Lamin A as a Determinant of Mechanical Properties of the Cell Nucleus in Health and Disease

One of the main factors associated with worse prognosis in oncology is metastasis, which is based on the ability of tumor cells to migrate from the primary source and to form secondary tumors. The search for new strategies to control migration of metastatic cells is one of the urgent issues in biomedicine. One of the strategies to stop spread of cancer cells could be regulation of the nuclear elasticity. Nucleus, as the biggest and stiffest cellular compartment, determines mechanical properties of the cell as a whole, and, hence, could prevent cell migration through the three-dimensional extracellular matrix. Nuclear rigidity is maintained by the nuclear lamina, two-dimensional network of intermediate filaments in the inner nuclear membrane (INM). Here we present the most significant factors defining nucleus rigidity, discuss the role of nuclear envelope composition in the cell migration, as well consider possible approaches to control lamina composition in order to change plasticity of the cell nucleus and ability of the tumor cells to metastasize.