Interactions between chromatin and the nuclear lamina - the dense fibrillar network beneath the nuclear envelope - represent a key mechanism for control of eukaryotic gene expression. Kristen Johansen and co-workers now provide new molecular insights into such interactions by showing that the histone kinase JIL-1 interacts with the nuclear lamina protein lamin Dm0 and regulates the morphology of the nuclear lamina in Drosophila nurse cells during oogenesis (see ). JIL-1 regulates chromatin structure and is implicated in transcriptional regulation. Using a two-hybrid screen, the authors identify Drosophila lamin Dm0 as one of its interacting partners. They then pin the interaction down to the C-terminal domain of JIL-1 and the tail domain of lamin Dm0. Finally, they report that nuclear positioning and lamina morphology are abnormal in JIL-1 mutant egg chambers. The interaction between JIL-1 and lamin Dm0 may thus be important for the gene regulatory function of the nuclear lamina and critical for the gene expression programs that regulate development.
