Lamins in the nuclear interior - life outside the lamina

Nuclear lamins are components of the peripheral lamina that define the mechanical properties of nuclei and tether heterochromatin to the periphery. A-type lamins localize also to the nuclear interior, but the regulation and specific functions of this nucleoplasmic lamin pool are poorly understood. In this Commentary, we summarize known pathways that are potentially involved in the localization and dynamic behavior of intranuclear lamins, including their post-translational modifications and interactions with nucleoplasmic proteins, such as lamina-associated polypeptide 2α (LAP2α; encoded by TMPO). In addition, new data suggest that lamins in the nuclear interior have an important role in chromatin regulation and gene expression through dynamic binding to both hetero- and euchromatic genomic regions and promoter subdomains, thereby affecting epigenetic pathways and chromatin accessibility. Nucleoplasmic lamins also have a role in spatial chromatin organization and may be involved in mechanosignaling. In view of this newly emerging concept, we propose that the previously reported cellular phenotypes in lamin-linked diseases are, at least in part, rooted in an impaired regulation and/or function of the nucleoplasmic lamin A/C pool.