Nuclear envelope-remodeling events as models to assess the potential role of membranes on genome stability

Abstract

The nuclear envelope (NE) encloses the genetic material and functions in chromatin organization and stability. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the NE is bound to the ribosomal DNA (rDNA), highly repeated and transcribed, thus prone to genetic instability. While tethering limits instability, it simultaneously triggers notable NE remodeling. We posit here that NE remodeling may contribute to genome integrity maintenance. The NE importance in genome expression, structure, and integrity is well recognized, yet studies mostly focus on peripheral proteins and nuclear pores, not on the membrane itself. We recently characterized a NE invagination drastically obliterating the rDNA, which we propose here as a model to probe if and how membranes play an active role in genome stability preservation.

Keywords: genome stability; lipid homeostasis; nuclear envelope remodeling; nucleolus; rDNA.