Lifeact and Utr230 induce distinct actin assemblies in cell nuclei

Nuclear actin assembly in somatic cells has been an enigma for a long time. Recently, with the advancement of novel F-actin probes, researchers have started to uncover this mystery. In this study, we investigated the actin dynamics in somatic cell nuclei using two probes: Lifeact and Utr230. Surprisingly, we observed that both Lifeact and Utr230 significantly interfered with actin dynamics in cell nuclei. Moreover, these two probes induced distinct patterns of nuclear actin assembly. While Lifeact induced filamentous actin assembly in cell nuclei, Utr230 led to various patterns of actin aggregates, including fibers, small puncta, and large patches. Moreover, the interference of actin dynamics by Lifeact was limited to nuclear actin, while Utr230 induced actin aggregation in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. Using time-lapse microscopy, we found that Lifeact-induced actin fibers remained steady over hours of observation, indicating a deficiency of nuclear F-actin reorganization. These results suggest that Lifeact and Utr230 both interfere with nuclear actin dynamics but with distinct mechanisms. This is an important finding for research on nuclear actin assembly and highlights the potential value of these two probes for exploring the native mechanisms underlying nuclear actin dynamics, which appear to be altered in the presence of these probes.