Translating cell mechanobiology and nuclear deformations to the clinic

Abstract

For more than a century, pathologists have used the nucleus as a diagnostic tool based on the observation of morphologic abnormalities. 1 More recently, emerging evidence has pointed to a new route to determine the metastatic potential of cancer cells by focusing on changes in cell stiffness as a new biomarker. These features are key to establishing a diagnosis of malignancy in cytopathology and surgical pathology. Cytopathologists have developed a unique ability to distinguish between benign and malignant cells in tissue biopsies by detecting with the eye cells increased nuclear size, irregularities of the nuclear membrane, or modifications of chromatin distribution. Despite the extensive use of morphological abnormalities of the nucleus as a powerful diagnostic tool, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear and associated changes in the mechanical properties of cells are still poorly examined. Moreover, automated image analysis of nuclear shape and state-of-the-art microfabricated tools to probe cell and nuclear deformability has not been translated to the clinics yet. Recent evidence has highlighted the key role of the nuclear envelope in regulating nuclear mechanics and mechanotransduction, 2 which refers to the molecular process in which mechanical stimuli are converted into This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.