Imaging the structural organisation of the LINC complex cage at the nuclear envelope using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (infocus #73 March 2024)

The cytoskeleton is anchored to the nucleus (specifically, the nuclear lamina) via the versatile connectors collectively named as the LINC complex.

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.263

LINC consists of inner nuclear membrane proteins (SUN1/2), which bind to the nuclear lamina and chromatin, and link, via their C-terminal SUN domain in the nuclear envelope (NE) lumen, to the C-terminal KASH domain of outer nuclear
membrane nesprins. Interactions between the various SUN and KASH pairs provides a direct physical link between the cytoskeleton and nucleoskeleton and LINC plays a crucial role in the bio mechanical properties of the nucleus (such as stiffness, mechanotransduction, chromosome positioning). Consequently, it may have critical
roles in controlling nuclear deformability and integrity during cell migration, with implications for metastasis and genome instability.

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