Ultrastructural Investigations of the Contractile Filaments of Amoebae

Author(s):  
P.L. Moore

Previous freeze fracture results on the intact giant, amoeba Chaos carolinensis indicated the presence of a fibrillar arrangement of filaments within the cytoplasm. A complete interpretation of the three dimensional ultrastructure of these structures, and their possible role in amoeboid movement was not possible, since comparable results could not be obtained with conventional fixation of intact amoebae. Progress in interpreting the freeze fracture images of amoebae required a more thorough understanding of the different types of filaments present in amoebae, and of the ways in which they could be organized while remaining functional.The recent development of a calcium sensitive, demembranated, amoeboid model of Chaos carolinensis has made it possible to achieve a better understanding of such functional arrangements of amoeboid filaments. In these models the motility of demembranated cytoplasm can be controlled in vitro, and the chemical conditions necessary for contractility, and cytoplasmic streaming can be investigated. It is clear from these studies that “fibrils” exist in amoeboid models, and that they are capable of contracting along their length under conditions similar to those which cause contraction in vertebrate muscles.

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-190
Author(s):  
Parisa Pooyan ◽  
Luke P. Brewster ◽  
Rina Tannenbaum ◽  
Hamid Garmestani

Abstract As a rapidly growing area in materials design, the biomimetic approach at the frontier between biology and materials science aims to introduce advanced materials with structural diversities and functional versatilities by mimicking remarkable systems available in nature. Inspired by the fascinating nanostructured assembly existing in the cell walls of different plant species, we designed two fully bio-based green nanomaterials reinforced with renewable polysaccharide nanoparticles in the form of cellulose nanowhiskers (CNWs). In our initial design, the CNWs were incorporated into a cellulose acetate propionate matrix to form a bionanocomposite film, while in the second design the CNWs were entangled within a network of a collagenous medium to introduce a bionanocomposite hydrogel. Tensile and rheological measurements were carried out to study the system’s deformation as subjected to axial force or oscillatory shear. Biocompatibility was tested via incubation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vitro. Careful control of the processing conditions resulted in a three-dimensional rigid CNW network percolating within both biopolymer matrices, giving rise to an excellent performance at only a small fraction of CNWs at 3 wt.%. This study reveals that the fully bio-based green nanomaterials with enhanced mechanical percolation could construct a suitable platform for scaffolding in tissue engineering.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Demirtaş

The engineering of convenient three-dimensional (3D) in vitro tumor models presents many challenges, but they are increasingly identifying as one of the best preclinical drug-screening platforms and a developed method to research cancer in controlled conditions in the lab. Recently advanced 3D bioprinting techniques can be enhanced to produce biomimetic and complex tumor structures. The native tumors have complex structures originating from different extracellular matrix materials, cell types, and biomolecules. To obtain this, multifactorial bio-inks to consist of multiple hydrogel biomaterials (alginate, collagen, fibrin, gelatin, and chitosan as natural bio-inks), patient-derived different types of cancer cells, and soluble factors have been advanced. 3D bioprinting of live human cells has shown that effective in vitro replication of tumor biology is achievable. Several last research outline current improvements in the use of bio-printed tumor models used in cancer research, enhancing a new boundary for the understanding of tumor biology and the progress of cancer therapies.


Author(s):  
Aparna Dwivedi ◽  
Kavita Maru ◽  
Aakash Sharma

Introduction. The interocclusal registration materials record the occlusal relationship between the natural and /or artificial teeth for planning an occlusal rehabilitation in removable and fixed partial dentures. Aim and objectives. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the accuracy and the three dimensional stability offered by three different types of interocclusal recording materials at storage time intervals of 1 hour and 24 hours. Methods. Three commercially available interocclusal recording materials were used - Group I - Polyether bite registration paste (Ramitec), Group II- Polyvinylsiloxane bite registration material (Imprint), Group III- Bite registration wax (Maarc).The test was carried out using an epoxy resin model. A total of 30 samples were made with each group consisting of ten samples. Three dimensional measurements were carried out by using 3D-Coordinate measuring machine (CMM) at time intervals of 0-1 hour and 0-24 hours in X, Y and Z- axis.   Results. Twelve readings were obtained for three axes (4 readings for each sample at 1 axis) and the averages of these four values were noted for a particular axis (X/Y/Z). Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) for comparison among the groups and then Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) tests was performed for comparison among groups at the 0.05 level of significance. Conclusion. Polyvinylsiloxane was dimensionally the most stable material followed by polyether and finally bite registration wax. Dimensional accuracy and stability is influenced by both “material” and “time” factors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang Sun ◽  
Mingliang Yang ◽  
Yue Xu ◽  
Lelun Jiang ◽  
Rong Song ◽  
...  

Contact angle hysteresis (CAH) is an important phenomenon in surface chemistry. In this paper, we fabricated nanostructured substrates and investigated the relationship between roughness and CAH. We demonstrated that by patterning well-tuned CAH in superhydrophobic background, we can pattern droplets with controlled sizes. We further showed that our system could be used in fabricating complex hydrogel architecture, allowing coculture of different types of cells in three-dimensional way. This CAH-based patterning strategy would providein vitromodels for tissue engineering and drug delivery.


Author(s):  
L. V. Leak

Electron microscopic observations of freeze-fracture replicas of Anabaena cells obtained by the procedures described by Bullivant and Ames (J. Cell Biol., 1966) indicate that the frozen cells are fractured in many different planes. This fracturing or cleaving along various planes allows one to gain a three dimensional relation of the cellular components as a result of such a manipulation. When replicas that are obtained by the freeze-fracture method are observed in the electron microscope, cross fractures of the cell wall and membranes that comprise the photosynthetic lamellae are apparent as demonstrated in Figures 1 & 2.A large portion of the Anabaena cell is composed of undulating layers of cytoplasm that are bounded by unit membranes that comprise the photosynthetic membranes. The adjoining layers of cytoplasm are closely apposed to each other to form the photosynthetic lamellae. Occassionally the adjacent layers of cytoplasm are separated by an interspace that may vary in widths of up to several 100 mu to form intralamellar vesicles.


Author(s):  
J. P. Revel

Movement of individual cells or of cell sheets and complex patterns of folding play a prominent role in the early developmental stages of the embryo. Our understanding of these processes is based on three- dimensional reconstructions laboriously prepared from serial sections, and from autoradiographic and other studies. Many concepts have also evolved from extrapolation of investigations of cell movement carried out in vitro. The scanning electron microscope now allows us to examine some of these events in situ. It is possible to prepare dissections of embryos and even of tissues of adult animals which reveal existing relationships between various structures more readily than used to be possible vithout an SEM.


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.


Author(s):  
D. Reis ◽  
B. Vian ◽  
J. C. Roland

Wall morphogenesis in higher plants is a problem still open to controversy. Until now the possibility of a transmembrane control and the involvement of microtubules were mostly envisaged. Self-assembly processes have been observed in the case of walls of Chlamydomonas and bacteria. Spontaneous gelling interactions between xanthan and galactomannan from Ceratonia have been analyzed very recently. The present work provides indications that some processes of spontaneous aggregation could occur in higher plants during the formation and expansion of cell wall.Observations were performed on hypocotyl of mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) for which growth characteristics and wall composition have been previously defined.In situ, the walls of actively growing cells (primary walls) show an ordered three-dimensional organization (fig. 1). The wall is typically polylamellate with multifibrillar layers alternately transverse and longitudinal. Between these layers intermediate strata exist in which the orientation of microfibrils progressively rotates. Thus a progressive change in the morphogenetic activity occurs.


Author(s):  
Hirano T. ◽  
M. Yamaguchi ◽  
M. Hayashi ◽  
Y. Sekiguchi ◽  
A. Tanaka

A plasma polymerization film replica method is a new high resolution replica technique devised by Tanaka et al. in 1978. It has been developed for investigation of the three dimensional ultrastructure in biological or nonbiological specimens with the transmission electron microscope. This method is based on direct observation of the single-stage replica film, which was obtained by directly coating on the specimen surface. A plasma polymerization film was deposited by gaseous hydrocarbon monomer in a glow discharge.The present study further developed the freeze fracture method by means of a plasma polymerization film produces a three dimensional replica of chemically untreated cells and provides a clear evidence of fine structure of the yeast plasma membrane, especially the dynamic aspect of the structure of invagination (Figure 1).


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