Integrin α8β1 regulates adhesion,migration and proliferation of human intestinal crypt cells via a predominant RhoA/ROCK‐dependent mechanism

Background. Integrins are transmembrane αβ heterodimer receptors that function as structural and functional bridges between the cytoskeleton and ECM (extracellular matrix) molecules. The RGD (arginine‐glycine‐aspartate tripeptide motif)‐dependent integrin α8β1 has been shown to be involved in various cell functions in neuronal and mesenchymal‐derived cell types. Its role in epithelial cells remains unknown. Results. Integrin α8β1 was found to be expressed in the crypt cell population of the human intestine but was absent from differentiating and mature epithelial cells of the villus. The function of α8β1 in epithelial crypt cells was investigated at the cellular level using normal HIECs (human intestinal epithelial cells). Specific knockdown of α8 subunit expression using an shRNA (small‐hairpin RNA) approach showed that α8β1 plays important roles in RGD‐dependent cell adhesion, migration and proliferation via a RhoA/ROCK (Rho‐associated kinase)‐dependent mechanism as demonstrated by active RhoA quantification and pharmacological inhibition of ROCK. Moreover, loss of α8β1, through RhoA/ROCK, impairs FA (focal adhesion) complex integrity as demonstrated by faulty vinculin recruitment. Conclusions. Integrin α8β1 is expressed in epithelial cells. In intestinal crypt cells, α8β1 is closely involved in the regulation of adhesion, migration and cell proliferation via a predominant RhoA/ROCK‐dependent mechanism. These results suggest an important role for this integrin in intestinal crypt cell homoeostasis.     

Colonisation patterns and vertical movements of stream invertebrates in the interstitial zone: a case study in the Apennines, NW Italy

We examined vertical migration and colonisation patterns of stream macroinvertebrates within the substratum of an Apennine creek in NW Italy. Macrobenthos was sampled at three depths in the streambed (0–5, 5–10, 10–15 cm) by means of artificial baskets filled with natural substratum. We placed 42 traps (5×5×15 cm), i.e. 21 top-opened (T-traps) and 21 bottom-opened (B-traps), each composed of three overlapping baskets (high-H, medium-M and low-L), to evaluate differences in the vertical movements. We also collected Surber samples to compare interstitial assemblages with streambed communities. The multilevel traps yielded 42 taxa, compared with 60 taxa in the natural riverbed. Interstitial traps were rapidly colonised; both taxa richness and organism number increased during the 42-day study period. We found active migration in both vertical directions, but there were more invertebrates in the top-opened traps than in the bottom-opened traps. In the T-traps the most colonised baskets were those placed at the H level, while in the B-traps the L level baskets were more rapidly colonised. The interstitial assemblages differed markedly from the streambed communities in both composition and functional organisation, with more collector-gatherers and predators in the interstitial zone and more filterers and scrapers in the natural riverbed. In Apennine lotic systems, the interstitial zone is an important habitat for stream macrobenthos, although it may not be used by all species.     

浮游动物昼夜垂直迁移机理的主要假说及其研究进展

对有关浮游动物昼夜垂直迁移(DVM)机理的实验、假说以及理论模型方面的研究进.展进行了综述。昼夜垂直迁移通常指常规迁移(傍晚上升,拂晓下降),其行为过程不仅影响浮游动物的垂直分布,而且也间接地影响其水平分布及生活史特征,对浮游动物在一定水域的种群维持和补充具有重要的意义。与垂直迁移机理有关的假说主要有光驱动假说、逃避捕食者假说、能量和资源利用假说等,其中逃避捕食者假说已得到大量的实验证实。其理论模型研究一般在两个时间尺度上进行,一个是短期的行为机制研究,另一个从长期的生活史策略的角度考虑。随着实验技术的进步和理论及建模工具的发展,这两个时间尺度的研究正逐渐统一到一个框架下进行。     

Involvement of regulatory volume decrease in the migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

The transwell chamber migration assay and CCD digital camera imaging techniques were used to investigate the relationship between regulatory volume decrease (RVD) and cell migration in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (CNE-2Z cells). Both migrated and non-migrated CNE-2Z cells, when swollen by 47% hypotonic solution, exhibited RVD which was inhibited by extracellular application of chloride channel blockers adenosine 5‘-triphosphate (ATP), 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino) benzoic acid (NPPB) and tamoxifen. However, RVD rate in migrated CNE-2Z cells was bigger than that of non-migrated cells and the sensitivity of migrated cells to NPPB and tamoxifen was higher than that of nonmigrated cells. ATP, NPPB and tamoxifen also inhibited migration of CNE-2Z cells. The inhibition of migration was positively correlated to the blockage of RVD, with a correlation coefficient (r) = 0.99, suggesting a functional relationship between RVD and cell migration. We conclude that RVD is involved in cell migration and RVD may play an important role in migratory process in CNE-2Z cells.     

Synchrony in the downstream migration of smolts and upstream migration of adult Atlantic salmon in the subarctic River Utsjoki

Seasonal and diel migration timing of wild Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts and adults were investigated annually (2001–2004) in the subarctic River Utsjoki, a tributary of the large River Teno (70° N), using underwater video monitoring. Submerged video cameras provided information on the exact timing and intensity of both migrations in a natural river channel, without disturbing the fish. In contrast to the mainly nocturnal migration pattern described from temperate rivers, the River Utsjoki smolts and adults migrated throughout the day. Smolts migrated most intensively during hours of rising (0300–0900 hours) and high sun (0900–1500 hours), while adults favoured the period of low sun (2100–0300 hours). Smolt migrations started in June and lasted on average 42 days. Adults usually ascended the site 2–3 weeks before the first descending smolts were observed and the adult migrations extended to the end of August. Seasonal synchrony was observed between smolt and adult migrations in years of slowly warming water, whereas in a year of exceptionally warm early summer (2002), smolts migrated earlier than adults. Thus, water temperature seemed to be an important environmental factor triggering the smolt migration, while the migration of adults was probably more fixed to a certain season. Weak positive correlations between fish counts and water temperature were observed, indicating that increasing water temperature may have promoted both smolt and adult migrations. The influence of discharge was negligible, although increasing discharge late in the season may have activated the remaining individuals in both groups.     

An optimal foraging and migration model for juvenile plaice

Summary A state-dependent model has been used to predict daily and tidal patterns of migration, feeding and inactivity in juvenile plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.) in their intertidal and shallow subtidal nursery areas. Vertical position, quantity of energy reserves and fullness of the gut characterized the state of individual fishes. If feeding is visually mediated, the model predicts that, by night, plaice should move to areas of low predation risk and become inactive, whereas by day, plaice should migrate to feed in areas of high prey encounter rate. Vertical zones adopted by day and night and, hence, patterns of migration, should depend on the distributions of predators and prey. When prey are more abundant in the intertidal zone, plaice should move onshore to feed as the tide rises and when prey are more abundant offshore, plaice should move offshore to feed by day. If predators are equally abundant in all zones, the fish should behave as if no predators were present, having no effective refuge. An increase in the abundance of predators with depth results in the restriction of plaice activities to shallower vertical zones, depending on the magnitude of the predation threat. Zones adopted thus depend on the trade-off between energy intake and predation risk. Concordance between predicted behaviour and observed patterns is evident in contrasting habitats. Migration and feeding in the Wadden Sea, where prey are more abundant on intertidal flats, is dominated by the tidal component, whereas on impoverished exposed beaches of the west coast of Scotland, the diurnal component is dominant. Tidally related behaviour persists in the latter environment, not predicted by the model and may be a consequence of using endogenous rhythms to approach optimal behavioural patterns.     

Can spatial sorting associated with spawning migration explain evolution of body size and vertebral number in Anguilla eels?

Spatial sorting is a process that can contribute to microevolutionary change by assembling phenotypes through space, owing to nonrandom dispersal. Here we first build upon and develop the “neutral” version of the spatial sorting hypothesis by arguing that in systems that are not characterized by repeated range expansions, the evolutionary effects of variation in dispersal capacity and assortative mating might not be independent of but interact with natural selection. In addition to generating assortative mating, variation in dispersal capacity together with spatial and temporal variation in quality of spawning area is likely to influence both reproductive success and survival of spawning migrating individuals, and this will contribute to the evolution of dispersal‐enhancing traits. Next, we use a comparative approach to examine whether differences in spawning migration distance among 18 species of freshwater Anguilla eels have evolved in tandem with two dispersal‐favoring traits. In our analyses, we use information on spawning migration distance, body length, and vertebral number that was obtained from the literature, and a published whole mitochondrial DNA‐based phylogeny. Results from comparative analysis of independent contrasts showed that macroevolutionary shifts in body length throughout the phylogeny have been associated with concomitant shifts in spawning migration. Shifts in migration distance were not associated with shifts in number of vertebrae. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that spatial sorting has contributed to the evolution of more elongated bodies in species with longer spawning migration distances, or resulted in evolution of longer migration distances in species with larger body size. This novel demonstration is important in that it expands the list of ecological settings and hierarchical levels of biological organization for which the spatial sorting hypothesis seems to have predictive power.     

Transplantation of Stem/Progenitor Cells of Human Brain into Adult Rat Brain

We studied the development of stem/progenitor cells of the human brain transplanted in the adult rat brain after expansion in an in vitrotissue culture. It was preliminarily shown by the immunological methods that the stem cells grown in a medium with growth factors formed neurospheres, which were heterogenous and contained both stem and progenitor cells of the human brain. The cells were implanted in the hippocampus, striatum, or lateral ventricle of the rat brain as a suspension or aggregates (neurospheres) and their behavior and differentiation were studies within 10, 20, and 30 days using the morphological and immunochemical methods. The cultured cells of the human brain continued their development in the rat brain, migrated, and formed neurons and astrocytes. The white mater fibers, lateral ventricle wall, and perivascular spaces served as the main pathways of migration. The neuronal differentiation was shown by staining with antibodies to -tubulin III, neurofilaments-70, and calbindin. Some growing nerve cells had long processes with growth cones. At the same time, some transplanted cells retained the undifferentiated state within one month after the implantation, as shown by the vimentin expression.     

Factors affecting river entry of adult Atlantic salmon in a small river

In this study, effects of stock origin, fish size, water flow and temperature on time of river ascent of adult Atlantic salmon Salmo salar were tested. Brood stocks were collected in eight Norwegian rivers situated between 59 and 69° N. The fish were reared to smolts, individually tagged and released in the River Imsa, south-west Norway (59° N). Adults from all stocks approached the Norwegian coast concurrently, but Atlantic salmon ≥70 cm in natural tip length entered coastal water slightly earlier during summer than smaller fish. Atlantic salmon <70 cm, however, ascended the river significantly earlier and at lower water flow and higher water temperature than larger fish. Although largest in size, the fish from the northern populations (62–69° N) ascended the River Imsa almost 1 month earlier than those from the south (59–60° N). They seemed less restricted by the environmental factors than the fish originating from the more southern rivers. There was no apparent trend among years in time of river ascent. Maximum ascent per day occurred at water discharges between 12·5 and 15 m³ s⁻¹ and at water temperatures between 10 and 12·5° C. There was a significant positive correlation between water flow and river ascent during the first part of the upstream run from July to September with best correlation for September, when multiple regression analysis indicated that water temperature had an additional positive effect. Stock origin, fish size and water discharge were important variables influencing the upstream migration of Atlantic salmon in small rivers.     

Enhanced intrinsic migration of aggressive breast cancer cells by inhibition of Rac1 GTPase

Rac GTPases are known to play a crucial role in regulating cytoskeletal changes necessary for cell migration. Migration has been shown to be positively regulated by Rac in most cell types. However, there is also a large body of conflicting evidence in some other cell types with respect to the role of Rac in migration, suggesting that Rac GTPases regulate cell migration in a cell type-dependent manner. In the present study, we have characterized the effects of Rac1 GTPase inhibition on the migratory abilities of a number of breast cancer cell lines with differential degrees of tumorigenic and metastatic potentials. We show that Rac1 inhibition in non-metastatic (MCF-7, T-47D) or moderately metastatic (Hs578T) cell lines results in inhibition of migration, whereas in highly metastatic cell lines (MDA-MB-435, MDA-MB-231, and C3L5) Rac1 inhibition results in stimulation of migration. This stimulation of migration following Rac1 inhibition is also accompanied by the enhanced RhoA activity, suggesting a possible existence of a dominating role of RhoA over Rac1 in regulating intrinsic migration of the highly metastatic breast cancer cells.