Lamins, Nuclear Lamins or sometimes called Class V intermediate filaments, provide the structural functionality and integrity to the cell nucleus.
Lamins are fibrous proteins that provide the cell infrastructure, are now well known to be implicated in aberrations of cellular ageing mechanisms thereof. This occurs though a point mutation of the LMNA gene which creates a form of Lamin A that cannot be processed in the normal way and accumulates in cells.
In addition to mutagenic laminopathies, transformations of the nuclear lamina by external stressors or endogenous mutations and errors are emerging as impactful in malignancy, cancer and tumour formation, due to their role in supporting, managing and regulating the cells basic activities.