171192 20260515163945.0 doi 10.1038/s42003-026-09637-4 sideral 149264 ART-2026-149264 eng Blazquez-Romero, Maria del Valle Universidad de Zaragoza Periodic confined cell migration drives partially reversible chromatin reorganization in cancer cell lines 2026 Cells throughout physiological and pathological contexts are exposed to a broad spectrum of mechanical stimuli, triggering extensive nuclear deformation and chromatin remodeling. These mechanical cues drive the cell to dynamically adapt through coordinated structural, epigenetic, and biochemical mechanisms to withstand mechanical stress while protecting genomic integrity. However, whether such cellular adaptations are reversible or result in persistent alterations remains unresolved. In cancer metastasis, addressing this issue is critical: confined migration through narrow pores prompts chromatin condensation with heterochromatin enrichment, yet cancer cells must preserve their oncogenic potential while preparing for future deformations. Therefore, the ability of these cells to reconcile reversible chromatin remodeling and mechanical memory could be key to metastatic resilience. Here, using a custom-designed microfluidic device to monitor single-cell chromatin reorganization, we show confined migration induces partially-reversible chromatin condensation: total highly-condensed chromatin content is recovered after deformation, but the distribution of condensed chromatin clusters remains altered. Our findings highlight this duality of chromatin condensation as both a short-term adaptive response and a mechanical memory strategy, which could potentially contribute to address cancer invasiveness. Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/E36-23R-FENOL info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/LMP21-21 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/T50-23R info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MCIU/PID2022-139803NB-I00 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN PID2023-147067NB-I00 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/PID2023-147734NB-I00 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN PRE2021-100456 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN PRE2023-001133 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/PID2024-155426OB-I00 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by-nc-nd https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Mendivil-Carboni, Marco Sarasquete-Martinez, Maria Universidad de Zaragoza Sainz-Agost, Alejandro Universidad de Zaragoza Falo, Fernando Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-9551-624X De Corato, Marco Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-9361-4794 Gomez-Benito, Maria Jose Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-1878-8997 5001 600 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Ciencia Tecnol.Mater.Fl. Área Mecánica de Fluidos 5008 800 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Ingeniería Electrón.Com. Área Teoría Señal y Comunicac. 5004 605 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Ingeniería Mecánica Área Mec.Med.Cont. y Teor.Est. 2003 395 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Física Materia Condensa. Área Física Materia Condensada 9, 1 (2026), [17 pp.] Communications Biology 2399-3642 5252665 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/171192/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2779866 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/171192/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:171192 articulos driver 2026-05-15-14:54:47 ARTICLE