title: The higher-order structure in the cells nucleus as the structural basis of the post-mitotic state.
abstract: In metazoan cells during the interphase nuclear DNA is organized in supercoiled, topologically constrained loops anchored to a proteinaceous compartment or substructure commonly known as the nuclear matrix (NM). The DNA-NM interactions result from a thermodynamically-driven process leading to the necessary dissipation of structural stress along chromosomal DNA, otherwise the chromosomes would break into pieces. Such DNA-NM interactions define a nuclear higher-order structure that is independent of chromatin proteins. On the other hand, a metazoan cell no longer able to undergo mitosis is defined as post-mitotic and this condition indicates a terminally differentiated cell that may survive in such a state for indefinite time. The non-reversible nature of the post-mitotic state suggests a non-genetic basis for it since no spontaneous or induced mutations can revert it. Yet in individual cells the loss of proliferative potential has both a developmental and a stochastic component. Here we discuss evidence suggesting that the stability of the nuclear higher-order structure is the factor that links the stochastic and developmental components leading to the post-mitotic state.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Paseo Tollocan y Jesús Carranza s/n, Toluca, 50180 Edo. Méx., Mexico. Electronic address: aaa@uaemex.mx.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aranda-Anzaldo
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Paseo Tollocan y Jesús Carranza s/n, Toluca, 50180 Edo. Méx., Mexico.
authors.forename: Myrna A R
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dent
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Neurociencias, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Paseo Tollocan y Jesús Carranza s/n, Toluca, 50180 Edo. Méx., Mexico.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Gómez
mesh_terms: D000782:Aneuploidy; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007399:Interphase; D008938:Mitosis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D011123:Polyploidy
keywords: Aneuploidy; DNA loops; DNA supercoiling; Nuclear matrix; Polyploidy; Tensegrity