Intranuclear localization of proliferating cell nuclear antigen during the cell cycle in renal cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To investigate, with laser scanning cytometry (LSC), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression during the cell cycle in renal cell carcinoma. STUDY DESIGN: DNA ploidy and intracellular localization of PCNA in renal cell carcinoma were determined using LSC and immunohistochemistry. The subjects were nine patients who had received surgery for renal cell carcinoma. After DNA ploidy analysis, the glass slides were restained by immunohistochemistry of PCNA. LSC allowed direct observation of PCNA localization during the cell cycle because we could obtain immunohistochemical staining of PCNA as a function of cell cycle phase for individual cells. RESULTS: PCNA was not demonstrated in the nuclei of G0/G1 cells. PCNA expression increased from the S phase of the cell cycle. PCNA rapidly degraded at the end of the G2 phase. In the late G2 and M phase, PCNA was not detected in almost any nucleus. CONCLUSION: LSC allows morphologic observation of the intracellular distribution of PCNA during the cell cycle in renal cell carcinoma.     

Immunocytochemical localization of chick DNA polymerases alpha and beta +

An immunofluorescent method using specific antibodies was employed to detect DNA polymerases alpha and beta in chick cells. With monoclonal antibodies produced by four independent hybridoma clones, most of the DNA polymerase alpha was shown to be present in nuclei of cultured chick embryonic cells. With a polyclonal, but highly specific, antibody against DNA polymerase beta, this enzyme was also shown to be present in nuclei. DNA polymerase alpha was detected in proliferating cells before cell contact and in lesser amount in resting cells after cell contact, indicating that its content is closely correlated with cell proliferation. On the other hand, similar amounts of DNA polymerase beta were detected in proliferating and resting cells. Furthermore, DNA polymerase beta was detected in nuclei of most cells, while DNA polymerase alpha was detected only in large round nuclei in seminiferous tubules of chick testis. DNA polymerase alpha is presumably present in cells that are capable of DNA replication, and during the cell cycle it seems to remain in the nuclei during the G1, S, and G2 phases, but to leave from condensed chromatin for the cytoplasm during the mitotic phase.     

Characterization of DNA sequences associated with residual nuclei of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have used two different approaches to determine whether particular DNA sequences are specifically associated with high-salt-treated residual nuclei of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. First, libraries of yeast DNA in phage lambda were probed with nick-translated total nuclear or residual nuclear DNA from unsynchronized yeast cells. None of the plaques gave a significantly stronger or weaker signal with the residual nuclear probe than with the total nuclear probe. Second, DNA was purified from whole nuclei or residual nuclei which had been isolated from cells in G1, G1/S, early S, or nuclear division. This DNA was "dot-blotted" and then probed with specific yeast DNA sequences. Ribosomal DNA was 2- to 3-fold enriched in residual nuclei in late G1, G1/S, and early S, and 2 microns plasmid DNA sequences were 3- to 5-fold depleted during nuclear division and early G1. However, ARS1, TRP1, CEN6, and a telomere sequence were neither enriched nor depleted at any time during the cell cycle.     

Differences in centromere positioning of cycling and postmitotic human cell types

Centromere positioning in human cell nuclei was traced in non-cycling peripheral blood lymphocytes (G0) and in terminally differentiated monocytes, as well as in cycling phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes, diploid lymphoblastoid cells, normal fibroblasts, and neuroblastoma SH-EP cells using immunostaining of kinetochores, confocal microscopy and three-dimensional image analysis. Cell cycle stages were identified for each individual cell by a combination of replication labeling with 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine and immunostaining of pKi67. We demonstrate that the behavior of centromeres is similar in all cell types studied: a large fraction of centromeres are in the nuclear interior during early G1; in late G1 and early S phase, centromeres shift to the nuclear periphery and fuse in clusters. Peripheral location and clustering of centromeres are most pronounced in non-cycling cells (G0) and terminally differentiated monocytes. In late S and G2, centromeres partially decluster and migrate towards the nuclear interior. In the rather flat nuclei of adherently growing fibroblasts and neuroblastoma cells, kinetochores showed asymmetrical distributions with preferential kinetochore location close either to the bottom side of the nucleus (adjacent to the growth surface) or to the nuclear upper side. This asymmetrical distribution of centromeres is considered to be a consequence of chromosome arrangement in anaphase rosettes.     

Flow cytometric analysis of protein thiol groups in relation to the cell cycle and the intracellular content of glutathione in rat hepatocytes

The relationship between protein thiols (PSH) and cell proliferation was examined in ethanol-fixed rat hepatocytes. A new protocol was developed for simultaneous measurement of protein thiol vs. DNA content by flow cytometry. The fluorescent dye o-phthalaldehyde (OPT) was used for flow cytometric measurements of protein thiol groups. The influence of nonprotein thiols was examined by monitoring the cell cycle of cells in which the glutathione content (GSH) was modified by treatment with buthionine sulphoximine (BSO). Three rat liver cell lines (IAR 20, IAR 6.1, IAR 6.1RT7) were used: these cell lines possess different growth characteristics and degrees of tumorigenicity, which made it possible to analyse changes in PSH during normal and deranged cell proliferation. The effects on the cell cycle of the changes in PSH due to the depletion of GSH were measured by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd) incorporation and flow cytometry. The data obtained can be summarised as follows: a) OPT fluorescence increases with increasing DNA content in all rat liver cell lines examined; b) the greatest variation in PSH content occurs in G1. There is a smaller variation in G2 + M, and PSH levels are relatively invariant throughout S-phase; c) a higher content of PSH is found in the tumorigenic cell lines; d) the amount and distribution of PSH is not affected by BSO treatment; e) kinetic studies indicate that BSO treatment has no effect on the ability of the IAR rat liver cell lines to progress through the cycle.     

Initiation of DNA replication in nuclei from quiescent cells requires permeabilization of the nuclear membrane

We have investigated the replication capacity of intact nuclei from quiescent cells using Xenopus egg extract. Nuclei, with intact nuclear membranes, were isolated from both exponentially growing and contact- inhibited BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts by treatment of the cells with streptolysin-O. Flow cytometry showed that > 90% of all contact- inhibited cells and approximately 50% of the exponential cells were in G0/G1-phase at the time of nuclear isolation. Intact nuclei were assayed for replication in the extract by incorporation of [alpha- 32P]dATP or biotin-dUTP into nascent DNA. Most nuclei from exponential cells replicated in the egg extract, consistent with previous results showing that intact G1 nuclei from HeLa cells replicate in this system. In contrast, few nuclei from quiescent cells replicated in parallel incubations. However, when the nuclear membranes of these intact quiescent nuclei were permeabilized with lysophosphatidylcholine prior to addition to the extract, nearly all the nuclei replicated under complete cell cycle control in a subsequent incubation. The ability of LPC-treated quiescent nuclei to undergo DNA replication was reversed by resealing permeable nuclear membranes with Xenopus egg membranes prior to extract incubation demonstrating that the effect of LPC treatment is at the level of the nuclear membrane. These results indicate that nuclei from G1-phase cells lose their capacity to initiate DNA replication following density-dependent growth arrest and suggest that changes in nuclear membrane permeability may be required for the initiation of replication upon re-entry of the quiescent cell into the cell cycle.     

Different expression profiles of human cyclin B1 in normal PHA-stimulated T lymphocytes and leukemic T cells

BACKGROUND: In a previous work, we demonstrated with flow cytometry (FCM) methods that accumulation of human cyclin B1 in leukemic cell lines begins during the G(1) phase of the cell cycle (Viallard et al. , Exp Cell Res 247:208-219, 1999). In the present study, FCM was used to compare the localization and the kinetic patterns of cyclin B1 expression in Jurkat leukemia cell line and phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated normal T lymphocytes. METHODS: Cell synchronization was performed in G(1) with sodium n-butyrate, at the G(1)/S transition with thymidine and at mitosis with colchicine. Cells (leukemic cell line Jurkat or PHA-stimulated human T-lymphocytes) were stained for DNA and cyclin B1 and analyzed by FCM. Western blotting was used to confirm certain results. RESULTS: Under asynchronous growing conditions and for both cell populations, cyclin B1 expression was essentially restricted to the G(2)/M transition, reaching its maximal level at mitosis. When the cells were synchronized at the G(1)/S boundary by thymidine or inside the G(1) phase by sodium n-butyrate, Jurkat cells accumulated cyclin B1 in both situations, whereas T lymphocytes expressed cyclin B1 only during the thymidine block. The cyclin B1 fluorescence kinetics of PHA-stimulated T lymphocytes was strictly similar when considering T lymphocytes blocked at the G(1)/S phase transition by thymidine and in exponentially growing conditions. These FCM results were confirmed by Western blotting. The detection of cyclin B1 by Western blot in cells sorted in the G(1) phase of the cell cycle showed that cyclin B1 was present in the G(1) phase in leukemic T cells but not in normal T lymphocytes. Cyclin B1 degradation was effective at mitosis, thus ruling out a defective cyclin B1 proteolysis. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the leukemic T cells behaved quite differently from the untransformed T lymphocytes. Our data support the notion that human cyclin B1 is present in the G(1) phase of the cell cycle in leukemic T cells but not in normal T lymphocytes. Therefore, the restriction point from which cyclin B1 can be detected is different in the two models studied. We hypothesize that after passage through a restriction point differing in T lymphocytes and in leukemic cells, the rate of cyclin B1 synthesis becomes constant in the S and G(2)/M phases and independent from the DNA replication cycle.     

Loosening of cell cycle controls of human lymphocytes under the action of tumour promoter TPA

The effect of tumour promoter TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) on the cell cycle of human peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) in vitro was studied and it was found that TPA caused cells to accumulate in all the cell cycle phases. This accumulation took place preferentially at later culture passages, when lymphocytes stimulated by PHA alone stopped mainly in G0/G1 phases. Other effects of TPA were cell induction to enter higher DNA ploidy and to survive and even synthesize DNA under colchicine block of mitosis or under cytochalasin block of cytokinesis. In addition, in experiments in which a transitory block through the G1 phase of cell cycle was applied with use of aminopterin, we could show that a fraction of TPA-treated cells still entered the active phase of DNA synthesis. These findings suggest that TPA causes cell cycle controls to become loose, thereby enhancing adaptability of human lymphocytes to various hindrances in the course of cell cycle and eventually causing them to acquire characteristics known to be common for tumour cells.     

Flow cytometric multiparameter analysis of proliferating cell nuclear antigen/cyclin and Ki-67 antigen: a new view of the cell cycle

Flow cytometric multiparameter analysis of two proliferation-associated nuclear antigens (proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)/cyclin and Ki-67) was performed on seven human hematopoietic cell lines. PCNA/cyclin, an S phase-related antigen, was detected using an autoantibody and a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled anti-human antibody. The Ki-67 antigen, which in cycling cells is expressed with increasing levels during the S phase with a maximum in the M phase, was detected using a monoclonal antibody and a phycoerythrin-conjugated anti-mouse antibody. In some experiments the PCNA/Ki-67 staining was combined with a DNA stain, 7-amino actinomycin D, and simultaneous detection of the three stains was performed by a single laser flow cytometer. Using this technique four distinct cell populations, representing G1, S, G2, and M, respectively, could be demonstrated in cycling cells on the basis of their PCNA/cyclin and Ki-67 levels. The cell cycle phase specificity could be verified using metaphase (vinblastine, colcemide) and G2 phase (mitoxantrone) blocking agents, as well as by stainings with a mitosis-specific antibody (MPM-2). Also, G0 cells could be discriminated from G1 cells in analysis of a mixture of resting peripheral mononuclear blood cells and a proliferating cell line. This technique can be valuable in detailed cell cycle analysis, since all cell cycle phases can be visualized and calculated using a simple double staining procedure.     

S phase, an evolutionary chromatin condensation state from G1 to G2, in a breast epithelial cell line.

In order to better understand the changes in DNA organization during the cell cycle, we quantified the chromatin texture of breast epithelial cells and followed its evolution through a cell cycle. The diversity of quiescent cell states led us to limit this study to proliferating cell phases, and to choose a cell line with no G0 cells, the MDA AG cell line. We recently developed a methodology for characterizing in situ the cell cycle of breast epithelial cell lines using a cell image processor. This method is based on 15 densitometric and texture parameters computed on individual Feulgen-stained nuclei and on multiparametric analysis of the resulting data. Chromatin pattern assessment is based on nine texture parameters measured from grey-level co-occurrence and run-length section matrices. In the present study, texture parameter computation showed gradual and progressive modifications of nuclear texture. While discrimination of G1, G2 and M phases was possible, we could not discriminate G1 from S and S from G2. The chromatin pattern (defined by these nine parameters) in the G1 and early S phases, on the one hand, and in the late S and G2 phases, on the other hand, were similar. The parameter values of cells in the S phase progressively increased from G1 to G2. Two interphase chromatin condensation states were distinguished in these breast cells: a base state characteristic of a prereplicative stage and a very granular state characteristic of a postreplicative stage. We hypothesized that S cells are a blend of these two states, the evolution of a non-duplicated state toward a duplicated one.     

The nuclear membrane prevents replication of human G2 nuclei but not G1 nuclei in Xenopus egg extract.

We have used synchronized HeLa cells to investigate the role of the nuclear membrane in preventing rereplication in a single cell cycle. Nuclei were prepared with intact nuclear membranes using streptolysin-O or digitonin and assayed for replication in Xenopus egg extracts. Intact G1 nuclei replicate semiconservatively, but intact G2 nuclei do not replicate in egg extract. However, permeabilizing the nuclear membranes of G2 nuclei by treatment with NP-40 allows them all to replicate in egg extract under cell cycle control, suggesting that integrity of the nuclear membrane is required to distinguish G2 from G1 human nuclei and to prevent rereplication within a single cell cycle. The results are discussed in terms of the previously proposed licensing factor model.     

Events associated with the initiation of mitosis in fused multinucleate HeLa cells

Large multinucleate (LMN) HeLa cells with more than 10–50 nuclei were produced by random fusion with polyethylene glycol. The number of nuclei in a particular stage of the cell cycle at the time of fusion was proportionate to the duration of the phase relative to the total cell cycle. The fused cells did not gain generation time. Interaction of various nuclei in these cells has been observed. The nuclei initially belonging to the G1-or S-phase required a much longer time to complete DNA synthesis than in mononucleate cells. Some of the cells reached mitosis 15 h after fusion, whereas others required 24 h. The cells dividing early, contained a larger number of initially early G1-phase nuclei than those cells dividing late. The former very often showed prematurely condensed chromosome (PCC) groups. In cells with a large number of advanced nuclei the few less advanced nuclei could enter mitosis prematurely. On the other hand, the cells having a large number of nuclei belonging initially to late S-or G2-phase took longer to reach mitosis. These nuclei have been taken out of the normal sequence and therefore failed to synthesize the mitotic factors and depended on others to supply them. Therefore the cells as a whole required a longer period to enter mitosis. Although the nuclei became synchronized at metaphase, the cells revealed a gradation in prophase progression in the different nuclei. At the ultrastructural level the effect of advanced nuclei on the less advanced ones was evident with respect to chromosome condensation and nuclear envelope breakdown. Less advanced nuclei trapped among advanced nuclei showed PCC and nuclear envelope breakdown prematurely, whereas mitotic nuclei near interphase or early prophase nuclei retained their nuclear envelopes for a much longer time. PCC is closely related to premature breakdown of the nuclear envelope. Our observations clearly indicate that chromosome condensation and nuclear envelope breakdown are two distinct events. Kinetochores with attached microtubules could be observed on prematurely condensed chromosomes. Kinetochores of fully condensed chromosomes often failed to become connected to spindle elements. This indicates that the formation of a functional spindle is distinct from the other events and may depend on different factors.     

Flow cytometric cell division tracking using nuclei

BACKGROUND: Labeling cells with 5-(and-6) carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) allows their subsequent division history to be determined by flow cytometry. Whether nuclei isolated from CFSE-labeled cells retain any or sufficient dye to reveal the same division history was unknown. If division tracking in nuclei were possible, it would enable the development of new methods for monitoring quantitative changes in nuclei components and how these might vary with successive divisions. METHODS: Nuclei from CFSE-labeled B cells were prepared by lysing whole cells with nonionic detergent Nonidet P-40 (NP-40). The purified nuclei were subsequently fixed with paraformaldehyde and permeabilized with Tween 20 in order to perform intranuclear staining. RESULTS: Purified nuclei displayed the equivalent asynchronous cell division profile as intact cells. Furthermore, the possibility of simultaneously monitoring division history with intranuclear staining was established by labeling bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporated into DNA during a brief pulse prior to harvesting cells. This result was verified with the staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). In addition, aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD) staining established that cell cycle stage and cell division history could be simultaneously determined. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that cell division history is retained in purified cell nuclei after CFSE labeling and can be used in combination with intranuclear immunofluorescent labeling and DNA staining to provide a comprehensive analysis of nuclei by flow cytometry. This method should prove useful for assessing differential nuclear translocation and accumulation of molecular components during consecutive division rounds and during different stages of the cell cycle.     

DNA synthesis in the second and third cell cycles of mouse preimplantation development. A cytophotometric study

Female Swiss mice were sacrificed at 2 h intervals between 16–30 and 40–56 h after insemination. One-, 2- and 4-cell embryos were stained by the Feulgen method and cytophotometric measurement of their nuclear DNA content was carried out. The cells with 2C and 4C DNA content were assumed to be in G1 and G2 phase and those with intermediate DNA content in S phase of the cell cycle. The fractions of cells which had passed a given phase of the cell cycle were calculated for various times after insemination and utilized for measurements of the second and third cell cycle timing. Results of measurements for the second cell cycle: G1 phase 1.3 h, S phase 6.1 h, G2 phase 15.4 h, whereas for the third cell cycle: G1 phase 1.6 h, S phase 7.4 h, G2 phase 0.5 h. The first cleavage division was calculated as 1.6 h, the second as 1.3 h and the third as 1.2 h. Complete intra-embryonic synchronization of the DNA-synthesizing nuclei was preserved during the entire synthesis phase of 2-cell embryos, while in 4-cell embryos they were slightly asynchronized. Among mitotic cells of the first cleavage division and G1 cells of 2-cell embryos a slight interembryonic asynchronization was found which deepened during subsequent cell cycle phases.     

Cytophotometric evaluation of the transition of cells from the G0 phase to the G1 phase of the cell cycle

Feulgen stained nuclei of PHA-stimulated human blood lymphocytes were used for cytophotometric chromatin pattern analysis. Similar distributions of low optical density values indicating the predominance of diffuse chromatin were obtained for G1, S and G2 cells. Condensed chromatin was predominant in G0 and M nuclei. Integral versus average optical densities scatter plots analyses permitted one to distinguish cells undergoing different phases of cell cycle including G0 and G1.