Normal human endometrium in cell culture

Summary The growth of short-term primary cultures of endometrial epithelium has been studied using Feulgen microspectrophotometry. A gradual increase in the number of polyploid nuclei up to 64C has been observed and is associated with a decline in the growth capacity of the cultures. The specific mechanism(s) of this polyploidization is not known.     

Coordination of macromolecular synthesis in the slime mould Physarum polycephalum.

Microplasmodia of P. polycephalum were grown either in batch culture, in both complex and defined media to give a 3-4 fold variation in growth rate, or in a chemostate. The protein/DNA ratio of batch cultures was almost invariant, whilst the RNA/DNA ratio increased as a non-linear function of growth rate. The amount of ribosomal RNA, expressed as a fraction of total RNA, showed little variation and this was also true for the proportion of ribosomes found in polyribosomes. Calculation of the rate of protein synthesis per ribosome shows that this parameter increases by approximately 50% over the range of growth rates studied, although it should be emphasized that the effect of protein turnover has not yet been taken into account. Enrichment of batch cultures growing in a defined medium produced an increase in the rate of RNA synthesis. Data obtained with chemostat cultures differed in several respects from those described above for batch cultures, especially at low growth rates, and are discussed in relation to the early stages of differentiation of microplasmodia to spherules.     

Glutamine synthetase expression in rat oligodendrocytes in culture: regulation by hormones and growth factors.

Glutamine synthetase (GS, EC 6.3.1.2.) has long been considered as a protein specific for astrocytes in the brain, but recently GS immunoreactivity has been reported in oligodendrocytes both in mixed primary glial cell cultures and in vivo. We have investigated its expression and regulation in "pure" oligodendrocyte cultures. "Pure" oligodendrocyte secondary cultures were derived from newborn rat brain primary cultures enriched in oligodendrocytes as described by Besnard et al. (1987) and were grown in chemically defined medium. These cultures contain more than 90% galactocerebroside-positive oligodendrocytes and produce "myelin" membranes (Fressinaud et al., 1990) after 6-10 days in subcultures (30-35 days, total time in culture). The presence of GS in oligodendrocytes from both primary glial cell cultures and "pure" oligodendrocyte cultures was confirmed by double immunostaining with a rabbit antisheep GS and guinea pig antirat brain myelin 2', 3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase. In "pure" oligodendrocyte cultures, about half of cells were labeled with anti-GS antibody. Furthermore, on the immunoblot performed with a rabbit antisheep GS, the GS protein in "pure" oligodendrocyte secondary cultures was visualized as a single band with an apparent molecular mass of about 43 kDa. In contrast, two protein bands for GS were observed in cultured astrocytes. On the immunoblot performed with a rabbit antichick GS, two immunopositive protein bands were observed: a major one migrating as the purified adult chick brain GS and a minor one with a lower molecular mass. Two similar immunoreactive bands were also observed in pure rat astrocyte cultures. Compared to pure rat astrocyte cultures, "pure" oligodendrocyte cultures of the same age displayed an unexpectedly high GS specific activity that could not be explained by astrocytic contamination of the cultures (less than 5%). As for cultured astrocytes, treatment of oligodendrocyte cultures with dibutyryl-adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate, triiodothyronine, or hydrocortisone increased significantly GS specific activity. Interestingly, epidermal growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor that increase the GS activity in astrocytes do not affect this activity in oligodendrocytes. Thus we confirm the finding of Warringa et al. (1988) that GS is also expressed in oligodendrocytes. We show that its activity is regulated similarly in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes by hormones, but that it is regulated differently by growth factors in these two cell types.     

Simian rotavirus SA11 replication in cell cultures.

Understanding the basic virology of rotavirus infections has been hampered by the fastidiousness of most isolates and by the lack of a rapid quantitative assay method. The growth characteristics of the simian rotavirus SA11 were studied because it grows to high titers in tissue culture and infectivity can be quantitated by plaque assay. SA11 replication was analyzed in a variety of primary cell cultures or continuous cell lines derived from both homologous and heterologous hosts. Viral replication was observed in each of the cell cultured examined. The individual cell cultures demonstrated marked variability in their susceptibility to rotavirus infection. The highest titers were obtained with MA104, BSC-1, CV-1, and BGM cells. Observable cytopathic effect was found to correlate with the percentage of infected cells in the culture. This study presents growth curves of the simian rotavirus in a variety of cell cultures.     

Growth of MDA-MB-231 cell line: different effects of TGF-beta(1), EGF and estradiol depending on the length of exposure.

The human cell line MDA-MB-231 is a prototype for the study of hormone-independent breast cancer. Modification of cell growth behaviour has been observed after treating these cells with growth factors. EGF is a typical stimulatory growth factor for many cell types, whereas transforming growth factor beta(1)(TGF-beta(1)) acts with inhibitory character. Here we observed cell growth inhibition after EGF as well as after TGF-beta(1)treatments. Nevertheless, in the 42-h experiments, EGF-treated cultures grew before (18 hours) respect to the TGF-beta(1)and E(2)-treated cultures (24 h), and in the 11-day experiments, EGF-treated cultures started growing (7 days) after TGF-beta(1)-treated cultures (5 days). Estradiol inhibited the proliferation of these cells only after several days of treatment.     

Cellular control of growth in cultures of Tetrahymena. 3. The influence of Fe-medium and aeration on cellular ultrastructure.

Cultures of Tetrahymena pyriformis were grown with and without the addition of Fe and with no aeration. The same cultures were used both for determinations of the cellular Fe and Ca concentrations and the exchange of Ca (reported earlier), and for the ultrastructural study. In all cultures there was an increase in rounded, tubuli-deficient mitochondria at the transition to the prestationary growth phase. In the non-aerated culture (high cellular Fe content) these changes were less marked. In the Fe-deficient culture, however, these mitochondrial changes were seen as early as the late exponential growth phase, and tubuli-degeneration then increased during the prestationary growth phase. In this culture an irregular infolding of the outer mitochondrial membranes occurred. These changes are discussed in correlation with cytochromes, Fe-dependent desaturation of fatty acids, and high Ca concentration (non-aerated cells). During the prestationary growth phase of the non-aerated culture there was a marked increase in the amount of mitochondrial tubuli. In the organelles identified as peroxisomes there was, in all the cultures, an increased granular density of the matrix at the transition to the prestationary growth phase (in the Fe-deficient cells this occurred in the late exponential growth phase). This was correlated with an increased peroxisomal activity. The Fe-deficient culture has cells with very irregularly formed peroxisomes. This organelle was in all the cell-material very sensitive to the method of fixation. In the Fe-deficient late exponential cells there are long, bifacial pieces of RER (one side rough and the other smooth) which later undergo degradation. Many lipid droplets were seen at the ends of RER. Structures which in the literature have been called 'ergoplasm-like stacks of flattened rough cisternae' were found in the non-aerated exponential cells. They were absent from prestationary cells. In all the cultures there was an increased aggregation of the ribosomes in the cytoplasm during the prestationary growth phase. This was correlated with the accumulation of Ca in this cell fraction. An explanation is suggested regarding the earlier reported variations in the exchange of Ca, found in all the types of cultures at the transition to the prestationary growth phase.     

DNA ligase activity in UV-irradiated monkey kidney cells.

The DNA ligase activity of monkey kidney CV-1 cells has been measured at different stages of culture growth and after different time intervals following ultraviolet irradiation. Results indicate that: - The level of enzyme activity is about twice higher in non synchronous, rapidly dividing cells than in confluent cultures. - UV-irradiation of cells induces a "de novo" synthesis of DNA ligase. - This induction is dose dependent in its extent and kinetics, and may lead to a DNA ligase level in UV-irradiated stationary cultures of the same order as observed in unirradiated exponentially growing cells. - This induction seems to be independent of semiconservative DNA synthesis since it is not affected by fluorodeoxyuridine.     

Embryogenic suspension cultures of Pinus nigra Arn.: growth parameters and maturation ability

Suspension cultures have been established from embryogenic tissues of Pinus nigra initiated from immature zygotic embryos. The growth of tissues in liquid medium has been influenced by initial tissue weight used for the establishment of the cultures as well as by genotype. In most of the cases initial tissue weight 0.5 g was insufficient and the cultures showed poor growth and later degeneration. Higher amount of initial tissues (1 or 2.5 g) was more efficient for the establishment and proliferation of somatic embryos in liquid medium. The growth of suspension cultures was also cell line dependent. Somatic embryo maturation in liquid medium was very limited and no plantlet regeneration occurred. Cotyledonary somatic embryos developed and produced emblings when the suspension was plated on filter paper discs and cultured on solid maturation medium. Based on our experiments we can state that the embryogenic tissues are able to grow and proliferate in liquid medium but somatic embryo maturation and plantlet regeneration occur only on solid medium.     

Human cells in suspension. 1 Human lymphoid and granulopoietic cells in primary and secondary cultures: effects of in vitro induction and prolonged methanol acetic acid fixation on metaphase chromosome structure.

Modifications of Hungerford's method (1965) for production of chromosomal slides from human lymphoid cells in culture have been developed. Modified in vitro induction of banding and uncoiling has been used to produce chromosomal slides from human neoplastic cells of granulopoietic origin. The chromosomes are well spread and appear either long, thin and segmented or uncoiled. It is suggested that it is the combined action of the prolonged fixation used, and the in vitro induction, which leads to the observed structural alteration of the chromosomes. A method for increasing the yield of metaphase cells when working with bone marrow has been developed on the basis of culturing the granulopoietic cells in medium containing colony stimulating factor (CSF). Comparative analysis of metaphases from primary and secondary cultures of bone marrow cells showed that the culturing conditions for the secondary cultures do not induce chromosome abnormalities in the cells during the growth period.     

Polyamines in the Synthesis of Bacteriophage Deoxyribonucleic Acid II. Requirement for Polyamines in T4 Infection of a Polyamine Auxotroph

Polyamine depletion produced by exogenous arginine in Escherichia coliK-12 cultures defective in agmatine ureohydrolase activity resulted in a marked inhibition of the rates of growth and nucleic acid synthesis. Addition of putrescine or spermidine to such depleted cultures restored the control rate of growth and nucleic acid accumulation. The omission of lysine resulted in a further decrease in the rates of growth and nucleic acid synthesis in polyamine-depleted cells. The addition of exogenous cadaverine increased the rates of growth and ribonucleic acid synthesis to those observed in lysine-supplemented cultures, suggesting that lysine or a derivative of lysine serves a function similar to cadaverine. Addition of lysine to polyamine-depleted cultures at neutral pH results in the synthesis of cadaverine and a new spermidine analogue, both containing lysine carbon. This new metabolite has been isolated and identified as N-3-aminopropyl-1, 5-diaminopentane. T4D infection of the polyamine-depleted mutant resulted in a very low rate of DNA synthesis and phage maturation. The addition of putrescine or spermidine 15 min before infection restored phage DNA synthesis and phage maturation to control rates, i.e., rates observed in infected cells grown in the absence of arginine.     

Normal and benign human prostatic epithelium in culture. I. Isolation.

Isolation of normal human glandular epithelia and their growth and maintenance in vitro have been major problems. The primary objective of studies presented here was to isolate postpubertal, normal human, viable prostatic epithelium for in vitro cultivation. The long-term objective of these investigations was to develop an in vitro human cell model system for studies on prostatic carcinogenesis. A method for isolation of viable, normal and benign human prostatic epithelium, using collagenase for tissue dissociation, is described. Intact acini were isolated, which, on plating gave rise to vigorously growing monolayer cultures of epithelial cells. The purity of epithelial cultures partly depended upon the source of tissue. Specimens of normal prostate and those of benign tissue derived from open prostatectomies provided primarily pure epithelial cultures with occasional fibroblast colonies in some cultures, which could be removed. Cultures from some specimens of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) contained many fibroblast colonies due to incomplete separation of acini from the stroma. This resulted from incomplete digestion of denatured tissue caused by electrocauterization during surgery. Cultures established in this manner are being used to study the effects of hormones, vitamins and other growth regulators in order to establish growth requirements of these cells in vitro, which would facilitate their long-term maintenance.     

促进黄花蒿发根青蒿素合成的内生真菌诱导子的制备

应用酸解法对黄花蒿(ArtemisiaannuaL.)内生胶孢炭疽菌(Colletotrichumgloeosporioides)菌丝体进行提取,在黄花蒿发根培养系统中比较了各制备提取物的青蒿素诱导活性。活性提取物经过SephadexG25层析后,部分纯化的内生菌寡糖提取物(MW<2500)可显著促进发根青蒿素的合成,培养23d的发根经诱导子(0.4mg/mL)处理4d后,青蒿素产量可达13.51mg/L,比同期对照产量提高51.63%,诱导作用与诱导子浓度、作用时间相关。内生菌寡糖诱导子的制备和使用,在青蒿素生物技术生产研究中为首次应用。     

The ATP pool in Escherichia coli. I. Measurement of the pool using a modified luciferase assay

A sensitive modification of the luciferase assay for ATP is described. Light output is measured using a conventional liquid-scintillation counter. ATP over the range 2 to 20 μμmoles can be assayed. The sensitivity of the method allows samples to be taken rapidly from growing cultures of bacteria without concentrating them from the medium. Chilling and anaerobiosis of growing cells before extracting with HClO₄ have been shown to cause a reduction in the ATP pool. ATP measurements in growing cultures of Escherichia coli show four different phenomena depending on culture conditions: (a) ATP production is in balance with growth. (b) ATP is consistently over-produced. (c) ATP is consistently under-produced. (d) Cyclic oscillations in ATP production are observed.

Doubling times for growth and ATP production are compared, and the ATP pool in cells grown under carbon-limiting conditions in a chemostat has been measured. Starvation experiments have shown that the ATP pool drops more rapidly anaerobically than aerobically.     

Chemostat cultivation as a tool for studies on sugar transport in yeasts.

Chemostat cultivation enables investigations into the effects of individual environmental parameters on sugar transport in yeasts. Various means are available to manipulate the specific rate of sugar uptake (qs) in sugar-limited chemostat cultures. A straightforward way to manipulate qs is variation of the dilution rate, which, in substrate-limited chemostat cultures, is equal to the specific growth rate. Alternatively, qs can be varied independently of the growth rate by mixed-substrate cultivation or by variation of the biomass yield on sugar. The latter can be achieved, for example, by addition of nonmetabolizable weak acids to the growth medium or by variation of the oxygen supply. Such controlled manipulation of metabolic fluxes cannot be achieved in batch cultures, in which various parameters that are essential for the kinetics of sugar transport cannot be controlled. In sugar-limited chemostat cultures, yeasts adapt their sugar transport systems to cope with the low residual sugar concentrations, which are often in the micromolar range. Under the conditions, yeasts with high-affinity proton symport carriers have a competitive advantage over yeasts that transport sugars via facilitated-diffusion carriers. Chemostat cultivation offers unique possibilities to study the energetic consequences of sugar transport in growing cells. For example, anaerobic, sugar-limited chemostat cultivation has been used to quantify the energy requirement for maltose-proton symport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Controlled variation of growth conditions in chemostat cultures can be used to study the differential expression of genes involved in sugar transport and as such can make an important contribution to the ongoing studies on the molecular biology of sugar transport in yeasts.     

Temporal and Spatial Heterogeneity in the Accumulation of Anthocyanins in Cell Cultures of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don.

The accumulation of anthocyanins, a group of pigmented secondarymetabolites, in cell cultures of the Madagascar periwinkle Catharanthusroseus has been investigated. In these cultures it was foundthat anthocyanin accumulation was restricted to the post-divisionphase of the culture growth cycle, during which the culturesbecame deep purple in colour. As a result of anthocyanin visibilityit has been possible to ascertain that accumulation of thesemetabolites occurred in only a small proportion of the cellpopulation. Approximately 10% of cells regularly accumulateddetectable levels. Considerable variation within this ‘productive’population was observed and using a standard integrating microdensitometerit has been possible to quantify directly this heterogeneityand compare it with data obtained from whole plants. Analysishas revealed that the variation in both intracellular anthocyanincontent and concentration in cell cultures was much greaterthan that observed within tissues of mature plants. Significantdifferences in mean values were however found between the wholeplant tissues. The relevance of this temporal and spatial heterogeneityobserved in vitro to our understanding of the control of secondarymetabolite accumulation and to the potential use of tissue culturesystems as a means to produce these compounds is discussed. Key words: Heterogeneity, anthocyanins, cell culture     

Modeling lipid accumulation in oleaginous fungi in chemostat cultures: I. Development and validation of a chemostat model for Umbelopsis isabellina

Lipid-accumulating fungi may be able to produce biodiesel precursors from agricultural wastes. As a first step in understanding and evaluating their potential, a mathematical model was developed to describe growth, lipid accumulation and substrate consumption of the oleaginous fungus Umbelopsis isabellina (also known as Mortierella isabellina) in submerged chemostat cultures. Key points of the model are: (1) if the C-source supply rate is limited, maintenance has a higher priority than growth, which has a higher priority than lipid production; (2) the maximum specific lipid production rate of the fungus is independent of the actual specific growth rate. Model parameters were obtained from chemostat cultures of U. isabellina grown on mineral media with glucose and NH₄ ⁺. The model describes the results of chemostat cultures well for D > 0.04 h⁻¹, but it has not been validated for lower dilution rates because of practical problems with the filamentous fungus. Further validation using literature data for oleaginous yeasts is described in part II of this paper. Our model shows that not only the C/N-ratio of the feed, but also the dilution rate highly influences the lipid yield in chemostat cultures.     

Studies on the biosynthesis of quinones in fungi. Incorporation of 6-methylsalicylic acid into fumigatin and related compounds in Aspergillus fumigatus I.M.I. 89353

1. Orsellinic acid has been detected as a metabolite of Aspergillus fumigatus. 2. The other principal aromatic components of the medium are fumigatin and the quinol, fumigatol. Fumigatol has been shown to be dihydrofumigatin after oxidation to the quinone followed by acetylation. 3. (14)C-labelled 6-methylsalicylic acid can be hydroxylated in A. fumigatus to form orsellinic acid and decarboxylated to give m-cresol. 4. (14)C-labelled 6-methylsalicylic acid is incorporated into fumigatin and fumigatol (1.0-1.5%), but the conversion does not occur until about 2-3 days after supplementation of the medium. At this stage of growth, the organism has already synthesized approx. 20 times as much fumigatol as fumigatin and this ratio is reflected in the much lower specific activity of the quinol. 5. Supplementation of the medium with either orsellinic acid or orcinol, in addition to (14)C-labelled 6-methylsalicylic acid, greatly decreases the latter's incorporation into fumigatin. At the same time, the cultures containing these substances are stimulated to produce another quinone with relatively high specific activity. 6. 6-Methylsalicylic acid has not been detected in the medium of normal cultures. The results indicate that 6-methylsalicylic acid itself is not a direct precursor of fumigatin and fumigatol but that it is converted into a true intermediate, probably after hydroxylation to orsellinic acid. 7. Supplementation of the medium with 6-methylsalicylic acid (15-25mg./200ml.) greatly affects the metabolism of A. fumigatus. Growth is inhibited and the synthesis of fumigatol is markedly depressed in these cultures. The inhibitory effects may possibly be related in some way to the production of m-cresol.     

A Method for Studying Photosynthetic Capacities of Unicellular Algae Based on in vivo Chlorophyll Fluorescence

The correlation between photosynthesis and DCMU-induced fluorescence increase has been studied in four species of unicellular green algae from inoculation of the cultures to the stationary growth phase. The fluorescence increase induced by DCMU was high in exponentially growing cultures but decreased when the cultures approached the stationary phase of growth. Because of the good correlation between photosynthesis and DCMU-induced fluorescence increase, the fluorescence technique is a promising method for describing changes in photosynthetic capacities of algal populations in natural waters.     

Position-specific growth of mouse limb bud cells in vitro.

The relationship between cellular position and growth control has been studied in cultures of dissociated fragments of mouse limb bud cells. Using cells derived from various positions along the anterior-posterior axis of the limb bud we have developed culture conditions that optimize growth of positionally isolated cells. Under these conditions limb bud cells display an inherent, position-specific growth response; proliferation of cells derived from anterior and central regions of the limb is enhanced over that of posterior derived cells. Thus, within the total population of limb bud cells the in vitro growth of posterior cells is unique and correlates with the positional activity associated with the zone of polarizing activity. Anterior and posterior cells were cocultured to determine whether interactions between these two groups of positionally distinct cells lead to the stimulation of growth that has been observed in vivo. We observe a slight but consistent position-dependent stimulation of growth that is indicative of a mitogenic signal passing between these positionally disparate cells. Similarities between position-related growth dynamics in vivo and in vitro suggest that positional interactions that are important for limb formation can occur between dissociated cells cultured under standard conditions.     

Erythroid and granulocytic colony growth in cultures supplemented with human serum lipoproteins.

The ability of human serum to support erythroid and granulocytic colony formation has been investigated. It was found that normal human serum could replace fetal calf serum in the cultures and was able to support the growth of these hemopoietic colonies. Serum fractions enriched for low density lipoproteins, either by precipitation with Heparin-Mn++ or by ultracentrifugation, was found to contain this growth supporting activity of human serum.