scholarly journals Three-dimensional Patterns and Redistribution of Myosin II and Actin in Mitotic Dictyostelium Cells

1997 ◽  
Vol 139 (7) ◽  
pp. 1793-1804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Neujahr ◽  
Christina Heizer ◽  
Richard Albrecht ◽  
Maria Ecke ◽  
Jean-Marc Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Stress ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluid Layer ◽  
Substrate Surface ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Solid Substrate ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
In Cells

Myosin II is not essential for cytokinesis in cells of Dictyostelium discoideum that are anchored on a substrate (Neujahr, R., C. Heizer, and G. Gerisch. 1997. J. Cell Sci. 110:123–137), in contrast to its importance for cell division in suspension (DeLozanne, A., and J.A. Spudich. 1987. Science. 236:1086–1091; Knecht, D.A., and W.F. Loomis. 1987. Science. 236: 1081–1085.). These differences have prompted us to investigate the three-dimensional distribution of myosin II in cells dividing under one of three conditions: (a) in shaken suspension, (b) in a fluid layer on a solid substrate surface, and (c) under mechanical stress applied by compressing the cells. Under the first and second conditions outlined above, myosin II does not form patterns that suggest a contractile ring is established in the furrow. Most of the myosin II is concentrated in the regions that flank the furrow on both sides towards the poles of the dividing cell. It is only when cells are compressed that myosin II extensively accumulates in the cleavage furrow, as has been previously described (Fukui, Y., T.J. Lynch, H. Brzeska, and E.D. Korn. 1989. Nature. 341:328–331), i.e., this massive accumulation is a response to the mechanical stress. Evidence is provided that the stress-associated translocation of myosin II to the cell cortex is a result of the dephosphorylation of its heavy chains. F-actin is localized in the dividing cells in a distinctly different pattern from that of myosin II. The F-actin is shown to accumulate primarily in protrusions at the two poles that ultimately form the leading edges of the daughter cells. This distribution changes dynamically as visualized in living cells with a green fluorescent protein–actin fusion.

Microtubule-mediated centrosome motility and the positioning of cleavage furrows in multinucleate myosin II-null cells

1998 ◽  
Vol 111 (9) ◽  
pp. 1227-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Neujahr ◽  
R. Albrecht ◽  
J. Kohler ◽  
M. Matzner ◽  
J.M. Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Cleavage Furrow ◽  
Contractile Ring ◽  
Mitotic Apparatus ◽  
Alpha Tubulin ◽  
Multinucleate Cells ◽  
Green Fluorescent

To study centrosome motility and the interaction of microtubules with the cell cortex in mitotic, post-mitotic and interphase cells, (alpha)-tubulin was tagged in Dictyostelium discoideum with green fluorescent protein. Multinucleate cells formed by myosin II-null mutants proved to be especially suited for the analysis of the control of cleavage furrow formation by the microtubule system. After docking of the mitotic apparatus onto the cell cortex during anaphase, the cell surface is activated to form ruffles on top of the asters of microtubules that emanate from the centrosomes. Cleavage furrows are initiated at spaces between the asters independently of the positions of spindles. Once initiated, the furrows expand as deep folds without a continued connection to the microtubule system. Occurrence of unilateral furrows indicates that a closed contractile ring is dispensable for cytokinesis in Dictyostelium. The progression of cytokinesis in the multinucleate cells underlines the importance of proteins other than myosin II in specifying a cleavage furrow. The analysis of centrosome motility suggests a major role for a minus-end directed motor protein, probably cytoplasmic dynein, in applying traction forces on guiding microtubules that connect the centrosome with the cell cortex.

scholarly journals Rtn1p Is Involved in Structuring the Cortical Endoplasmic Reticulum

2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 3009-3020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan-Owen De Craene ◽  
Jeff Coleman ◽  
Paula Estrada de Martin ◽  
Marc Pypaert ◽  
Scott Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Proteomic Screen ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Membrane Spanning ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Hydrophilic Loop ◽  
Yeast Mutants

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contains both cisternal and reticular elements in one contiguous structure. We identified rtn1Δ in a systematic screen for yeast mutants with altered ER morphology. The ER in rtn1Δ cells is predominantly cisternal rather than reticular, yet the net surface area of ER is not significantly changed. Rtn1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) associates with the reticular ER at the cell cortex and with the tubules that connect the cortical ER to the nuclear envelope, but not with the nuclear envelope itself. Rtn1p overexpression also results in an altered ER structure. Rtn proteins are found on the ER in a wide range of eukaryotes and are defined by two membrane-spanning domains flanking a conserved hydrophilic loop. Our results suggest that Rtn proteins may direct the formation of reticulated ER. We independently identified Rtn1p in a proteomic screen for proteins associated with the exocyst vesicle tethering complex. The conserved hydophilic loop of Rtn1p binds to the exocyst subunit Sec6p. Overexpression of this loop results in a modest accumulation of secretory vesicles, suggesting impaired exocyst function. The interaction of Rtn1p with the exocyst at the bud tip may trigger the formation of a cortical ER network in yeast buds.

scholarly journals Asc Modulates the Function of NLRC4 in Response to Infection of Macrophages by Legionella pneumophila

mBio ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Case ◽  
Craig R. Roy
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Microbial Infection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Caspase 1 ◽  
Cell Death Pathway ◽  
Dependent Cell ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
In Cells

ABSTRACTNucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat containing proteins (NLRs) activate caspase-1 in response to a variety of bacterium-derived signals in macrophages. NLR-mediated activation of caspase-1 byLegionella pneumophilaoccurs through both an NLRC4/NAIP5-dependent pathway and a pathway requiring the adapter protein Asc. Both pathways are needed for maximal activation of caspase-1 and for the release of the cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18. Asc is not required for caspase-1-dependent pore formation and cell death induced upon infection of macrophages byL. pneumophila. Here, temporal and spatial localization of caspase-1-dependent processes was examined to better define the roles of Asc and NLRC4 during infection. Imaging studies revealed that caspase-1 localized to a single punctate structure in infected cells containing Asc but not in cells lacking this adapter. Both endogenous Asc and ectopically produced NLRC4 tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) were found to localize to caspase-1 puncta followingL. pneumophilainfection, suggesting that NLRC4 and Asc coordinate signaling through this complex during caspase-1 activation. Formation of caspase-1-containing puncta correlated with caspase-1 processing, suggesting a role for the Asc/NLRC4/caspase-1 complex in caspase-1 cleavage. In cells deficient for Asc, NLRC4 did not assemble into discrete puncta, and pyroptosis occurred at an accelerated rate. These data indicate that Asc mediates integration of NLR components into caspase-1 processing platforms and that recruitment of NLR components into an Asc complex can dampen pyroptotic responses. Thus, a negative feedback role of complexes containing Asc may be important for regulating caspase-1-mediated responses during microbial infection.IMPORTANCECaspase-1 is a protease activated during infection that is central to the regulation of several innate immune pathways. Studies examining the macromolecular complexes containing this protein, known as inflammasomes, have provided insight into the regulation of this protease. This work demonstrates that the intracellular bacteriumLegionella pneumophilainduces formation of complexes containing caspase-1 by multiple mechanisms and illustrates that an adapter molecule called Asc integrates signals from multiple independent upstream caspase-1 activators in order to assemble a spatially distinct complex in the macrophage. There were caspase-1-associated activities such as cytokine processing and secretion that were controlled by Asc. Importantly, this work uncovered a new role for Asc in dampening a caspase-1-dependent cell death pathway called pyroptosis. These findings suggest that Asc plays a central role in controlling a distinct subset of caspase-1-dependent activities by both assembling complexes that are important for cytokine processing and suppressing processes that mediate pyroptosis.

scholarly journals Microvascular Sprouting, Extension, and Creation of New Capillary Connections with Adaptation of the Neighboring Astrocytes in Adult Mouse Cortex under Chronic Hypoxia

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuto Masamoto ◽  
Hiroyuki Takuwa ◽  
Chie Seki ◽  
Junko Taniguchi ◽  
Yoshiaki Itoh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adult Mouse ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Vascular Endothelial Cells ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vascular Endothelial ◽  
Two Photon Microscopy ◽  
Two Photon ◽  
Mouse Cortex ◽  
Hypoxia Adaptation ◽  
Green Fluorescent

The present study aimed to determine the spatiotemporal dynamics of microvascular and astrocytic adaptation during hypoxia-induced cerebral angiogenesis. Adult C57BL/6J and Tie2-green fluorescent protein (GFP) mice with vascular endothelial cells expressing GFP were exposed to normobaric hypoxia for 3 weeks, whereas the three-dimensional microvessels and astrocytes were imaged repeatedly using two-photon microscopy. After 7 to14 days of hypoxia, a vessel sprout appeared from the capillaries with a bump-like head shape (mean diameter 14  μm), and stagnant blood cells were seen inside the sprout. However, no detectable changes in the astrocyte morphology were observed for this early phase of the hypoxia adaptation. More than 50% of the sprouts emerged from capillaries 60  μm away from the center penetrating arteries, which indicates that the capillary distant from the penetrating arteries is a favored site for sprouting. After 14 to 21 days of hypoxia, the sprouting vessels created a new connection with an existing capillary. In this phase, the shape of the new vessel and its blood flow were normalized, and the outside of the vessels were wrapped with numerous processes from the neighboring astrocytes. The findings indicate that hypoxia-induced cerebral angiogenesis provokes the adaptation of neighboring astrocytes, which may stabilize the blood–brain barrier in immature vessels.

scholarly journals Protease-activatable biosensors of SARS-CoV-2 infection for cell-based drug, neutralisation and virological assays

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pehuen Pereyra Gerber ◽  
Lidia M Duncan ◽  
Edward JD Greenwood ◽  
Sara Marelli ◽  
Adi Naamati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Firefly Luciferase ◽  
Neutralising Antibodies ◽  
Antiviral Therapies ◽  
Viral Proteases ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
High Throughput Screens ◽  
Protease Expression ◽  
In Cells

The world is in the grip of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, and there is an urgent unmet clinical need for effective antiviral therapies. Many inhibitors of viral enzymes identified in vitro have limited efficacy against viral replication in cells, but conventional plaque assays are impractical for high-throughput screens. In this study, we therefore engineer cell-based biosensors of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our assays exploit the cleavage of specific oligopeptide linkers by SARS-CoV-2 Main or Papain-like proteases, leading to the activation of green fluorescent protein (GFP) or firefly luciferase-based reporters. First, we characterise these biosensors in cells using recombinant viral proteases. Next, we confirm their ability to detect endogenous viral protease expression during infection with wildtype SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we develop a sensitive luminescent reporter cell line, confirm that it accurately quantitates infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus, and demonstrate its utility for drug screening and titration of neutralising antibodies.

Developmental derivation of vocal fold mucosa from human induced pluripotent stem cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vlasta Lungova ◽  
Susan Thibeault
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Vocal Fold ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Stratified Squamous Epithelium ◽  
Three Dimensional Models ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Abstract Development of treatments for vocal dysphonia has been inhibited by lack of human vocal fold (VF) mucosa models because of difficulty in procuring VF epithelial cells, epithelial cells’ limited proliferative capacity and absence of cell lines. We report development of engineered VF mucosae from hiPSC, transfected via TALEN constructs for green fluorescent protein, that mimic development of VF epithelial cells in utero. Modulation of FGF signaling achieves stratified squamous epithelium from definitive and anterior foregut derived cultures. Robust culturing of these cells on collagen-fibroblast constructs produces three-dimensional models comparable to in vivo VF mucosa.

scholarly journals Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-Bisphosphate-Rich Plasma Membrane Patches Organize Active Zones of Endocytosis and Ruffling in Cultured Adipocytes

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (20) ◽  
pp. 9102-9123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaohui Huang ◽  
Larry Lifshitz ◽  
Varsha Patki-Kamath ◽  
Richard Tuft ◽  
Kevin Fogarty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Actin Dynamics ◽  
Ph Domain ◽  
Membrane Ruffling ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT A major regulator of endocytosis and cortical F-actin is thought to be phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] present in plasma membranes. Here we report that in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, clathrin-coated membrane retrieval and dense concentrations of polymerized actin occur in restricted zones of high endocytic activity. Ultrafast-acquisition and superresolution deconvolution microscopy of cultured adipocytes expressing an enhanced green fluorescent protein- or enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (ECFP)-tagged phospholipase Cδ1 (PLCδ1) pleckstrin homology (PH) domain reveals that these zones spatially coincide with large-scale PtdIns(4,5)P2-rich plasma membrane patches (PRMPs). PRMPs exhibit lateral dimensions exceeding several micrometers, are relatively stationary, and display extensive local membrane folding that concentrates PtdIns(4,5)P2 in three-dimensional space. In addition, a higher concentration of PtdIns(4,5)P2 in the membranes of PRMPs than in other regions of the plasma membrane can be detected by quantitative fluorescence microscopy. Vesicular structures containing both clathrin heavy chains and PtdIns(4,5)P2 are revealed immediately beneath PRMPs, as is dense F actin. Blockade of PtdIns(4,5)P2 function in PRMPs by high expression of the ECFP-tagged PLCδ1 PH domain inhibits transferrin endocytosis and reduces the abundance of cortical F-actin. Membrane ruffles induced by the expression of unconventional myosin 1c were also found to localize at PRMPs. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that PRMPs organize active PtdIns(4,5)P2 signaling zones in the adipocyte plasma membrane that in turn control regulators of endocytosis, actin dynamics, and membrane ruffling.

Imaging myosin 10 in cells

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 689-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Tacon ◽  
P.J. Knight ◽  
M. Peckham
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Major Task ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
In Cells

Cellular motors (kinesin, dynein and myosin) are ubiquitous. A major task in cell biology is to determine how they function in cells. Here we focus on myosin 10, an intrafilopodial motor, and show how imaging green fluorescent protein fused to myosin 10 or its tail domains can help us understand the function of this myosin.

scholarly journals Complexes between Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoproteins gD, gB, and gH Detected in Cells by Complementation of Split Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (20) ◽  
pp. 11532-11537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Avitabile ◽  
Cristina Forghieri ◽  
Gabriella Campadelli-Fiume
Keyword(s):  
Herpes Simplex Virus ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Herpes Simplex ◽  
Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Split Egfp ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Simplex Virus ◽  
In Cells

ABSTRACT The interactions between herpes simplex virus gD and its nectin1 receptor or between gD, gB, and gH were analyzed by complementation of the N and C portions of split enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fused to the glycoproteins. The gDN-NectC complex was readily detected; the gDN-gCC complex was undetectable, highlighting the specificity of the assay. Split EGFP complementation was detected between proteins designated gDN+gHC, gDN+gBC, and gHN+gBC+wtgD (gB was deleted of endocytosis motifs), both in cells transfected with two-tree glycoproteins and in syncytia. The in situ assay provides evidence that gD interacts with gH and gB independently of each other and supports a model whereby gH and gB in complex exert their activities to gD.

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