Dose-, time-, and tissue-dependent effects of 5-bromo-2′ -deoxyuridine on the in-vitro organogenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana

Vigorous organogenesis can be induced from hypocotyl and root explants of Arabidopsis thaliana using a two-step culture procedure consisting of preculture on callus-inducing medium (CIM) and subsequent culture on shoot-inducing medium (SIM) or root-inducing medium (RIM). With this culture system, we examined the influence of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU), a thymidine (dT) analogue, on plant organogenesis in vitro. Treatment with BrdU during SIM or RIM culture had negative effects on shoot and root redifferentiation over a broad range of concentrations. When explants were exposed to low concentrations of BrdU during preculture and then transferred onto BrdU-free SIM, shoot redifferentiation was accelerated significantly. At higher doses, BrdU treatment during the pre-culture inhibited shoot redifferentiation strongly in hypocotyl explants, but not in root explants. This suggests that a target of the BrdU action lies within the process of acquisition of cell proliferation competence specifically involved in hypocotyl dedifferentiation. These effects of BrdU were counteracted by the simultaneous addition of excess dT. BrdU-pretreated and untreated explants did not differ significantly in the phytohormone dependency of shoot redifferentiation. Our results provide a basis for future studies on plant organogenesis combining pharmacological analysis with BrdU as a probe and molecular genetics with Arabidopsis mutants.     

Switching from bone marrow-derived neurons to epithelial cells through dedifferentiation and translineage redifferentiation

While the ability of stem cells to switch lineages has been suggested, the route(s) through which this may happen is unclear. To date, the best characterized adult stem cell population considered to possess transdifferentiation capacity is BM-MSCs (bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells). We investigated whether BM-MSCs that had terminally differentiated into the neural or epithelial lineage could be induced to transdifferentiate into the other phenotype in vitro. Our results reveal that neuronal phenotypic cells derived from adult rat bone marrow cells can be switched to epithelial phenotypic cells, or vice versa, by culture manipulation allowing the differentiated cells to go through, first, dedifferentiation and then redifferentiation to another phenotype. Direct transdifferentiation from differentiated neuronal or epithelial phenotype to the other differentiated phenotype cannot be observed even when appropriate culture conditions are provided. Thus, dedifferentiation appears to be a prerequisite for changing fate and differentiating into a different lineage from a differentiated cell population.     

Culture duration alters the glutathione content and sensitivity to ethacrynic acid of rat hepatocyte monolayer cultures

Many of the differentiated functions of hepatocytes are lost in culture, yet addition of certain medium supplements can aid in the retention of differentiated character. Therefore, the effect of time in monolayer culture on rat hepatocyte glutathione (GSH) synthesis and sensitivity to the GSH detoxicated xenobiotic ethacrynic acid was examined in cultures with and without medium supplementation by transferrin and sodium selenite. GSH content was found to be about 12 nmol/µg DNA at 4 hr in culture and to approximately triple by 24 hr. Intracellular GSH levels continued to increase in transferrin/sodium selenite-supplemented cultures, from 32 to 41.6 nmol/µg DNA, while GSH levels in unsupplemented cultures declined to 18 nmol/µg DNA. However, the rate of GSH synthesis after diethylmaleate depletion was found to decrease from 4.2 to 2.8 nmol/hr/µg DNA at 4 and 24 hr after inoculation, respectively. GSH repletion rate increased to 3.9 nmol/hr/µg DNA at 48 hr. The GSH accumulation rate after depletion in supplemented cultures did not vary significantly over the initial 48 hr. Incubation for 3 hr with 100 µM ethacrynic acid (EA) did not elicit an increase in LDH leakage in hepatocyte monolayers after 4 or 48 hr in culture or in cultures with supplemented medium at any time point tested. Cultures 24 hr in medium without transferrin/sodium selenite supplementation exhibited significant LDH leakage after 3 hr of EA treatment. Over the 3 hr EA treatment, intracellular GSH content was decreased in all cultures. Only in the 24 hr unsupplemented cultures did GSH depletion exceed the 90% level previously associated with depletion of the mitochondrial pool of GSH and EA toxicity in hepatocytes. The experiments show that during the redifferentiation of hepatocytes in culture, a transient period occurs when apparent GSH synthesis is depressed and enhanced sensitivity to GSH-detoxicated compounds is observed. This period of increased sensitivity is prevented or at least delayed by inclusion of supplemental transferrin and sodium selenite, suggesting that redifferentiation can be regulated by extracellular influences.Abbreviations CYSSG cysteine-glutathione mixed disulfide - DEM diethyl maleate - EA ethacrynic acid - GSH reduced glutathione - GSSG oxidized glutathione - HBS HEPES buffered saline - HWME hepatocyte Williams' Medium E (WME with insulin, corticosterone and 0.5 mM methionine) - LDH lactate dehydrogenase - TS-HWME transferrin/sodium selenite-supplemented HWME - WME Williams' Medium E     

文心兰类原球茎的愈伤组织诱导及其植株再生

该研究首次以文心兰的类原球茎( protocorm-like bodies, PLBs)为外植体进行愈伤组织诱导及其植株再生培养,并分析了不同浓度的TDZ和2,4-D配比对愈伤组织增殖的影响。结果表明：以1/2MS为基本培养基,添加1 mg.L-1 TDZ与3 mg.L-12,4-D,从接种的 PLBs上可以诱导出乳白色的、较疏松的愈伤组织,诱导频率达到100％。愈伤组织继代培养时,在2,4-D浓度为0.5~2.0 mg.L-1的范围内,其增殖主要受TDZ浓度的影响,TDZ浓度从1.0 mg.L-1降低到0.5 mg.L-1,愈伤组织鲜重增殖倍数显著增加,由最低的4.50倍增加到最高的6.04倍。愈伤组织增殖的最适培养基为1/2MS ＋0.5 mg.L-1 TDZ ＋1.0 mg.L-12,4-D。将在最适愈伤组织增殖培养基上继代培养约1个月的愈伤组织转移到T2培养基(3.5 g.L-1花宝1号＋20 g.L-1红薯＋25 g.L-1香蕉＋1 g.L-1 tryptone ＋20 g.L-1蔗糖＋3.5 g.L-1 phytagel)上,黑暗培养1个月后,每克鲜重的愈伤组织约诱导出1328.67个PLBs。将诱导出的PLBs转移到新鲜的T2培养基上光照培养1个月,萌发率为90.12％。而将小植株转移到添加1 g.L-1活性炭的1/2MS培养基上,成苗率达到100％。该研究结果成功建立了文心兰的高频愈伤组织诱导及其植株再生体系,为文心兰基因工程育种提供了一个高效、稳定的转化受体系统。     

Preparing normal tissue cells for space flight experiments

Deterioration of health is a problem in modern space flight business. In order to develop countermeasures, research has been done on human bodies and also on single cells. Relevant experiments on human cells in vitro are feasible when microgravity is simulated by devices such as the Random Positioning Machine or generated for a short time during parabolic flights. However, they become difficult in regard to performance and interpretation when long-term experiments are designed that need a prolonged stay on the International Space Station (ISS). One huge problem is the transport of living cells from a laboratory on Earth to the ISS. For this reason, mainly rapidly growing, rather robust human cells such as cancer cells, embryonic cells, or progenitor cells have been investigated on the ISS up to now. Moreover, better knowledge on the behavior of normal mature cells, which mimic the in vivo situation, is strongly desirable. One solution to the problem could be the use of redifferentiable cells, which grow rapidly and behave like cancer cells in plain medium, but are reprogrammed to normal cells when substances like retinoic acid are added. A list of cells capable of redifferentiation is provided, together with names of suitable drugs, in this review.     

Redifferentiation of proliferated rat hepatocytes cultured in L15 medium supplemented with EGF and DMSO

Summary Primary adult rat hepatocytes were cultured in serum-free L15 medium supplemented with 20 mM NaHCO₃ and 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor in a 5% CO₂:95% air incubator. The number of cells increased and reached about 180% of the initial value by Day 4, and after 2% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was added to the culture medium at Day 4, the cells continued to proliferate until Day 6. The number of cells reached about 210% at Day 6 and they were well maintained until Day 18. The cell number gradually decreased with time in culture, but many cells remained for more than 2 mo. On the other hand, without 2% DMSO, the cells proliferated until Day 5, but thereafter they rapidly decreased. After DMSO addition, albumin and transferrin were secreted into the medium and the production of both proteins continued for more than 2 mo. Immunocytochemically both proteins were strongly stained in the cells treated with 2% DMSO. Although the expression of G6Pase in the cells disappeared at Day 6 without DMSO, the cells treated with 2% DMSO recovered G6Pase activity at Day 16. In addition, induction of peroxisomes by 2 mM sodium clofibric acid was clearly shown in the hepatocytes at Day 14 and Day 25 using enzyme-cytochemistry. Ultrastructurally, DMSO-treated hepatocytes had many mitochondria and large peroxisomes with a crystalline nucleoid, and both gap junctions and desmosomes were well developed between the cells even at Day 40. Thus, the number of cells doubled, some differentiated functions of the primary hepatocytes were well restored by the use of 2% DMSO, and these functions were maintained for more than 2 mo.     

The restoration of the functions of serially passaged calf hepatocytes by spheroid formation

Summary A serial cultivation system of hepatocytes was established for the first time using calf liver as a cell source and, repeating passage of more than 30 cumulative population doublings (PDs), was obtained in the presence of long-acting ascorbic acid derivative (L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate) and epidermal growth factor. The complete purification of hepatocytes was achieved by repeating ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment, by which hepatocytes were easily detached from the culture dish, leaving most of the nonparenchymal cells on the dish. As the population cumulatively doubled, the cell density and albumin-synthesizing ability decreased gradually, and doubling time has exceeded 120 h at about 30 cumulative PDs. In serially passaged cells, the hepatocyte-specific histochemical and biochemical markers—including glucose-6-phosphatase, ornithine carbamoyltransferase, glutamate hydrogenase, and ammonia-metabolizing activities—have been lost after 20 cumulative PDs. However, when these passaged cells were allowed to form spheroids, the morphologic and biochemical characteristics of hepatocytes have rapidly been restored to levels comparable to those in younger generations. Because no extrinsic factor was needed for this restoration, three-dimensional cell-cell interaction would be indispensable for the differentiation of the hepatocytes. The routine serial cultivation of hepatocytes and their redifferentiation by spheroid formation will be useful for studying metabolism, gene regulation, and transplantation of hepatocytes.     

Restoration of cardenolide-synthesis in redifferentiated shoots from callus cultures of Digitalis purpurea

No cardenolide was detected in cultured cells and roots of root forming callus of Digitalis purpurea under such conditions as addition of auxins, varied sugar concentration of the medium and illumination. Cardenolides such as digitoxin and purpurea glycoside A were found in leaves from the regenerated shoot from callus cultures. The manifestation of cardenolide-synthesizing potentiality seems to be closely related to some process of leaf development.     

扁桃愈伤组织诱导及分化的研究

以扁桃优良品种'Naporeil'的茎段、叶片和花药作为外殖体,分别对其进行愈伤组织诱导和分化研究,以筛选愈伤组织的最佳诱导增殖培养基、分化培养基和生根培养基.结果表明,该品种以茎段、花药作为外殖体最易诱导获得愈伤组织,叶片不适宜作为外殖体诱导愈伤组织;愈伤组织的最佳诱导增殖培养基均为B5+0.5 mg/L 2,4-D+0.2 mg/L 6-BA+1.0 mg/L NAA,愈伤组织诱导率为100%,增殖倍数最高可达7倍;茎段愈伤组织的分化培养基为MS+0.2 mg/L NAA+0.8 mg/L 6-BA+0.5 mg/L ZT,分化率为71%;花药愈伤组织未见分化.由茎段愈伤组织再分化获得的不定芽在1/2MS+0.5 mg/L IBA培养基上诱导生根,并给以黑暗预处理可使生根率达80%以上.