Cell geometric control of nuclear dynamics and its implications

Physical boundary conditions of the cell define its cytoskeletal organization and thus regulate the force balance on the nucleus. The boundary can be very precisely engineered by plating cells on micropatterned substrate of various geometries. Such modulations of cell shape and size impinge on nuclear morphology and dynamics. Understanding the regulation of nuclear dynamics is crucial for both physiological processes such as migration, wound healing, stem cell differentiation, and gene expression program and for disease conditions like cancer progression and laminopathies. In this chapter, we discuss the different types of nuclear dynamics, translation, rotation, and fluctuations of the nuclear envelope, forces contributing to such dynamics, and their implications in cell physiology.