应用Steedman's wax切片法观察植物细胞微管骨架

微管骨架在植物发育过程中起重要作用.由于植物细胞的特殊性,与动物细胞相比植物微管骨架的研究遇到更多的困难.简略地介绍了曾被国内外学者应用的植物微管骨架的各种研究方法及其局限性.Steedman's wax是一种多脂蜡.它熔点低(35～37℃),具有与石蜡相同的切片性质,能够切成不同厚度的连续切片,适合深埋于器官内部的组织或细胞的免疫细胞化学研究.介绍了应用Steedman's wax切片法观察植物细胞微管骨架的一般程序和方法以及经过作者检验且切实可行的一些技术改进.     

一种用于DAPI染色的方法--Steedman's wax包埋切片法

以植物的胚珠和子房为实验材料,介绍一种用Steedman's wax 包埋对组织切片中的细胞核进行DAPI染色的方法.Steedman's wax 作为一种低熔点多酯蜡,具有与石蜡相似的性质,切片方法同常规石蜡切片,适合于切成厚度大于5 μm的连续切片.Steedman's wax包埋的切片能成功地进行DAPI染色.与用压片法和Technovit 7100或GMA包埋切片法进行的DAPI染色相比,用Steedman's wax 包埋切片法进行的DAPI染色具有廉价、操作简便、可进行连续切片、图象清晰等优点,特别在植物细胞程序化死亡(PCD)的研究中及细胞核DNA含量测定方面,有着较大的应用价值和潜能.     

冰冻切片法在植物微管骨架研究中的应用

介绍了冰冻切片法研究植物微管骨架的一般程序和技术上的一些改进,结果证明,改进的冰冻切片技术,可以对植物不同类型的细胞进行很好的标记。实验结果表明,甘蔗正在迅速伸长的幼叶分布的微管类型主要是与细胞伸长轴方向垂直的周质微管,幼叶基部尤其是第三幼叶基部分布的主要是与细胞伸长轴方向平行的周质微管。表明冰冻切片法在植物微管骨架的研究中具有广阔的应用前景。     

粗茎鳞毛蕨原叶体细胞有丝分裂过程中微管列阵的变化

应用Steedman‘s wax切片法,间接免疫荧光标记技术和激光共聚焦扫描显微镜技术研究了粗茎鳞毛蕨（Dryopteris crassirhizoma Nakai)原叶体大液泡化细胞和分生组织细胞有丝分裂过程中微管列阵的变化。结果显示：应用高浓度的多聚甲醛（8%）可以很好地保持大液泡化细胞的结构和微管的抗原性。结果也显示Steedman‘s wax切片法和间接免疫荧光标记技术的优点;（1）避免在微管标记过程中酶解细胞壁;（2）在乙醇脱水过程中样品中叶绿素的自发荧光被减到最小;（3）能够详细观察到有丝分裂过程中微管骨架的变化。因此,这种方法可以被广泛用来调查简单植物体和复杂植物体中细胞的有丝分裂过程以及发育过程中微管骨架的变化。     

一种用于DAPI染色的方法Steedman＇s wax包埋切片法

以植物的胚珠和子房为实验材料,介绍一种用Steedrnan‘s wax包埋对组织切片中的细胞核进行DAPI染色的方法。Steedrnan‘s wax作为一种低熔点多酯蜡,具有与石蜡相似的性质,切片方法同常规石蜡切片,适合于切成厚度大于5μm的连续切片。Steedrnan‘s wax包埋的切片能成功地进行DAPI染色。与用压片法和Technovit 7100或GMA包埋切片法进行的DAPI染色相比,用Steedrnan‘s wax包埋切片法进行的DAPI染色具有廉价、操作简便、可进行连续切片、图象清晰等优点,特别在植物细胞程序化死亡(PCD)的研究中及细胞核DNA含量测定方面,有着较大的应用价值和潜能。     

甘蔗茎尖细胞有丝分裂过程中微管骨架的变化

利用改进的冰冻切片法结合间接免疫荧光标记技术对甘蔗茎尖细胞有丝分裂过程中微管骨架的变化进行了研究。结果表明, 在甘蔗茎尖细胞有丝分裂过程中存在4种循序变化的典型微管列阵,即周质微管、早前期微管带、纺锤体微管及成膜体微管。同时, 还观察到在各种典型微管列阵相互转变过程中存在各种微管列阵的过渡状态。甘蔗茎尖正在伸长的幼叶部位细胞的周质微管主要为与细胞伸长轴相垂直的横向周质微管; 茎尖幼叶部位伸长缓慢细胞的微管主要为纵向及斜向排列的周质微管,在甘蔗茎尖幼叶基部初生增粗分生组织处, 横向、斜向、纵向及随机排列的周质微管列阵均有分布。在少数分裂前期的细胞中, 发现细胞具有2条早前期微管带, 其具体功能还不清楚。表明甘蔗茎尖细胞微管列阵的变化与许多双子叶植物及部分单子叶植物具有共同的变化规律, 进一步证明微管骨架的周期性变化在植物中具有普遍性。     

甘蔗茎尖细胞有丝分裂过程中微管骨架的变化

利用改进的冰冻切片法结合间接免疫荧光标记技术对甘蔗茎尖细胞有丝分裂过程中微管骨架的变化进行了研究。结果表明,在甘蔗茎尖细胞有丝分裂过程中存在4种循序变化的典型微管列阵,即周质微管、早前期微管带、纺锤体微管及成膜体微管。同时,还观察到在各种典型微管列阵相互转变过程中存在各种微管列阵的过渡状态。甘蔗茎尖正在伸长的幼叶部位细胞的周质微管主要为与细胞伸长轴相垂直的横向周质微管：茎尖幼叶部位伸长缓慢细胞的微管主要为纵向及斜向排列的周质微管,在甘蔗茎尖幼叶基部初生增粗分生组织处,横向、斜向、纵向及随机排列的周质微管列阵均有分布。在少数分裂前期的细胞中,发现细胞具有2条早前期微管带,其具体功能还不清楚。表明甘蔗茎尖细胞微管列阵的变化与许多双子叶植物及部分单子叶植物具有共同的变化规律,进一步证明微管骨架的周期性变化在植物中具有普遍性。     

微管骨架在植物适应低温胁迫中的功能研究进展

植物细胞骨架对低温胁迫的响应是近年来研究的一个活跃的前沿领域。本文综述了该领域研究的进展情况和发展趋势:植物微管骨架的结构和功能的简介,低温诱导植物细胞微管骨架稳定性的变化;并对微管骨架在冷信号传导中的作用进行了探讨。     

植物微管

自从在植物细胞中确定微管存在20多年来,与动物细胞微管研究相比,植物微管研究的进展比较缓慢。本文试从植物细胞微管的结构单位——管蛋白开始,简要介绍微管的结构组份、微管在植物细胞中的功能,着重介绍植物细胞周质微管。     

绿豆根尖细胞微管骨架有丝分裂时相发育变化的研究

提纯猪脑微管蛋白,制备兔抗微管蛋白抗血清,以此抗体与羊抗兔ｌｇＧ－ＦＩＴＣ因清,对绿豆根尖细胞进行间接免疫荧光标记和荧光显微镜检,得到了绿豆根尖细胞有丝分裂微管骨架周期发育变化的时相,如：早前期带,纺棰体微管,成膜体微管等,结果证明了双子叶植物具有与单子叶植物相似的细胞分裂微管周期时相,表明了微管架周期时相变化在高等植物中具有普遍性和共同变化的规律,讨论了微管骨架时相发育变化与染色有丝分裂行为的关     

Immunofluorescent Staining of Microtubules in Plant Tissues: Improved Embedding and Sectioning Techniques using Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and Steedman's Wax

Methods for the indirect immunofluorescent staining of microtubules in embedded and sectioned plant tissues are described and compared. Root tips of Vicia faba, Saccharum officinale, Allium cepa, and root nodules of Glycine max were fixed using conventional methods, embedded in polyethylene glycol or Steedman's wax, sectioned with a glass knife on a rotary microtome, and dewaxed in water or alcohol. The addition of dithiothreitol (DTT), dehydrating at low temperatures and reducing the infiltrations times were found to reduce background fluorescence in Allium cepa. Steedman's wax yields a block that is similar to paraffin and is easier to section than PEG. Routine methods for indirect immunofluorescence were used to stain sections for tubulin/microtubules. The major microtubule arrays of mitotic cells are illustrated in this paper. The principal advantage of this technique is the preservation of cell-to-cell continuity in multicellular tissues. This method provides a much needed technique for the study of the cytoskeleton during growth and differentiation of plant tissues.     

The cell morphogenesis gene ANGUSTIFOLIA encodes a CtBP/BARS-like protein and is involved in the control of the microtubule cytoskeleton

The ANGUSTIFOLIA (AN) gene is required for leaf hair (trichome) branching and is also involved in polarized expansion underlying organ shape. Here we show that the AN gene encodes a C-terminal binding proteins/brefeldin A ADP-ribosylated substrates (CtBP/BARS) related protein. AN is expressed at low levels in all organs and the AN protein is localized in the cytoplasm. In an mutant trichomes, the organization of the actin cytoskeleton is normal but the distribution of microtubules is aberrant. A role of AN in the control of the microtubule cytoskeleton is further supported by the finding that AN genetically and physically interacts with ZWICHEL, a kinesin motor molecule involved in trichome branching. Our data suggest that CtBP/BARS-like protein function in plants is directly associated with the microtubule cytoskeleton.     

Dynamics of microtubular cytoskeleton in higher plant meiosis. VII. Mechanisms of the simultaneous cytokinesis

Rearrangements of microtubular cytoskeleton during telophase in pollen mother cells of some dicotyledon plants with the simultaneous cytokinesis during normal and abnormal meiosis were studied. At telophase I, a potentially functional phragmoplast forms between daughter nuclei, but no cell plate is present. During interkinesis, the phragmoplast plays the role of an interphase cytoskeleton array. Dynamics of microtubule reorganization in polar regions of the telophase spindle is discussed in addition to the role played by microtubule convergence centers in cytoskeleton rearrangements during meiosis.     

Microtubule-associated nuclear envelope proteins in interphase and mitosis

The LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) complex forms a transcisternal bridge across the NE (nuclear envelope) that connects the cytoskeleton with the nuclear interior. This enables some proteins of the NE to communicate with the centrosome and the microtubule cytoskeleton. The position of the centrosome relative to the NE is of vital importance for many cell functions, such as cell migration and division, and centrosomal dislocation is a frequent phenotype in laminopathic disorders. Also in mitosis, a small group of transmembrane NE proteins associate with microtubules when they concentrate in a specific membrane domain associated with the mitotic spindle. The present review discusses structural and functional aspects of microtubule association with NE proteins and how this association may be maintained over the cell cycle.     

Reliable Preparative Procedures for the Cytological Study of Yolk-Laden Insect Eggs and Embryos

Yolk-laden insect eggs and embryos are easy to fix and section by the following procedure: 1) Fix with non- or slightly coagulant solutions after opening the envelopes for large eggs, or after superficial fixation and removal of the vitelline membrane for small ones. 2) Carefully embed fixed and washed specimens in a thick agar gel. 3) Dehydrate trimmed agar blocks, first with 70% ethanol, then with 2-ethoxy-ethanol. 4) After optional immersion in butanol-1, embed in Steedman's “Ester wax 1960.” 5) Section, mount and stain like paraffin sections. Results are compared to the cryosertioning method recently described by Hartmann.     

Image-based axon model highlights heterogeneity in initiation of damage

Head injury simulations predict the occurrence of traumatic brain injury by placing a threshold on the calculated strains for axon tracts within the brain. However, a current roadblock to accurate injury prediction is the selection of an appropriate axon damage threshold. While several computational studies have used models of the axon cytoskeleton to investigate damage initiation, these models all employ an idealized, homogeneous axonal geometry. This homogeneous geometry with regularly spaced microtubules, evenly distributed throughout the model, overestimates axon strength because, in reality, the axon cytoskeleton is heterogeneous. In the heterogeneous cytoskeleton, the weakest cross section determines the initiation of failure, but these weak spots are not present in a homogeneous model. Addressing one source of heterogeneity in the axon cytoskeleton, we present a new semiautomated image analysis pipeline for using serial-section transmission electron micrographs to reconstruct the microtubule geometry of an axon. The image analysis procedure locates microtubules within the images, traces them throughout the image stack, and reconstructs the microtubule structure as a finite element mesh. We demonstrate the image analysis approach using a C. elegans touch receptor neuron due to the availability of high-quality serial-section transmission electron micrograph data sets. The results of the analysis highlight the heterogeneity of the microtubule structure in the spatial variation of both microtubule number and length. Simulations comparing this image-based geometry with homogeneous geometries show that structural heterogeneity in the image-based model creates significant spatial variation in deformation. The homogeneous geometries, on the other hand, deform more uniformly. Since no single homogeneous model can replicate the mechanical behavior of the image-based model, our results argue that heterogeneity in axon microtubule geometry should be considered in determining accurate axon failure thresholds.     

Hydrogen peroxide modulates the dynamic microtubule cytoskeleton during the defence responses to Verticillium dahliae toxins in Arabidopsis

The molecular mechanisms of signal transduction of plants in response to infection by Verticillium dahliae (VD) are not well understood. We previously showed that NO may act as an upstream signalling molecule to trigger the depolymerization of cortical microtubules in Arabidopsis. In the present study, we used the wild-type, and atrbohD and atrbohF mutants of Arabidopsis to explore the mechanisms of action of H(2)O(2) signals and the dynamic microtubule cytoskeleton in defence responses. We demonstrated that H(2)O(2) may also act as an upstream signalling molecule to regulate cortical microtubule depolymerization. The depolymerization of the cortical microtubules played a functional role in the signalling pathway to mediate the expression of defence genes. The results indicate that H(2)O(2) modulates the dynamic microtubule cytoskeleton to trigger the expression of defence genes against V. dahliae toxins (VD-toxins) in Arabidopsis.     

Cell-cycle progression without an intact microtuble cytoskeleton

For mammalian somatic cells, the importance of microtubule cytoskeleton integrity during interphase cell-cycle progression is uncertain. The loss, suppression, or stabilization of the microtubule cytoskeleton has been widely reported to cause a G1 arrest in a variable, and often high, proportion of cell populations, suggesting the existence of a "microtubule damage," "microtubule integrity," or "postmitotic" checkpoint in G1 or G2. We found that when normal human cells (hTERT RPE1 and primary fibroblasts) are continuously exposed to nocodazole, they remain in mitosis for 10-48 hr before they slip out of mitosis and arrest in G1; this finding is consistent with previous reports. To eliminate the persistent effects of prolonged mitosis, we isolated anaphase-telophase cells that were just finishing a mitosis of normal duration, then we rapidly and completely disassembled microtubules by chilling the preparations to 0 degrees C for 10 minutes in the continuous presence of nocodazole or colcemid treatment to ensure that the cells entered G1 without a microtubule cytoskeleton. Without microtubules, cells progressed from anaphase to a subsequent mitosis with essentially normal kinetics. Similar results were obtained for cells in which the microtubule cytoskeleton was partially diminished by lower nocodazole doses or augmented and stabilized with taxol. Thus, after a preceding mitosis of normal duration, the integrity of the microtubule cytoskeleton is not subject to checkpoint surveillance, nor is it required for the normal human cell to progress through G1 and the remainder of interphase.