Data for: SUN2 regulates mitotic progression in response to extracellular matrix rigidity

How cells adjust their growth to the spatial and mechanical constraints of their surrounding environment is central to many aspects of biology. Here we examined how ECM rigidity affects cell division. We found that cells divide more rapidly when cultured on rigid substrate. While we observed no effect of ECM rigidity on rounding or post-mitotic spreading duration, we found that changes in matrix stiffness impact mitosis progression. We noticed that ECM elasticity up-regulates the expression of the LINC complex component SUN2, which in turn promotes metaphase-to-anaphase transition by acting on mitotic spindle formation. Whereas when cells adhere on soft ECM, low levels of SUN2 expression perturb astral microtubule organization and delay the onset of anaphase.

细胞如何根据周围环境的空间与机械约束调节自身生长，是生物学诸多领域的核心研究问题。本研究探究了细胞外基质（Extracellular Matrix, ECM）刚度对细胞分裂的影响。我们发现，在刚性底物上培养的细胞分裂速度更快。尽管未观察到ECM刚度对细胞变圆过程或有丝分裂后铺展时长的影响，但基质刚度的改变会影响有丝分裂进程。我们注意到ECM弹性可上调LINC复合物（Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton, LINC）组分SUN2的表达，进而通过调控有丝分裂纺锤体的形成，促进中期向后期的转化。而当细胞黏附于柔软ECM时，低水平的SUN2表达会扰乱星型微管的组织，并延迟有丝分裂后期的起始。