A Biological Model of Accelerated Senescence. 3. Histological Characteristics of Age-Related Changes of Spermatogenic Epithelium in SAM (Senescence-Accelerated Mouse) Mice

The data characterizing the age-related morphological changes in the spermatogenic epithelium of SAMP1 (senescence-accelerated prone) and SAMR1 (senescence-accelerated resistant) mice are presented. In many tubules, early spermatogenesis was accompanied by the formation of many morphologically abnormal germ cells on histological sections of the gonads of sexually immature (three–four weeks) mice of both strains. At this stage, destructive processes in the spermatogenic epithelium were more pronounced in SAMR1 mice. In sexually mature (two–three months) SAMP1 and SAMR1 mice, spermatogenesis as a whole proceeded normally. The first signs of regressive changes in the inner structure of most tubules (disintegration, detachment of spermatogenic epithelium from basal membrane) and morphology of germ cells (pycnosis, nuclear and cytoplasmic vacuolization) were found in SAMP1 mice at the age of six–seven months. In the older age groups (9–10 and 12–15 months), all types of spermatogenic cells were represented in both SAMP1 and SAMR1 mice, but most of these cells were atypical. Mitotic figures were recorded in a population of highly differentiated Sertoli cells.     

性成熟前食蟹猴生精细胞的发育进程

目的阐明性成熟前食蟹猴生精细胞的发育进程。方法分别采集性成熟前不同年龄（0岁、0.5岁、1岁、1.5岁、2岁、2.5岁、3岁、3.5岁、4岁）食蟹猴睾丸,制作石蜡切片,进行HE染色和PAS/H染色。根据生精细胞的染色特性,分析性成熟前食蟹猴生精细胞的发育进程,并对食蟹猴精原干细胞进行初步鉴定。结果 HE染色结果显示,1岁及以下食蟹猴生精上皮上生精细胞仅有精原干细胞（包括Ad、At及Ap型精原细胞）,1.5岁食蟹猴生精上皮上开始出现B型精原细胞,3岁食蟹猴生精上皮上出现精母细胞,4岁食蟹猴生精上皮上出现从精原干细胞到精子的所有生殖细胞。PAS/H染色结果显示,1～2.5岁食蟹猴Ad型精原细胞胞质呈PAS阳性,At型精原细胞胞质呈PAS弱阳性,Ap型精原细胞胞质呈PAS阴性;其他生精细胞及支持细胞胞质呈阴性;0.5岁及以下,3岁及以上食蟹猴生精细胞的胞质PAS/H染色特性与前者存在差异。结论本文详细阐述了性成熟前食蟹猴生精细胞随年龄增长的渐次性发育模式,并建立了性成熟前食蟹猴精原干细胞原位鉴定的一种新方法,这些研究结果为食蟹猴精原干细胞的其他相关研究奠定了基础。     

Influence of the age of the recipient on the manifestation of the effect of allogeneic inhibition]

The expression of allogenic inhibition was studied when transplanting 10(5) cells of bone marrow of C57BL mice to the lethally irradiated recipients (CBA X C57BL) F1 of different age (2 to 11 months). In the control experiments the bone marrow cells at the same dose were introduced to the lethally irradiated syngenic (C57BL) mice. The most pronounced inhibition of the parental stem cells proliferation was registered in 2 months old recipients F1 (4.7 times), it was somewhat weakened in 3 months old and animal in 4--11 months old recipients (1.1 to 1.8 times). The thymectomy of adult recipients F1 did not eliminate the expression of allogenic inhibition.     

Exploratory activity of mice of different genetic strains after olfaction disruption by 3-methylindole (skatole)

The behavior of mice of two inbred strains (C57BL/6J and CBA) and their F1 hybrids was evaluated in the open field test after intraperitoneal administration of 3-methylindole (skatole) disrupting epithelium of the main olfactory system. High motor and exploratory activities and emotional sensitivity was observed in intact C57BL/6J mice compared to CBA mice and their hybrids. Anosmia induced by intraperitoneal administration of skatole changed the behavior of C57BL/6J and CBA mice. The direction of the observed changes in the orientation and exploratory behavior of anosmic animals was different. Anosmia decreased motor and exploratory activities in C57BL/6J mice and increase them in CBA mice. Intact hybrid mice demonstrated the predominance of the CBA genotype in the orientation and exploratory activity in the test used. Anosmia in hybrid animals had no significant effect on the orientation and exploratory behavior.     

Cell lines from old immunodeficient donors give normal responses in young recipients.

Two different immune responses were compared in spleen cells obtained from old and young CBA/HT6J mice. Spleen cells from old mice (23 to 33 months) responded about half as well as did spleen cells from young mice (4 to 10 months) in the adoptive transfer anti-sheep red blood cell (SRBC) plague-forming assay, and caused slightly less than half the uptake of tritiated thymidine in response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in vitro. Marrow stem cell from some of the old and young mice whose splenic immune responses were tested were transplanted into irradiated young CBA/CaJ recipients. Seven to 17 weeks later these same immune responses were tested in the spleen cells of these young recipients, and the T6 chromosome marker was used to identify donor cells. Old animals' responses varied greatly, perhaps due to suppressing cells or factors in some individuals. Therefore, cells were never pooled and the responses of receipients were compared to the responses of the donor whose marrow had populated them. The response for a particular old donor, or for the recipients of its stem cells, was divided by the response for the young control used with that donor, or for its stem cell recipients. This was called the old/young ratio. With original donors with an old/young ratio for the SRBC response of (mean +/- S.D.) 0.35 +/- 0.14, The old/young ratio for that same response in the recipients was significantly improved to 1.26 +/- 0.71. In original donors with an old/young ratio for the PHA response of 0.44 +/- 0.17, the old/young ratio in the recipients improved significantly to 0.86 +/- 0.27. Thus, little or none of the decline with age in these immune responses was intrinsic to the old lymphoid stem cells.     

Effect of age of mouse recipients on the functional activity of transplanted hematopoietic and lymphoid cells]

When transplanting the bone marrow cells from adult C57BL mice to the lethally irradiated (CBA X C57BL) F1 hybrids of different age, the decrease of the colony forming activity of the stem haemopoietic cells was observed in the spleen of the older recipients, as compared with the 3 months old ones. The joint transplantation of the bone marrow and thymus cells resulted in both the cases in the stimulation of the growth of colonies. The number of endogenous colonies of haemopoietic cells arising in the spleen of animals following the sublethal irradiation was greater in younger hybrids. After the induction of the "transplant versus host" reaction by the lymph node or spleen cells from the CBA mice, the relative weight of spleen and regional lymph node, respectively, in the older recipients exceeded those in the younger ones.     

Influence of the maternal effect on allogenic inhibition of hematopoietic stem cells]

Bone marrow cells (0,5-10(6)) of female mice of CBA or C57BL strains were injected intravenously to lethally irradiated CBA, C57BL/6, (femaleCBA X maleC57BL/6)F1 and (femaleC57BL/6 X maleCBA)F1 mice. Spleen of recipients as assayed for colony count on the 9th day after bone marrow transplantation by the method of Till and McCullouch. Stem cells of CBA mice demonstrated failure of allogenic inhibition in (CBA X C57BL/6)F1 hybrid mice and formed the same number of colonies as in the spleen of syngenic recipients. The level of allogenic inhibition of CBA stem cells transplanted to (C57BL/6 X X CBA)F1 hybrid mice was 50%. Bone marrow cells of C57BL/6 mice formed colonies in spleen of (CBA X C57BL/6)F1 mice at least in 20 times less than in syngenic combination. In the transplantation of bone marrow from C57BL/6 mice to (C57BL/6 X CBA)F1 hybrid mice the allogenic inhibition was less pronounced (77-85%) as compared with the transfer of cells to (CBA X C57BL/6)F1 hybrid mice (95%). The sex of a recipient did not influence the number of formed colonies. The different level of allogenic inhibition of parental stem cells can not be explained by the effect of linkage with sex as the female of reciprocal hybrid mice have identical structure of sex chromosomes (X(CBA)XC57BL/6). The data obtained indicate that the maternal effect affects allogenic inhibition of stem cells in parent--F1 system. It is possible that the maternal influence may be determined by cytoplasmic factors of inheritance which affect the expressivity of recessive genes Hh, controlling the inheritance of specific haematopoietic cell antigens.     

Strain differences in the response of mouse testicular stem cells to fractionated radiation

The survival of spermatogonial stem cells in CBA and C3H mice after single and split-dose (24-hr interval) irradiation with fission neutrons and gamma rays was compared. The first doses of the fractionated regimes were either 150 rad (neutrons) or 600 rad (gamma). For both strains the neutron survival curves were exponential. The D0 value of stem cells in CBA decreased from 83 to 25 rad upon fractionation; that of C3H stem cells decreased only from 54 to 36 rad. The survival curves for gamma irradiation, which all showed shoulders, indicated that C3H stem cells had larger repair capacities than CBA stem cells. However, the most striking difference between the two strains in response to gamma radiation was in the slopes of the second-dose curves. Whereas C3H stem cells showed a small increase of the D0 upon fractionation (from 196 to 218 rad), CBA stem cells showed a marked decrease (from 243 to 148 rad). The decreases in D0 upon fractionation, observed in both strains with neutron irradiation and also with gamma irradiation in CBA, are most likely the result of recruitment or progression of radioresistant survivors to a more sensitive state of proliferation or cell cycle phase. It may be that the surviving stem cells in C3H mice are recruited less rapidly and synchronously into active cycle than in CBA mice. Thus, it appears that the strain differences may be quantitative, rather than qualitative.     

Age- and Strain-Associated Dysplasia of Mouse Maxillary Incisor Teeth1

The occurrence of longitudinal grooves and other dysplastic changes in mouse maxillary incisor teeth was shown to be age- and strain-associated. The dysplasia appears analogous in some respects to human dens invaginatus. Twelve strains of inbred or F1 hybrid mice (282 males, 73 females) were examined at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months of age. Lesions occurred in low prevalence (4–9% of the mice examined) in DBA/2, B10. 129 and Swiss Webster mice, in moderate prevalence (26–48%) in B6D2F1, C57BL/6, CBA/CA, B6C3F1, and A/JN mice, and in high prevalence (58–70%) in HO B/C (nude), CBA/HT6, CBF1 and BALB/c mice. No six month old mice of any strain and only a few 12 month old animals from the high prevalence strains were affected. The prevalence of lesions increased rapidly with age in moderate and high prevalence strains starting at 18 months. The origin of the dysplasia appears to be an age- and strain-associated change in the odontogenic epithelium comprising the enamel organ. We do not yet understand the factors promoting these changes.     

Immunodepressant action of cyclophosphamide in different strains of mice

A study was made of the immunodepressive effect of cyclophosphamide (CP) on mice of 3 strains (BALB/c, CBA, and DBA/2) immunized with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). With the optimal immunizing dose of the antigen (5 X 10(8) SRBC) the most pronounced immunodepression was noted in DBA/2 mice, and with the high dose (6.2 X 10(9))--in DBA/2 and CBA mice. The CP action proved to depend on the dose of the antigen administered; in BALB/c mice a reduction in the number of the antibody-forming cells was the same with both SRBC doses, in DBA/2 mice an increase of the antigen dose led to reduction of immunode pression, and in CBA mice -- to its enhancement (with sufficiently high CP doses). Determination of the rate of oxidative CP hydroxylation by the liver microsomes of mice showed it to be comparatively low in DBA/2 and CBA mice, and much greater in BALB/c mice. It is supposed that the detected differences in the immunodepressive action of CP could be connected with different sensitivity of the target cells and (or) with the peculiarities of its metabolism in mice belonging to different strains.     

Base excision repair is limited by different proteins in male germ cell nuclear extracts prepared from young and old mice

The combined observations of elevated DNA repair gene expression, high uracil-DNA glycosylase-initiated base excision repair, and a low spontaneous mutant frequency for a lacI transgene in spermatogenic cells from young mice suggest that base excision repair activity is high in spermatogenic cell types. Notably, the spontaneous mutant frequency of the lacI transgene is greater in spermatogenic cells obtained from old mice, suggesting that germ line DNA repair activity may decline with age. A paternal age effect in spermatogenic cells is recognized for the human population as well. To determine if male germ cell base excision repair activity changes with age, uracil-DNA glycosylase-initiated base excision repair activity was measured in mixed germ cell (i.e., all spermatogenic cell types in adult testis) nuclear extracts prepared from young, middle-aged, and old mice. Base excision repair activity was also assessed in nuclear extracts from premeiotic, meiotic, and postmeiotic spermatogenic cell types obtained from young mice. Mixed germ cell nuclear extracts exhibited an age-related decrease in base excision repair activity that was restored by addition of apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease. Uracil-DNA glycosylase and DNA ligase were determined to be limiting in mixed germ cell nuclear extracts prepared from young animals. Base excision repair activity was only modestly elevated in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids relative to other spermatogenic cells. Thus, germ line short-patch base excision repair activity appears to be relatively constant throughout spermatogenesis in young animals, limited by uracil-DNA glycosylase and DNA ligase in young animals, and limited by AP endonuclease in old animals.     

The clonal organization of the squamous epithelium of the tongue

Knowledge of the kinetics and stem cell localization of the mouse lingual epithelium is largely based on studies using DNA labelling techniques. We have adopted a different approach, using histochemistry for the X-linked enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). We have deduced clone size and morphology from studies of patch size and distribution in mice heterozygous for G6PD deficiency and from the identification of clonal enzyme loss induced in normal mice by application of a mutagen. Lingual epithelium of female mice (CBA X GPDX) heterozygous for G6PD deficiency showed multiple clearly defined patches of strong or weak enzyme activity, corresponding in intensity to the strong staining uniformly present in the normal parental strain (CBA) or to the weak staining uniformly present in the G6PD deficient parental strain (GPDX). This pattern results from the random suppression of either the paternal or the maternal X chromosome in each cell early in embryonic development, and the subsequent inheritance of X inactivation in daughter cells, giving rise to phenotypic patches each composed of one or more clones. The patch borders intersected the base of the lingual epithelium at small indentations or at the apices of connective tissue papillae; the surface intersection in some cases bisected filiform papillae. Patch width measured in tissue sections at the mid rete ridge level, showed a clear mode close to 40 microns, corresponding very closely to the mode for rete ridge width (i.e. distance between connective tissue papillae). Further evidence for clonal organization was obtained by inducing mutations in the lingual epithelium of CBA mice by topical mutagen application. A few clearly defined patches of enzyme loss were found with a mean diameter of 36 microns. Their morphology was very similar to that of patches in the heterozygous animals. We interpret these patches as clones derived from stem cells with induced somatic G6PD mutations. We conclude that the mouse lingual epithelium is a stem cell epithelium composed of clonal units of about 40 microns diameter, based on the rete ridge structure and that both connective tissue papillae and filiform papillae occur at the junction of two or more epithelial clones.     

Marked difference in sensitivity to gamma-ray-induced cataract between BALB/c and CBA-C3H strain mice]

Nineteen BALB/c, 14CBA/KI, 12C3H/HeJ and 15 (CBA/Kl x C3H/HeJ) F1 female mice were irradiated with 850 rad gamma-rays and transferred with 10(7) syngeneic bone marrow cells 24 hrs later. The occurrence of cataract was examined in these animals. All the BALB/c mice showed visible lens opacification in both eyes between 113 and 149 days after irradiation. All the animals were autopsied 6 months after irradiation and examined for opacification of their lenses. The proportion of opaque lenses was 100, 7.1, 16.7 and 0% in BALB/c, CBA/Kl, C3H/HeJ and (CBA/Kl x C3H/HeJ) F1 mice, respectively. The results indicate that BALB/c mice are much more sensitive to radiation-induced cataractogenesis than CBA and C3H mice.     

Genetic aspects of the immunomodulating action of interferon

The data of the study of alpha/beta interferon (IFN) effect in mice of different genotype were presented. CBA mice of H-2k genotype, C57B1/6 mice of H-2b genotype and their hybrid (CBA X C57B1/6) F1 have been used in the experiments. IFN has been injected intraperitoneally in a dose of 100-5000 U/mouse in combination with antigenic stimulation. It was shown that IFN enhanced stem cells migration from bone marrow in CBA, but not in (CBA X C57B1/6)F1 mice. At the same time the splenocytes from CBA mice were more sensitive to inhibition by IFN than splenocytes from C57B1/6 mice. This was found in antibody and immune rosette-formation tests. The effect of IFN on the immune system cells is probably predetermined by the individual genetic characteristics of a mouse strain.     

Expression of erythropoietin receptor mRNA in mouse brain hemispheres

Now there is a growing evidence that erythropoietin receptors (Epo-R) are present also in some nonhematopoietic tissues such as endothelial cells and fetal cells of neural origin, although the physiological role of Epo-R at these sites is unclear. There are some speculations that Epo-R may be expressed on cells only in the developing CNS. The objective of this study was to determine whether Epo-R mRNA may be expressed in the brain hemispheres of Balb/c mice of different age groups: 1) newborn mice, 2) young 2 months old mice, 3) old 1.8 year old mice. We also studied the in vivo effect of recombinant erythropoietin on the expression of Epo-R mRNA in the brain hemispheres of (CBA x C57BL)F1 mice by RT-PCR. We have detected the existence of Epo-R mRNA expression in brain hemispheres of all the groups, but in old mice this expression was significantly higher. We have discovered a decrease in Epo-R mRNA expression in brain hemispheres of (CBA x C57BL)F1 mice 24 h after in vivo administration of recombinant erythropoietin. The Epo-R mRNA expression in the left brain hemispheres of (CBA x C57BL)F1 was considerably higher than in the right one.     

The spotted sterile male--a new mutation of dominant spotting on the mouse chromosome 5

Spotted sterile male - a new mutation in mice is described (tentative symbol Ssm). White spotting on the belly, legs and tail as well as sterility in heterozygous males Ssm/+ of the B10.M strain are caused by autosomal semidominant gene Ssm. The gene is localized on the 5 chromosome: the frequency of recombination between Ssm and go is 13.6 +/- 1.6%; Ssm is closely linked to Wv. The diheterozygotes Ssm+/+Wv are darkeyed white sterile mice. The deficiency of spermatogenic epithelium cells, emptyness of seminiferous tubules as well as interstitial tissue overgrowing occurred in the testis in sterile males Ssm/+ of B10.M. The fertile hybrid males Ssm/+ are obtained in outcrossing of females Ssm/+ of B10.M with males of YT/Y, CBA/CaY, DBA/2JY, A.CA/Y strains.     

Ionizing radiation-induced mutant frequencies increase transiently in male germ cells of older mice

Spontaneous mutant frequency in the male germline increases with age, thereby increasing the risk of siring offspring with genetic disorders. In the present study we investigated the effect of age on ionizing radiation-induced male germline mutagenesis. lacI transgenic mice were treated with ionizing radiation at 4-, 15- and 26-month-old, and mutant frequencies were determined for pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids at 15 days or 49 days after ionizing radiation treatment. Cells collected 15 days after treatment were derivatives of irradiated differentiating spermatogenic cells while cells collected 49 days later were derivatives of spermatogonial stem cells. The results showed that (1) spontaneous mutant frequency increased in spermatogenic cells recovered from nonirradiated old mice (26-months-old), particularly in the round spermatids; (2) mutant frequencies were significantly increased in round spermatids obtained from middle-aged mice (15-months-old) and old age mice (26-months-old) at 15 and 49 days after irradiation compared to the sham-treated old mice; and (3) pachytene spermatocytes obtained from 15- or 26-month-old mice displayed a significantly increased mutant frequency at 15 days post irradiation. This study indicates that age modulates the mutagenic response to ionizing radiation in the male germline.     

"Ischemia/reperfusion" for stem cells of two "critical" cell renewal systems of organism

In this article is presented the result of the experiments on mice-hybrids F1(CBA x C57B1/6), which indicates the presence of the reaction of "ischemia/reperfusion" for stem cells of two "critical" cell renewal systems of organism (bone marrow and intestinal epithelium) during the irradiation under the conditions of hypoxic radioprotector application. The additional injection of the source of nitric oxide radicals-sodum nitroprusside (SNT) to the mice right after the irradiation under the conditions of hypoxic protection by serotonin, resulted the substantial increase of the survival rate of hematopoietic stem cells (registered by the methods of endogenous and exogenous colony forming in spleen) and stem cells of intestinal epithelium (registered by the method of intestinal "microcolonies"). The similar radioprotective effect was also registered during the test of survival rate of mice under tests of "bone marrow" and "intestinal" forms of radiation lethality that is evidence of the importance of the realization of phenomenon "ischemia/reperfusion" in the reaction of whole organism on the acute radiation injury. As SNP weakens the manifestation apoptosis and necrosis through competition with active forms of oxygen (AFO) during the period of "reperfusion" on basis of the found out phenomenon experimental model for studying mechanisms of stem cells damage in vivo induced by AFO and for the search of the modifiers weakening or strengthening such damage can be developed.     

Status of T- and B-lymphocytes in long living CBA--F1 (CBA X C57BL/6) chimeras]

Semiallogeneic chimeras were produced by injecting 3 X 10(7) spleen cells of mice CBA (H--2k, Mlsd) to lethally irradiated mice (CBA X C57BL/6)F1. Two days later recipients were given cyclophosphamide (CP), 2 mg per mouse, to prevent death of graft versus host reaction (GVHR). For 1.5--2 months after the creation of chimerism in 23 of 26 mice under study all cells producing antibodies to SRBC were represented by donor cells of H-2 phenotype; 3 mice were partial chimeras. Spontaneous blast transformation in the cultures of chimera spleen did not exceed the control level, and in the mixed lymphocyte culture chimera cells failed to proliferate on addition of irradiated lymphocytes (CBA X C57BL/6) F1. At the same time chimera gave intensive blast transformation to the irradiated lymphocytes of the third line of mice DBA/2 (H--2d, Mlsa). Among the chimera spleen cells no killers capable of destroying target cells of donor or recipient origin were revealed. Similar results were obtained in vivo: chimera cells gave no positive local GVHR after administration to mice (CBA X C57BL/6) F1. Prolonged chimerism was accompanied by a reactivity of donor T-lymphocytes to the recipient transplantation antigens. A blocking factor was revealed in the blood serum of chimeras. The substitution of donor lymphocytes for the recipient cells begins after 3 to 5 months. At the same period donor T-cell population reconstitutes partially the responsiveness to the recipient antigens and the blocking factor disappears from chimeras blood.