Lamina-independent lamins in the nuclear interior serve important functions

Nuclear lamins were originally described as the main constituents of the nuclear lamina, a filamentous meshwork closely associated with the inner nuclear membrane. However, within recent years, it has become increasingly evident that a fraction of lamins also resides throughout the nuclear interior. As intermediate-filament-type proteins, lamins have been suggested to fulfill mainly structural functions such as providing shape and mechanical stability to the nucleus. But recent findings show that both peripheral and nucleoplasmic lamins also have important roles in essential cellular processes such as transcription, DNA replication, cell cycle progression, and chromatin organization. Furthermore, more than 300 mutations in the gene encoding A-type lamins have been associated with several human diseases now generally termed laminopathies and comprising muscular dystrophies, lipodystrophies, cardiomyopathies, and premature aging diseases. This review focuses on the lamina-independent pool of lamins in the nuclear interior, which surprisingly has not been studied in much detail so far. We discuss the properties and regulation of nucleoplasmic lamins during the cell cycle, their interaction partners, and their potential involvement in cellular processes and the development of laminopathies.