scholarly journals Physiological and ultrastructural analysis of elongating mitotic spindles reactivated in vitro.

1986 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 593-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Z Cande ◽  
K McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Simple Procedure ◽  
Ultrastructural Level ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Gap Formation ◽  
Microtubule Depolymerization ◽  
Central Spindle ◽  
Original Number ◽  
Spindle Elongation

We have developed a simple procedure for isolating mitotic spindles from the diatom Stephanopyxis turris and have shown that they undergo anaphase spindle elongation in vitro upon addition of ATP. The isolated central spindle is a barrel-shaped structure with a prominent zone of microtubule overlap. After ATP addition greater than 75% of the spindle population undergoes distinct structural rearrangements: the spindles on average are longer and the two half-spindles are separated by a distinct gap traversed by only a small number of microtubules, the phase-dense material in the overlap zone is gone, and the peripheral microtubule arrays have depolymerized. At the ultrastructural level, we examined serial cross-sections of spindles after 1-, 5-, and 10-min incubations in reactivation medium. Microtubule depolymerization distal to the poles is confirmed by the increased number of incomplete, i.e., c-microtubule profiles specifically located in the region of overlap. After 10 min we see areas of reduced microtubule number which correspond to the gaps seen in the light microscope and an overall reduction in the number of half-spindle microtubules to about one-third the original number. The changes in spindle structure are highly specific for ATP, are dose-dependent, and do not occur with nonhydrolyzable nucleotide analogues. Spindle elongation and gap formation are blocked by 10 microM vanadate, equimolar mixtures of ATP and AMPPNP, and by sulfhydryl reagents. This process is not affected by nocodazole, erythro-9-[3-(2-hydroxynonyl)]adenine, cytochalasin D, and phalloidin. In the presence of taxol, the extent of spindle elongation is increased; however, distinct gaps still form between the two half-spindles. These results show that the response of isolated spindles to ATP is a complex process consisting of several discrete steps including initiation events, spindle elongation mechanochemistry, controlled central spindle microtubule plus-end depolymerization, and loss of peripheral microtubules. They also show that the microtubule overlap zone is an important site of ATP action and suggest that spindle elongation in vitro is best explained by a mechanism of microtubule-microtubule sliding. Spindle elongation in vitro cannot be accounted for by cytoplasmic forces pulling on the poles or by microtubule polymerization.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional structure of the central mitotic spindle of Diatoma vulgare.

1979 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R McIntosh ◽  
K L McDonald ◽  
M K Edwards ◽  
B M Ross
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Stereo Images ◽  
Central Spindle ◽  
Spindle Poles ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Spindle Elongation

Central mitotic spindles in Diatoma vulgare have been investigated using serial sections and electron microscopy. Spindles at both early stages (before metaphase) and later stages of mitosis (metaphase to telophase) have been analyzed. We have used computer graphics technology to facilitate the analysis and to produce stereo images of the central spindle reconstructed in three dimensions. We find that at prometaphase, when the nuclear envelope is dissassembling, the spindle is constructed from two sets of polar microtubules (MTs) that interdigitate to form a zone of overlap. As the chromosomes become organized into the metaphase configuration, the polar MTs, the spindle, and the zone of overlap all elongate, while the number of MTs in the central spindle decreases from greater than 700 to approximately 250. Most of the tubules lost are short ones that reside near the spindle poles. The previously described decrease in the length of the zone of overlap during anaphase central spindle elongation is clearly demonstrated in stereo images. In addition, we have used our three-dimensional data to determine the lengths of the spindle MTs at various times during mitotis. The distribution of lengths is bimodal during prometaphase, but the short tubules disappear and the long tubules elongate as mitosis proceeds. The distributions of MT lengths are compared to the length distributions of MTs polymerized in vitro, and a model is presented to account for our findings about both MT length changes and microtubule movements.

Structure-function analysis of anaphase spindle elongation using isolated diatom spindles

1991 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 206-207
Author(s):  
W. Z. Cande ◽  
C.J. Hogan ◽  
M. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Near Neighbor ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Central Spindle ◽  
Spindle Poles ◽  
Spindle Elongation ◽  
Anaphase B

Diatom spindles are important model systems for describing the morphological changes associated with anaphase chromosome movement because the fibrous systems responsible for anaphase A (chromosome-to-pole movement) and anaphase B (spindle elongation) are spatially separate and the central spindle is a paracrystalline array of microtubules. The diatom central spindle, which is responsible for anaphase B, is constructed of two sets of interdigiting microtubules that originate from plate-like spindle poles and display specific near-neighbor interactions in the zone of microtubule overlap. The microtubules of each half-spindle are of relatively unifrom length such that the plus ends are clustered together in narrow zones at each edge of the zone of microtubule overlap. This has allowed us to monitor changes in extent of microtubule overlap in the light microscope with polarization optics. We have isolated spindles from synchronized populations of several species of dividing diatom cells to study the mechanochemistry of anaphase spindle elongation in vitro and to analyze the rearrangement of spindle components by light and electron microscopy during reactivation.

Architecture of the microtubule component of mitotic spindles from Dictyostelium discoideum

1985 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-129
Author(s):  
J.R. McIntosh ◽  
U.P. Roos ◽  
B. Neighbors ◽  
K.L. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Serial Sections ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Central Spindle ◽  
Nearest Neighbours ◽  
Early Anaphase

Ten mitotic spindles from Dictyostelium discoideum have been studied by electron microscopy of serial sections. We have used computer graphics to track individual microtubules (MTs) in three dimensions and to compare seven spindles at different stages of anaphase and telophase. The central spindle of early anaphase is formed by the interdigitation of two sets of pole-associated MTs. The distribution of MT lengths at this stage is hetero-disperse. During anaphase total MT length decreases by a factor of about 2 as a result of two opposing changes in MT length: the longer MTs that interdigitate become even longer, while the short MTs, including those attached to kinetochores, become shorter still and decrease in number. The extent of MT interdigitation is less in longer spindles than in short ones. In metaphase and early anaphase, the MTs are not in an ordered arrangement as seen in spindle cross-sections, but as anaphase proceeds the MTs cluster into a square-packed, paracrystalline bundle in which most of the nearest neighbours come from opposite poles. This arrangement and the condensation-like increase in order suggest the existence of specific interactions between antiparallel MTs. A quantitative analysis of MT positions supports this interpretation, but direct evidence for convincing bridges between MTs is lacking. The pole-distal ends of the MTs that interdigitate show an irregular termination (C-shaped ends in transverse view), as is characteristic of MTs that are either adding or losing subunits. Since it is these interdigitating MTs that elongate, and since the shortening MTs show the customary blunt endings, we conclude that subunits add to the interdigitating MTs at their pole-distal ends. This inference, combined with other structural data, suggests that the interdigitating MTs of Dictyostelium are sliding over one another as they polymerize in anaphase. It also suggests a simple model for why the spindle becomes thinner as it elongates. We propose that MT interdigitation defines a region where MTs bind a factor that will associate only with antiparallel MTs. This factor biases the MT assembly equilibrium toward polymer. As the shorter MTs slide out of this region, they lose their polymerization advantage and depolymerize, releasing subunits to contribute to the further elongation of the already longer MTs. The properties of the Dictyostelium spindle are compared with those of both higher and lower eukaryotes.

Effects of vinblastine, podophyllotoxin and nocodazole on mitotic spindles. Implications for the role of microtubule dynamics in mitosis

1992 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Jordan ◽  
D. Thrower ◽  
L. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Hela Cells ◽  
Mitotic Arrest ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Microtubule Depolymerization ◽  
Metaphase Chromosomes ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Subtle Effect ◽  
Full Complement ◽  
Spindle Microtubules

Inhibition of mitosis by many drugs that bind to tubulin has been attributed to depolymerization of microtubules. However, we found previously that low concentrations of vinblastine and vincristine blocked mitosis in HeLa cells with little or no depolymerization of spindle microtubules, and spindles appeared morphologically normal or nearly normal. In the present study, we characterized the effects of vinblastine, podophyllotoxin and nocodazole over broad concentration ranges on mitotic spindle organization in HeLa cells. These three drugs are known to affect the dynamics of microtubule polymerization in vitro and to depolymerize microtubules in cells. We wanted to probe further whether mitotic inhibition by these drugs is brought about by a more subtle effect on the microtubules than net microtubule depolymerization. We compared the effects of vinblastine, podophyllotoxin and nocodazole on the organization of spindle microtubules, chromosomes and centrosomes, and on the total mass of microtubules. Spindle organization was examined by immunofluorescence microscopy, and microtubule polymer mass was assayed on isolated cytoskeletons by a quantitative enzyme-linked immunoadsorbence assay for tubulin. As the drug concentration was increased, the organization of mitotic spindles changed in the same way with all three drugs. The changes were associated with mitotic arrest, but were not necessarily accompanied by net microtubule depolymerization. With podophyllotoxin, mitotic arrest was accompanied by microtubule depolymerization. In contrast, with vinblastine and nocodazole, mitotic arrest occurred in the presence of a full complement of spindle microtubules. All three drugs induced a nearly identical rearrangement of spindle microtubules, an increasingly aberrant organization of metaphase chromosomes, and fragmentation of centrosomes. The data suggest that these anti-mitotic drugs block mitosis primarily by inhibiting the dynamics of spindle microtubules rather than by simply depolymerizing the microtubules.

Distribution of a thiophosphorylated spindle midzone antigen during spindle reactivation in vitro

1989 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-285
Author(s):  
LINDA WORDEMAN ◽  
H. MASUDA ◽  
W. Z. CANDE
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Spindle Midzone ◽  
Spindle Elongation

Mitotic spindles isolated from the diatom Stephanopyxis turris will elongate in vitro in the presence of ATP with a concurrent decrease in the width of the zone of microtubule overlap. A spindle-associated phosphoprotein that co-localizes with the zone of microtubule overlap in isolated spindles serves as a convenient marker for midzone-associated proteinsother than microtubules. We have used a monoclonal antibody that labels this protein when it is artificially thiophosphorylated and studied its redistribution during spindle reactivation in vitro. As the spindle elongates midzone label accumulates in a successively narrower and brighter ring at the spindle midpoint with increasing time in ATP. Biotinylated bovine microtubule segments polymerized onto the ends of the diatom microtubules increase the overall width of the zone of microtubule overlap and serve as a marker for the boundary of the original diatom overlap zone. During elongation in ATP, the biotinylated segments move into the area marked by the monoclonal antibody, which does not decrease in width until the spindle has elongated to the point at which the zone of microtubule overlap delineated by the newly polymerized microtubules is smaller than the original overlap zone. We use these results to develop a model to explain the behaviour of nonmicrotubule midzone-associated proteins during spindle elongation.

scholarly journals Poleward microtubule flux mitotic spindles assembled in vitro.

1991 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 941-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
K E Sawin ◽  
T J Mitchison
Keyword(s):  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Preceding Paper ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Microtubule Motor ◽  
Mitotic Spindle Assembly ◽  
Spindle Elongation ◽  
Dynamic Structures ◽  
Poleward Flux

In the preceding paper we described pathways of mitotic spindle assembly in cell-free extracts prepared from eggs of Xenopus laevis. Here we demonstrate the poleward flux of microtubules in spindles assembled in vitro, using a photoactivatable fluorescein covalently coupled to tubulin and multi-channel fluorescence videomicroscopy. After local photoactivation of fluorescence by UV microbeam, we observed poleward movement of fluorescein-marked microtubules at a rate of 3 microns/min, similar to rates of chromosome movement and spindle elongation during prometaphase and anaphase. This movement could be blocked by the addition of millimolar AMP-PNP but was not affected by concentrations of vanadate up to 150 microM, suggesting that poleward flux may be driven by a microtubule motor similar to kinesin. In contrast to previous results obtained in vivo (Mitchison, T. J. 1989. J. Cell Biol. 109:637-652), poleward flux in vitro appears to occur independently of kinetochores or kinetochore microtubules, and therefore may be a general property of relatively stable microtubules within the spindle. We find that microtubules moving towards poles are dynamic structures, and we have estimated the average half-life of fluxing microtubules in vitro to be between approximately 75 and 100 s. We discuss these results with regard to the function of poleward flux in spindle movements in anaphase and prometaphase.

scholarly journals Cross-sectional structure of the central mitotic spindle of Diatoma vulgare. Evidence for specific interactions between antiparallel microtubules.

1979 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 443-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
K L McDonald ◽  
M K Edwards ◽  
J R McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
Near Neighbor ◽  
Optical Diffraction ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Central Spindle ◽  
Square Packing ◽  
Spindle Elongation ◽  
Sectional Structure ◽  
Overlap Region

During the transition from prometaphase to metaphase, the cross-sectional area of the central spindle of Diatoma decreases by a factor of nearly two, both at the poles and at the region of overlapping microtubules (MTs) near the spindle equator. The density of spindle MT packing stays approximately constant throughout mitosis. Optical diffraction analysis of electron micrographs shows that the packing of the MTs at the poles at all stages of mitosis is similar to that expected for a two-dimensional liquid. Analysis of the region of overlap reveals more packing regularity: during prometaphase, a square packing emerges that displays sufficient organization by late metaphase to generate five orders of diffraction; during anaphase the packing in the overlap region shifts to hexagonal; at telophase, it returns to square. From the data provided by serial section reconstructions of the central spindle, it is possible to identify the polarity of almost every spindle MT, that is, to identify one pole with which the MT is associated. Near neighbor analyses of MTs in cross sections of the overlap region show that MTs prefer antiparallel near neighbors. These near neighbors are most often found at a spacing of approximately 40 nm center-to-center, while parallel near neighbors in the zone of overlap are spaced essentially at random. These results are evidence for a specific interaction between antiparallel MTs. In some sections definite bridges between MTs can be seen. Our findings show that certain necessary conditions for a sliding filament model of anaphase spindle elongation are met.

Ultrastructure of melanocyte-keratinocyte interactions and pigment transfer in vitro

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 650-651
Author(s):  
Raul I. Garcia ◽  
Evelyn A. Flynn ◽  
George Szabo
Keyword(s):  
Direct Injection ◽  
Skin Pigmentation ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Pigment Granule ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Ultrastructural Level ◽  
Lanthanum Tracer ◽  
A Cell

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.

3-D reconstruction and analysis of mammalian mitotic spindle structure

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 578-579
Author(s):  
Kent McDonald ◽  
David Mastronarde ◽  
Rubai Ding ◽  
Eileen O'Toole ◽  
J. Richard McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sections ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Video Camera ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Reconstruction Methods ◽  
Spindle Structure ◽  
Tissue Culture Line

Mammalian spindles are generally large and may contain over a thousand microtubules (MTs). For this reason they are difficult to reconstruct in three dimensions and many researchers have chosen to study the smaller and simpler spindles of lower eukaryotes. Nevertheless, the mammalian spindle is used for many experimental studies and it would be useful to know its detailed structure.We have been using serial cross sections and computer reconstruction methods to analyze MT distributions in mitotic spindles of PtK cells, a mammalian tissue culture line. Images from EM negatives are digtized on a light box by a Dage MTI video camera containing a black and white Saticon tube. The signal is digitized by a Parallax 1280 graphics device in a MicroVax III computer. Microtubules are digitized at a magnification such that each is 10-12 pixels in diameter.

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