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Summary: During mitotic exit, missegregated chromosomes can recruit their own nuclear envelope (NE) to form micronuclei (MN). MN have reduced functioning compared to primary nuclei in the same cell, although the two compartments appear to be structurally comparable. Here we show that over 60% of MN undergo an irreversible loss of compartmentalization during interphase due to NE collapse. This disruption of the MN, which is induced by defects in nuclear lamina assembly, drastically reduces nuclear functions and can trigger massive DNA damage. MN disruption is associated with chromatin compaction and invasion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) tubules into the chromatin. We identified disrupted MN in both major subtypes of human non-small-cell lung cancer, suggesting that disrupted MN could be a useful objective biomarker for genomic instability in solid tumors. Our study shows that NE collapse is a key event underlying MN dysfunction and establishes a link between aberrant NE organization and aneuploidy. PaperFlick: Display Omitted [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human cancer cells bear complex chromosome rearrangements that can be potential drivers of cancer development. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these rearrangements have been unclear. Zhang et al. use a new technique combining live-cell imaging and single-cell sequencing to demonstrate that chromosomes mis-segregated to micronuclei frequently undergo chromothripsis-like rearrangements in the subsequent cell cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear export of mRNAs is thought to occur exclusively through nuclear pore complexes. In this issue of Cell, Speese et al. identify an alternate pathway for mRNA export in muscle cells where ribonucleoprotein complexes involved in forming neuromuscular junctions transit the nuclear envelope by fusing with and budding through the nuclear membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]