Workshop report Advances in basic and clinical research in laminopathies

Lamins (LMNA) are the main proteins of the nuclear lamina considered to be the ancestors of all intermediate filament pro-teins. They form complex protein assemblies with integral pro-teins of the inner nuclear membrane, transcriptional regulators, histones and chromatin modifiers. During recent years, interest in lamins has greatly increased due to the identification of many distinct heritable human disorders associated with lamin muta-tions. These disorders, collectively termed laminopathies, range from muscular dystrophies to premature aging. They may affect muscle, fat, bone, nerve and skin tissues. The workshop was ad-dressed to understand lamin organization and its roles in nuclear processes, mutations in lamins affecting cell and tissues functions, the biology of the nucleus and laminopathic disease mechanisms, all aspects important for designing future therapies. Key words: LMNA A/C gene, laminopathies, Emery-Dreifus