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Updated: Apr 8, 2026

A Direct Force Probe for Measuring Mechanical Integration Between the Nucleus and the Cytoskeleton
Published on: July 29, 2018
New approaches for understanding the nuclear force balance in living, adherent cells
Srujana Neelam1, Richard B Dickinson2, Tanmay P Lele2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, United States.
Abstract:
Cytoskeletal forces are transmitted to the nucleus to position and shape it. Linkages mediated by the LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex transfer these forces to the nuclear envelope. Nuclear position and shape can be thought to be determined by a balance of cytoskeletal forces generated by microtubule motors that shear the nuclear surface, actomyosin forces that can pull, push and shear the nucleus, and intermediate filaments that may passively resist nuclear decentering and deformation. Parsing contributions of these different forces to nuclear mechanics is a very challenging task. Here we review new approaches that can be used in living cells to probe and understand the nuclear force balance.
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