A new application of the phase-field method for understanding the mechanisms of nuclear architecture reorganization
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- 作者：S. Seirin Lee ; S. Tashiro ; A. Awazu ; R. Kobayashi
- 关键词：Chromatin dynamics ; Phase ; field method ; Pattern formation
- 刊名：Journal of Mathematical Biology
- 出版年：2017
- 出版时间：January 2017
- 年：2017
- 卷：74
- 期：1-2
- 页码：333-354
- 全文大小：4444KB
- 刊物类别：Mathematics and Statistics
- 刊物主题：Mathematical and Computational Biology; Applications of Mathematics;
- 出版者：Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- ISSN：1432-1416
- 卷排序：74
文摘
Specific features of nuclear architecture are important for the functional organization of the nucleus, and chromatin consists of two forms, heterochromatin and euchromatin. Conventional nuclear architecture is observed when heterochromatin is enriched at nuclear periphery, and it represents the primary structure in the majority of eukaryotic cells, including the rod cells of diurnal mammals. In contrast to this, inverted nuclear architecture is observed when the heterochromatin is distributed at the center of the nucleus, which occurs in the rod cells of nocturnal mammals. The inverted architecture found in the rod cells of the adult mouse is formed through the reorganization of conventional architecture during terminal differentiation. Although a previous experimental approach has demonstrated the relationship between these two nuclear architecture types at the molecular level, the mechanisms underlying long-range reorganization processes remain unknown. The details of nuclear structures and their spatial and temporal dynamics remain to be elucidated. Therefore, a comprehensive approach, using mathematical modeling, is required, in order to address these questions. Here, we propose a new mathematical approach to the understanding of nuclear architecture dynamics using the phase-field method. We successfully recreated the process of nuclear architecture reorganization, and showed that it is robustly induced by physical features, independent of a specific genotype. Our study demonstrates the potential of phase-field method application in the life science fields.