IPLS Seminar: Dr. Amy Beedle (King's College London)

Abstract: The cell nucleus is constantly subjected to external inputs, including both biochemical and mechanical cues. To ensure proper cellular response, cells must regulate the transmission, timing and duration of these signals. While the temporal regulation of biochemical signalling is well established, the extent to which similar principles govern mechanical signal propagation to the nucleus remains unclear. In this talk, I will present our recent findings that the formation of fibrillar adhesions locks the nucleus in a mechanically deformed conformation, setting the mechanical response timescale to that of fibrillar adhesion remodelling (~1 hour). This process encompasses both mechanical deformation and associated mechanotransduction (such as via YAP), in response to both increased and decreased mechanical stimulation. Mechanistically, we identify a key role for plectin 1f in linking the vimentin intermediate filament network to fibrillar adhesions and the extracellular matrix, effectively sustaining nuclear deformation. Together, these findings uncover a mechanism by which cells tune the dynamics of their mechanical adaptation.

Host: Guillaume Charras (g.charras@ucl.ac.uk)