RegenerativeMedicine.net

Concentric organization of A- and B-type lamins predicts their distinct roles in the spatial organization and stability of the nuclear lamina

Authors: Bruce Nmezi, Jianquan Xu, Rao Fu, Travis J. Armiger, Guillermo Rodriguez-Bey, Juliana S. Powell, Hongqiang Ma, Mara Sullivan, Yiping Tu, Natalie Y. Chen, Stephen G. Young, Donna B. Stolz, Kris Noel Dahl, Yang Liu, and Quasar S. Padiath

Summary:

The nuclear lamina is an intermediate filament meshwork adjacent to the inner nuclear membrane (INM) that plays a critical role in maintaining nuclear shape and regulating gene expression through chromatin interactions. Studies have demonstrated that A- and B-type lamins, the filamentous proteins that make up the nuclear lamina, form independent but interacting networks. However, whether these lamin subtypes exhibit a distinct spatial organization or whether their organization has any functional consequences is unknown. Using stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) our studies reveal that lamin B1 and lamin A/C form concentric but overlapping networks, with lamin B1 forming the outer concentric ring located adjacent to the INM. The more peripheral localization of lamin B1 is mediated by its carboxyl-terminal farnesyl group. Lamin B1 localization is also curvature- and strain-dependent, while the localization of lamin A/C is not. We also show that lamin B1’s outer-facing localization stabilizes nuclear shape by restraining outward protrusions of the lamin A/C network. These two findings, that lamin B1 forms an outer concentric ring and that its localization is energy-dependent, are significant as they suggest a distinct model for the nuclear lamina—one that is able to predict its behavior and clarifies the distinct roles of individual nuclear lamin proteins and the consequences of their perturbation.

Source: PNAS; online 02/14/19