Detection of Nuclear Envelope Alterations in Senescence

Gene mutations that cause defects in the nuclear envelope are responsible for progeroid syndromes, characterized by exacerbated cell senescence and accelerated aging. Consequently, morphological abnormalities of the nucleus represent a cellular phenotype whose analysis allows for both the characterization of the consequences of particular mutations and the assessment of the impact of approaches aimed at reversing their pathological effects. To obtain reliable results, systematic and reproducible procedures are required. Here, we describe a simple fluorescence microscopy-based protocol to detect nuclear envelope alterations in the study of cellular senescence.