How Cells Survive Extreme Stretching

Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia have identified how epithelial tissues survive prolonged stretching by fundamentally altering their internal architecture. Over several hours of mechanical stress, cells reorganize their keratin filaments into thick, star-shaped bundles that link together to form a supracellular network. This collective structural shift causes the nucleus to be released from its protective keratin cage, a phenomenon the scientists call nuclear uncaging.