Membrane tension and cell-nucleus mechanical coupling regulate confined cell migration.

A dimensionless GS-PDE model of confined cell migration predicts that nuclear velocity peaks upon pore exit, driven by curvature-elastic energy released as NE membrane tension.

• Why it matters: Confined migration is limited by nucleus–membrane mechanics, but the forces governing PM–NE coupling and nuclear positioning across migration modes remain unclear.
• What they did: The authors built a biophysically grounded geometric surface PDE framework using energetic membranes for the PM and NE, solved with ESFEM, and matched experimentally observed migration behaviors.
• The result: The model reproduces lipid-reservoir exhaustion and nuclear-lamina unfolding that block constrictions, quantifies otherwise inaccessible mechanical forces, and links PM–NE coupling to hindered translocation.

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