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Updated: May 25, 2025

Direct Force Measurements of Subcellular Mechanics in Confinement using Optical Tweezers
Published on: August 31, 2021
Nuclear mechano-confinement induces geometry-dependent HP1α condensate alterations
Oda Hovet1, Negar Nahali2, Andrea Halaburkova1
1Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
None:
Cells sense external physical cues through complex processes involving signaling pathways, cytoskeletal dynamics, and transcriptional regulation to coordinate a cellular response. A key emerging principle underlying such mechanoresponses is the interplay between nuclear morphology, chromatin organization, and the dynamic behavior of nuclear bodies such as HP1α condensates. Here, applying Airyscan super-resolution live cell imaging, we report a hitherto undescribed level of mechanoresponse triggered by cell confinement below their resting nuclear diameter, which elicits changes in the number, size and dynamics of HP1α nuclear condensates. Utilizing biophysical polymer models, we observe radial redistribution of HP1α condensates within the nucleus, influenced by changes in nuclear geometry. These insights shed new light on the complex relationship between external forces and changes in nuclear shape and chromatin organization in cell mechanoreception.
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