Issue 38, 2024

Rethinking nuclear shaping: insights from the nuclear drop model

Abstract

Changes in the nuclear shape caused by cellular shape changes are generally assumed to reflect an elastic deformation from a spherical nuclear shape. Recent evidence, however, suggests that the nuclear lamina, which forms the outer nuclear surface together with the nuclear envelope, possesses more area than that of a sphere of the same volume. This excess area manifests as folds/wrinkles in the nuclear surface in rounded cells and allows facile nuclear flattening during cell spreading without any changes in nuclear volume or surface area. When the lamina becomes smooth and taut, it is inextensible, and supports a surface tension. At this point, it is possible to mathematically calculate the limiting nuclear shape purely based on geometric considerations. In this paper, we provide a commentary on the “nuclear drop model” which seeks to integrate the above features. We outline its testable physical properties and explore its biological implications.

Graphical abstract: Rethinking nuclear shaping: insights from the nuclear drop model

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
05 Jun 2024
Accepted
31 Jul 2024
First published
01 Aug 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Soft Matter, 2024,20, 7558-7565

Rethinking nuclear shaping: insights from the nuclear drop model

R. B. Dickinson, S. Abolghasemzade and T. P. Lele, Soft Matter, 2024, 20, 7558 DOI: 10.1039/D4SM00683F

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