Nuclear dynamical deformation induced hetero- and euchromatin positioning

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2015 Sep;92(3):032709. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.92.032709. Epub 2015 Sep 14.

Abstract

We studied the role of active deformation dynamics in cell nuclei in chromatin positioning. Model chains containing two types of regions, with high (euchromatic) or low (heterochromatic) mobility, were confined in a pulsating container simulating a nucleus showing dynamic deformations. Brownian dynamic simulations show that the positioning of low mobility regions changes from sites near the periphery to the center if the affinity between these regions and the container periphery disappears. The former and latter positionings are similar to the "conventional" and "inverted" chromatin positionings in nuclei of normal differentiated cells and cells lacking Lamin-related proteins. Additionally, nuclear dynamical deformation played essential roles in "inverted" chromatin positioning.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Euchromatin / metabolism*
  • Models, Biological*

Substances

  • Euchromatin