Chromosome length and gene density contribute to micronuclear membrane stability

Micronuclei are derived from missegregated chromosomes and frequently lose membrane integrity, leading to DNA damage, innate immune activation, and metastatic signaling. Here, we demonstrate that two characteristics of the trapped chromosome, length and gene density, are key contributors to micronuclei membrane stability and determine the timing of micronucleus rupture. We demonstrate that these results are not due to chromosome-specific differences in spindle position or initial protein recruitment during post-mitotic nuclear envelope assembly. Micronucleus size strongly correlates with lamin B1 levels and nuclear pore density in intact micronuclei, but, unexpectedly, lamin B1 levels do not completely predict nuclear lamina organization or membrane stability. Instead, small gene-dense micronuclei have decreased nuclear lamina gaps compared to large micronuclei, despite very low levels of lamin B1. Our data strongly suggest that nuclear envelope composition defects previously correlated with membrane rupture only partly explain membrane stability in micronuclei. We propose that an unknown factor linked to gene density has a separate function that inhibits the appearance of nuclear lamina gaps and delays membrane rupture until late in the cell cycle.

Chromosome length and gene density contribute to micronuclear membrane stability

Micronuclei are derived from missegregated chromosomes and frequently lose membrane integrity, leading to DNA damage, innate immune activation, and metastatic signaling. Here we demonstrate that two characteristics of the trapped chromosome, length and gene density, are key contributors to micronuclei membrane stability in human cells. Chromosome length is proportional to micronuclei size, and gene density has an additive effect with micronucleus size on membrane stability. We demonstrate that these results are not due to chromosome-specific differences in spindle position or initial nuclear pore complex recruitment during post-mitotic nuclear envelope assembly. We find that chromosome length and micronuclei size strongly correlate with lamin B1 and nuclear pore density in intact micronuclei. Unexpectedly, lamin B1 levels do not predict nuclear lamina organization and membrane stability. Instead, small gene-dense micronuclei have decreased nuclear lamina gaps compared to large micronuclei, despite very low levels of lamin B1. Our data strongly suggest that nuclear envelope composition defects previously correlated with membrane rupture only partly explain membrane stability in micronuclei. We propose that an unknown factor linked to gene density has a separate function that inhibits the appearance of nuclear lamina gaps and delays membrane rupture until late in the cell cycle.

mSphere of Influence: the Dynamic Nature of the Nuclear Envelope during Mitosis of Malaria Parasites

ABSTRACT Sabrina Absalon works in the field of cellular and molecular biology of Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent parasite causing malaria in humans. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper “3D nuclear architecture reveals coupled cell cycle dynamics of chromatin and nuclear pores in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum” by Allon Weiner et al. (A. Weiner, N. Dahan-Pasternak, E. Shimoni, V. Shinder, et al., Cell Microbiol 13:967–977, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-5822.2011.01592.x) triggered her aspiration to study the molecular mechanisms governing nuclear envelope assembly and integrity of P. falciparum throughout the intraerythrocytic development cycle.

Targeted Regulation of Nuclear Lamins by Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-Like Modifiers

Nuclear lamins (NLs) are essential components of the animal cell nucleus involved in the regulation of a plethora of molecular and cellular processes. These include the nuclear envelope assembly and stability, mechanotransduction and chromatin organization, transcription, DNA replication, damage repair, and genomic integrity maintenance. Mutations in NLs can lead to the development of a wide range of distinct disease phenotypes, laminopathies, consisting of cardiac, neuromuscular, metabolic and premature aging syndromes. In addition, alterations in the expression of nuclear lamins were associated with different types of neoplastic diseases. Despite the importance and critical roles that NLs play in the diverse cellular activities, we only recently started to uncover the complexity of regulatory mechanisms governing their expression, localization and functions. This integrative review summarizes and discusses the recent findings on the emerging roles of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like modifiers (ULMs) in the regulation of NLs, highlighting the intriguing molecular associations and cross-talks occurring between NLs and these regulatory molecules under physiological conditions and in the disease states.

Factors promoting nuclear envelope assembly independent of the canonical ESCRT pathway

The nuclear envelope (NE) undergoes dynamic remodeling to maintain NE integrity, a process involving the inner nuclear membrane protein LEM2 recruiting CHMP7/Cmp7 and then ESCRT-III. However, prior work has hinted at CHMP7/ESCRT-independent mechanisms. To identify such mechanisms, we studied NE assembly in Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, a fission yeast that undergoes partial mitotic NE breakdown and reassembly. S. japonicus cells lacking Cmp7 have compromised NE sealing after mitosis but are viable. A genetic screen identified mutations that promote NE integrity in cmp7Δ cells. Unexpectedly, loss of Lem2 or its interacting partner Nur1 suppressed cmp7Δ defects. In the absence of Cmp7, Lem2 formed aggregates that appear to interfere with ESCRT-independent NE sealing. A gain-of-function mutation implicated a membrane and ESCRT-III regulator, Alx1, in this alternate pathway. Additional results suggest a potentially general role for unsaturated fatty acids in NE integrity. These findings establish the existence of mechanisms for NE sealing independent of the canonical ESCRT pathway.

Aurora B-mediated exclusion of HP1a from latesegregating chromatin prevents formation of micronuclei

ABSTRACTLate-segregating acentric chromosomes pose a serious risk to genomic integrity when they are excluded from dividing daughter nuclei and form damage-prone micronuclei. Insight into the cellular mechanisms that prevent the formation of micronuclei from acentrics come from studies demonstrating that acentrics reincorporate into daughter telophase nuclei by passing through Aurora B kinase-dependent channels in the nuclear envelope of Drosophila neuroblasts. Here, we uncover a mechanism of nuclear envelope channel formation in which localized concentrations of Aurora B preferentially phosphorylate H3(S10) on heterochromatic acentrics and their associated DNA tethers. This phosphorylation event prevents HP1a from associating with heterochromatin and results in localized inhibition of nuclear envelope reassembly on endonuclease- and X-irradiation-induced acentrics and the main daughter nuclei at the sites of acentric entry to promote the formation of channels. Finally, we find that HP1a also specifies initiation sites of nuclear envelope reassembly on undamaged chromatin. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Aurora B-mediated regulation of HP1a-chromatin interactions plays a key role maintaining genome integrity by locally preventing nuclear envelope assembly and facilitating incorporation of late-segregating acentrics into daughter nuclei.

Nuclear envelope assembly defects link mitotic errors to chromothripsis

Defects in the architecture or integrity of the nuclear envelope (NE) are associated with a variety of human diseases1. Micronuclei, one common nuclear aberration, are an origin for chromothripsis2,3, a catastrophic mutational process commonly observed in cancer genomes and other contexts4-6. Micronuclei have a defective NE, with the extensive chromosome fragmentation that generates chromothripsis occurring after abrupt, spontaneous loss of NE integrity7. After NE disruption, the exposed cytoplasmic DNA can additionally initiate proinflammatory signaling linked to senescence, metastasis, and the immune clearance of tumor cells8. Despite its broad physiological impact, the basis for the nuclear envelope fragility of micronuclei is unknown. Here we demonstrate that micronuclei undergo markedly defective NE assembly: Only “core” NE proteins9,10 assemble efficiently on lagging chromosomes whereas “non-core” NE proteins9,10, including nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), fail to properly assemble. Consequently, micronuclei have impaired nuclear import, and key nuclear proteins required to maintain the integrity of the NE and the genome fail to accumulate normally. We show that densely bundled spindle microtubules inhibit non-core NE assembly, leading to an irreversible NE assembly defect. Accordingly, experimental manipulations that position missegregated chromosomes away from the spindle correct defective NE assembly, prevent spontaneous NE disruption, and suppress DNA damage in micronuclei. Our findings indicate that chromosome segregation and NE assembly are only loosely coordinated through the timing of mitotic spindle disassembly. The absence of precise regulatory controls can explain why errors during mitotic exit are frequent, and a major trigger for catastrophic genome rearrangements5,6.