The nucleus of a cell has long been considered to be subject to mechanical force. Despite the observation that mechanical forces affect nuclear geometry and movement, how forces are applied onto the nucleus is not well understood. The nuclear LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex has been hypothesized to be the critical structure that mediates the transfer of mechanical forces from the cytoskeleton onto the nucleus. Previously used techniques for studying nuclear forces have been unable to resolve forces across individual proteins, making it difficult to clearly establish if the LINC complex experiences mechanical load. To directly measure forces across the LINC complex, we generated a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based tension biosensor for nesprin-2G, a key structural protein in the LINC complex, which physically links this complex to the actin cytoskeleton. Using this sensor we show that nesprin-2G is subject to mechanical tension in adherent fibroblasts, with highest levels of force on the apical and equatorial planes of the nucleus. We also show that the forces across nesprin-2G are dependent on actomyosin contractility and cell elongation. Additionally, nesprin-2G tension is reduced in fibroblasts from Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome patients. This report provides the first, to our knowledge, direct evidence that nesprin-2G, and by extension the LINC complex, is subject to mechanical force. We also present evidence that nesprin-2G localization to the nuclear membrane is altered under high-force conditions. Because forces across the LINC complex are altered by a variety of different conditions, mechanical forces across the LINC complex, as well as the nucleus in general, may represent an important mechanism for mediating mechanotransduction.

Highlights d E-cadherin experiences higher mechanical tension in acini compared with monolayers d E-cadherin tension is positively correlated to CFTR activity d Epithelial acini have significant lumen pressure due, in part, to CFTR activity d Increased CFTR activity increases cell proliferation and blocks EMT progression

The nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) is a highly conserved heterodimer important for metazoan development, but its molecular function is not well understood. Recent evidence suggests the NAC is a component of the cytosolic chaperone network that interacts with ribosomal complexes and their emerging nascent peptides, such that the loss of the NAC in chaperone-depleted cells results in an increase in misfolded protein stress. We tested whether the NAC functions similarly in Caeonorhabditis (C.) elegans and found that its homologous NAC subunits, i.e. ICD-1 and -2, have chaperone-like characteristics. Loss of the NAC appears to induce misfolded protein stress in the ER triggering the unfolded protein response (UPR). Depletion of the NAC altered the response to heat stress, and led to an up-regulation of hsp-4, a homologue of the human chaperone and ER stress sensor GRP78/BiP. Worms lacking both ICD-1 and the UPR transcription factor XBP-1 generated a higher proportion of defective embryos, showed increased embryonic apoptosis and had a diminished survival rate relative to ICD-1-depleted animals with an intact UPR. Up-regulation of hsp-4 in NAC-depleted animals was specific to certain regions of the embryo; in embryos lacking ICD-1, the posterior region of the embryo showed strong up-regulation of hsp-4, while the anterior region did not. Furthermore, loss of ICD-1 produced prominent lysosomes in the gut region of adults and embryos putatively containing lipofuscins, lipid/protein aggregates associated with cellular aging. These results are the first set of evidence consistent with a role for C. elegans NAC in protein folding and localization during translation. Further, these findings confirm C. elegans as a valuable model for studying organismal and cell-type specific responses to misfolded protein stress.

Summary Fluid shear stress due to blood flow on the vascular endothelium regulates blood vessel development, remodeling, physiology and pathology [1, 2]. A complex consisting of PECAM-1, VE-cadherin and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs) that resides at endothelial cell-cell junctions transduces signals important for flow-dependent vasodilation, blood vessel remodeling and atherosclerosis. PECAM-1 transduce forces to activate src family kinases (SFKs), which phosphorylate and transactivate VEGFRs [3-5]. By contrast, VE-cadherin functions as an adapter that interacts with VEGFRs through their respective cytoplasmic domains and promotes VEGFR activation in flow [6]. Indeed, shear stress triggers rapid increases in force across PECAM-1 but decreases the force across VE-cadherin, in close association with downstream signaling [5]. Interestingly, VE-cadherin cytoplasmic tyrosine Y658 can be phosphorylated by SFKs [7], which is maximally induced by low shear stress in vitro and in vivo [8]. These considerations prompted us to address the involvement of VE-cadherin cytoplasmic tyrosines in flow sensing. We found that phosphorylation of a small pool of VE-cadherin on Y658 is essential for flow sensing through the junctional complex. Y658 phosphorylation induces dissociation of p120ctn, which allows binding of the polarity protein LGN. LGN is then required for multiple flow responses in vitro and in vivo, including activation of inflammatory signaling at regions of disturbed flow, and flow-dependent vascular remodeling. Thus, endothelial flow mechanotransduction through the junctional complex is mediated by a specific pool of VE-cadherin that is phosphorylated on Y658 and bound to LGN.

Cell proliferation and contact inhibition play a major role in maintaining epithelial cell homeostasis. Prior experiments have shown that externally applied forces, such as stretch, result in increased proliferation in an E-cadherin force-dependent manner. In this study, the spatial regulation of cell proliferation in large epithelial colonies was examined. Surprisingly, cells at the center of the colony still had increased proliferation as compared to cells in confluent monolayers. E-cadherin forces were found to be elevated for both cells at the edge and center of these larger colonies when compared to confluent monolayers. To determine if high levels of E-cadherin force were necessary to induce proliferation at the center of the colony, a lower-force mutant of E-cadherin was developed. Cells with lower E-cadherin force had significantly reduced proliferation for cells at the center of the colony but minimal differences for cells at the edges of the colony. Similarly, increasing substrate stiffness was found to increase E-cadherin force and increase the proliferation rate across the colony. Taken together, these results show that forces through cell-cell junctions regulate proliferation across large groups of epithelial cells. In addition, an important finding of this study is that junction forces are dynamic and modulate cellular function even in the absence of externally applied loads.