Fig. 1

Schematic of the LINC complex including nesprin and SUN and their connections to cytoskeletal proteins. a External forces are localized at integrins and channeled through cytoskeletal filaments to the nucleus. Once at the nuclear surface, forces transmit through nesprins to SUN proteins which are linked to lamin proteins that form the lamina and nuclear scaffold. Lamin interacts with DNA machinery and related elements to alter gene expression. Reprinted with permission from [6]. b The KASH domain of nesprins at the ONM associates with the SUN domain located in the perinuclear space (PNS, not labeled) between the ONM and INM. The linking of the nuclear envelop to the cytoskeleton is shown: nesprin-1/2 with actin, nesprin-3 with intermediate filament, and nesprin-4 with microtubule (nesprin-5 is not connected to cytoskeleton). Reprinted with permission from [7]