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Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Combining 3D Magnetic Force Actuator and Multi-Functional Fluorescence Imaging to Study Nucleus Mechanobiology
Published on: July 5, 2022
[Advances in cell nuclear mechanobiology and its regulation mechanisms]
Ran Yan1,2, Xiangyan Chen1, Yixi Zhang1
1School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, P. R. China.
Abstract:
As an important intracellular genetic and regulatory center, the nucleus is not only a terminal effector of intracellular biochemical signals, but also has a significant impact on cell function and phenotype through direct or indirect regulation of nuclear mechanistic cues after the cell senses and responds to mechanical stimuli. The nucleus relies on chromatin-nuclear membrane-cytoskeleton infrastructure to couple signal transduction, and responds to these mechanical stimuli in the intracellular and extracellular physical microenvironments. Changes in the morphological structure of the nucleus are the most intuitive manifestation of this mechanical response cascades and are the basis for the direct response of the nucleus to mechanical stimuli. Based on such relationships of the nucleus with cell behavior and phenotype, abnormal nuclear morphological changes are widely used in clinical practice as disease diagnostic tools. This review article highlights the latest advances in how nuclear morphology responds and adapts to mechanical stimuli. Additionally, this article will shed light on the factors that mechanically regulate nuclear morphology as well as the tumor physio-pathological processes involved in nuclear morphology and the underlying mechanobiological mechanisms. It provides new insights into the mechanisms that nuclear mechanics regulates disease development and its use as a potential target for diagnosis and treatment.
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