Purification and Structural Analysis of SUN and KASH Domain Proteins

Molecular tethers span the nuclear envelope to mechanically connect the cytoskeleton and nucleoskeleton. These bridge-like tethers, termed linkers of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complexes, consist of SUN proteins at the inner nuclear membrane and KASH proteins at the outer nuclear membrane. LINC complexes are central to a variety of cell activities including nuclear positioning and mechanotransduction, and LINC-related abnormalities are associated with a spectrum of tissue-specific diseases, termed laminopathies or envelopathies. Protocols used to study the biochemical and structural characteristics of core elements of SUN-KASH complexes are described here to facilitate further studies in this new field of cell biology.