Nuclear mechanosensing
How the nucleus contributes to how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces.
This is a current research focus in the lab. Cells constantly sense and respond to mechanical forces from their environment, a process known as mechanotransduction. While most work in the field has focused on how this sensing happens at the plasma membrane and at cell-matrix adhesions, we are interested in the contribution of the nucleus itself.
We study the role of the nucleus and the LINC (Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex in cellular mechanotransduction, in particular how they shape RhoA/GEF-H1 signalling. To isolate the contribution of the nucleus from the rest of the cell, we compare enucleated cells (cytoplasts) with intact cells, combining traction force microscopy with biochemical assays of RhoA activity.