Elevated SUN1 promotes migratory cell polarity defects through mechanically coupling microtubules to the nuclear lamina.

Abstract

In migratory fibroblasts, front-rear polarity is defined by the centrosome positioned anterior to a rearward nucleus. To achieve this polarity, actin cables couple to nuclear membrane proteins nesprin-2G and SUN2 and drive the nucleus backward. Aging disrupts this polarity by increasing SUN1, a SUN2 homolog. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms behind this disruption and found that the dominant-negative effect of SUN1 and progerin, a lamin A variant, required direct SUN1-lamin A interaction. Microtubule interaction and force transmission through a nesprin, identified as nesprin-2, are crucial for SUN1's effect. We further discovered that stable microtubules are both necessary and sufficient to inhibit cell polarity. Using SUN1-SUN2 chimeric proteins, we demonstrated that the SUN domains determine their roles in cell polarization. Our findings reveal how elevated SUN1 disrupts cell polarity through coupling microtubules and nuclear lamina, emphasizing the impact of altered microtubule stability and nuclear mechanotransduction in polarity defects.