News: Scientists at USC Dornife University of Letters, Arts and Sciences have found that emerin forms so-called “nanoclusters” in response to mechanical forces that cause intracellular damage.
Emerin nanoclusters help stabilize the nuclear envelope, the membrane that surrounds the nucleus, and protect it from damage and rupture.
The nucleus contains the cell’s genetic material and the mechanism by which the genetic code is converted from DNA to protein.
Emerin binds to other proteins in the nuclear envelope and helps maintain the shape and integrity of the nuclear envelope.
According to him:
“The reorganization of emerin into nanoclusters is important for the proper adaptation of nuclei to mechanical stress. In fact, cells without emerin or cells with defective emerin aggregates are properly adapted to mechanical stress. Couldn’t react,” Fabien Pinault, Associate Professor of Biophysics. Science and Astronomy at the University of Southern California at Dornsife and related author.
Also important: Emerin plays an important role at the molecular level in the ability of cells to cope with mechanical stress and must function properly so that cells can adequately respond to these loads.
The researchers found that the emerin variants known to cause EDMD fail to self-assemble properly, and the cell nucleus becomes “unable to respond to mechanical tasks.”
These results provide further evidence and insight into the role of emerin in EDMD.
About EDMD
Emery Drift’s muscular dystrophy is a rare hereditary disease that affects the muscles.
Symptoms usually begin around the age of 10 and gradually worsen over time.
Early symptoms include weakness and wasting of the muscles in the legs, arms, and shoulders, as well as joint stiffness. After this, not only the heart is often affected, but also the muscles involved in breathing.
Patients often become dependent on wheelchairs and other assistive devices, usually dying in adulthood.
In the lab: To test the role of Emerin, Anthony Fernandez and other graduate students in Pino’s lab apply mechanical stress to the cells, causing them to form an anomalous rectangle, advanced microscopy techniques. I used to watch the emeryn react.
The researchers were able to visualize intracellular emerin with a resolution never seen before.
According to Pino, the ultra-high-resolution images show how emerin rearranges itself at the molecular level down to a few nanometers.
According to him:
“The formation of a cellular silhouette and the use of advanced microscopy techniques is a mechanical condition in which emerin rearrangement on a scale of several nanometers is observed during cell adaptation and muscle function. It was the key to show that it is important to resist the changes in the world,” Pino said.
What else do you have?
Pino claims that this study provides a deeper understanding of the importance of the nucleus in response to the mechanical stress of cells.
“The average person usually thinks that the nucleus only contains our genetic material,” he said. “Our results show how important the nucleus is to the mechanical response of the cell, and that the nucleus itself must be able to adapt to mechanical stresses in order to prevent cell damage and death.”
Plus: Pino also states that this study also demonstrates the important role that advanced imaging plays in understanding how cellular processes function and can lead to disease.
“Importantly, we show that these significant rearrangements occur at just a few tens of nanometers, a length scale that is not available with conventional imaging using light microscopy,” he said. “Our results enable us to observe biological processes at the highest possible optical resolution and explore the interior of intact cells to better understand the underlying cellular biological system and disease progression. It highlights the importance of this.”