Nuclear Envelope-Coupled Mechanotransduction Drives 3D Genome Decay and Lineage Infidelity in Aged Muscle Stem Cells

Hypothesis:

Age-related deterioration of the Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton (LINC) complex in muscle stem cells (MuSCs) disrupts force transmission to the nuclear envelope, creating a mechanistic cascade that accelerates 3D genome architectural decay and promotes lineage infidelity. This process operates in parallel with and amplifies the previously described inflammatory signaling cascade.

Mechanistic Framework:

et al. showed that cytoskeleton enhancers open while muscle and contractile enhancers close during aging [1]. We think this reflects a fundamental mechanical problem: as the LINC complex degrades with age, impaired nucleocytoplasmic coupling weakens mechanical signaling to nuclear envelope proteins—lamins A/C and lamin B—that normally maintain perinuclear chromatin organization. This mechanical uncoupling directly destabilizes CTCF/cohesin anchoring at the nuclear periphery, which explains the roughly 38% loss of TAD insulation at key myogenic loci (Myf5/Myf6) in geriatric MuSCs [1].

Novel Predictions:

1. LINC disruption precedes enhancer rewiring: Using single-cell Hi-C and lamin ChIP-seq, we predict LINC complex protein degradation (SUN1, SUN2, Nesprin-2) will be detectable in middle-aged MuSCs before significant TAD insulation loss, establishing causality.

2. Mechanical rescue restores 3D architecture: Expressing constitutively active LINC constructs or applying substrate stiffness in ex vivo aged MuSC cultures should partially restore TAD insulation and H3K27ac positioning at myogenic loci, providing a functional test.

3. Peripheral heterochromatin collapse: Aging MuSCs will show preferential loss of lamina-associated domains (LADs) at myogenic gene clusters, with orphaned chromatin adopting aberrant compartment B-to-A transitions at non-myogenic lineage loci—neuronal and cartilage genes showing greater than 25-fold ABC score increases [1].

Integration with Inflammatory Signaling:

The temporal pattern—early NFκB/interferon signaling preceding late-stage enhancer restructuring [1]—may reflect a two-hit model. Mechanical uncoupling (hit one) creates a permissive landscape, while inflammatory cytokines (hit two) provide the transcription factor repertoire to activate aberrant enhancers. The weak enhancer-RNA correlation observed in aged MuSCs [1] could represent a mechanically-primed but transcriptionally-poised state waiting for inflammatory activation.

Sex-Specific Mechanism:

Given the pronounced transposable element (TE) upregulation in geriatric male MuSCs [1], we predict LINC complex degradation is sex-hormone regulated. Androgen decline may accelerate Nesprin turnover, while estrogen-mediated maintenance of nuclear envelope integrity could explain female resilience. TE derepression in males may provide alternative CTCF binding sites, creating ectopic loop anchors that accelerate TAD boundary loss.

Testable Predictions:

• LINC complex proteins show accelerated degradation in male versus female MuSCs across the lifespan
• TE ChIP-seq in aged male MuSCs will show LINE-1 elements occupying former CTCF motifs at differentially insulated TAD boundaries
• 3D genome decay rates in human MuSCs will correlate with LINC complex expression in biopsy samples

This hypothesis reframes the observed cytoskeletal enhancer changes from passive markers into active drivers of 3D genome decay, offering a mechanistically distinct yet complementary framework to the inflammation-first model.