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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

A Direct Force Probe for Measuring Mechanical Integration Between the Nucleus and the Cytoskeleton
Published on: July 29, 2018
Cytoplasmic intermediate filaments mediate actin-driven positioning of the nucleus
Isabelle Dupin1, Yasuhisa Sakamoto, Sandrine Etienne-Manneville
1Institut Pasteur, Cell polarity and Migration Group and CNRS URA 2582, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France.
Abstract:
The localization of the nucleus is precisely regulated, and defects in nuclear positioning are observed in diseases such as lissencephaly, cerebellar ataxia and dysplasia. We show here that cytoplasmic intermediate filaments are essential players in actin-dependent positioning of the nucleus. The actin retrograde flow is relayed by a flow of intermediate filaments that accumulate asymmetrically around the nuclear envelope. Perturbations of the intermediate filament network alter positioning of the nucleus in both migrating and immobile astrocytes. This function of intermediate filaments might be crucial for regulating cell motility, in particular in tumor cells expressing high levels of cytoplasmic intermediate filaments.
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