Physics Commons^™

Vimentin Protects Cells Against Nuclear Rupture And Dna Damage During Migration, Alison E. Patteson, Amir Vahabikashi, Katarzyna Pogoda, Stephen A. Adam, Kalpana Mandal, Mark Kittisopikul, Suganya Sivagurunathan, Anne Goldman, Robert D. Goldman, Paul A. Janmey

Physics - All Scholarship

Mammalian cells frequently migrate through tight spaces during normal embryogenesis, wound healing, diapedesis, or in pathological situations such as metastasis. Nuclear size and shape are important factors in regulating the mechanical properties of cells during their migration through such tight spaces. At the onset of migratory behavior, cells often initiate the expression of vimentin, an intermediate filament protein that polymerizes into networks extending from a juxtanuclear cage to the cell periphery. However, the role of vimentin intermediate filaments (VIFs) in regulating nuclear shape and mechanics remains unknown. Here, we use wild-type and vimentin-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts to show that VIFs …