Cell interactions in the developing somite: in vitro comparisons between amputated (am/am) and normal mouse embryos

Development ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-125
Author(s):  
O. P. Flint ◽  
D. A. Ede

Facial, axial and limb development are all abnormal in the homozygous mutant mouse embryo (amputated). An interpretation of cell behaviour in vivo based on sectioned material which may explain these abnormalities has been previously suggested. In this study, somite cells cultured in vitro were found to behave exactly as predicted in this interpretation: they clump together, forming extensive areas of cell contact, and this has a profound effect on their mobility as measured by time-lapse cinemicrography. The similarity of cell behaviour in vitro and in vivo under two distinct sets of environmental conditions suggests that the abnormal cell behaviour is intrinsic to the cell, and directly linked to the mutation. The more extensive areas of cell contact formed between mutant cells suggests that the mutation changes the adhesive properties of the cell surface, but it cannot be excluded that the cells' motile apparatus is also affected.

1978 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-291
Author(s):  
O.P. Flint ◽  
D.A. Ede

Light and electron microscopy coupled to a quantitative analysis form a powerful technique for the analysis of cell behaviour in mutant and normal tissues. Using this approach the morphology of the cells and their contacts are examined in the somites of a recessive mouse mutant, amputated, and of its normal littermates. The results of the analysis show that cell density is the same in both mutant and normal sclertome but that mutant cells tend to form small clumps whereas normal cells disperse individually. There is a correspondingly greater area of cell contact per cell in the mutant. Filopodia are equally numerous in the mutant and normal but where in the normal they stretch across wide intercellular spaces to make contact at their tips with other cells, in the mutant they form a tangled web sticking back on to the surface of the cell of origin and adjacent cells. The appearance of mutant and normal sclerotome is compared with presomitic cells and with the cells of other mutants whose abnormal development has been shown to depend on cell contact morphology and behaviour.


Author(s):  
Raul I. Garcia ◽  
Evelyn A. Flynn ◽  
George Szabo

Skin pigmentation in mammals involves the interaction of epidermal melanocytes and keratinocytes in the structural and functional unit known as the Epidermal Melanin Unit. Melanocytes(M) synthesize melanin within specialized membrane-bound organelles, the melanosome or pigment granule. These are subsequently transferred by way of M dendrites to keratinocytes(K) by a mechanism still to be clearly defined. Three different, though not necessarily mutually exclusive, mechanisms of melanosome transfer have been proposed: cytophagocytosis by K of M dendrite tips containing melanosomes, direct injection of melanosomes into the K cytoplasm through a cell-to-cell pore or communicating channel formed by localized fusion of M and K cell membranes, release of melanosomes into the extracellular space(ECS) by exocytosis followed by K uptake using conventional phagocytosis. Variability in methods of transfer has been noted both in vivo and in vitro and there is evidence in support of each transfer mechanism. We Have previously studied M-K interactions in vitro using time-lapse cinemicrography and in vivo at the ultrastructural level using lanthanum tracer and freeze-fracture.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-wen Cheng ◽  
Li-xia Duan ◽  
Yang Yu ◽  
Pu Wang ◽  
Jia-le Feng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a crucial role in cancer development and tumor resistance to therapy in prostate cancer, but the influence of MSCs on the stemness potential of PCa cells by cell–cell contact remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of direct contact of PCa cells with MSCs on the stemness of PCa and its mechanisms. Methods First, the flow cytometry, colony formation, and sphere formation were performed to determine the stemness of PCaMSCs, and the expression of stemness-related molecules (Sox2, Oct4, and Nanog) was investigated by western blot analysis. Then, we used western blot and qPCR to determine the activity levels of two candidate pathways and their downstream stemness-associated pathway. Finally, we verified the role of the significantly changed pathway by assessing the key factors in this pathway via in vitro and in vivo experiments. Results We established that MSCs promoted the stemness of PCa cells by cell–cell contact. We here established that the enhanced stemness of PCaMSCs was independent of the CCL5/CCR5 pathway. We also found that PCaMSCs up-regulated the expression of Notch signaling-related genes, and inhibition of Jagged1-Notch1 signaling in PCaMSCs cells significantly inhibited MSCs-induced stemness and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our results reveal a novel interaction between MSCs and PCa cells in promoting tumorigenesis through activation of the Jagged1/Notch1 pathway, providing a new therapeutic target for the treatment of PCa.


NAR Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrita Sule ◽  
Jinny Van Doorn ◽  
Ranjini K Sundaram ◽  
Sachita Ganesa ◽  
Juan C Vasquez ◽  
...  

Abstract Mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 and -2 (IDH1/2) genes were first identified in glioma and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and subsequently found in multiple other tumor types. These neomorphic mutations convert the normal product of enzyme, α-ketoglutarate (αKG), to the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG). Our group recently demonstrated that 2HG suppresses the high-fidelity homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair pathway, resulting in a state referred to as ‘BRCAness’, which confers exquisite sensitivity to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. In this study, we sought to elucidate sensitivity of IDH1/2-mutant cells to DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitors and, whether combination therapies could enhance described synthetic lethal interactions. Here, we report that ATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein kinase) inhibitors are active against IDH1/2-mutant cells, and that this activity is further potentiated in combination with PARP inhibitors. We demonstrate this interaction across multiple cell line models with engineered and endogenous IDH1/2 mutations, with robust anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found ATR and PARP inhibitor treatment induces premature mitotic entry, which is significantly elevated in the setting of IDH1/2-mutations. These data highlight the potential efficacy of targeting HR defects in IDH1/2-mutant cancers and support the development of this combination in future clinical trials.


Development ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 128 (24) ◽  
pp. 4993-5004
Author(s):  
Nathalie Spassky ◽  
Katharina Heydon ◽  
Arnaud Mangatal ◽  
Alexandar Jankovski ◽  
Christelle Olivier ◽  
...  

Most studies on the origin of oligodendrocyte lineage have been performed in the spinal cord. By contrast, molecular mechanisms that regulate the appearance of the oligodendroglial lineage in the brain have not yet attracted much attention. We provide evidence for three distinct sources of oligodendrocytes in the mouse telencephalon. In addition to two subpallial ventricular foci, the anterior entopeduncular area and the medial ganglionic eminence, the rostral telencephalon also gives rise to oligodendrocytes. We show that oligodendrocytes in the olfactory bulb are generated within the rostral pallium from ventricular progenitors characterized by the expression of Plp. We provide evidence that these Plp oligodendrocyte progenitors do not depend on signal transduction mediated by platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs), and therefore propose that they belong to a different lineage than the PDGFRα-expressing progenitors. Moreover, induction of oligodendrocytes in the telencephalon is dependent on sonic hedgehog signaling, as in the spinal cord. In all these telencephalic ventricular territories, oligodendrocyte progenitors were detected at about the same developmental stage as in the spinal cord. However, both in vivo and in vitro, the differentiation into O4-positive pre-oligodendrocytes was postponed by 4-5 days in the telencephalon in comparison with the spinal cord. This delay between determination and differentiation appears to be intrinsic to telencephalic oligodendrocytes, as it was not shortened by diffusible or cell-cell contact factors present in the spinal cord.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigehiro Hashimoto ◽  
Hiroki Yonezawa

Abstract A cell deforms and migrates on the scaffold under mechanical stimuli in vivo. In this study, a cell with division during shear stress stimulation has been observed in vitro. Before and after division, both migration and deformation of each cell were analyzed. To make a Couette-type shear flow, the medium was sandwiched between parallel disks (the lower stationary culture-disc and the upper rotating disk) with a constant gap. The wall shear stress (1.5 Pa < τ < 2 Pa) on the surface of the lower culture plate was controlled by the rotational speed of the upper disc. Myoblasts (C2C12: mouse myoblast cell line) were used in the test. After cultivation without flow for 24 hours for adhesion of the cells to the lower disk, constant τ was applied to the cells in the incubator for 7 days. The behavior of each cell during shear was tracked by time-lapse images observed by an inverted phase contrast microscope placed in the incubator. Experimental results show that each cell tends to divide after higher activities: deformation and migration. The tendency is remarkable at the shear stress of 1.5 Pa.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 414-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
X Nan ◽  
P Tate ◽  
E Li ◽  
A Bird

MeCP2 is a chromosomal protein that is concentrated in the centromeric heterochromatin of mouse cells. In vitro, the protein binds preferentially to DNA containing a single symmetrically methylated CpG. To find out whether the heterochromatic localization of MeCP2 depended on DNA methylation, we transiently expressed MeCP2-LacZ fusion proteins in cultured cells. Intact protein was targeted to heterochromatin in wild-type cells but was inefficiently localized in mutant cells with low levels of genomic DNA methylation. Deletions within MeCP2 showed that localization to heterochromatin required the 85-amino-acid methyl-CpG binding domain but not the remainder of the protein. Thus MeCP2 is a methyl-CpG-binding protein in vivo and is likely to be a major mediator of downstream consequences of DNA methylation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Ogawa ◽  
Yoichi Miyamoto ◽  
Munehiro Asally ◽  
Masahiro Oka ◽  
Yoshinari Yasuda ◽  
...  

Npap60 (Nup50) is a nucleoporin that binds directly to importin α. In humans, there are two Npap60 isoforms: the long (Npap60L) and short (Npap60S) forms. In this study, we provide both in vitro and in vivo evidence that Npap60L and Npap60S function differently in nuclear protein import. In vitro binding assays revealed that Npap60S stabilizes the binding of importin α to classical NLS-cargo, whereas Npap60L promotes the release of NLS-cargo from importin α. In vivo time-lapse experiments showed that when the Npap60 protein level is controlled, allowing CAS to efficiently promote the dissociation of the Npap60/importin α complex, Npap60S and Npap60L suppress and accelerate the nuclear import of NLS-cargo, respectively. These results demonstrate that Npap60L and Npap60S have opposing functions and suggest that Npap60L and Npap60S levels must be carefully controlled for efficient nuclear import of classical NLS-cargo in humans. This study provides novel evidence that nucleoporin expression levels regulate nuclear import efficiency.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pouriska Kivanany ◽  
Kyle Grose ◽  
Nihan Yonet-Tanyeri ◽  
Sujal Manohar ◽  
Yukta Sunkara ◽  
...  

Background: Corneal stromal cells (keratocytes) are responsible for developing and maintaining normal corneal structure and transparency, and for repairing the tissue after injury. Corneal keratocytes reside between highly aligned collagen lamellae in vivo. In addition to growth factors and other soluble biochemical factors, feedback from the extracellular matrix (ECM) itself has been shown to modulate corneal keratocyte behavior. Methods: In this study, we fabricate aligned collagen substrates using a microfluidics approach and assess their impact on corneal keratocyte morphology, cytoskeletal organization, and patterning after stimulation with platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) or transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ). We also use time-lapse imaging to visualize the dynamic interactions between cells and fibrillar collagen during wound repopulation following an in vitro freeze injury. Results: Significant co-alignment between keratocytes and aligned collagen fibrils was detected, and the degree of cell/ECM co-alignment further increased in the presence of PDGF or TGFβ. Freeze injury produced an area of cell death without disrupting the collagen. High magnification, time-lapse differential interference contrast (DIC) imaging allowed cell movement and subcellular interactions with the underlying collagen fibrils to be directly visualized. Conclusions: With continued development, this experimental model could be an important tool for accessing how the integration of multiple biophysical and biochemical signals regulate corneal keratocyte differentiation.


Biology ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Yanbing Wang ◽  
Yiwu Chen ◽  
Chang Li ◽  
Zhiwei Xiao ◽  
Hongming Yuan ◽  
...  

Human telomerase is a specialized DNA polymerase whose catalytic core includes both TERT and human telomerase RNA (hTR). Telomerase in humans, which is silent in most somatic cells, is activated to maintain the telomere length (TEL) in various types of cancer cells, including melanoma. In the vast majority of tumor cells, the TERT promoter is mutated to promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis. Here, we exploited NG-ABEmax to revert TERT -146 T to -146 C in melanoma, and successfully obtained TERT promoter revertant mutant cells. These TERT revertant mutant cells exhibited significant growth inhibition both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, A375−146C/C cells exhibited telomere shortening and the downregulation of TERT at both the transcription and protein levels, and migration and invasion were inhibited. In addition, TERT promoter revertant mutation abrogated the inhibitory effect of mutant TERT on apoptosis via B-cell lymphoma 2 (Blc-2), ultimately leading to cell death. Collectively, the results of our work demonstrate that reverting mutations in the TERT promoter is a potential therapeutic option for melanoma.


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