Conference Summary
Tissues, cells and organelles sense and respond to a wide range of biochemical and biophysical factors of their microenvironments. Mechanical force is now recognized as a central environmental input that regulates cell behavior and fate. Cells have evolved numerous mechanisms to sense, respond, and adapt to mechanical forces. Recent work implicates the nucleus itself as a mechanosensor, where forces directly or indirectly alter nuclear shape and architecture, impact chromatin organization, tune signaling pathways, and modulate global patterns of gene expression. Mechanical forces also modify the biophysical and material properties of chromatin and the nuclear envelope, so that nuclei can better withstand mechanical stress conditions and high force environments, demonstrating that the nucleus undergoes mechano-adaptation in a manner bearing resemblance to the cytoskeleton or cellular adhesions. Failure to adapt can lead to nuclear rupture, with profound implications on the maintenance of genome integrity and other cellular functions, ultimately leading to disease.

This meeting will focus on the rapidly growing field of nuclear mechanobiology and its physiological relevance for cell and tissue function. It will provide a demanded forum to discuss the most recent advances in understanding the role of mechanical forces in modulating cellular decision-making by altering nuclear and chromatin biophysics and the role these processes play in fundamental cell biological processes such as cell migration, differentiation, development, and malignant transformation.