INTRODUCTION Although nuclei are often spherical, nuclear shape can change significantly between cell types and during cell differentiation or aging (Dauer and Worman, 2009). The nuclear envelope (NE) is a key determinant of nuclear morphology. The nuclear lamina, a meshwork underlying the inner nuclear membrane in metazoa, is crucial for the structural integrity of nuclei (Stuurman et al., 199...

UNLABELLED In a previous screen of putative interferon-stimulated genes, SUN2 was shown to inhibit HIV-1 infection in an uncharacterized manner. SUN2 is an inner nuclear membrane protein belonging to the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton complex. We have analyzed here the role of SUN2 in HIV infection. We report that in contrast to what was initially thought, SUN2 is not induced by type...

The nucleus is the center of vital activity and is the brain of any cell. This stands true in case of physiological and pathological cells. Nucleus is the most active and prominent cellular organelle which shows many forms, has varied shapes and sizes, depicting the activity of the cell. Morphology of the nuclear shape and presentation can get altered because of changes in nuclear lamina or it ...

An objective method for measuring bovine sperm nuclear shape was developed. Digital images of bovine sperm stained with propidium iodide were collected and Fourier functions used to describe the perimeters of individual sperm nuclei. Harmonic amplitudes from Fourier functions were first shown to be independent of sperm orientation during digitization. Sperm from 12 different bulls were used, an...

The nuclear lamina consists of a meshwork of lamins and lamina-associated proteins, which provide mechanical support, control size and shape of the nucleus, and mediate the attachment of chromatin to the nuclear envelope. Abnormal nuclear shapes are observed in aging cells of humans and nematode worms. The expression of laminDelta50, a constitutively active lamin A splicing variant in Hutchinso...

The nucleus of a living cell is constantly undergoing changes in shape and size as a result of various mechanical forces in physiology. These changes correlate with alterations in gene expression, however it is unclear whether nuclear deformation alone is sufficient to elicit these alterations. We used T-cell activation as a model system to test the coupling between nuclear deformation (elongat...

Shape-dependent local differentials in cell proliferation are considered to be a major driving mechanism of structuring processes in vivo, such as embryogenesis, wound healing, and angiogenesis. However, the specific biophysical signaling by which changes in cell shape contribute to cell cycle regulation remains poorly understood. Here, we describe our study of the roles of nuclear volume and c...