STRUCTURE OF THE MITOTIC SPINDLE IN L STRAIN FIBROBLASTS

The mitotic spindle of L strain fibroblasts, fixed with glutaraldehyde followed by osmium tetroxide, contains many 150- to 180-A tubules. They appear first in the cytoplasm. They extend from the centrospheres to the kinetochores, and from one centrosphere to the other. Only occasionally can points of continuity between the spindle tubules and the tubules of the centrioles be observed. The chromosomal insertion is by a means of a thin dense plate of the kinetochore. The total number of continuous spindle tubules is between 500 and 600. Occasionally, tubules appear paired. At anaphase, short lengths of individual spindle tubules possess a coating of a substance of high density midway between the poles. These parts of the spindle tubules aggregate to form irregular groups, comprising the stem-body, and, by becoming aligned into a plate, they form the mid-body.     

ULTRASTRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF MITOTIC SPINDLE ELONGATION IN MAMMALIAN CELLS IN VITRO : Direct Microtubule Counts

The mitotic spindle of many mammalian cells undergoes an abrupt elongation at anaphase. In both cultured rat kangaroo (strain PtK₁) and Chinese hamster (strain Don-C) fibroblasts, the distance from pole to pole at metaphase doubles during anaphase and telophase. In order to determine the organization and distribution of spindle microtubules during the elongation process, cells were fixed and flat embedded in Epon 812. Selected cells were photographed with the phase-contrast microscope and then serially sectioned perpendicular to the major spindle axis. Microtubule profiles were counted in selected sections, and the number was plotted with respect to position along the spindle axis. Interpretation of the distribution profiles indicated that not all interpolar microtubules extended from pole to pole. It is estimated that 55–70% of the interpolar microtubules are overlapped at the cell equator while 30–45% extend across the equator into both half spindles. This arrangement appeared to persist from early anaphase (before elongation) until telophase after the elongation process. Although sliding or shearing of microtubules may occur in the spindle, such appears not to be the mechanism by which the spindle elongates in anaphase. Instead, our data support the hypothesis that spindle elongation occurs by growth of prepositioned microtubules which "push" the poles apart.     

THE NUCLEOLI IN MITOTIC DIVISIONS OF MAMMALIAN CELLS IN VITRO

In a number of mammalian cell strains nucleoli persisted through mitosis. This phenomenon was especially pronounced in several cell lines derived from Chinese hamster tissues. All the methods employed, including radioautography with tritiated uridine, cytochemical stains (methyl green-pyronin and azure B), fluorescent microscopy (coriphosphine O), ribonuclease digestion, and electron microscopy, demonstrated that the bodies identified as persistent nucleoli in the mitotic stages had the same characteristics as did the nucleoli in the interphase. Persistent nucleoli may attach to the chromosomes or may be free in the cytoplasm. In cells where no persistent nucleoli as such were noted, nucleolar material was observed to attach to the chromosomes in shapeless masses which moved with the chromosomes during anaphase. At least a portion of the nucleolar material was included in the daughter nuclei, presumably for immediate use for protein synthesis after cell division.     

CHANGED ORIENTATION OF THE MITOTIC SPINDLE OF STOMATAL GUARD CELL DIVISIONS IN HORDEUM VULGARE

Three-day-old seedlings of ‘Atlas’ barley were treated for 1 hr with an aqueous solution of 2-mercaptoethanol at various concentrations. This caused a general delay of mitosis, suppression of subsidiary cell formation in manystomatal complexes, and complete inhibition of the formation of some stomatal complexes. In a small proportion of stomatal complexes the orientation of the division of the guard cell mother cell was changed so that its mitotic spindle was no longer transverse but parallel to the long axis of the leaf and produced daughter cells proximally and distally to each other. The highest frequency of such proximal-distal orientations, a mean of 2.23 per stomatal row, was produced by concentrations of 0.175–0.2 m. Proximal-distal reorientations were concentrated in a region of the leaf distal to that in which the greatest inhibition of stomatal complexes occurred. Susceptible complexes were those at early stages of subsidiary formation when exposed to mercaptoethanol; this is long before prophase of GCMC division. The mean length/width ratio of cells at this stage was significantly greater in treated than in control material. Gibberellic acid at 550 ppm significantly increased both the 1/w ratio and the frequency of proximal-distal divisions. A much higher proportion of proximal-distal divisions was obtained in upper leaf sheaths excised and placed for 24 hr in a moist atmosphere. This effect was associated with a period of quiescence following excision, after which mitoses were resumed, many of them with proximal-distal reorientation.     

THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THE NUCLEOLUS IN MITOTIC DIVISIONS OF CHINESE HAMSTER CELLS IN VITRO

The nucleolus of Chinese hamster tissue culture cells (strain Dede) was studied in each stage of mitosis with the electron microscope. Mitotic cells were selectively removed from the cultures with 0.2 per cent trypsin and fixed in either osmium tetroxide or glutaraldehyde followed by osmium tetroxide. The cells were embedded in both prepolymerized methacrylate and Epon 812. Thin sections of interphase nucleoli revealed two consistent components; dense 150-A granules and fine fibrils which measured 50 A or less in diameter. During prophase, distinct zones which were observed in some interphase nucleoli (i.e. nucleolonema and pars amorpha) were lost and the nucleoli were observed to disperse into smaller masses. By late prophase or prometaphase, the nucleoli appeared as loosely wound, predominantly fibrous structures with widely dispersed granules. Such structures persisted throughout mitosis either free in the cytoplasm or associated with the chromosomes. At telophase, those nucleolar bodies associated with the chromosomes became included in the daughter nuclei, resumed their compact granular appearance, and reorganized into an interphase-type structure.     

THE DISTRIBUTION OF SPINDLE MICROTUBULES DURING MITOSIS IN CULTURED HUMAN CELLS

WI-38 and HeLa cells in mitosis have been selected from fixed monolayer cultures and serially sectioned for electron microscopy. Sections perpendicular to the spindle axis permit counting of the number of microtubules at each position on the spindle axis and hence the preparation of tubule distribution profiles. Errors intrinsic to this method are discussed. The changes in the tubule distributions from one mitotic stage to another provide evidence concerning the behavior of the spindle tubules during mitosis. The ratio of the number of tubules passing the chromosomes on the metaphase plate to the maximum number in each half spindle is about 1/2. This ratio changes little in early anaphase, and then decreases in late anaphase at about the same time that a zone of increased tubule number develops at the middle of the interzone. The region where the stem bodies form contains about 3/2 the number of tubules seen elsewhere in the interzone. This ratio is almost constant as the mid-body forms in telophase and then increases to 2/1 in early interphase before the final stages of cytokinesis occur.     

细胞原癌基因在小鼠胚胎癌细胞中的表达

近些年来,细胞原癌基因(cellular onco-gene)的发现和大量研究,使人们相信这类基因的产物在早期胚胎发育过程中有着十分重要的功能,因而它们在转录水平上的变化也特别受到注意。胚胎癌细胞(embryonal carci-noma cell,简称EC细胞)是一类与早期胚胎细胞相类似的恶性细胞,具有多种分化潜能,     

INTERFERENCE OF SEX-RELATED FACTORS IN THE RESPONSE OF LIVER CELLS TO EXPERIMENTAL MITOTIC STIMULI

Stimulation of liver cell multiplication was obtained under two different experimental conditions.

• 1 A single injection of casein solution resulted in (a) an identical synchronized mitotic wave response in 10-day old male and female rats and (b) a significantly lower response in adult male rats compared to females, a difference which was reduced by castration of males at birth but essentially maintained if animals were operated when 10 days old.
• 2 Partial hepatectomy shortly after puberty resulted in active hepatocyte multiplication occurring 3 hr earlier in females than in males. This difference was suppressed when females were ovariectomized at birth and significantly reduced when they were spayed at a later age. Hepatocytes of castrated females entered actively into S phase 2 hr later than the sham-operated controls. Unilateral ovariectomy on the other hand indicated that during compensatory and/or hyper-compensatory activity of the single ovary there was a maximum difference between the male and female rate of [³H]thymidine uptake in liver nuclei 20 hr after hepatectomy. A further kinetic study (t= 25, 30, 40, 65, 90 hr) indicated no significant sex-related difference in the number of S phases per 10,000 cells.

The DNA content of regenerating versus control livers was comparable in both sexes at t= 22 and 90 hr but higher in females at t= 40 and 65 hr. A possible early postnatal interference of certain hormonal mechanisms in the receptivity to mitotic stimuli is postulated and discussed.     

NOTES ON ULTRASTRUCTURE AND SOME PROPERTIES OF TRANSPORT WITHIN THE LIVING MITOTIC SPINDLE

The sites of lead phosphate precipitation in mouse bladder smooth muscle incubated with adenosine triphosphate and lead nitrate were studied by electron microscopy. The media constituents and incubating conditions were independently varied so that we could determine optimal conditions for histochemical demonstration of ATPase activity in agranular endoplasmic reticulum. Specimens of glutaraldehyde-fixed bladder muscle, frozen, cut into 10–40-µ sections, and incubated for 1 hr at 25°C in medium containing 0.025 M ATP, 0.0025 M lead nitrate, 0.05 M magnesium chloride, and 0.09 M sodium acetate buffer at pH 6.2, exhibited microcrystalline deposits in agranular endoplasmic reticulum and pinocytotic vesicles. Lead salt deposition was also noted in terminal cisternae of sarcoplasmic reticulum in skeletal muscle similarly treated, suggesting that the organelle systems in the two types of muscle cells subserve a common function.     

枯否细胞在实验性肝癌细胞凋亡中的作用研究

探讨Kupffer细胞在大鼠实验性肝癌细胞凋亡中的作用。应用免疫组化方法和TUNEL法对单用二乙基亚硝胺（DENA）诱发的肝癌及用氯化钆（GC）或酶母多糖（ZM）分别阻塞或激活Kupffer细胞后,给以DENA所引起的大鼠肝癌中的增殖细胞核抗原（PCNA）、bax、bcl-2蛋白表达和肝癌细胞的凋亡进行了对比研究,结果显示：肝癌组织的增殖指数在ZM＋DENA组、DENA组、GC＋DENA组依次增高,而凋亡指数在上述各组依次降低。Bax阳性率在ZM＋DENA组明显高于DENA组（P＜0.05）,而ZM＋DENA组bcl-2阳性率明显低于DENA组（P＜0.05）。结果提示：Kupffer细胞可促进实验性肝部细胞凋亡。     

A THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF MITOTIC SPINDLE EQUILIBRIUM AT ACTIVE METAPHASE

The mitotic apparatus of first-division metaphase eggs of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus drobachiensis was observed by means of polarization microscopy under controlled temperature conditions. Eggs were fertilized and grown at two temperature extremes in order to produce two different sizes of available spindle pool. Slow division time allowed successive samples of such cells to be observed at the same point in metaphase but at different equilibrium temperatures, yielding curves of metaphase equilibrium birefringence vs. observational temperature. Using the plateau value of birefringence at higher temperatures as a measure of total available spindle pool and the observed birefringence at lower temperatures as a measure of polymerized material at equilibrium, the spindle protein association was evaluated according to the method of Inoué. Both pool conditions produced linear van't Hoff functions. Analysis of these functions yielded enthalpy and entropy changes of +55–65 kcal/mol and +197–233 entropy units (eu), respectively. These values for active mitotic metaphase are quite comparable to those obtained by Inoué and co-workers for arrested meiotic metaphase cells. When other equilibrium treatments were considered, the best fit to the experimental data was still that of Inoué, a treatment which theoretically involves first-order polymerization and dissociation kinetics. Treatment of metaphase cells with D₂O by direct immersion drove the equilibrium to completion regardless of temperature, attaining or exceeding a birefringence value equal to the cell's characteristic pool size; perfusion with D₂O appeared to erase the original temperature-determined pool size differences for the two growth conditions, attaining a maximum value characteristic of the larger pool condition. These data confirm Inoué's earlier contention that D₂O treatment can modify the available spindle pool.     

多核巨细胞形成中的“核有丝分裂”

多核巨细胞的形成,除出合并和核的直接分裂的二个方式外,也可由"核有丝分裂"的方式来形成的,本文报告了这种核有丝分裂的多核巨细胞的一些例子。此外还有一种染色体很多,有近乎多元体的巨细胞,可能是进行核有丝分裂时,各个核的染色体相互混和的结果,最后是否能成为多元体细胞,目前尚未能证实。     

CYTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATASE IN THE MITOTIC APPARATUS OF HELA AND SARCOMA 180 TISSUE CULTURE CELLS

ATPase was localized in distinct regions of the mitotic apparatus of HeLa and Sarcoma 180 tissue culture cells. ATPase was demonstrated in the metaphase spindle of HeLa and Sarcoma 180 cells fixed in cold buffered 2 per cent formalin (pH 6.5 to 6.8) containing 2 x 10^-3 M CaCl₂. A high concentration of ATPase was frequently observed at the poles of the spindle. ATPase was also demonstrated in the interzonal region of both cell types during anaphase. The narrowing of the band of ATPase activity localized in the interzonal region during telophase indicates that ATPase activity is associated with the central spindle. In polar views of Sarcoma 180 cells fixed in cold, unbuffered, 2 per cent formalin, ATPase was frequently localized in granules in the region of the inner circumference of the ring of chromosomes formed at metaphase. ATPase in the mitotic apparatus of HeLa and Sarcoma 180 cells was shown not to be due to non-specific alkaline phosphatase. Mitotic apparatus ATPase in Sarcoma 180 cells was suppressed by an —SH inhibitor.     

乳腺癌中CD55高表达细胞的生物学特性

目的探讨乳腺癌细胞株MCF7中CD55高表达细胞的生物学特性。方法应用抗CD55抗体及Hoechst33342染料对乳腺癌细胞株MCF7细胞进行荧光染色,应用FACS-Vantage和FACS Vantage SE分选CD55hi和CD55lo细胞、SP和MP细胞,对比两组细胞在两种染色中的分群所在、对C2-ceramide诱导凋亡的耐受能力、及应用RT-PCR和免疫组化来检测Bcl-2、TMEM23在两组细胞中的表达。结果分选的CD55hi和CD55lo细胞再用Hoechst 33342染色时,分别位于SP和MP区域中。在C2-ceramide存在的情况下,CD55hi细胞比CD55lo细胞对凋亡刺激具有更高的耐受性。在CD55hi和SP细胞中Bcl-2及TMEM23的表达水平分别比在CD55lo和MP细胞中高。结论 CD55高表达细胞具有与癌干细胞相似的生物学特性,CD55可以推测为乳腺癌干细胞的一个表面标记。