Role of the cytoskeleton in the morphological normalization of transformed cells in culture

The role of the cytoskeleton in morphological normalization of transformed cells was studied. Mouse cells of the L197/6 clonal line were fused by polyethylene glycol and replated. The multinuclear cells were more spread than control ones: the ratio of the cell-occupied area to the number of the nuclei increased 2-3 times as a result of multinucleation. Instead of the spindle-like morphology typical for control cells they became star-like with larger lamellar regions located between radially oriented cell processes. According to the immunofluorescent data these processes contained thick bundles of microtubules and intermediate filaments. Destruction of these bundles with colcemide led to a decrease in the area occupied by multinuclear cells but did not change significantly the area occupied by control cells. The role of microtubules and intermediate filaments in cell spreading is discussed.     

Subcellular motility: A correlated light and electron microscopic study using cultured cells

To assess the possible role of filaments in subcellular motility, particular cultured cells were studied by light and electron microscopy. Motile cell margins always contained meshworks of ~50 Å diam. filaments. Organelles moved within cytoplasm occupied by a meshwork of 50–100 Å filaments and microtubules. When cells were treated with cytochalasin B, movements of cell margins stopped, but organelle movements continued; electron microscopically, while subplasmalemmal filaments had disappeared, subcortical filaments and microtubules remained. When cells were treated with hypertonic medium, organelle movements ceased but marginal movements continued; electron microscopically, although cell margins contained normal filament arrays, few subcortical filaments remained. It is concluded that while cell margins are moved by a meshwork of filaments, organelle movement is mediated by a subcortical meshwork of filaments and microtubules.     

Studies on conjugation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spirogyra</Emphasis> using monoclonal culture

We succeeded in inducing conjugation of Spirogyra castanacea by incubating algal filaments on agar plate. Conjugation could be induced using clone culture. The scalariform conjugation was generally observed, while lateral conjugation was rarely. When two filaments formed scalariform conjugation, all cells of one filament behaved as male and those of other filament did as female. Very rarely, however, zygospores were formed in both of pair filaments. The surface of conjugation tube was stained with fluorescently labeled-lectins, such as Bandeiraea (Griffonia) simplicifolia lectin (BSL-I) and jacalin. BSL-I strongly stained the conjugation tubes, while weakly did the cell surface of female gamete first and then that of male gamete. Jacalin stained mainly the conjugation tubes. Addition of jacalin inhibited the formation of papilla, suggesting some important role of jacalin-binding material at the initial step of formation of the conjugation tubes.     

Cytoplasmic filaments in fetal and neonatal pig testis

Leydig cells in developing fetal pig testis contained during the fetal regressive phase large accumulations of intermediate filaments. Before and after this period these filaments were arranged in a criss-cross fashion. In the pig as well as in the dog testis these filaments have been characterized as vimentin. Within the vimentin aggregates occasionally a weak positive actin reaction was seen in pig but not in dog Leydig cells. Microfilaments were hardly observed. Most Sertoli cells contained a layer of actin microfilaments close to the basal cell membrane. In the lower cell compartment and around the nucleus (intermediate) vimentin filaments could be observed in a criss-cross configuration.     

Physiological characteristics of Salmonella typhimurium treated with penicillin]

Growing bacteria of the two strains of Salmonella typhimurium differing in the sensitivity levels to UV-light formed multinuclear non-septal filaments in the penicillin-containing nutrient medium. The maximum number of the lifefull filaments was formed by the 4th hour of incubation in the beaf-peptone broth at a temperature of 37 degrees C in the presence of 5 gamma/ml of penicillin. The strains exposed to penicillin were less sensitive to UV-light. Exclusion of penicillin from the nutrient medium resulted in a new division of the filamentous cells and reduction of the initial UV-light sensitivity level. It was concluded that the low UV-light sensitivity level of the filaments induced by penicillin was associated with their multinuclear state.     

Ovarian Structure in Milnesium tardigradum (Tardigrada, Milnesiidae) during Early Vitellogenesis

The ultrastructure of the ovary of Milnesium tardigradum during early vitellogenesis is described. Within the ovary, there were large multinuclear cells surrounded by many mononuclear oocytes. Observation of serial sections revealed four multinuclear cells that were connected to each other by cytoplasmic bridges. Each peripheral oocyte was connected to the multinuclear cell. An enormous ER-like structure was conspicuous in the centre of the multinuclear cell. The presence of large numbers of lipid droplets and yolk granules in both multinuclear cells and many mononuclear oocytes suggested a role as nurse cells. A small number of these oocytes grow to be eggs. The structural features of the multinuclear nurse cell were compared with other known examples.     

Inhibition of cytokinesis by a lipid metabolite, psychosine

Although a number of cellular components of cytokinesis have been identified, little is known about the detailed mechanisms underlying this process. Here, we report that the lipid metabolite psychosine (galactosylsphingosine), derived from galactosylceramide, induced formation of multinuclear cells from a variety of nonadherent and adherent cells due to inhibition of cytokinesis. When psychosine was added to the human myelomonocyte cell line U937, which was the most sensitive among the cell lines tested, cleavage furrow formed either incompletely or almost completely. However, abnormal contractile movement was detected in which the cellular contents of one of the hemispheres of the contracting cell were transferred into its counterpart. Finally, the cleavage furrow disappeared and cytokinesis was reversed. Psychosine treatment also induced giant clots of actin filaments in the cells that probably consisted of small vacuoles with filamentous structures, suggesting that psychosine affected actin reorganization. These observations could account for the formation of multinuclear globoid cells in the brains of patients with globoid cell leukodystrophy, a neurological disorder characterized by the accumulation of psychosine due to galactosylceramidase deficiency.     

Nuclear Behavior in Artificially Induced Multi-Nuclear Cells of Dictyostelium discoideum

The culture medium of the strain CK-8 of the cellular slime mold Polysphondylium pallidum contains a cell-fusion induction factor. Cells of the two opposite mating type strains NC-4 and HM1 of Dictyostelium discoideum were treated to induce cell fusion with the diluted fraction of CK-8 cultures, F2, which contains the factor and consequently numerous multinuclear cells were produced. NC-4 and HM1 usually fuse in the sexual cycle and form large multinuclear cells, called giant cells, which develop into macrocysts. These cells are very similar in morphology to the multinuclear cells produced following F2 treatment, however, the latter cells did not develop into macrocysts. In the sexually formed multinuclear cells, only two haploid nuclei fused to form a diploid nucleus and all others degenerate as previously reported. However, in the artificially produced multinuclear cells, no nuclear-fusion and degeneration took place. They stayed as heterokaryons and seem to lyse within 20 h incubation.     

Relationships between intermediate filaments and cell-specific functions in renal cell lines derived from transgenic mice harboring the temperature-sensitive T antigen

Four renal cell lines were derived from glomeruli, proximal, distal, and cortical collecting tubules microdissected from the kidneys of transgenic mice carrying the temperature-sensitive mutant of the simian virus 40 large T antigen under the control of the vimentin promoter. All four cell lines contained large T antigen in their nuclei, grew rapidly, and contained vimentin filaments when grown in serum-enriched medium at the permissive temperature of 33°C. The glomerular cell line formed multiple layers of cells and contained smooth muscle actin and desmin filaments, features of mesangial cells. The three tubule cell lines formed monolayers of polarized cuboid cells separated by tight junctions and having a patchy distribution of cytokeratins K8-K18. A shift from 33°C to the restrictive temperature (39.5°C) stopped cell growth in all cell lines and caused profound changes in the content of intermediate filaments. Vimentin was still present in mesangial-like cells, but the proximal, distal, and collecting tubule cells contained uniform networks of cytokeratins K8-K18 and desmoplakin I and II around the cell peripheries. Potassium transport, mediated by NA⁺-K⁺ ATPase pumps and specific cAMP hormonal sensitivities, significantly increased in proximal, distal, and collecting tubule cells when shifted from 33°C to 39.5°C. Thus, the temperature-dependent inactivation of large T antigen, responsible for the arrest of cell growth, did not affect the phenotype of mesangial-like glomerular cells but induced some changes in the expression of intermediate filaments and restored, at least partially, the main parental cell-specific functions in proximal, distal, and collecting tubule cultured cells. © 1996     

中心体异常在咖啡因增强顺铂杀伤人肝癌细胞系中的作用

为了探讨咖啡因是否影响细胞周期检验点而增强顺铂杀伤肿瘤细胞及其作用机制 ,选取同步化于S期的肝癌细胞系SMMC 772 1,用顺铂和咖啡因进行不同方式的处理 ,包括顺铂处理、咖啡因处理以及先经顺铂 ,再用咖啡因处理 .利用相关方法对不同处理的细胞进行了分析 ,包括细胞形态 ,细胞生长速率 ,多核细胞的形成与死亡 ,中心体的异常等 .结果显示 ,顺铂与咖啡因联合处理的细胞出现明显的多核化现象 ,多核细胞占总细胞的百分比可以达到 30 %以上 ,高于用顺铂或用咖啡因处理的细胞 .同时观察到多核细胞生存能力较差 ,它们会通过细胞凋亡的形式死亡 .抗中心体人自身免疫血清的免疫荧光结果显示 ,中心体异常与多核细胞的形成直接相关 .在部分多核细胞的核周围有多个不同强度的荧光点 ,在另部分多核细胞中 ,在其中央有一个大的荧光点 ,被多个细胞核围绕 ,荧光较强 .根据结果推测 ,由多个不完整的中心体导致的多极分裂形成多核细胞 ,随后多个中心体聚集到中央形成大的中心体 ,负责间期微管的组装 .结果表明 ,受到顺铂损伤的细胞由于检验点的作用而使细胞周期阻断 ,咖啡因可消除周期的阻断 ,使细胞在中心体未完成正常复制状态下进入有丝分裂 ,产生大量多核细胞 ,这些多核细胞最终发生凋亡 .     

Cytoplasmic filament-deficient mutant of Treponema denticola has pleiotropic defects

In Treponema denticola, a ribbon-like structure of cytoplasmic filaments spans the cytoplasm at all stages of the cell division process. Insertional inactivation was used as a first step to determine the function of the cytoplasmic filaments. A suicide plasmid was constructed that contained part of cfpA and a nonpolar erythromycin resistance cassette (ermF and ermAM) inserted near the beginning of the gene. The plasmid was electroporated into T. denticola, and double-crossover recombinants which had the chromosomal copy of cfpA insertionally inactivated were selected. Immunoblotting and electron microscopy confirmed the lack of cytoplasmic filaments. The mutant was further analyzed by dark-field microscopy to determine cell morphology and by the binding of two fluorescent dyes to DNA to assess the distribution of cellular nucleic acids. The cytoplasmic filament protein-deficient mutant exhibited pleiotropic defects, including highly condensed chromosomal DNA, compared to the homogeneous distribution of the DNA throughout the cytoplasm in a wild-type cell. Moreover, chains of cells are formed by the cytoplasmic filament-deficient mutant, and those cells show reduced spreading in agarose, which may be due to the abnormal cell length. The chains of cells and the highly condensed chromosomal DNA suggest that the cytoplasmic filaments may be involved in chromosome structure, segregation, or the cell division process in Treponema.     

垂花悬铃花雌雄配子体发育研究

对垂花悬铃花雄配子体发育观察表明,其花药由表皮(1层)、药室内层(1层)、中层(2层)、绒毡层(1层)及造孢细胞组成,花药四室,药壁发育为双子叶型。雄配子体发育经由花粉母细胞减数分裂形成四分体,该四分体胞质分裂为同时型,四分体排列方式为四面体型,十字交叉型及左右对称型;小孢子再经有丝分裂形成营养核和生殖核,生殖核再经有丝分裂形成3-核花粉。花药壁层的变化,在单核小孢子期,表皮细胞解体,仅留下痕迹;中层在花粉母细胞期逐渐消失;药室内壁在单核小孢子期开始纤维化;绒毡层在单核小孢子期消失,属变形绒毡层。雌配子体发育观察表明,其子房上位,5室,每室1个胚珠,胚珠弯生,中轴胎座,大多数胚珠发育停留在珠心形成阶段,极少数珠心形成一群孢原细胞及单核、双核胚囊。     

Expression of desmin cDNA in PtK2 cells results in assembly of desmin filaments from multiple sites throughout the cytoplasm.

The assembly of intermediate filaments into a cytoplasmic network was studied by microinjecting into the nuclei and cytoplasms of PtK2 cells, plasmids that contained a full length desmin cDNA and an RSV promoter. Immunofluorescence was used to monitor the expression of desmin and its integration into the cells' vimentin intermediate filament network. We found that the expressed desmin co-localized with filaments of vimentin just as it does with fluorescently labelled desmin is microinjected into the cytoplasm of PtK2 cells. As early as two hours after microinjection of the plasmids, small discrete dots and short fragments of desmin could be detected throughout the cytoplasm of the cells. This initial distribution of desmin was superimposed on the filamentous pattern of vimentin in the cells. At 8 hours after microinjection of the plasmids, some of the desmin was present in long filaments that were coincident with vimentin filaments. By 18 hours, most of the desmin was in a filamentous network co-localizing with vimentin. There was no indication that desmin assembly began in the perinuclear region and proceeded toward the cell periphery. In some cells, excessively high levels of desmin were expressed. In these cases, overexpression led to clumping of desmin filaments as well as to an accumulation of diffusely distributed desmin protein in the center of the cells. This effect was apparent at approximately 18 hours after introduction of the plasmid. The native vimentin filaments in such cells were also aggregated around the nucleus, co-localizing with desmin. The microtubule networks in all injected cells appeared normal; microtubules were extended in typical arrays out to the periphery of the cells.     

Light and electron microscopic localization of ATPase in normal and degenerating testes of Syrian hamsters.

The distribution of Mg++-activated ATPase was determined with light and electron microscopy in normal and degenerating seminferous tubules. In the normal animals ATPase was localized in the interface between spermatids and Sertoli cells, in association with the cytoplasmic filaments contained within Sertoli cell processes, and in the lymphatic endothelium. ATPase activity increased in degenerating tubules as observed by light microscopy. Electron microscopic investigations of the degenerating tubules which contained only spermatogonia and Sertoli cells revealed reaction product on the outer surface of the Sertoli cell processes and within the interface between adjacent Sertoli cells. Reactaction product was also observed in the Sertoli cell processes between the cytoplasmic filaments and the cell membrane. Where filaments were absent in Sertoli cell processes, no reaction product was observed. These electron microscopic studies indicate that the increase in ATPase activity in testicular degeneration is probably a relative increase due to a loss of the germinal elements of the tubular epithelium and subsequent apposition of the Sertoli cell processes. We speculate that the ATPase activity localized within the Sertoli cell processes may be involved in providing an energy source for filament motility.     

Multinucleation of cultured canine epithelial and lymphoma cell lines

The frequency distribution patterns of monuclear and multinuclear giant cells were determined for two canine lymphoma cell lines (DT-5 and 11028), and a normal canine kidney epithelial cell line (DK). The proportion of multinuclear cells in the DK line (1.53%) was approximately twice those of the DT-5 (0.75%) and 11028 (0.73%) cell lines. The observed frequency distributions of cells with single and various numbers of multiple nuclei were compared to Poisson distributions using the chi-square test. For each cell line, the number of cells with three or more nuclei far exceeded the number predicted by the Poisson distribution. Hence, the occurrence of multinuclear cells in these canine cell lines does not follow a random distribution pattern. Possible explanations for the nonrandom accumulation of multinuclear giant cells are discussed.     

Differentiation of actin-containing filaments during chick skeletal myogenesis.

Actin-containing filaments in cultures of differentiating chick skeletal muscle were examined by indirect immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As early as 20 h in culture, a large proportion of the pre-fusion population appeared as elongated, bipolar cells which contained actin filaments parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cell. During fusion, most of the mononucleated cells were bipolar and contained actin filament bundles which appeared to extend the entire length of the cell body and lie in close proximity to the plasma membrane. Striations were observed within actin filament bundles only after fusion had been completed. The small number of non-myogenic cells present in the cultures were not observed to display a bipolar morphology, orientation of actin fibers parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cell, or striations in their actin filament bundles.     

Comparison of Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis and Measles Viruses: an Electron Microscope Study

The ultrastructure of CV-1 cells infected with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) viruses was compared with that of CV-1 cells infected with the wild or Edmonston strain of measles virus. Both SSPE viruses and the measles viruses produced two types of nucleocapsid structures: smooth filaments, 15 to 17 nm in diameter, and granular filaments, 22 to 25 nm. The smooth and granular filaments produced by SSPE and measles virus did not differ in appearance. In CV-1 cells infected with SSPE viruses, smooth filaments formed large intranuclear inclusions and granular filaments occupied a large area of the cytoplasm, but always spared the area under the cell membrane. Particles budding from the surface of these cells contained no nucleocapsids. In CV-1 cells infected with measles virus, only small aggregates of smooth filaments were seen in the nuclei. Granular filaments in the cytoplasm predominantly occupied the area under the cell membrane, and were aligned beneath the cell membrane in a parallel fashion and assembled into budding particles. These differences between SSPE and measles virus may be regarded as quantitative, but they do distinguish SSPE viruses from measles virus. Moreover, the formation of large nuclear inclusions filled with smooth filaments appears to be a characteristic process of SSPE, but not of measles, since this type of inclusion is invariably seen in SSPE brain tissues, brain cultures derived from them, and CV-1 cells infected with SSPE viruses.     

Terminally differentiated postmitotic tumor cells in a rat rhabdomyosarcoma cell line

A permanent rat rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (BA-HAN-1C) has been established, the phenotype of which is characterized by the coexistence of undifferentiated mononuclear cells and differentiated multinuclear myotube-like giant cells. The failure of attempts to separate these two cell types by repeated recloning procedures indicates their close histogenetic relationship and suggests that differentiation in this tumor proceeds in a similar manner to that in normal striated muscle where postmitotic myotubes arise from mononuclear myoblasts by fusion. The morphologically undifferentiated mononuclear tumor cells were shown to be actively proliferating and to incorporate thymidine methyl-3H(3H-TdR). The myotube-like giant cells neither incorporated 3H-TdR nor underwent mitosis or exhibited any clonogenic potential. After retransplantation into syngenic rats, tumor growth was markedly retarded when the tumor cell inoculum contained a high percentage of myotube-like giant cells. These data show that proliferative activity in this rhabdomyosarcoma cell line is confined to the mononuclear tumor cell compartment, the multinuclear myotube-like giant cells having withdrawn from the cell cycle and represent terminally differentiated postmitotic cells. This cell line should provide a valuable tool for further investigation of coherent aspects of proliferation and differentiation using various differentiation inducers.     

Cytokeratin filament assembly in the preimplantation mouse embryo

The timing, spatial distribution and control of cytokeratin assembly during mouse early development has been studied using a monoclonal antibody, TROMA-1, which recognizes a 55,000 Mr trophectodermal cytokeratin (ENDO A). This protein was first detected in immunoblots at the 4-cell stage, and became more abundant at the 16-cell stage and later. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed assembled cytokeratin filaments in some 8-cell blastomeres, but not at earlier stages. At the 16-cell stage, filaments were found in both polarized (presumptive trophectoderm; TE) and apolar (presumptive inner cell mass; ICM) cells in similar proportions, although polarized cells possessed more filaments than apolar cells. By the late 32-cell, early blastocyst, stage, all polarized (TE) cells contained extensive filament networks whereas cells positioned inside the embryo tended to have lost their filaments. The presence of filaments in inside cells at the 16-cell stage and in ICM cells was confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy. Lineage tracing techniques demonstrated that those cells in the ICM of early blastocysts which did possess filaments were almost exclusively the progeny of polar 16-cell blastomeres, suggesting that these filaments were directly inherited from outside cells at the 16- to 32-cell transition. Inhibitor studies revealed that proximate protein synthesis but not mRNA synthesis is required for filament assembly at the 8-cell stage. These results demonstrate that there are quantitative rather than qualitative differences in the expression of cytokeratin filaments in the inner cell mass and trophectoderm cells of the mouse embryo.