Mechanosensitive Chromatin Organization in Cardiac Development and Disease

Date

Oct 24, 2019

Time

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Speaker

Benjamin Seelbinder

Affiliation

University of Colorado Boulder, USA

Language

en

Main Topic

Biologie

Host

Moritz Kreysing

Description

Environmental mechanical cues are critical to guide cell fate. Particularly in active tissues, such as the heart, changes in mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix are associated with cellular dedifferentiation and subsequent functional decline. However, the underlying mechanoreceptive mechanisms are largely unclear. Recently, attention has been focused on the nucleus as a potential mechanosensory organelle, since it is tightly connected to all parts of the cytoskeleton through LINC (linker of nucleo- and cytoskeleton) complexes. In addition, increasing evidence suggests a direct link between nuclear architecture and cell differentiation, as chromatin organization changes from an unstructured organization in the zygote to a cell type-specific organization during development. We developed a new method, called deformation microscopy, which can generate high-resolution strain maps from image information. Using this, we aimed to investigate the nexus between cell environments and the integration of mechanical information in the nucleus by recording and mapping strain fields in cardiomyocyte nuclei during contractions. Overall, our findings highlight a new role for nuclear mechanosensation in guiding and maintaining cell fate through the reorganization of epigenetically modified chromatin in response to environmental cues.

Last modified: Oct 25, 2019, 12:09:25 AM