Mouse Pancreas Tissue Slice Culture Facilitates Long-Term Studies of Exocrine and Endocrine Cell Physiology in situ

Studies on pancreatic cell physiology rely on the investigation of exocrine and endocrine cells in vitro. Particularly, in the case of the exocrine tissue these studies have suffered from a reduced functional viability of acinar cells in culture. As a result not only investigations on dispersed acinar cells and isolated acini were limited in their potential, but also prolonged studies on pancreatic exocrine and endocrine cells in an intact pancreatic tissue environment were unfeasible. To overcome these limitations, we aimed to establish a pancreas tissue slice culture platform to allow long-term studies on exocrine and endocrine cells in the intact pancreatic environment. Mouse pancreas tissue slice morphology was assessed to determine optimal long-term culture settings for intact pancreatic tissue. Utilizing optimized culture conditions, cell specificity and function of exocrine acinar cells and endocrine beta cells were characterized over a culture period of 7 days. We found pancreas tissue slices cultured under optimized conditions to have intact tissue specific morphology for the entire culture period. Amylase positive intact acini were present at all time points of culture and acinar cells displayed a typical strong cell polarity. Amylase release from pancreas tissue slices decreased during culture, but maintained the characteristic bell-shaped dose-response curve to increasing caerulein concentrations and a ca. 4-fold maximal over basal release. Additionally, endocrine beta cell viability and function was well preserved until the end of the observation period. Our results show that the tissue slice culture platform provides unprecedented maintenance of pancreatic tissue specific morphology and function over a culture period for at least 4 days and in part even up to 1 week. This analytical advancement now allows mid -to long-term studies on the cell biology of pancreatic disorder pathogenesis and therapy in an intact surrounding in situ.     

Respiratory Contribution of the Alternate Path during Various Stages of Ripening in Avocado and Banana Fruits

The respiration of fresh slices of preclimacteric avocado (Persea americana Mill. var. Hass) and banana (Musa cavendishii var. Valery) fruits is stimulated by cyanide and antimycin. The respiration is sensitive to m-chlorobenzhydroxamic acid in the presence of cyanide but much less so in the presence of antimycin. In the absence of cyanide the contribution of the cyanide-resistant pathway to the coupled preclimacteric respiration is zero. In uncoupled slices, by contrast, the alternate path is engaged and utilized fully in avocado, and extensively in banana. Midclimacteric and peak climacteric slices are also cyanide-resistant and, in the presence of cyanide, sensitive to m-chlorobenzhydroxamic acid. In the absence of uncoupler there is no contribution by the alternate path in either tissue. In uncoupled midclimacteric avocado slices the alternate path is fully engaged. Midclimacteric banana slices, however, do not respond to uncouplers, and the alternate path is not engaged. Avocado and banana slices at the climacteric peak neither respond to uncouplers nor utilize the alternate path in the presence or absence of uncoupler.

The maximal capacities of the cytochrome and alternate paths, V_cyt and V_alt, respectively, have been estimated in slices from preclimacteric and climacteric avocado fruit and found to remain unchanged. The total respiratory capacity in preclimacteric and climacteric slices exceeds the respiratory rise which attends fruit ripening. In banana V_alt decreases slightly with ripening.

The aging of thin preclimacteric avocado slices in moist air results in ripening with an accompanying climacteric rise. In this case the alternate path is fully engaged at the climacteric peak, and the respiration represents the total potential respiratory capacity present in preclimacteric tissue. The respiratory climacteric in intact avocado and banana fruits is cytochrome path-mediated, whereas the respiratory climacteric of ripened thin avocado slices comprises the alternate as well as the cytochrome path. The ripening of intact fruits is seemingly independent of the nature of the electron transport path.

Uncouplers are thought to stimulate glycolysis to the point where the glycolytic flux exceeds the oxidative capacity of the cytochrome path, with the result that the alternate path is engaged.

     

Study of localization and molecular interactions of biologically active compounds in living cells and tissue slices based on confocal microspectroscopy and reconstruction of the spectral images

The confocal spectral imaging (CSI) technique is described, its basic principles are considered, and a brief review of its applications to the study of biologically active compounds (BAC) within living cells and in tissue slices is presented. This technique is based on measurements and analysis of fluorescence or resonance Raman spectra in each point of the specimen under microscope with a three-dimensional resolution of about cubic micrometer. This technique is applicable to the study of stained fluorescent and nonfluorescent compounds. Unlike the conventional approaches based on the optical microscopy, the CSI technique opens the opportunity for the identification of complexes and microenvironment of BAC in intact cells and thin tissue slices (slices or sections), as well as for the analysis of localization and distribution of compounds of interest and their complexes in cellular organelles and tissue structures. The use of CSI technique in combination with the conventional biochemical and cytological methods makes it possible to significantly expand the informativeness of investigation of modes of action of new BAC.     

Localization of the Ethylene-synthesizing System in Apple Tissue

Apple (Malus sp.) slices gradually lost the ability to synthesize ethylene when incubated with a mixture of enzymes that digest cell walls. The released protoplasts did not produce ethylene. The release of protoplasts was faster from climacteric fruit slices than from preclimacteric tissue. In protoplast suspension culture, as new cell wall was deposited (as judged by the intensity of fluorescence of regenerating protoplasts stained with Calcofluor White and the incorporation of labeled myo-inositol into their ethanol-insoluble residue), ethylene synthesis was gradually regained. Restored ethylene synthesis reached a maximum after 80 hours in protoplasts from preclimacteric fruit and in 120 hours in those from climacteric tissue. Addition of methionine (1 mm) to the culture medium was essential for appreciable synthesis of ethylene; and this synthesis was inhibited by the aminoethoxy analogue of rhizobitoxine and by propyl gallate, inhibitors of ethylene synthesis in higher plants. We suggest that the ethylene-synthesizing enzyme system is highly structured in the apple cell and is localized in a cell wall-cell membrane complex.     

The effect of tonicity and metabolic inhibitors on respiration and ripening of avocado fruit slices

The ripening of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) fruit slices was inhibited whether they were floated in water or in buffered aqueous 0.3 m mannitol, 0.25 m KCl, and sucrose. There was no evidence to support the contention that ripening occurred when the tonicity of the bathing medium was increased. Decreased gaseous exchange is considered to be a major cause of this inhibition because by utilizing a technique that afforded better aeration, slices could be water infiltrated and still ripen normally. Metabolic studies on the ripening of slices using this method indicated that several metabolic inhibitors, malonate, cyanide, acetaldehyde, dinitrophenol, and fluoride did not prevent ripening, but that their effect on the respiration pattern was marked. This technique provides a suitable way to study control of ripening at the tissue level.     

Über den Einfluss hypotonischen Milieus auf den Stoffwechsel dereprimierter pflanzlicher Gewebe

During investigations of their metabolism fragments of plant tissue are most commonly incubated in watery solutions in order to replace the conditions within the intact organ approximately. — This paper reports experiments performed to investigate the influence of a hypotonic medium on several parameters of importance in cell metabolism (protein synthesis, enzymatic activity, concentrations of metabolic intermediates, respiration and cell division). — It could be shown that protein synthesis is severely inhibited in hypotonically exposed potato tuber discs. As a consequence the activities of two dehydrogenases of the pentose phosphate shunt (glucose-6-phosphate- and 6-phosphogluconate-dehydrogenase) are very low as compared with tissue in air. Since the activated pentose shunt evidently contributes to the respiratory reaction after derepression of the tissue, lowered activities of these dehydrogenases must consequently result in lower respiratory activity. This is actually realized in washed tissue. Likewise the mitotic activity is inhibited to a considerable extent. — The destruction of permeability barriers within the cell as a consequence of slicing causes leakage of a variety of metabolites such as glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, fructose-6-phosphate and pyruvate. Thus leaching of metabolic active substances is certainly one of the causal factors in the complex reaction of tissue slices exposed to a hypotonic medium, although such important parameters as changed gas conditions and the various effects of altered hydration of cell cytoplasm must be considered.     

Senescense: association of synthesis of Acid phosphatase with banana ripening

During ripening of banana (Musa sapientum L., var. Gros Michel or Valery) acid phosphatase activity increases 13-to 26-fold in the precipitate and 2- to 4-fold in the supernatant fraction of tissue homogenates. These increases are closely correlated with the onset and peak of the climacteric. The precipitate enzyme may be extracted with Triton X-100, CaCl₂ or NaCl; about 80% of it is in a 500g precipitate. Studies on effect of tonicity of the grinding medium indicate that the precipitate enzyme is desorbed from membrane or cell wall surfaces, and is not released as a result of lysis of membranes. The development of acid phosphatase during aging of tissue slices is the same as in intact fruit. Short term studies of tissue slices with cycloheximide and actinomycin D indicate that the increase in activity is owed to new enzyme synthesis, which is dependent upon synthesis of RNA. The possible effects of the increase in acid phosphatase on ripening are discussed.     

Oviposition site of and gall formation by the fruit gall midge Asphondylia aucubae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in relation to internal fruit structure

Most gall insects use young developing plant organs for gall formation; however, little information is available on the histological identification of such tissues or the changes in their availability with plant growth. We investigated the oviposition site of and the tissue used for gall formation by the midge Asphondylia aucubae Yukawa and Ohsaki, which is responsible for galls on the fruit of Aucuba japonica Thunb., by comparing the internal structures of young developing fruit, mature intact (uninfested) fruit, and galled fruit. The midge deposited eggs between the integument and the carpel of young fruit. Larval chambers were made of callus‐like tissue and were formed between the embryo sac and the carpel, where the integument was initially situated. The integument and part of the carpel were thus identified as critical plant tissues used by A. aucubae in forming galls. The integument degenerates in mature intact fruit; therefore, the season of emergence and oviposition by the midge may be determined by the timing of integument degeneration.     

Development of an in vitro technique for cytological investigations of slices of Fasciola hepatica: evaluation by morpholigical criteria.

The development of a new in vitro system for investigating the cytology of Fasciola hepatica is described. The technique was designed to allow test substances, such as drugs and radioactive precursors, to gain direct access to internal cells and organs not normally in contact with the external environment. It involves incubation of 1 mm-thick transverse slices of flukes under controlled physico-chemical conditions resembling those pertaining to sheep's bile ducts.To decide whether a gluco-saline medium or a tissue culture medium was more suitable for maintaining the slices in vitro, experiments were carried out using 4 different media for up to 20 h. Subsequent electron microscope examination of the slices showed that M199, a completely defined tissue culture medium, gave the best ultrastructural preservation. In this medium, slices remained in good condition for about 10 h.     

Organotypic heart slices for cell transplantation and physiological studies

Recent studies have significantly improved our ability to investigate cell transplantation and study the physiology of transplanted cells in cardiac tissue. Several previous studies have shown that fully-immersed heart slices can be used for electrophysiological investigations. Additionally, ischemic heart slices induced by glucose and oxygen deprivation offer a useful tool to investigate mechanical integration and to measure forces of contraction of engrafted cells, at least for short term analysis. A recent and novel model of heart slices, prepared from rat and human tissues, can be maintained in culture for up to two months. This new heart slice model can be used for long term in vitro cell transplantation studies and for pharmacological evaluation. This review will focus on describing these models and demonstrating the use of organotypic heart slices as a novel tool for drug, for studying electrophysiology and for developing cellular therapeutic approaches to alleviate cardiac tissue damage.     

Water relations and growth of tomato fruit pericarp tissue

The water relations of young tomato fruit pericarp tissue were examined and related to tissue expansion. The relationship between bulk turgor pressure and tissue expansion (as change in fresh mass or length of tissue) was determined in slices of pericarp cut from young, growing fruit by incubation in different osmotic concentrations of polyethylene glycol 6000 or mannitol. The bulk turgor of this tissue was low (about 0.2 MPa), even in fruit from plants that were otherwise fully turgid, whether measured psychrometrically or by length change in osmotic solutions. The rate of tissue growth at maximum turgor was less than that at moderate turgor unless calcium was added to the incubation medium. However, added calcium also decreased the rate of growth at lower turgor pressures. Yield turgor was < 0.1 MPa, but it was increased by the addition of calcium ions. Electrolyte leakage from tissue was greatest at maximum turgor pressure but was decreased by the addition of calcium ions or osmoticum. Tissue growth was unaffected by a range of plant growth regulators (IAA, abscisic acid, benzyladenine and GA₃) but was inhibited, particularly at high turgor, by low concentrations of malic or citric acid. The low turgor pressure of pericarp tissue could be due to the presence of apoplastic solutes within the pericarp, and evidence for this is discussed. Thus, fruit tissue may be able to maintain optimal expansion rates only at moderate turgor and low calcium concentration.     

Acid Phosphatase Development during Ripening of Avocado

The activity and subcellular distribution of acid phosphatase were assayed during ethylene-induced ripening of whole fruit or thick slices of avocado (Persea americana Mill. var. Fuerte and Hass). The activity increased up to 30-fold during ripening in both the supernatant fraction and the Triton X-100 extract of the precipitate of a 30,000g centrifugation of tissue homogenates from whole fruit or slices ripening in moist air. Enzyme activity in the residual precipitate after Triton extraction remained constant. The development of acid phosphatase in thick slices ripened in moist air was similar to that in intact fruit, except that enzyme development and ripening were accelerated about 24 hours in the slices. The increase in enzyme activity that occurs in slices ripening in moist air was inhibited when tissue sections were infiltrated with solutions, by aspiration for 2 minutes or by soaking for 2 hours, anytime 22 hours or more after addition of ethylene. This inhibition was independent of the presence or absence of cycloheximide or sucrose (0.3-0.5m). However, the large decline in enzyme activity in the presence of cycloheximide, as compared with the controls, indicated that synthesis of acid phosphatase was occurring at all stages of ripening.     

Effect of temperature and ripening stages on membrane integrity of fresh-cut tomatoes

The shelf-life of fresh-cut tomatoes mainly depends on loss of tissue integrity and firmness that occurs also in intact fruits after long-term cold storage due to chilling injury. Round-fruit tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. Jama were stored in 1.1-L plastic (polyethylene) fresh-cut produce containers as 10.0-mm-thick tomato slices and as intact tomatoes at 4 ± 0.5 °C. The aim of this work was to study the loss of membrane integrity and biochemical processes involved in membrane disruption. Electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation were studied at different stages of maturity: mature green, pink (PK), fully ripe and two different storage temperatures: 4 and 15 °C. The tomato slices of PK stage stored at 4 °C did not show changes for both parameters, while significant increase in membrane leakage and lipid peroxidation was observed at 15 °C, especially after 24 h of storage. The enzymes showed a simultaneous increase in their activities with a rise in electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation after 7 days of storage. Finally, phospholipase C (PLC) and phospholipase D (PLD) were investigated for intact fruit and tomato slices stored at 4 °C. The PLC had higher activity compared with PLD. In conclusion, the loss of membrane integrity in fresh-cut tomatoes is mainly affected by ripening stages, storage temperature and duration. The wounds enhance the PLC and PLD activities and they play a role late during storage.     

Assessment of some critical factors in the freezing technique for the cryopreservation of precision-cut rat liver slices

A number of studies on the cryopreservation of precision-cut liver slices using various techniques have been reported. However, the identification of important factors that determine cell viability following cryopreservation is difficult because of large differences between the various methods published. The aim of this study was to evaluate some important factors in the freezing process in an effort to find an optimized approach to the cryopreservation of precision-cut liver slices. A comparative study of a slow and a fast freezing technique was carried out to establish any differences in tissue viability for a number of endpoints. Both freezing techniques aim at the prevention of intracellular ice formation, which is thought to be the main cause of cell death after cryopreservation. Subsequently, critical variables in the freezing process were studied more closely in order to explain the differences in viability found in the two methods in the first study. For this purpose, a full factorial experimental design was used with 16 experimental groups, allowing a number of variables to be studied at different levels in one single experiment. It is demonstrated that ATP and K(+) content and histomorphology are sensitive parameters for evaluating slice viability after cryopreservation. Subsequently, it is shown that freezing rate and the cryopreservation medium largely determine the residual viability of liver slices after cryopreservation and subsequent culturing. It is concluded that a cryopreservation protocol with a fast freezing step and using William's Medium E as cryopreservation medium was the most promising approach to successful freezing of rat liver slices of those tested in this study.     

Organotypic brain-slice cultures from adult rats: approaches for a prolonged culture time

Animal experiments are widely used in neurobiological and neuropharmacological research. Today, juvenile brain organotypic slice cultures have partially replaced in vivo experiments, but there is no adequate in vitro counterpart for the adult brain. The present study was aimed at the long-term culture of physiologically intact hippocampal slices from adult rats, by improving the conditions for preparation and culture, and the development of a new culture medium. A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-like medium was used, which was modified with a variety of supplements, including energy precursors, free-radical scavengers, and compounds known to inhibit neurotoxicity. The population spike amplitude (PSA) was used as a measure of viability, and amplitudes larger than 1mV indicated viable cultures. The addition of MK-801 during slice preparation improved PSA values during the first two days in vitro (DIV). Ascorbic acid and insulin prolonged the culture time up to DIV 4. FK-506 and vitamin E, alone or in combination, supported slice culture up to DIV 5. An increase in ATP, unless combined with vitamin E, and/or insulin, increased culture time up to DIV 6. Vitamins B(1), B(2), B(12) and D(2) had no effect. The modified CSF-like medium developed in this study permits the culture of adult hippocampal tissue for at least 6 days.     

Cyanogenesis in plants

Several thousand plant species, including many economically important food plants, synthesize cyanogenic glycosides and cyanolipids. Upon tissue disruption, these natural products are hydrolyzed liberating the respiratory poison hydrogen cyanide. This phenomenon of cyanogenesis accounts for numerous cases of acute and chronic cyanide poisoning of animals including man. This article reviews information gathered during the past decade about the enzymology and molecular biology of cyanogenesis in higher plants. How compartmentation normally prevents the large-scale, suicidal release of HCN within the intact plant is discussed. A renewed interest in the physiology of these cyanogenic compounds has revealed that, in addition to providing protection for some species against herbivory, they may also serve as storage forms for reduced nitrogen.     

A cell wall-bound adenosine nucleosidase is involved in the salvage of extracellular ATP in Solanum tuberosum

Extracellular ATP (eATP) has recently been demonstrated to play a crucial role in plant development and growth. To investigate the fate of eATP within the apoplast, we used intact potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber slices as an experimental system enabling access to the apoplast without interference of cytosolic contamination. (i) Incubation of intact tuber slices with ATP led to the formation of ADP, AMP, adenosine, adenine and ribose, indicating operation of apyrase, 5'-nucleotidase and nucleosidase. (ii) Measurement of apyrase, 5'-nucleotidase and nucleosidase activities in fractionated tuber tissue confirmed the apoplastic localization for apyrase and phosphatase in potato and led to the identification of a novel cell wall-bound adenosine nucleosidase activity. (iii) When intact tuber slices were incubated with saturating concentrations of adenosine, the conversion of adenosine into adenine was much higher than adenosine import into the cell, suggesting a potential bypass of adenosine import. Consistent with this, import of radiolabeled adenine into tuber slices was inhibited when ATP, ADP or AMP were added to the slices. (iv) In wild-type plants, apyrase and adenosine nucleosidase activities were found to be co-regulated, indicating functional linkage of these enzymes in a shared pathway. (v) Moreover, adenosine nucleosidase activity was reduced in transgenic lines with strongly reduced apoplastic apyrase activity. When taken together, these results suggest that a complete ATP salvage pathway is present in the apoplast of plant cells.     

Theta burst stimulation of the human motor cortex

It has been 30 years since the discovery that repeated electrical stimulation of neural pathways can lead to long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices. With its relevance to processes such as learning and memory, the technique has produced a vast literature on mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in animal models. To date, the most promising method for transferring these methods to humans is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a noninvasive method of stimulating neural pathways in the brain of conscious subjects through the intact scalp. However, effects on synaptic plasticity reported are often weak, highly variable between individuals, and rarely last longer than 30 min. Here we describe a very rapid method of conditioning the human motor cortex using rTMS that produces a controllable, consistent, long-lasting, and powerful effect on motor cortex physiology and behavior after an application period of only 20-190 s.     

Incidence of aflatoxin producing strains and aflatoxin contamination in dry fruit slices of quinces (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) from the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir

An investigation was undertaken to obtain data on the occurrence of aflatoxins and the aflatoxin producing potential of Aspergillus flavus strains isolated from dry fruit slices of quinces produced in jammu and Kashmir, India. A total of 147 A. flavus isolates recovered from dr fruit slices were grown in liquid rice flour medium and screened for the production of various aflatoxins by thin layer chromatography. The results showed that 23.14% of the tested isolates were aflatoxigenic, producing aflatoxins B1 and B2 in varying amounts. Aflatoxins G1 and G2 were not detected. All 25 of the investigated market samples were also found to be aflatoxin B1 positive and the level of contamination ranged from 96 to 8164 micrograms/kg of the dry fruit which is quite high in comparison to the permissible level of 30 ppb. As per these results biochemical composition of dry fruit slices of quinces, along with climatic conditions seem to be very favourable for aflatoxin production by the toxigenic A. flavus strains. Therefore, monitoring of aflatoxins in dry fruit slices of quinces is recommended for this region.     

Organotypic heart slices for cell transplantation and physiological studies

Recent studies have significantly improved our ability to investigate cell transplantation and study the physiology of transplanted cells in cardiac tissue. Several previous studies have shown that fully-immersed heart slices can be used for electrophysiological investigations. Additionally, ischemic heart slices induced by glucose and oxygen deprivation offer a useful tool to investigate mechanical integration and to measure forces of contraction of engrafted cells, at least for short term analysis. A recent and novel model of heart slices, prepared from rat and human tissues, can be maintained in culture for up to two months. This new heart slice model can be used for long term in vitro cell transplantation studies and for pharmacological evaluation. This review will focus on describing these models and demonstrating the use of organotypic heart slices as a novel tool for drugs for studying electrophysiology and developing cellular therapeutic approaches to alleviate cardiac tissue damage.Key words: heart, organotypic, culture, stem cells, transplantation, electrophysiology, pharmacology