bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rapidly transported organelles containing membrane and cytoskeletal components: their relation to axonal growth.
Authors: Hollenbeck P J , Bray D
Published: May 2004

We have examined the movements, composition, and cellular origin of phase-dense varicosities in cultures of chick sympathetic and sensory neurons. These organelles are variable in diameter (typically between 0.2 and 2 microns) and undergo saltatory movements both towards and away from the neuronal cell body. Their mean velocities vary inversely with the size of the organelle and are greater in the retrograde than the anterograde direction. Organelles stain with the lipophilic dye 1, 1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethyl-indocarbocyanine and with antibodies to cytoskeletal components. In cultures double-stained with antibodies to alpha-tubulin and 70-kD neurofilament protein (NF-L), approximately 40% of the organelles stain for tubulin, 30% stain for NF-L, 10% stain for both tubulin and NF-L, and 40% show no staining with either antibody. The association of cytoskeletal proteins with the organelles shows that these proteins are able to move by a form of rapid axonal transport. Under most culture conditions the predominant direction of movement is towards the cell body, suggesting that the organelles are produced at or near the growth cone. Retrograde movements continue in culture medium lacking protein or high molecular mass components and increase under conditions in which the advance of the growth cone is arrested. There is a fourfold increase in the number of organelles moving retrogradely in neurites that encounter a substratum-associated barrier to elongation; retrograde movements increase similarly in cultures exposed to cytochalasin at levels known to block growth cone advance. No previously described organelle shows behavior coordinated with axonal growth in this way. We propose that the organelles contain membrane and cytoskeletal components that have been delivered to the growth cone, by slow or fast anterograde transport, in excess of the amounts required to synthesize more axon. In view of their rapid mobility and variable contents, we suggest that they be called "neuronal parcels."
Erythrocyte adducin: a calmodulin-regulated actin-bundling protein that stimulates spectrin-actin binding.
Authors: Mische S M , Mooseker M S , Morrow J S
Published: May 2004

Adducin is an erythrocyte membrane skeletal phosphoprotein comprised of two related subunits of 105,000 and 100,000 Mr. These peptides form a functional heterodimer, and the smaller of the two binds calmodulin in a calcium-dependent fashion. Although this protein has been physicochemically characterized, its function remains unknown. We have examined the interaction of human adducin with actin and with human erythrocyte spectrin using sedimentation, electrophoretic, and morphologic techniques. Purified adducin binds actin at physiologic ionic strength and bundles it into arrays of laterally arranged filaments, the adducin forming cross-bridges between the filaments at 35.2 /- 3.8 (2 SD) nm intervals. The stoichiometry of high affinity adducin binding to actin at saturation is 1:7, corresponding to a dimer of adducin for every actin helical unit. Adducin also promotes the binding of spectrin to actin independently of protein 4.1. At saturation, each adducin promotes the association of one spectrin heterodimer. The formation of this ternary spectrin-actin-adducin complex is independent of the assembly path, and the complex exists in a readily reversible equilibrium with the free components. The binding of adducin to actin and its ability to stimulate spectrin-actin binding is down-regulated by calmodulin in a calcium-dependent fashion. These results thus identify a putative role for adducin, and define a calcium- and calmodulin-dependent mechanism whereby higher states of actin association and its interaction with spectrin in the erythrocyte may be controlled.
Temperature-dependent reversible assembly of taxol-treated microtubules.
Authors: Collins C A , Vallee R B
Published: May 2004

Taxol is a plant alkaloid that binds to and strongly stabilizes microtubules. Taxol-treated microtubules resist depolymerization under a variety of conditions that readily disassemble untreated microtubules. We report here that taxol-treated microtubules can be induced to disassemble by a combination of depolymerizating conditions. Reversible cycles of disassembly and reassembly were carried out using taxol-containing microtubules from calf brain and sea urchin eggs by shifting temperature in the presence of millimolar levels of Ca2+. Microtubules depolymerized completely, yielding dimers and ring-shaped oligomers as revealed by negative stain electron microscopy and Bio-Gel A-15m chromatography, and reassembled into well-formed microtubule polymer structures. Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), including species previously identified only by taxol-based purification such as MAP 1B and kinesin, were found to copurify with tubulin through reversible assembly cycles. To determine whether taxol remained bound to tubulin subunits, we subjected depolymerized taxol-treated microtubule protein to Sephadex G-25 chromatography, and the fractions were assayed for taxol content by reverse-phase HPLC. Taxol was found to be dissociated from the depolymerized microtubules. Protein treated in this way was found to be competent to reassemble, but now required conditions comparable with those for protein that had never been exposed to taxol. Thus, the binding of taxol to tubulin can be reversed. This has implications for the mechanism of taxol action and for the purification of microtubules from a wide variety of sources for use in self-assembly experiments.
Ciliary protein conservation during development in the ciliated protozoan, Oxytricha.
Authors: Grimes G W , Gavin R H
Published: May 2004

The ciliated protozoan Oxytricha fallax possesses multiple highly localized clusters of basal bodies and cilia, all of which are broken down and rebuilt during prefission morphogenesis-with one major exception. The adoral zone of membranelles (AZM) of the ciliate oral apparatus contains approximately 1,500-2,000 basal bodies and cilia, and it is the only compound ciliary structure that is passed morphologically intact to one daughter cell at each cell division. By labeling all proteins in cells, and then picking the one daughter cell possessing the original labeled AZM, we could then evaluate whether or not the ciliary proteins of the AZM were diluted (i.e., either by degradation to constituent amino acids or by subunit exchange) during cell division. Autoradiographic analysis demonstrated that the label was highly conserved in the AZM (i.e., we saw no evidence of turnover), and electrophoretic data illustrate that at least one of the proteins of the AZM is tubulin. We, therefore, conclude that for at least some of the ciliary and basal body proteins of Oxytricha fallax, AZM morphological conservation is essentially equivalent to molecular conservation.
Role of transforming growth factor-beta in the development of the mouse embryo.
Authors: Heine U , Munoz E F , Flanders K C , Ellingsworth L R , Lam H Y , Thompson N L , Roberts A B , Sporn M B
Published: May 2004

Using immunohistochemical methods, we have investigated the role of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the development of the mouse embryo. For detection of TGF-beta in 11-18-d-old embryos, we have used a polyclonal antibody specific for TGF-beta type 1 and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. Staining of TGF-beta is closely associated with mesenchyme per se or with tissues derived from mesenchyme, such as connective tissue, cartilage, and bone. TGF-beta is conspicuous in tissues derived from neural crest mesenchyme, such as the palate, larynx, facial mesenchyme, nasal sinuses, meninges, and teeth. Staining of all of these tissues is greatest during periods of morphogenesis. In many instances, intense staining is seen in mesenchyme when critical interactions with adjacent epithelium occur, as in the development of hair follicles, teeth, and the submandibular gland. Marked staining is also seen when remodeling of mesenchyme or mesoderm occurs, as during formation of digits from limb buds, formation of the palate, and formation of the heart valves. The presence of TGF-beta is often coupled with pronounced angiogenic activity. The histochemical results are discussed in terms of the known biochemical actions of TGF-beta, especially its ability to control both synthesis and degradation of both structural and adhesion molecules of the extracellular matrix.
Persistence of liver-specific messenger RNA in cultured hepatocytes: different regulatory events for different genes.
Authors: Isom I , Georgoff I , Salditt-Georgieff M , Darnell J E
Published: May 2004

Normal adult rat hepatocytes plated on rat tail collagen-coated dishes and fed a chemically defined medium supplemented with epidermal growth factor and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were examined over a 40-d culture period for (a) the amount of albumin secreted; (b) steady-state albumin mRNA levels; (c) steady-state mRNA levels for six other liver-specific genes and three common genes; and (d)transcription of several liver-specific and common genes using isolated nuclei. DMSO-treated hepatocytes in culture for 40 d expressed albumin mRNA at 45% the level of normal liver and five other liver-specific genes at levels ranging from 21% to 72% of those in normal liver. The rate of synthesis of ligandin RNA using nuclei from 40-d hepatocytes in a nascent chain extension assay was 130% of the value obtained for normal liver, indicating that liverlike transcriptional activity for ligandin was maintained in this in vitro culture system. In contrast, the rates of synthesis of albumin and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PepCK) mRNAs using nuclei from 40-d hepatocytes were 8% and less than 1%, respectively, and, therefore, were at levels that were much lower than was expected given the steady-state mRNA levels for these two genes. The discrepancy between the steady-state mRNA levels and rates of synthesis of RNA was analyzed, and the results suggest that the albumin and PepCK mRNAs from hepatocytes in culture may be more stable than those from liver. A plateau period for secretion of albumin, expression of albumin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, ligandin, phenylalanine hydroxylase, and PepCK mRNAs, and synthesis of albumin RNA using isolated nuclei was observed from days 6 to 40. The usefulness at a biological and molecular level of a hepatocyte culture system in which liver-specific genes are expressed over a long plateau period is discussed.
Anti-peptide antibodies detect steps in a protein conformational change: low-pH activation of the influenza virus hemagglutinin.
Authors: White J M , Wilson I A
Published: May 2004

At low pH, the hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus undergoes an irreversible conformational change that potentiates its essential membrane fusion function. We have probed the details of this conformational change using a panel of 14 anti-HA-peptide antibodies. Whereas some antibodies reacted equally well with both the neutral and low-pH HA conformations, others reacted to a significantly greater extent with the low-pH form. The locations of the peptides recognized by the latter antibodies in the three-dimensional HA structure indicated regions of the protein that change in response to low pH. Moreover, kinetic experiments suggested steps in the conformational change. In addition to their relevance to membrane fusion, our results show that anti-peptide antibodies can be used to study some types of biologically important protein conformational changes.
Identification of a peroxisomal targeting signal at the carboxy terminus of firefly luciferase.
Authors: Gould S G , Keller G A , Subramani S
Published: May 2004

Translocation of proteins across membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondrion, and chloroplast has been shown to be mediated by targeting signals present in the transported proteins. To test whether the transport of proteins into peroxisomes is also mediated by a peptide targeting signal, we have studied the firefly luciferase gene that encodes a protein transported to peroxisomes in both insect and mammalian cells. We have identified two regions of luciferase which are necessary for transport of this protein into peroxisomes. We demonstrate that one of these, region II, represents a peroxisomal targeting signal because it is both necessary and sufficient for directing cytosolic proteins to peroxisomes. The signal is no more than twelve amino acids long and is located at the extreme carboxy-terminus of luciferase. The location of the targeting signal for translocation across the peroxisomal membrane therefore differs from the predominantly amino-terminal location of signals responsible for transport across the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum, chloroplast, or mitochondrion.
Regulation of the affinity state of the N-formylated peptide receptor of neutrophils: role of guanine nucleotide-binding proteins and the cytoskeleton.
Authors: Painter R G , Zahler-Bentz K , Dukes R E
Published: May 2004

Previous studies have indicated that the receptor for N-formylated peptides present on human neutrophils can exist in several ligand-dissociation states at least one of which is sensitive to guanine nucleotides. Human neutrophil membranes rich in cell surface enzyme markers have been isolated from cells pretreated at 37 degrees C with 5 nM fluoresceinated chemotactic peptide (N-formyl-Nle-Leu-Phe-Nle-Tyr-Lys-fluorescein; Fl-peptide) or a buffer control and analyzed for receptor-ligand dissociation states using a previously published fluorescence assay for estimating ligand binding and dissociation rates (Sklar, L. A., et al. 1984. J. Biol. Chem. 259:5661-5669). Fractionation of crude microsomes derived from homogenates of unstimulated cells by ultracentrifugation on linear D2O gradients yielded two plasma membrane-rich fractions termed fast and slow microsomes. Analysis of Fl-peptide dissociation rates from receptor present in fast membrane fractions of unstimulated cells yielded data that could be best fit by assuming that the receptor exists in three distinct ligand-dissociation states. The intermediate ligand-dissociation state (state B) accounted for 47% of the total and was converted to the fastest ligand-dissociation state (state A) by incubation of membranes with GTP or GTP-gamma-S. The remainder of the receptor (17%) present in unstimulated membranes was in a state from which ligand was virtually nondissociable (state C). This form of the receptor was insensitive to GTP-gamma-S. When cells were stimulated with Fl-peptide, most of the receptor present in slow and fast membranes was of the state C type. In contrast to unstimulated cells, slow membranes derived from cells exposed to Fl-peptide contained the majority of the recoverable receptor indicating that receptor was transferred to a physically isolatable membrane domain after ligand binding to the intact cell. The ligand-induced formation of state C in both fast and slow microsome fractions was inhibited by treatment of cells with dihydrocytochalasin B. However, the drug had no effect on translocation of the receptor to slow membranes. Pertussis toxin treatment of intact cells had no effect on ligand-induced formation of state C in either fraction even though other cellular responses were inhibited. Both slow and fast membranes contained a 41-kD G protein as assayed by immunoblot analysis. The data suggest that ligand induces a segregation of receptor-ligand complexes into a membrane domain in which the receptor is functionally uncoupled from the 41-kD neutrophil G protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Cytoskeletal-membrane interactions: a stable interaction between cell surface glycoconjugates and doublet microtubules of the photoreceptor connecting cilium.
Authors: Horst C J , Forestner D M , Besharse J C
Published: May 2004

The ciliary base is marked by a transition zone in which Y-shaped cross-linkers extend from doublet microtubules to the plasma membrane. Our goal was to investigate the hypothesis that the cross-linkers form a stable interaction between membrane or cell surface components and the underlying microtubule cytoskeleton. We have combined Triton X-100 extraction with lectin cytochemistry in the photoreceptor sensory cilium to investigate the relationship between cell surface glycoconjugates and the underlying cytoskeleton, and to identify the cell surface components involved. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) binds heavily to the cell surface in the region of the Y-shaped cross-linkers of the neonatal rat photoreceptor cilium. WGA binding is not removed by prior digestion with neuraminidase and succinyl-WGA also binds the proximal cilium, suggesting a predominance of N-acetylglucosamine containing glycoconjugates. Extraction of the photoreceptor plasma membrane with Triton X-100 removes the lipid bilayer, leaving the Y-shaped crosslinkers associated with the axoneme. WGA-binding sites are found at the distal ends of the crosslinkers after Triton X-100 extraction, indicating that the microtubule-membrane cross-linkers retain both a transmembrane and a cell surface component after removal of the lipid bilayer. To identify glycoconjugate components of the cross-linkers we used a subcellular fraction enriched in axonemes from adult bovine retinas. Isolated, detergent-extracted bovine axonemes show WGA binding at the distal ends of the cross-linkers similar to that seen in the neonatal rat. Proteins of the axoneme fraction were separated by SDS-PAGE and electrophoretically transferred to nitrocellulose. WGA labeling of the nitrocellulose transblots reveals three glycoconjugates, all of molecular mass greater than 400 kD. The major WGA-binding glycoconjugate has an apparent molecular mass of approximately 600 kD and is insensitive to prior digestion with neuraminidase. This glycoconjugate may correspond to the dominant WGA-binding component seen in cytochemical experiments.
Assembly of smooth muscle myosin minifilaments: effects of phosphorylation and nucleotide binding.
Authors: Trybus K M , Lowey S
Published: May 2004

Small bipolar filaments, or "minifilaments," are formed when smooth muscle myosin is dialyzed against low ionic strength pyrophosphate or citrate/Tris buffers. Unlike synthetic filaments formed at approximately physiological ionic conditions, minifilaments are homogeneous as indicated by their hypersharp boundary during sedimentation velocity. Electron microscopy and hydrodynamic techniques were used to show that 20-22S smooth muscle myosin minifilaments are 380 nm long and composed of 12-14 molecules. By varying solvents, a continuum of different size polymers in the range of 15-30S could be obtained. Skeletal muscle myosin, in contrast, preferentially forms a stable 32S minifilament (Reisler, E., P. Cheung, and N. Borochov. 1986. Biophys. J. 49:335-342), suggesting underlying differences in the assembly properties of the two myosins. Addition of salt to the smooth muscle myosin minifilaments caused unidirectional growth into a longer "side-polar" type of filament, whereas bipolar filaments were consistently formed by skeletal muscle myosin. As with synthetic filaments, addition of 1 mM MgATP caused dephosphorylated minifilaments to dissociate to a mixture of folded monomers and dimers. Phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain prevented disassembly by nucleotide, even though it had no detectable effect on the structure of the minifilament. These results suggest that differences in filament stability as a result of phosphorylation are due largely to conformational changes occurring in the myosin head, and are not due to differences in filament packing.
Isotypes of alpha-tubulin are differentially regulated during neuronal maturation.
Authors: Miller F D , Naus C C , Durand M , Bloom F E , Milner R J
Published: May 2004

The mRNAs for two isotypes of alpha-tubulin, termed T alpha 1 and T26, are known to be expressed in the rat nervous system. We have compared the expression of these two alpha-tubulin mRNAs during neural development, using RNA blotting and in situ hybridization techniques with probes directed against unique sequences of each mRNA. T alpha 1 mRNA is highly enriched in the embryonic nervous system but is markedly less abundant in the adult brain; T26 mRNA is expressed in many embryonic tissues with little change in abundance during development. Within the nervous system, T alpha 1 mRNA is enriched in regions with neurons actively undergoing neurite extension, such as the cortical plate, whereas T26 mRNA is relatively homogeneous in distribution, with some enrichment in proliferative zones. Expression of T alpha 1 mRNA is also increased in PC12 cells induced to differentiate and extend neurite processes by nerve growth factor. Taken together, the data indicate that T alpha 1-tubulin mRNA is expressed at high levels during the extension of neuronal processes. The abundant expression of T alpha 1-tubulin mRNA may therefore reflect either a means to increase the available pool of alpha-tubulin or a specific requirement for the T alpha 1 isotype for neurite extension.
Nerve terminal anchorage protein 1 (TAP-1) is a chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan: biochemical and electron microscopic characterization.
Authors: Carlson S S , Wight T N
Published: May 2004

The plasma membranes of the nerve terminal and the postsynaptic cell of electric organ are separated by a basal lamina. We have purified, biochemically characterized, and visualized in the electron microscope a macromolecule which appears to anchor the nerve terminal to this basal lamina. This molecule, terminal anchorage protein 1 (TAP-1) is associated with the nerve terminal membrane of electric organ, has the properties of an integral membrane protein, and is tightly bound to the extracellular matrix (Carlson, S.S., P. Caroni, and R.B. Kelly. 1986. J. Cell Biol. 103:509-520). TAP-1 can be solubilized from an electric organ extracellular matrix preparation with guanidine-HCl/3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammnio]-1-propane sulfonate and purified by a combination of permeation chromatography on Sephacryl S-1000, sedimentation velocity, and ion exchange chromatography on DEAE Sephacel. The total purification from electric organ is 91-fold and results in at least 86% purity. Digestion of the molecule with chondroitin ABC or AC lyase produces a large but similar shift in the molecular weight of the molecule on SDS-PAGE. The presence of chondroitin-4- or 6-sulfate is confirmed by identification of the isolated glycosaminoglycans with cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Gel filtration of the isolated chains indicates an average molecular weight of 42,000. Digestion of TAP-1 with other glycosaminoglycan lyases such as heparitinase indicates that only chondroitin sulfate is present. These results demonstrate that TAP-1 is a proteoglycan. Visualization of TAP-1 in the electron microscope reveals a "bottlebrush" structure expected for a proteoglycan. The molecule has an average total length of 345 +/- 17 nm with 20 +/- 2 side projections of 113 +/- 5 nm in length. These side projections are presumably the glycosaminoglycan side chains. From this structure, we predict that the TAP-1 glycosaminoglycan side chains should have a molecular weight of approximately 50,000, which is in close agreement with the biochemical studies. Both biochemical and morphologic data indicate that TAP-1 has a relative molecular weight of approximately 1.2 X 10(6). The large size of TAP-1 suggests that this molecule could span the synaptic cleft and make a significant contribution to the structure of the nerve terminal basal lamina of electric organ.
Cell surface proteoglycan of mouse mammary epithelial cells is shed by cleavage of its matrix-binding ectodomain from its membrane-associated domain.
Authors: Jalkanen M , Rapraeger A , Saunders S , Bernfield M
Published: May 2004

The cell surface proteoglycan on normal murine mammary gland (NMuMG) epithelial cells consists of a lipophilic domain, presumably intercalated into the plasma membrane, and an ectodomain that binds via its glycosaminoglycan chains to matrix components, is released intact by proteases and is detected by monoclonal antibody 281-2. The antibody 281-2 also detects a proteoglycan in the culture medium conditioned by NMuMG cells. This immunoactive proteoglycan was purified to homogeneity using DEAE-cellulose chromatography, isopycnic centrifugation, and 281-2 affinity chromatography. Comparison of the immunoreactive medium proteoglycan with the trypsin-released ectodomain revealed that these proteoglycans are indistinguishable by several criteria as both: (a) contain heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate chains; and (b) are similar in hydrodynamic size and buoyant density; (c) have the same size core protein (Mr approximately 53 kD); (d) are nonlipophilic as studied by liposomal intercalation and transfer to silicone-treated paper. Kinetic studies of the release of proteoglycan from the surface of suspended NMuMG cells are interpreted to indicate that the immunoreactive medium proteoglycan is derived directly from the cell surface proteoglycan. Suspension of the cells both augments the release and inhibits the replacement of cell surface proteoglycan. These results indicate that the cell surface proteoglycan of NMuMG cells can be shed by cleavage of its matrix-binding ectodomain from its membrane-associated domain, providing a mechanism by which the epithelial cells can loosen their proteoglycan-mediated attachment to the matrix.
A fibronectin matrix is required for differentiation of murine erythroleukemia cells into reticulocytes.
Authors: Patel V P , Lodish H F
Published: May 2004

Erythroid differentiation of murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells is far more extensive when the cells are attached to fibronectin-coated dishes than in suspension culture. Cells induced in suspension culture for 4 d become arrested at a late erythroblast stage and do not undergo enucleation. Incubation of cells in suspension beyond 4 d results in lysis. In contrast, cells induced by DMSO on fibronectin-coated dishes for 7 d differentiate into enucleating cells, reticulocytes, and erythrocytes. As determined by quantitative immunoblotting, cells induced in suspension culture accumulate approximately 33% of the amount of the major erythroid membrane protein Band 3 present in erythrocyte, whereas cells induced on fibronectin-coated dishes accumulate 80-100% of the amount present in erythrocytes. Both suspension-induced cells and cells induced on fibronectin-coated dishes accumulate approximately 90% of the amount of spectrin and ankyrin present in erythrocytes. As revealed by immunofluorescence microscopy during enucleation of MEL cells, both Band 3 and ankyrin are sequestered in the cytoplasmic fragment of the emerging reticulocyte. Enucleated and later-stage cells detach from the fibronectin matrix, due to the loss of the surface fibronectin receptor; this mimics the normal release of reticulocytes from the matrix of the bone marrow into the blood. Thus a fibronectin matrix provides a permissive microenvironment within which erythroid precursor cells reside, proliferate, migrate, and express their normal differentiation program.
Steps in the assembly of replication-competent nuclei in a cell-free system from Xenopus eggs.
Authors: Sheehan M A , Mills A D , Sleeman A M , Laskey R A , Blow J J
Published: May 2004

We have studied the pathway of nuclear assembly from demembranated sperm chromatin by fractionating a cell-free system from Xenopus eggs (Lohka, M. J., and Y. Masui. 1983. Science (Wash. DC). 220:719-721). Both the soluble fraction and a washed vesicular fraction are required for formation of normal nuclei that initiate replication in vitro. The soluble fraction alone decondenses chromatin and the vesicular fraction alone surrounds chromatin with membranes. Both fractions are required for formation of nuclear pore complexes. Recombining these two fractions recovers approximately 100% of the nuclear assembly and DNA replication activities. Restricting the proportion of the vesicular fraction slows acquisition of the nuclear membrane and allows observation of immature nuclear pores ("prepores"). These form as arrays around and within the chromatin mass before membranes form. Subsequently membrane vesicles bind to these prepores, linking them by a single membrane throughout the chromatin mass. At the periphery this single membrane is surrounded by an outer membrane. In mature nuclei all membranes are at the periphery, the two membranes are linked by pores, and no prepores are seen. Nuclear assembly and replication are inhibited by preincubating the chromatin with the vesicular fraction. However nuclear assembly is accelerated by preincubating the condensed chromatin with the soluble fraction. This also decreases the lag before DNA replication. Initiation of DNA replication is only observed after normal nuclei have fully reassembled, increasing the evidence that replication depends on nuclear structure. The pathway of nuclear assembly and its relationship to DNA replication are discussed.
Calcium regulation of pigment transport in vitro.
Authors: McNiven M A , Ward J B
Published: May 2004

Calcium has been implicated in the regulation of many cellular motility events. In this study we have examined the role of different Ca2+ concentrations on the in vitro transport of pigment within cultured chromatophores. Cells treated with Brij detergent for 1-2 min were stripped of their plasma membranes, leaving their cytoskeleton and associated pigment granules exposed to the external milieu. We found that retrograde pigment transport (aggregation) is induced upon addition of 1 mM MgATP2- with 10(-7) M free Ca2+, while an orthograde transport (redispersal) of pigment results from lowering the concentration of free Ca2+ to 10(-8) M while maintaining 1 mM MgATP2-. These Ca2+-regulated movements are ATP dependent but are apparently independent of cAMP and insensitive to calmodulin inhibitors. The observations reported here provide novel evidence that the concentration of free Ca2+ acts to regulate the direction of intracellular organelle transport.
Structure and mass analysis of 14S dynein obtained from Tetrahymena cilia.
Authors: Marchese-Ragona S P , Wall J S , Johnson K A
Published: May 2004

Scanning transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed that the 14S fraction of Tetrahymena dynein was of a mixture of two types of particles in approximately equal proportions. The 14S dynein molecules were roughly ellipsoid in shape with approximate axes of 9.5 and 14.5 nm. About half of the particles had tails 20-24-nm long. By the integration of electron scattering intensities, particles with tails had an average mass of 510 kD with a SD of 90 kD. The globular heads of both types of particles had an average mass of 330 kD with a SD of 60 kD. The mass of the tail structure was about 180 kD. By SDS-PAGE, the 14S dynein consisted of two high molecular mass polypeptides above 300 kD that could be distinguished by immunoblot analysis.
Isolation of a sixth dynein subunit adenosine triphosphatase of Chlamydomonas axonemes.
Authors: Piperno G
Published: May 2004

This study of the axoneme led to the identification of a previously unknown adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), which is likely a major component of inner dynein arms. The ATPase was isolated from a soluble fraction of axonemes obtained from pf 28, a Chlamydomonas mutant lacking the outer dynein arms. The activity hydrolyzed up to 2.3 mumol of ATP.min-1.mg-1 of protein (at pH 7.2, in the presence of both Ca++ and Mg++), had a sedimentation coefficient of 11S in sucrose gradient, and cosedimented with four polypeptides of apparent molecular weight 325,000, 315,000 140,000, and 42,000. Several arguments indicate that the new ATPase is a component of the inner dynein arms. Three or four polypeptides cosedimenting with the activity belong to a group of axonemal components that are deficient in the axonemes of pf 23 and pf 30, two mutants that display different levels of inner dynein arm deficiency. The 42,000 component is axonemal actin, a subunit of two other inner dynein ATPases. The two polypeptides of molecular weight greater than 300,000 have electrophoretic mobility similar to that of high molecular weight components of outer and inner dynein arms. In spite of some similarities each ATPase isolated from inner or outer arms is composed of a different set of polypeptides. Different ATPases may be required for the modulation of localized sliding of adjacent outer double microtubules in the axoneme.
Enhanced stability of microtubules enriched in detyrosinated tubulin is not a direct function of detyrosination level.
Authors: Khawaja S , Gundersen G G , Bulinski J C
Published: May 2004

Interphase cultured monkey kidney (TC-7) cells contain distinct subsets of cellular microtubules (MTs) enriched in posttranslationally detyrosinated (Glu) or tyrosinated (Tyr) alpha tubulin (Gundersen, G. G., M. H. Kalnoski, and J. C. Bulinski. 1984. Cell. 38:779-789). To determine the relative stability of these subsets of MTs, we subjected TC-7 cells to treatments that slowly depolymerized MTs. We found Glu MTs to be more resistant than Tyr MTs to depolymerization by nocodazole in living cells, and to depolymerization by dilution in detergent-permeabilized cell models. However, in cold-treated cells, Glu and Tyr MTs did not differ significantly in their stability. Digestion of permeabilized cell models with pancreatic carboxypeptidase A, to generate Glu MTs from endogenous Tyr MTs, did not significantly alter the resistance of the endogenous Tyr MTs toward dilution-induced depolymerization. Furthermore, in human fibroblasts that contained no distinct Glu MTs, we observed a population of nocodazole-resistant MTs. These data suggest that Glu MTs possess enhanced stability against end-mediated depolymerization, yet detyrosination alone appears to be insufficient to confer this enhanced stability.
Microfilament modification by dihydrocytochalasin B causes retinoic acid-modulated chondrocytes to reexpress the differentiated collagen phenotype without a change in shape.
Authors: Benya P D , Brown P D , Padilla S R
Published: May 2004

Primary monolayers of rabbit articular chondrocytes synthesize high levels of type II collagen and proteoglycan. This capacity was used as a marker for the expression of the differentiated phenotype. Such cells were treated with 1 microgram/ml retinoic acid (RA) for 10 d to produce a modulated collagen phenotype devoid of type II and consisting of predominantly type I trimer and type III collagen. After transfer to secondary culture in the presence of RA, the stability of the RA-modulated phenotype was investigated by culture in the absence of RA. Little reexpression of type II collagen synthesis occurred in this period unless cultures were treated with 3 X 10(-6) M dihydrocytochalasin B to modify microfilament structures. Reexpression of the differentiated phenotype began between days 6-8 and was essentially complete by day 14. Substantial reexpression occurred by day 8 without a detectable increase in cell rounding. Colony formation, characteristic of primary chondrocytes, was infrequent even after reexpression was complete. These data suggest that the integrity of microfilament cytoskeletal structures can be a source of regulatory signals that mechanistically appear to be more proximal to phenotypic change than the overt changes in cell shape that accompany reexpression of subculture-modulated chondrocytes in agarose culture.
Alterations in chondrocyte cytoskeletal architecture during phenotypic modulation by retinoic acid and dihydrocytochalasin B-induced reexpression.
Authors: Brown P D , Benya P D
Published: May 2004

The differentiated phenotype of rabbit articular chondrocytes was modulated in primary culture by treatment with 1 microgram/ml retinoic acid (RA) and reexpressed in secondary culture by treatment with the microfilament-disruptive drug dihydrocytochalasin B (DHCB) in the absence of RA. Because the effective dose of DHCB (3 microM) did not elicit detectable cell rounding or retraction, the nature and extent of microfilament modification responsible for induction of reexpression was evaluated. The network of microfilament stress fibers detected with rhodamine-labeled phalloidin in primary control chondrocytes was altered by RA to a "cobblestone" pattern of circularly oriented fibers at the cell periphery. Subsequent treatment with DHCB resulted in rapid changes in this pattern before overt reexpression. Stress fibers decreased in number and were reoriented. Parallel arrays of long fibers that traversed the cell were evident, in addition to fiber fragments and focal condensations of staining. Immunofluorescent staining of intermediate filaments revealed a marked decrease in complexity and intensity during RA treatment but no change during reexpression. An extended microtubular architecture was present throughout the study. These results clearly identify microfilaments as the principal affected cytoskeletal element and demonstrate that their modification, rather than complete disruption, is sufficient for reexpression. The specificity of DHCB and the reorientation of these filaments before reexpression of the differentiated phenotype suggests a causative role in the mechanism of reexpression.
Endocrine secretory granules and neuronal synaptic vesicles have three integral membrane proteins in common.
Authors: Lowe A W , Madeddu L , Kelly R B
Published: May 2004

In response to an external stimulus, neuronal cells release neurotransmitters from small synaptic vesicles and endocrine cells release secretory proteins from large dense core granules. Despite these differences, endocrine cells express three proteins known to be components of synaptic vesicle membranes. To determine if all three proteins, p38, p65, and SV2, are present in endocrine dense core granule membranes, monoclonal antibodies bound to beads were used to immunoisolate organelles containing the synaptic vesicle antigens. [3H]norepinephrine was used to label both chromaffin granules purified from the bovine adrenal medulla and rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Up to 80% of the vesicular [3H]norepinephrine was immunoisolated from both labeled purified bovine chromaffin granules and PC12 postnuclear supernatants. In PC12 cells transfected with DNA encoding human growth hormone, the hormone was packaged and released with norepinephrine. 90% of the sedimentable hormone was also immunoisolated by antibodies to all three proteins. Stimulated secretion of PC12 cells via depolarization with 50 mM KCl decreased the amount of [3H]norepinephrine or human growth hormone immunoisolated. Electron microscopy of the immunoisolated fractions revealed large (greater than 100 nm diameter) dense core vesicles adherent to the beads. Thus, large dense core vesicles containing secretory proteins possess all three of the known synaptic vesicle membrane proteins.
Intracellular transport of a variant surface glycoprotein in Trypanosoma brucei.
Authors: Duszenko M , Ivanov I E , Ferguson M A , Plesken H , Cross G A
Published: May 2004

Trypanosome variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs) have a novel glycan-phosphatidylinositol membrane anchor, which is cleavable by a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. A similar structure serves to anchor some membrane proteins in mammalian cells. Using kinetic and ultrastructural approaches, we have addressed the question of whether this structure directs the protein to the cell surface by a different pathway from the classical one described in other cell types for plasma membrane and secreted glycoproteins. By immunogold labeling on thin cryosections we were able to show that, intracellularly, VSG is associated with the rough endoplasmic reticulum, all Golgi cisternae, and tubulovesicular elements and flattened cisternae, which form a network in the area adjacent to the trans side of the Golgi apparatus. Our data suggest that, although the glycan-phosphatidylinositol anchor is added in the endoplasmic reticulum, VSG is nevertheless subsequently transported along the classical intracellular route for glycoproteins, and is delivered to the flagellar pocket, where it is integrated into the surface coat. Treatment of trypanosomes with 1 microM monensin had no effect on VSG transport, although dilation of the trans-Golgi stacks and lysosomes occurred immediately. Incubation of trypanosomes at 20 degrees C, a treatment that arrests intracellular transport from the trans-Golgi region to the cell surface in mammalian cells, caused the accumulation of VSG molecules in structures of the trans-Golgi network, and retarded the incorporation of newly synthesized VSG into the surface coat.
Ultrastructural localization of plasma membrane-associated urokinase-type plasminogen activator at focal contacts.
Authors: Pöllänen J , Hedman K , Nielsen L S , Danø K , Vaheri A
Published: May 2004

We have recently shown that urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 are both found extracellularly beneath cultured human skin fibroblasts and HT-1080 sarcoma cells, but in distinct localizations. Here, the ultrastructural distribution of u-PA was studied using immunoferritin electron microscopy. In HT-1080 cells, u-PA on the extracellular aspect of the plasma membrane was detected at sites of direct contact of the cell with the growth substratum beneath all parts of the ventral cell surface. The ferritin-labeled adhesion plaques, which were enriched in submembraneous microfilaments, were frequently seen at the leading lamellae of the cells as well as in lamellipodia and microspikes. Besides the cell-substratum adhesion plaques, ferritin label was detected at cell-cell contact sites. Double-label immunofluorescence showed a striking colocalization of u-PA and vinculin in both HT-1080 cells and WI-38 lung fibroblasts, which is consistent with u-PA being a focal contact component. The u-PA-containing focal contacts of WI-38 cells had no direct codistribution with fibronectin fibrils. In WI-38 cells made stationary by cultivation in a medium containing 0.5% FCS, vinculin plaques became highly elongated and more centrally located, whereas u-PA immunolabel disappeared from such focal adhesions. These findings show that plasma membrane-associated u-PA is an intrinsic component of focal contacts, where, we propose, it enables directional proteolysis for cell migration and invasion.
Heterogeneity in lymphocyte spectrin distribution: ultrastructural identification of a new spectrin-rich cytoplasmic structure.
Authors: Black J D , Koury S T , Bankert R B , Repasky E A
Published: May 2004

Spectrin-like proteins are found in a wide variety of non-erythroid cells where they generally occur in the cell cortex near the plasma membrane. To determine the intracellular distribution of alpha-spectrin (alpha-fodrin) in lymphocytes, we have developed an immunoperoxidase method to localize this protein at the ultrastructural level. Of considerable interest, particularly with regard to our efforts to determine the function of spectrin in this cell type, was the finding that its subcellular localization and its relationship with the plasma membrane can vary dramatically. Based on its position in the cell, alpha-spectrin can occur in two forms in lymphocytes: one that associates closely with the plasma membrane and another that occurs at some distance from the cell periphery, either as a single large aggregate or as several smaller ones. The single large aggregate of spectrin is a stable feature in a number of lymphocyte cell lines and hybrids which were used to examine its ultrastructural characteristics. A previously undescribed cellular structure, consisting of a meshwork of spectrin filaments and membranous vesicles, was identified in these cells. This structure could be induced to dissipate in response to membrane perturbants (e.g., hyperthermia and phorbol esters, known effectors of lymphocyte function and differentiation) and the patterns resulting from the redistribution of spectrin were a reflection of those observed routinely in lymphocytes in situ. The correlation between naturally occurring spectrin localization patterns and those seen after membrane perturbation suggested the possibility that spectrin distribution is indicative of particular maturation stages or functional states in lymphocytes. The implications of these findings with regard to the role of spectrin in lymphocyte function are discussed.
Targeting of secretory vesicles to cytoplasmic domains in AtT-20 and PC-12 cells
Authors: Matsuuchi L , Buckley KM , Lowe AW , Kelly RB
Published: May 2004

Organelles are not uniformly distributed throughout the cytoplasm but have preferred locations that vary between tissues and during development. To investigate organelle targeting to cytoplasmic domains we have taken advantage of the mouse pituitary cell line, AtT-20, which, when induced to extend long processes, accumulates dense core secretory granules at the tips of the processes. During mitosis, these secretory granules accumulate along the plane of division. Protein synthesis is not mandatory for such redistribution of secretory granules. To explore the specificity of the redistribution we have used transfected AtT-20 cells that express the immunoglobulin kappa light chain. While the endogenous hormone ACTH is found in secretory granules, the kappa chain is a marker for organelles involved in constitutive secretion. By immunofluorescence, kappa also accumulates at the tips of growing processes, and along the midline of dividing cells, suggesting that the redistribution of vesicles is not specific for dense-core secretory granules. Since there is evidence for selective organelle transport along processes in neuronal cells, the rat pheochromocytoma cell PC-12 was transfected with DNA encoding markers for regulated and constitutive secretory vesicles. Again regulated and constitutive vesicles co-distribute, even in cells grown in the presence of nerve growth factor. We suggest that at least in the cells studied here, cytoskeletal elements normally carry exocytotic organelles to the surface; when the cytoskeletal elements coalesce in an extending process, exocytotic organelles of both the constitutive and regulated pathway are transported nonselectively to the tips of the cytoskeletal elements where they accumulate.
A chloroquine-resistant Swiss 3T3 cell line with a defect in late endocytic acidification
Authors: Cain CC , Murphy RF
Published: May 2004

To investigate the role of acidification in cell proliferation, several cell lines resistant to chloroquine were isolated with the expectation that some would express altered endocytic acidification. The preliminary characterization of one of these lines, CHL60-64, is described. In contrast to endocytic mutants described previously, the initial phase of endocytic acidification, as measured by transferrin acidification, is normal in this cell line. However, a difference in subsequent endocytic acidification was observed in CHL60-64. In the parental cells, internalized dextran was fully acidified to approximately pH 5.5 within 1 h. In CHL60-64, the pH in the endocytic compartment was only 6.1 after 1 h and remained as high as 5.8 for at least 4 h. After an 8-h incubation, the pH decreased to 5.5, indicating that the second phase of acidification is only slowed in CHL60-64, and not blocked. Consistent with this retarded acidification, ATP-dependent acidification in vitro (as measured by acridine orange accumulation) was reduced in both the lysosomal fraction and the endosomal fraction isolated from CHL60-64. A decrease in the in vivo rate of acridine orange accumulation after perturbation with amine was also observed. In addition to amine resistance and defective acidification, CHL60-64 was found to be resistant to vacuolation in the presence of chloroquine and ammonium chloride, and was resistant to ouabain. Further studies on this new class of endocytosis mutant, in combination with existing mutants, should help to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the regulation of endocytic acidification.