Digitonin-Permeabilized Cells Are Exocytosis Competent

Release of norepinephrine from PC12 cells can be stimulated by free Ca2+ in micromolar concentrations after permeabilization with 10 micrograms/ml of digitonin. This release is time and temperature dependent, half-maximal at 0.3 microM Ca2+, and, after washing out of endogenous ATP, half-maximal at about 0.5 mM MgATP when exogenously added. Similar results were obtained with bovine adrenal chromaffin cells using the same protocol. Support for the idea that the mechanism of release from both permeabilized cell types is still exocytosis is demonstrated at the electron microscopic level by immunolabeling chromaffin granule membrane antigens that were introduced into the plasma membrane following stimulation. Electron micrographs furthermore demonstrate that chromaffin granules retain typical dense cores after permeabilization, indicating that leakiness of catecholamines from the granules was not a major factor. Pores, formed by digitonin in the plasma membranes, were utilized to introduce antibodies into such exocytosis-competent cells. Anti-actin and anti-chromaffin granule membrane antibodies show a staining pattern similar to conventionally fixed and stained preparations. Our results demonstrate that pores formed by digitonin do not impair the process of exocytosis although they are big enough to allow macromolecules to pass in both directions. The digitonin-permeabilized cell is therefore an ideal in vitro system with which to study the fusion process between chromaffin granules and the plasma membrane.     

从原始生殖细胞分离克隆鸡胚胎生殖细胞的研究

从孵化 5 5天的鸡胚生殖腺中分离得到大量原始生殖细胞 (PGCs)集落 ,这些集落的细胞经多次克隆传代具有胚胎生殖细胞 (EG)的诸多特征 ,如有连续传代的能力 (传至第 9代 ) ,细胞集落有典型鸟巢状结构 ,PAS染色阳性 ,AKP染色阳性 ,在无饲养层无分化抑制因子LIF时可以自发分化成几种细胞类型 ,包括成纤维细胞、神经细胞、自律细胞等 ,悬浮培养时具有形成类胚体的能力。上述发现表明该细胞具EG细胞的诸多特性 ,为类EG细胞     

Germ cells are forever

Germ cells are the only cell type capable of generating an entirely new organism. In order to execute germline-specific functions and to retain the capacity for totipotency, germ cells repress somatic differentiation, interact with a specialized microenvironment, and use germline-specific networks of RNA regulation.     

禽类胚胎生殖细胞的研究

胚胎干细胞有2种来源：一种来自于早期胚胎囊胚期内细胞团（inner cell mass,ICM）的胚胎干细胞（embryonic stem cells,ES细胞）,另一种是来自胚胎生殖腺原始生殖细胞（primordial germ cells,PGCs）的胚胎生殖细胞（embryonic germ cells,EG细胞）。PGCs是生殖母细胞的前体细胞,是精子或卵子的祖先细胞。自Matsui等证实了PGCs同样可以作为胚胎干细胞的原材料之后,现已在人、小鼠、猪和鸡等多种动物的PGCs进行了分离培养并获得了EG细胞。现从形态特征和迁移、分离培养及鉴定方面对禽类EG细胞的研究进展作一综述。     

国产丝裂霉素处理的胎儿成纤维细胞支持具有生殖系转化能力的小鼠胚胎干细胞的分离

应用于胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cells,ES细胞)培养的国产药物可以降低ES细胞的实验成本。研究中以浙江海正药业生产的丝裂霉素(mitomycin,国药准字H33020786)处理小鼠胎儿成纤维细胞,用于胚胎干细胞建系。并制备饲养层,将小鼠囊胚种植在该饲养层上。4-6天后,挑选形态良好的内细胞团(inner cell mass)来源的克隆在胰酶中进行消化,将消化下来的细胞团块传至新鲜的饲养层上。之后,每2-3天传代一次。结果表明,经该丝裂霉素处理的胎儿成纤维细胞支持具有生殖系嵌合能力的胚胎干细胞的分离。     

大肠杆菌感受态细胞转化能力的影响因素

探讨了大肠杆菌菌株、细菌生长状态、转化溶液、抗冻剂及保存时间、质粒长度和纯度对感受态细胞转化能力的影响。结果表明,以100 mmol/L CaCl2为缓冲液,采用经活化培养的A600为0.55的TG1制备的感受态细胞,在冰上放置6h后转化,所得转化率最高,可达2×106-4×107cfu/μg DNA(pUC19)。随着质粒长度增加和纯度降低,转化率有所下降。若感受态细胞要保存备用,以15％甘油为抗冻剂优于7％DMSO,但添加抗冻剂对转化率有抑制作用。贮于甘油的感受态细胞在-70℃冻存两个月后仍有较理想的转化率。     

猪原始生殖细胞生物学特性的研究

胚胎生殖细胞（embryonic germ cell,EGC）是由胎儿原始生殖细胞（primordial germ cell,PGC）经体外驯化培养获得的一种多潜能干细胞。研究猪PGC生物学特性对于建立猪EGC及了解猪生殖细胞发育机制具有重要意义。该研究以原代培养的猪PGC为对象,探讨了其生长行为特征及其重编程过程中多能性、生殖系标志基因的表达模式。结果显示,26 d胚胎生殖嵴分离的PGC呈碱性磷酸酶阳性,细胞体积及核质比较大;体外培养初期呈现出较强的增殖及迁移能力,培养第5 d细胞增殖达到平台期,此时克隆高表达Oct4、Sox2、Nanog、c-Myc、Klf4和Ifi tm3（P〈0.05）,低表达Blimp1（P〈0.05）,Nanos1和Stella的表达水平与猪胎儿成纤维细胞无差异;猪PGC形成的原代克隆已经具有多向分化潜能。     

小鼠生殖细胞的胚胎发育

本文综述了近年来小鼠胚胎发育过程中生殖细胞的起源、迁移与增殖、性别分化及其基因组修饰等方面的研究进展。小鼠生殖细胞在7~7.5dpc时由原始生殖细胞（PGC）演变而来,至12.5dpc时PGC全部迁移进入生殖嵴,到13.5dpc时停止分裂。Steel/c-kit信号途径在PGC迁移过程中起重要作用。生殖细胞的性别主要是由生殖腺中体细胞的微环境决定的。Y染色体上存在精子形成所必需的基因。生殖细胞的全基因组范围的重新甲基化晚于胚胎体细胞的重新甲基化,到18.5dpc时才完成。雌性生殖细胞的X染色体重新活化在14.5~15.5dpc时完成,并且与生殖嵴的性别分化无关。 Abstract:This paper reviewed the recent progress of the origin,migration and proliferation,sex determination,and genomic modification of murine germ cells during its embryonic development. Murine germ cells originate from primordial germ cells at about 7~7.5dpc. Then PGCs migrated into germinal ridge at about 12.5dpc during which Steel/c-kit signal pathway plays important roles and stopped division at 13.5dpc. The sex of germ cells was mainly determined by the soma microenvironment in the gonad. And there are essential genes for sperm formation on the Y chromosome. The de novo methylation of murine germ cells was much later than soma cells and was completed at about 18.5dpc. The X chromosome reactivation of female germ cells was finished at about 14.5~15.5dpc which was independent of sexual differentiation of germinal ridge.     

In Vivo Epigenomic Profiling of Germ Cells Reveals Germ Cell Molecular Signatures

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Highlights? Modified small-scale ChIP-seq method applicable to small number of cells ? Genome-wide maps of H3K4me3, H3K27me3, H3K27ac, and H2BK20ac of germ cells in vivo ? Identification of active and inactive regulatory elements in germ cells in vivo ? Germ cell H3K27me3 regions are enriched for retrotransposon repeats     

Primordial Germ Cell-Like Cells Differentiated In Vitro from Skin-Derived Stem Cells

Background

We have previously demonstrated that stem cells isolated from fetal porcine skin have the potential to form oocyte-like cells (OLCs) in vitro. However, primordial germ cells (PGCs), which must also be specified during the stem cell differentiation to give rise to these putative oocytes at more advanced stages of culture, were not systematically characterized. The current study tested the hypothesis that a morphologically distinct population of cells derived from skin stem cells prior to OLC formation corresponds to putative PGCs, which differentiate further into more mature gametes.

Methodology/Principal Findings

When induced to differentiate in an appropriate microenvironment, a subpopulation of morphologically distinct cells, some of which are alkaline phosphatase (AP)-positive, also express Oct4, Fragilis, Stella, Dazl, and Vasa, which are markers indicative of germ cell formation. A known differentially methylated region (DMR) within the H19 gene locus, which is demethylated in oocytes after establishment of the maternal imprint, is hypomethylated in PGC-like cells compared to undifferentiated skin-derived stem cells, suggesting that the putative germ cell population undergoes imprint erasure. Additional evidence supporting the germ cell identity of in vitro-generated PGC-like cells is that, when labeled with a Dazl-GFP reporter, these cells further differentiate into GFP-positive OLCs.

Significance

The ability to generate germ cell precursors from somatic stem cells may provide an in vitro model to study some of the unanswered questions surrounding early germ cell formation.     

Purification of Competent Cells in the Bacillus subtilis Transformation System

Transformed cells have been separated from nontransformed cells by centrifugation on a density gradient of Renografin-76. Separation was achieved both on a linear gradient and on a discontinuous gradient. Under optimal conditions, all of the cells in one band (median density, 1.110 g/ml) were transformants, whereas virtually all cells in the other (median density, 1.131) were nontransformants. In some instances, recentrifugation of the transformant band further enriched the transformant population. The transformed population can also be enriched by zonal centrifugation in a linear gradient of Ficoll. However, this technique is far less efficient than centrifugation in Renografin-76. Since the density of competent cells is identical to that of transformants, we conclude that the low density is a property of competent cells. The significance of this low density to the physiology of competent cells is discussed.     

Germline Competent Pluripotent Mouse Stem Cells Generated by Plasmid Vectors

We developed nonintegrated methods to reprogram mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using pig pOct4, pSox2, and pc-Myc as well as human hKLF4, hAID, and hTDG that were carried by plasmid vectors. The 4F method employed pOct4, pSox2, pc-Myc, and hKLF4 to derive iPSC clones with naive embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like morphology. These 4F clones expressed endogenous mouse Nanog protein and could generate chimeras. In addition to the four conventional reprogramming factors used in the 4F method, hAID and hTDG were utilized in a 6F method to increase the conversion efficiency of reprogramming by approximately five-fold. One of the 6F plasmid derived iPSC (piPSC) clones was shown to be germline transmission competent.     

Uptake of Synthetic Polynucleotides by Competent Cells of Bacillus subtilis

A survey was made of the capacity of competent cells of Bacillus subtilis to take up synthetic polynucleotides. Polydeoxyribonucleotides but not polyribonucleotides are taken up by the cells. Both types of polynucleotide failed to compete with transforming deoxyribonucleic acid in the transformation assay whereas both stimulated amino acid incorporation. The latter phenomenon appears to be nonspecific as there is no correlation between the codon composition of the polynucleotides employed and the amino acids whose incorporation was stimulated.     

Macromolecular Synthesis in Bacillus subtilis During Development of the Competent State

Rates of deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, and protein synthesis were examined in purified competent cells of Bacillus subtilis during the development of the transformable state. To become competent, a cell must depart from the normal course of vegetative growth and pass through a precompetent phase beginning as early as 90 to 180 min before the appearance of transformability. While in the precompetent state, the cell decreases its rate of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and lowers its ratio of ribonucleic acid synthesis to protein synthesis. This altered pattern of synthesis eventually leads to a decreased buoyant density of precompetent cells. Once a cell has become both precompetent and low in density, it can be converted to a competent (transformable) cell. The early alterations in macromolecular synthesis were found in two competence regimens, one utilizing a nutritional step-down and one free of such a shift. The data imply that the precompetent state is a generalized characteristic of the B. subtilis transformation system and is not specific to the procedure used to allow competence development. Since precompetence-specific events occur very early in a competence regimen, we conclude that the induction of precompetence is unrelated to sporulation or a nutritional shift.     

Esrrb Complementation Rescues Development of Nanog-Null Germ Cells

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