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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
12:29
Upright Imaging of Drosophila Egg Chambers
Published on: March 13, 2015
Prostaglandins regulate the nucleoskeleton during Drosophila border cell migration.
Ashley C Goll1, Ningxin Li1, Elisabeth A Nacino1
1129E. Jefferson Street, Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|June 12, 2026
Summary
The nucleoskeleton remodels during collective cell migration, requiring prostaglandin signaling for proper function. This remodeling facilitates invasive migration, with implications across species.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- The nucleoskeleton, composed of lamins and associated proteins, regulates nuclear stiffness, crucial for single cell migration.
- The role of nucleoskeletal remodeling in collective cell migration remains largely unexplored.
- Drosophila border cell migration provides a model system to study collective cell migration dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamic changes in the nucleoskeleton during collective cell migration.
- To determine the role of prostaglandin (PG) signaling in nucleoskeletal remodeling during migration.
- To elucidate how nucleoskeletal modifications influence the invasive behavior of migrating cell clusters.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism for border cell migration studies.
- Employed immunofluorescence microscopy to visualize and quantify the distribution of Lamin A, Lamin B, and Emerin within the nucleoskeleton.
- Genetically manipulated prostaglandin signaling pathways and assessed the impact on border cell migration and nucleoskeletal organization.
- Investigated the effects of specific lamin mutations (Lamin A R237P) on cell migration.
Main Results:
- Observed significant remodeling of the nucleoskeleton during border cell migration, including changes in lamin composition and localization.
- Demonstrated that prostaglandin (PG) signaling is essential for timely border cell migration and proper nucleoskeletal remodeling and polarity.
- Found that loss of PG signaling leads to delayed migration and aberrant nucleoskeletal structure, with Lamin A and Emerin accumulation.
- Identified polarization of the nucleoskeleton, with Lamin B enrichment at the front and Emerin at the back of the migrating cluster.
Conclusions:
- Nucleoskeletal remodeling is a critical process during collective cell migration, facilitating invasive movement.
- Prostaglandin (PG) signaling acts as a novel regulator of the nucleoskeleton, orchestrating its remodeling for effective collective migration.
- These findings highlight conserved mechanisms of nucleoskeletal regulation in collective cell migration across different organisms and contexts.
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