Dynamic nuclear structure emerges from chromatin crosslinks and motors

Abstract

The cell nucleus houses the chromosomes, which are linked to a soft shell of lamin filaments. Experiments indicate that correlated chromosome dynamics and nuclear shape fluctuations arise from motor activity. To identify the physical mechanisms, we develop a model of an active, crosslinked Rouse chain bound to a polymeric shell. System-sized correlated motions occur but require both motor activity {\it and} crosslinks. Contractile motors, in particular, enhance chromosome dynamics by driving anomalous density fluctuations. Nuclear shape fluctuations depend on motor strength, crosslinking, and chromosome-lamina binding. Therefore, complex chromatin dynamics and nuclear shape emerge from a minimal, active chromosome-lamina system.

arXiv comment18 pages, 21 figures

References in corpus (6)

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• Dynamics of Active Rouse Chains
• Shape and Displacement Fluctuations in Soft Vesicles Filled by Active Particles
• Enhanced diffusion, swelling and slow reconfiguration of a single chain in non-Gaussian active bath
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Cited by in corpus (4)

• Transcription-induced active forces suppress chromatin motion
• A Polymer Chain with Dipolar Active Forces in Connection to Spatial Organization of Chromatin
• Self-induced hydrodynamic coil-stretch transition of active polymers
• Physical entanglements mediate coherent motion of the active topological glass confined within a spherical cavity