# Passive nuclear transport deviates from Fickian behavior in prostate and breast cell types

## TL;DR

This study shows that passive nuclear transport in prostate and breast cells does not follow standard diffusion rules and changes with cell type and cancer-like transformations.

## Contribution

The paper reveals non-Fickian nuclear transport behavior and its alteration with cancer-related phenotypic changes.

## Key findings

- Passive nuclear uptake does not consistently depend on molecular weight, indicating non-Fickian behavior.
- TGF-Beta treatment alters nuclear transport in breast cells to resemble invasive cancer cells.
- Nuclear permeability changes are linked to cancerous cellular transformation.

## Abstract

Nuclear trafficking is essential for cellular function and biomedical applications such as nucleus-targeted drug delivery; however, how passive nuclear transport varies across cell types and phenotypic states remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate passive nuclear transport of fluorescent molecular cargoes spanning 500–20,000 Da across multiple cell lines. We observe cell-line-specific nuclear restrictions and find that passive nuclear uptake does not exhibit a monotonic dependence on molecular weight, suggesting non-Fickian transport behavior. Furthermore, transforming a healthy breast cell model into an invasive-like phenotype via TGF-Beta treatment significantly altered passive nuclear transport characteristics, closely resembling those of a well-established invasive breast cancer cell line. These phenotype-dependent changes in nuclear permeability provide new insight into fundamental biophysical alterations associated with cancerous cellular transformation.