Beyond its established role in cell biology, the nucleus is increasingly considered as a physical object that integrates mechanical cues. To adapt the cellular response, the nucleus senses mechanical stress and reacts through changes in its shape and mechanical properties, as well as gene expression. This has been shown in different model systems. Here we will focus on the pathways and actors involved in the process in the eukaryotic kingdom from yeast, plants to mammals, to bring to the scientific community the latest advances in the field of nuclear mechanotransduction concerning chromatin remodeling and gene expression.  

This Special Issue, “Nuclear Sensing of Mechanical Cues”, will cover a selection of recent research topics and current review articles in the field of transcriptomics, genetics, and chromatin. Experimental and bioinformatics papers, up-to-date review articles, and commentaries are also welcome.

Dr. Marie-Edith Chaboute
Dr. Olivier Hamant
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Nuclear envelope
  • Chromatin
  • Cytoskeleton
  • Mechanical stress
  • Gene expression
  • Biophysics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2435 KiB  
Article
Stretch-Induced Tenomodulin Expression Promotes Tenocyte Migration via F-Actin and Chromatin Remodeling
by Pu Xu, Bin Deng, Bingyu Zhang, Qing Luo and Guanbin Song
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(9), 4928; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094928 - 6 May 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3146
Abstract
The mechanosensitive gene tenomodulin (Tnmd) is implicated in tendon maturation and repair. However, the mechanism by which mechanical loading regulates Tnmd’s expression and its role in tenocyte migration is yet to be defined. Here, we show that Tnmd and migration were upregulated in [...] Read more.
The mechanosensitive gene tenomodulin (Tnmd) is implicated in tendon maturation and repair. However, the mechanism by which mechanical loading regulates Tnmd’s expression and its role in tenocyte migration is yet to be defined. Here, we show that Tnmd and migration were upregulated in uniaxial cyclic stress-stimulated tenocytes. The knockdown of Tnmd reduced cell migration in the presence and absence of mechanical loading, suggesting that Tnmd is involved in tenocyte migration. Moreover, the treatment of stress-stimulated tenocytes with the actin inhibitor latrunculin (Lat A), histone acetyltransferase inhibitor anacardic acid (ANA), or histone demethylases inhibitor GSK-J4 suppressed Tnmd expression and tenocyte migration. These results show that actin stress fiber formation and chromatin decondensation regulates Tnmd expression, which might then regulate tenocyte migration. Thus, this study proposes the involvement of the actin and chromatin mechanotransduction pathway in the regulation of Tnmd and reveals a novel role of Tnmd in tenocyte migration. The identification of Tnmd function in tenocyte migration provides insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in Tnmd-mediated tendon repair. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Sensing of Mechanical Cues)
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Review

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12 pages, 958 KiB  
Review
Orchestration of Force Generation and Nuclear Collapse in Apoptotic Cells
by Bruno Monier and Magali Suzanne
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10257; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910257 - 23 Sep 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2684
Abstract
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a form of cell suicide that is extremely important for ridding the body of cells that are no longer required, to protect the body against hazardous cells, such as cancerous ones, and to promote tissue morphogenesis during [...] Read more.
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a form of cell suicide that is extremely important for ridding the body of cells that are no longer required, to protect the body against hazardous cells, such as cancerous ones, and to promote tissue morphogenesis during animal development. Upon reception of a death stimulus, the doomed cell activates biochemical pathways that eventually converge on the activation of dedicated enzymes, caspases. Numerous pieces of information on the biochemical control of the process have been gathered, from the successive events of caspase activation to the identification of their targets, such as lamins, which constitute the nuclear skeleton. Yet, evidence from multiple systems now shows that apoptosis is also a mechanical process, which may even ultimately impinge on the morphogenesis of the surrounding tissues. This mechanical role relies on dramatic actomyosin cytoskeleton remodelling, and on its coupling with the nucleus before nucleus fragmentation. Here, we provide an overview of apoptosis before describing how apoptotic forces could combine with selective caspase-dependent proteolysis to orchestrate nucleus destruction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Sensing of Mechanical Cues)
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18 pages, 1152 KiB  
Review
Regulation of Nuclear Mechanics and the Impact on DNA Damage
by Ália dos Santos and Christopher P. Toseland
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(6), 3178; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22063178 - 20 Mar 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 5428
Abstract
In eukaryotic cells, the nucleus houses the genomic material of the cell. The physical properties of the nucleus and its ability to sense external mechanical cues are tightly linked to the regulation of cellular events, such as gene expression. Nuclear mechanics and morphology [...] Read more.
In eukaryotic cells, the nucleus houses the genomic material of the cell. The physical properties of the nucleus and its ability to sense external mechanical cues are tightly linked to the regulation of cellular events, such as gene expression. Nuclear mechanics and morphology are altered in many diseases such as cancer and premature ageing syndromes. Therefore, it is important to understand how different components contribute to nuclear processes, organisation and mechanics, and how they are misregulated in disease. Although, over the years, studies have focused on the nuclear lamina—a mesh of intermediate filament proteins residing between the chromatin and the nuclear membrane—there is growing evidence that chromatin structure and factors that regulate chromatin organisation are essential contributors to the physical properties of the nucleus. Here, we review the main structural components that contribute to the mechanical properties of the nucleus, with particular emphasis on chromatin structure. We also provide an example of how nuclear stiffness can both impact and be affected by cellular processes such as DNA damage and repair. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nuclear Sensing of Mechanical Cues)
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