The role of nuclear envelope proteins in chromatin organization, differentiation and disease

Abstract: In eukaryotes the genetic material is separated from the cytoplasm by the nuclear envelope (NE), consisting of the outer and inner nuclear membrane, the nuclear lamina and the nuclear pores. The genetic material is highly structured with transcriptionally inactive heterochromatin enriched at the nuclear periphery and transcriptionally active euchromatin in the nuclear interior. Underlying the inner nuclear membrane is the nuclear lamina (nucleoskeleton) that together with several hundred nuclear envelope transmembrane proteins (NETs) connect chromatin to the nuclear periphery. Most NETs are uncharacterized and expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Mutations in NE proteins are linked to distinct degenerative disorders, referred to as envelopathies or laminopathies. The NET primarily studied in this thesis is called Spindle-Associated Membrane Protein 1 (Samp1). We showed that overexpression of Samp1 induced a fast differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells and that the binding between two NETs, Samp1 and Emerin, is regulated by RanGTP. Another focus of this thesis was the development and use of a novel method called Fluorescent Ratiometric Imaging of Chromatin (FRIC). FRIC quantitatively monitors the epigenetic state of chromatin in live cells. Using FRIC, we were able to show that Samp1 promotes peripheral heterochromatin organization. FRIC also detected an increased distribution of heterochromatin at the nuclear periphery during neuronal differentiation. In conclusion, FRIC is a useful tool that could serve medical research in elucidating the effects of different chemical agents and the roles of NE proteins in chromatin organization.