scholarly journals Automated profiling of growth cone heterogeneity defines relations between morphology and motility

2018 ◽  
Vol 218 (1) ◽  
pp. 350-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria M. Bagonis ◽  
Ludovico Fusco ◽  
Olivier Pertz ◽  
Gaudenz Danuser
Keyword(s):  
Growth Cone ◽  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Growth Cones ◽  
Cellular Structures ◽  
Unperturbed System ◽  
Neurite Length ◽  
Manual Curation

Growth cones are complex, motile structures at the tip of an outgrowing neurite. They often exhibit a high density of filopodia (thin actin bundles), which complicates the unbiased quantification of their morphologies by software. Contemporary image processing methods require extensive tuning of segmentation parameters, require significant manual curation, and are often not sufficiently adaptable to capture morphology changes associated with switches in regulatory signals. To overcome these limitations, we developed Growth Cone Analyzer (GCA). GCA is designed to quantify growth cone morphodynamics from time-lapse sequences imaged both in vitro and in vivo, but is sufficiently generic that it may be applied to nonneuronal cellular structures. We demonstrate the adaptability of GCA through the analysis of growth cone morphological variation and its relation to motility in both an unperturbed system and in the context of modified Rho GTPase signaling. We find that perturbations inducing similar changes in neurite length exhibit underappreciated phenotypic nuance at the scale of the growth cone.

A scanning electron microscope study of the development of a peripheral sensory neurite network

Development ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 237-250
Author(s):  
Alan Roberts ◽  
J. S. H. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscope ◽  
Basal Lamina ◽  
Growth Cone ◽  
Growth Cones ◽  
Sensory Innervation ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscope Study ◽  
Scanning Electron

The formation of the sensory neurite plexus on the basal lamina of trunk skin in Xenopus embryos has been examined using the scanning electron microscope. It is formed by Rohon-Beard and extramedullary neurons which provide the first sensory innervation of the skin. By observing the distribution of growth cones on the inside surface of the skin of embryos at different ages, the development of the plexus has been followed and related to the development of sensitivity to sensory stimulation. The general features of the plexus are illustrated using a photomontage taken at × 1100. Measurements on neurites from this, and of growth cone orientations demonstrate a general ventral growth pattern with some small regional variations. Interactions of neurites within the plexus are examined. Neurites meeting at shallow angles tend to fasciculate, whilethose meeting at close to 90° tend to cross each other. Angles of incidence and separation of neurites show few angles less than 30°, which suggests that active adjustments occur after a growth cone meets or leaves another neurite. The observations allow comparison of behaviour of growing neurites in vivo and in vitro. Our evidence suggests that adhesion between growth cones and neurites is stronger than that between growth cones and the basal lamina of the skin.

scholarly journals Mechanical tension produced by nerve cells in tissue culture

1979 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 391-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bray
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Growth Cone ◽  
High Probability ◽  
Growth Cones ◽  
Cultured Neurons ◽  
Mechanical Tension ◽  
Standard Methods

Evidence is presented that (a) the growth cone of cultured neurons can exert mechanical tension, and (b) that the direction of advance of the growth cone is determined by the tension existing between it and the rest of the cell. (a) The evidence that growth cones can pull comes from a vectorial analysis of the outlines of individually isolated sensory neurons. The angles formed in these outgrowths are very close to those of tension-generated networks anchored at their free ends and these values are restored shortly after an experimental displacement. The relative mechanical tension on each segment of an outgrowth can be calculated by standard methods and is found to decrease at each branch point. It appears to be correlated with the diameter of the fibre so that thicker fibres maintain more tension than thinner ones. (b) The influence of tension on the direction of advance of the growth cone is shown by 2 kinds of experient. If a growing neurite is pulled to one side with a microelectrode then the direction of its advance is changed immediately according to the new stress. If the mechanical tension on the growth cone of a neurite is released by amputation or displacement the growth cone is found to have a high probability of branching shortly afterwards. The ability of the growth cone to exert tension is discussed in relation to evidence that microspikes have contractile properties and in terms of the distribution of microfilaments within the neurite. It is suggested that the exertion of tension by a growth cone could serve to guide the neurite along paths of high adhesivity both in vitro and in vivo.

scholarly journals A mathematical model explains saturating axon guidance responses to molecular gradients

eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huyen Nguyen ◽  
Peter Dayan ◽  
Zac Pujic ◽  
Justin Cooper-White ◽  
Geoffrey J Goodhill
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Axon Guidance ◽  
Predictive Model ◽  
Growth Cone ◽  
Growth Cones ◽  
Mathematical Explanation ◽  
In Vitro Growth

Correct wiring is crucial for the proper functioning of the nervous system. Molecular gradients provide critical signals to guide growth cones, which are the motile tips of developing axons, to their targets. However, in vitro, growth cones trace highly stochastic trajectories, and exactly how molecular gradients bias their movement is unclear. Here, we introduce a mathematical model based on persistence, bias, and noise to describe this behaviour, constrained directly by measurements of the detailed statistics of growth cone movements in both attractive and repulsive gradients in a microfluidic device. This model provides a mathematical explanation for why average axon turning angles in gradients in vitro saturate very rapidly with time at relatively small values. This work introduces the most accurate predictive model of growth cone trajectories to date, and deepens our understanding of axon guidance events both in vitro and in vivo.

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.

Tracings of Behavior of Myoblasts Cultured Under Couette Type of Shear Flow Between Parallel Disks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigehiro Hashimoto ◽  
Hiroki Yonezawa
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Shear Flow ◽  
Rotating Disk ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Mechanical Stimuli ◽  
Parallel Disks ◽  
Before And After ◽  
A Cell

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.

scholarly journals Two Isoforms of Npap60 (Nup50) Differentially Regulate Nuclear Protein Import

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 630-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Ogawa ◽  
Yoichi Miyamoto ◽  
Munehiro Asally ◽  
Masahiro Oka ◽  
Yoshinari Yasuda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Import ◽  
Protein Import ◽  
Nuclear Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Binding Assays ◽  
Vitro Binding ◽  
Importin Α ◽  
Nuclear Protein Import

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.

scholarly journals The Formin mDia Regulates GSK3β through Novel PKCs to Promote Microtubule Stabilization but Not MTOC Reorientation in Migrating Fibroblasts

2006 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 5004-5016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina H. Eng ◽  
Thomas M. Huckaba ◽  
Gregg G. Gundersen
Keyword(s):  
Rho Gtpase ◽  
Glycogen Synthase ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Microtubule Stabilization ◽  
3T3 Fibroblasts ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Inhibitory Site ◽  
External Signals

In migrating cells, external signals polarize the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton by stimulating the formation of oriented, stabilized MTs and inducing the reorientation of the MT organizing center (MTOC). Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) has been implicated in each of these processes, although whether it regulates both processes in a single system and how its activity is regulated are unclear. We examined these issues in wound-edge, serum-starved NIH 3T3 fibroblasts where MT stabilization and MTOC reorientation are triggered by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), but are regulated independently by distinct Rho GTPase-signaling pathways. In the absence of other treatments, the GSK3β inhibitors, LiCl or SB216763, induced the formation of stable MTs, but not MTOC reorientation, in starved fibroblasts. Overexpression of GSK3β in starved fibroblasts inhibited LPA-induced stable MTs without inhibiting MTOC reorientation. Analysis of factors involved in stable MT formation (Rho, mDia, and EB1) showed that GSK3β functioned upstream of EB1, but downstream of Rho-mDia. mDia was both necessary and sufficient for inducing stable MTs and for up-regulating GSK3β phosphorylation on Ser9, an inhibitory site. mDia appears to regulate GSK3β through novel class PKCs because PKC inhibitors and dominant negative constructs of novel PKC isoforms prevented phosphorylation of GSK3β Ser9 and stable MT formation. Novel PKCs also interacted with mDia in vivo and in vitro. These results identify a new activity for the formin mDia in regulating GSK3β through novel PKCs and implicate novel PKCs as new factors in the MT stabilization pathway.

scholarly journals An In Vitro Model for Assessing Corneal Keratocyte Spreading and Migration on Aligned Fibrillar Collagen

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pouriska Kivanany ◽  
Kyle Grose ◽  
Nihan Yonet-Tanyeri ◽  
Sujal Manohar ◽  
Yukta Sunkara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor Beta ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Cell Movement ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Collagen Fibrils ◽  
Fibrillar Collagen ◽  
Freeze Injury

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.

Selective toxic effects of tamoxifen on osteoclasts: comparison with the effects of oestrogen

1996 ◽  
Vol 149 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Arnett ◽  
R Lindsay ◽  
J M Kilb ◽  
B S Moonga ◽  
M Spowage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Bone Cell ◽  
Neonatal Rat ◽  
Pit Formation ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Bone Cell Cultures ◽  
Dying Cells

Abstract We investigated the actions of the trans- and cis-isomers of tamoxifen on the function of neonatal rat osteoclasts in vitro. Both compounds inhibited resorption pit formation by osteoclast-containing mixed bone cell cultures incubated for 24 h on cortical bone slices. Cell counts revealed that the inhibition was closely related to a cytotoxic effect, to which osteoclasts appeared particularly sensitive. Partial inhibition of resorption was seen in the presence of 2 μm trans-tamoxifen, whereas complete abolition of resorption and osteoclast viability occurred with 10 μm trans-tamoxifen; survival of mononuclear cells was unimpaired at either concentration. Cis-tamoxifen appeared to be slightly more toxic, with significant inhibitions of osteoclast viability and thus resorption pit formation at a concentration of 2 μm, and also of mononuclear cell numbers at 10 μm. Time-lapse video observations indicated that osteoclast death occurred rapidly (within 2–3 h) following exposure to 10 μm of either trans-tamoxifen or cis-tamoxifen. The morphological appearance of the dying cells was consistent with apoptosis. These results may help to explain the anti-resorptive action of tamoxifen seen in vivo in rats and humans. In contrast, oestradiol-17β consistently exerted no significant effects on resorption pit formation by rat osteoclasts over 24 h, even at grossly supraphysiological concentrations (up to 10 μm). Journal of Endocrinology (1996) 149, 503–508

A complex consisting of pp60c-src/pp60c-srcN and a 38 kDa protein is highly enriched in growth cones from differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells

1992 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-243
Author(s):  
G. Meyerson ◽  
K.H. Pfenninger ◽  
S. Pahlman
Keyword(s):  
Growth Cone ◽  
Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Neuroblastoma Cells ◽  
Growth Cones ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Primary Neurons ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Oligomeric Complex ◽  
Nerve Growth Cones

Nerve growth cones of primary neurons are highly enriched in the proto-oncogene product pp60c-src. In order to investigate this molecule further in growing neuronal cells, growth cone and cell body fractions were prepared from human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells differentiated neuronally in vitro under the influence of phorbol ester. The fractions were characterized ultrastructurally and by biochemical criteria. The neuronal (pp60c-srcN) and the fibroblastic (pp60c-src) forms of pp60src are slightly enriched and activated in the growth cones relative to the perikarya. Immunoprecipitates of pp60src from differentiated SH-SY5Y growth cones contain at least four phosphoproteins in addition to pp60src. One of these, pp38, migrates as a 100–140 kDa complex with pp60src under non-reducing conditions of gel electrophoresis. The pp38/pp60src complex is not easily detected in non-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells or perikarya of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells, but it is highly enriched in the growth cone preparation. These data suggest that growth-cone pp60src exists in a disulfide-linked oligomeric complex. The complex appears to be assembled only in the cell periphery and may be dependent upon neuronal differentiation.

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