The integration of tissue structure and nuclear function

Living cells can filter the same set of biochemical signals to produce different functional outcomes depending on the deformation of the cell. It has been suggested that the cell may be "hard-wired" such that external forces can mediate internal nuclear changes through the modification of established, balanced, internal cytoskeletal tensions. This review will discuss the potential of subnuclear structures and nuclear chromatin to participate in or respond to transduction of mechanical signals originating outside the nucleus. The mechanical interactions of intranuclear structure with the nuclear lamina will be examined. The nuclear lamina, in turn, provides a structural link between the nucleus and the cytoplasmic and cortical cytoskeleton. These mechanical couplings may provide a basis for regulating gene expression through changes in cell shape.