Contributions of extracellular matrix signaling and tissue architecture to nuclear mechanisms and spatial organization of gene expression control

Post-translational modification of histones, ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling, and DNA methylation are interconnected nuclear mechanisms that ultimately lead to the changes in chromatin structure necessary to carry out epigenetic gene expression control. Tissue differentiation is characterized by a specific gene expression profile in association with the acquisition of a defined tissue architecture and function. Elements critical for tissue differentiation, like extracellular stimuli, adhesion and cell shape properties, and transcription factors all contribute to the modulation of gene expression and thus, are likely to impinge on the nuclear mechanisms of epigenetic gene expression control. In this review, we analyze how these elements modify chromatin structure in a hierarchical manner by acting on the nuclear machinery. We discuss how mechanotransduction via the structural continuum of the cell and biochemical signaling to the cell nucleus integrate to provide a comprehensive control of gene expression. The role of nuclear organization in this control is highlighted, with a presentation of differentiation-induced nuclear structure and the concept of nuclear organization as a modulator of the response to incoming signals.