Nuclei on the move: LINC complex-dependent and -independent mechanisms of nuclear migration in development

developmental models in different mechanical environments: pronuclear migration across the vast zygotic cytoplasm, hyp7 hypodermal precursor nuclear migration where nuclei span nearly the width of the cell, and P-cell nuclear migration through narrow constrictions. These systems reveal multiple regulatory strategies for nuclear movement. Tissue-specific expression of distinct SUN-KASH combinations determines which cytoskeletal elements engage nuclei. Alternative splicing generates KASH isoforms with opposing motor preferences, and P-cell nuclear migration through constrictions requires four parallel pathways. These findings establish conserved mechanistic principles of nuclear migration, with implications for development, immune cell function, and cancer metastasis.