Regionalisation of cell fate and morphogenetic movement of the mesoderm during mouse gastrulation

The developmental fate of cells in the epiblast of early-primitive-streak-stage mouse embryos was assessed by studying the pattern of tissue colonisation displayed by lac Z-expressing cells grafted orthotopically to nontransgenic embryos. Results of these fate-mapping experiments revealed that the lateral and posterior epiblast contain cells that will give rise predominantly to mesodermal derivatives. The various mesodermal populations are distributed in overlapping domains in the lateral and posterior epiblast, with the embryonic mesoderm such as heart, lateral, and paraxial mesoderm occupying a more distal position than the extraembryonic mesoderm. Heterotopic grafting of presumptive mesodermal cells results in the grafted cells adopting the fate appropriate to the new site, reflecting a plasticity of cell fate determination before ingression. The first wave of epiblast cells that ingress through the primitive streak are those giving rise to extraembryonic mesoderm. Cells that will form the mesoderm of the yolk sac and the amnion make up a major part of the mesodermal layer of the midprimitive-streak-stage embryo. Cells that are destined for embryonic mesoderm are still found within the epiblast, but some have been recruited to the distal portion of the mesoderm. By the late-primitive-streak-stage, the mesodermal layer contains only the precursors of embryonic mesoderm. This suggests that there has been a progressive displacement of the midstreak mesoderm to extraembryonic sites, which is reminiscent of that occurring in the overlying endodermal tissue. The regionalisation of cell fate in the late-primitive-streak mesoderm bears the same spatial relationship as their ancestors in the epiblast prior to cell ingression. This implies that both the position of the cells in the proximal-distal axis and their proximity to the primitive streak are major determinants for the patterning of the embryonic mesoderm. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Retrograde but not anterograde bead movement in intact axons requires dynein

Dynein and kinesin have been implicated as the molecular motors that are responsible for the fast transport of axonal membranous organelles and vesicles. Experiments performed in vitro with partially reconstituted preparations have led to the hypothesis that kinesin moves organelles in the anterograde direction and dynein moves them in the retrograde direction. However, the molecular basis of transport directionality remains unclear. In the experiments described here, carboxylated fluorescent beads were injected into living Mauthner axons of lamprey and the beads were observed to move in both the anterograde and retrograde directions. The bead movement in both directions required intact microtubules, occurred at velocities approaching organelle fast transport in vivo, and was inhibited by vanadate at concentrations that inhibit organelle fast transport. When living axons were injected with micromolar concentrations of vanadate and irradiated at 365 nm prior to bead injections, a treatment that results in the V1 photolysis of dynein, the retrograde movement of the beads was specifically abolished. Neither the ultraviolet irradiation alone nor the vanadate alone produced the retrograde-specific inhibition. These results support the hypothesis that dynein is required for retrograde, but not anterograde, transport in vivo. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

家兔胫骨前肌肌纤维型的分布研究

根据家兔胫骨前肌的肌纤维起止、排列和神经支配特征,将该肌分为前、后两个亚体。利用家兔８例１６侧胫骨前肌,按上述两个亚体分别取材,作恒冷箱冰冻横切,肌球蛋白ＡＴＰ酶染色,将肌纤维分为Ⅰ型、ⅡＡ型、ⅡＢ型,检测各亚体的肌纤维型构成比例,肌束内肌纤维的分布特征,并用图象分析仪测量各亚体肌纤维横切面积和直径。结果发现,前、后亚体以Ⅱ型纤维居多,前亚体ⅡＡ型纤维高达３５．４％,后亚体Ⅰ型纤维多达２４．５％,两者的ⅡＢ型纤维均达５０％左右。而左、右侧之间无差异,肌束周边部内Ⅰ型纤维仅占１２．７～１３．３％,ⅡＢ型纤维高达５９．９～６０．０％,说明受肌束膜压迫影响,ⅡＢ型肌纤维血供少,以适应无氧酵解的功能。各亚体的Ⅰ型纤维较细,Ⅱ型纤维较Ⅱ粗,Ａ型与ⅡＢ型二者相似。作者认为,前亚体主要参与快速有力的足背屈运动,后亚体则维持踝关节的稳定,保持足弓的形状和弹性,以便适应该肌的站立、跑动和跳跃的功能。     

Negative gravitropism in Chara protonemata: A model integrating the opposite gravitropic responses of protonemata and rhizoids

The unicellular protonema of Chara fragilis Desv. was investigated in order to establish a reaction chain for negative gravitropism in tip-growing cells. The time course of gravitropic bending after stimulation at angles of 45 degrees or 90 degrees showed three distinct phases of graviresponse. During the first hour after onset of stimulation a strong upward shift of the tip took place. This initial response was followed by an interval of almost straight growth. Complete reorientation was achieved in a third phase with very low bending rates. Gravitropic reorientation could be completely abolished by basipetal centrifugation of the cells, which lastingly removed conspicuous dark organelles from the protonema tip, thus identifying them as statoliths. Within minutes after onset of gravistimulation most or all statoliths were transported acropetally from their resting position 20-100 micrometers from the cell apex to the lower side of the apical dome. This transport is actin-dependent since it could be inhibited with cytochalasin B. Within minutes after arrival of the statoliths, the apical dome flattened on its lower side and bulged on the upper one. After this massive initial response the statoliths remained firmly sedimented, but the distance between this sedimented complex and the cell vertex increased from 7 micrometers to 22 micrometers during the first hour of stimulation and bending rates sharply declined. From this it is concluded that only statoliths inside the apical dome convey information about the spatial orientation of the cell in the gravitropic reaction chain. After inversion of the protonema the statoliths transiently arranged into a disk-shaped complex about 8 micrometers above the vertex. When this statolith complex tilted towards one side of the apical dome, growth was shifted in the opposite direction and bending started. It is argued that the statoliths intruding into the apical dome may displace a growth-organizing structure from its symmetrical position in the apex and may thus cause bending by bulging. In the positively gravitropic Chara rhizoids only a more stable anchorage of the growth-organizing structure is required. As a consequence, sedimented statoliths cannot dislocate this structure from the vertex. Instead they obstruct a symmetrical distribution of cell-wall-forming vesicles around the structure and thus cause bending by bowing.     

Rhodamine-phalloidin and anti-tubulin antibody staining of spindle fibres that were irradiated with an ultraviolet microbeam

Summary We irradiated chromosomal spindle fibres in crane-fly spermatocytes with an ultraviolet microbeam of 270 nm wavelength light with total energies near those that cause actin filaments in myofibrils to depolymerize; after irradiation we stained the cells with rhodamine-labelled phalloidin and with anti-tubulin antibodies. In some cells, the irradiation reduced both phalloidin and tubulin staining of the chromosomal spindle fibres; in other cells, the irradiations reduced phalloidin staining but not tubulin staining; in yet other cells, the irradiations reduced tubulin staining but not phalloidin staining. In all irradiated cells in which phalloidin staining was reduced in the irradiated areas phalloidin staining also was reduced poleward from the irradiated areas. These results show that phalloidin staining of chromosomal spindle fibres is not dependent on the presence of kinetochore microtubules, and, therefore, that actin filaments are present in the spindle fibres in vivo. We suggest that actin filaments present in spindle fibres in vivo may be involved in causing chromosome movements during anaphase.     

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus DNA in callus cultures derived from infected tomato leaves

Callus cultures were induced from leaves of a tomato plant infected with tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) and analyzed for viral DNA presence during successive subcultures. No TYLCV DNA was detected in calli sampled after eight months of culture. Considerable differences in the presence of TYLCV DNA were found within sectors of a callus culture and between different callus cultures, throughout the entire eight months period. Infected calli which were cultured at sub-optimal temperature (15°C) retained the viral DNA longer than at 25 °C. The results suggested that TYLCV disappearance during callus culture was due to a disruption of some of the cell-to-cell connections, resulting in islands of infected cells in the midst of uninfected tissue and/or to the competition between the rate of cell division and that of viral DNA replication.Abbreviations BA benzyladenine - CMV cucumber mosaic virus - NAA naphthaleneacetic acid - TMV tobacco mosaic virus - TYLCV tomato yellow leaf curl virus     

植物肌动蛋白研究的过去及现状

肌动蛋白作为一种骨架蛋白广泛存在于植物细胞,有重要的生理功能.综述了植物肌动蛋白的发现及研究现状,着重介绍了植物肌动蛋白的性质、结构和生理功能.     

Use of a fluorescent dye to measure secretion from intact bovine anterior pituitary cells

The fluorescent dye FM1-43 has been used to indicate membrane changes in individual bovine anterior pituitary cells exposed to secretory stimuli. After ten minutes incubation with FM1-43 (2 M), cells showed three patterns of dye fluorescence: annular, partly filled and uniformly filled. FM1-43 fluorescence was increased in 61% of the cells by TRH (40 nM), a physiological stimulus for prolactin secretion, and in 89% of the cells by 60 mM external K⁺. The fluorescence also increased when cells incubated in the presence of quinpirole, a dopamine D2-receptor agonist which inhibits prolactin secretion, were exposed to raclopride, a D-2 antagonist. The increases in FM1-43 fluorescence caused by these treatments suggests that the dye acts as an indicator of secretion, possibly through incorporation into secretory vesicle membranes exposed on the cell surface during exocytosis. If the dye was washed away after loading, the fluorescence of partly and uniformly filled cells was retained and a rise in fluorescence could still be seen on stimulation by TRH. This suggests that some dye had been taken up by endocytosis and trapped in an intracellular compartment, which expanded through membrane recapture after TRH stimulation. FM1-43 could therefore be a useful probe for membrane cycling associated with secretory responses.     

津白_3侏儒小鼠垂体前叶生长激素细胞的免疫细胞化学研究

津白_３侏儒小鼠（ｄＷ~ｔ）是１９８２年从津白_３纯系小鼠（ＴＡ_３）中发现,进而培育成侏的变种。本实验应用免疫细胞化学技术,对ｄｗ￣ｔ小鼠垂体前叶生长激素（ＧＨ）细胞进行观察,并根据体视学原理进行定量分析,以探讨ｄｗ~ｔ小鼠是否存在垂体发育缺陷。实验结果显示,ｄｗ~ｔ小鼠ＧＨ细胞的体积密度（Ｖｖ）和数密度（Ｎｖ）值均低于正常对照组,Ｐ＜０．０１～０．００１。表明ｄｗ~ｔ小鼠由于垂体前叶ＧＨ细胞数量减少,导致ＧＨ分泌不足,从而形成侏儒。     

Defining null expectations for animal site fidelity

Site fidelity—the tendency to return to previously visited locations—is widespread across taxa. Returns may be driven by several mechanisms, including memory, habitat selection, or chance; however, pattern-based definitions group different generating mechanisms under the same label of ‘site fidelity’, often assuming memory as the main driver. We propose an operational definition of site fidelity as patterns of return that deviate from a null expectation derived from a memory-free movement model. First, using agent-based simulations, we show that without memory, intrinsic movement characteristics and extrinsic landscape characteristics are key determinants of return patterns and that even random movements may generate substantial probabilities of return. Second, we illustrate how to implement our framework empirically to establish ecologically meaningful, system-specific null expectations for site fidelity. Our approach provides a conceptual and operational framework to test hypotheses on site fidelity across systems and scales.