scholarly journals An Anterior-Posterior Gradient of Refractive Index in the Ameba and Its Significance in Ameboid Movement

1958 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 517-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Allen ◽  
J. D. Roslansky
Keyword(s):  
Refractive Index ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Anterior Part ◽  
Fluid Phase ◽  
Amoeba Proteus ◽  
Contractile Vacuole ◽  
Tail Region ◽  
Anterior Border ◽  
Uniform Diameter ◽  
Anterior Posterior

Sustained locomotion in Amoeba proteus and Amoeba dubia results in the establishment of a measureable gradient of refractive index along the anterior-posterior axis of the cell, provided thickness of the specimens is kept constant by even compression under a selected coverglass supported by quartz beams of uniform diameter. The tail region of the ameba develops a higher refractive index, indicative of from 6 to 40 per cent more organic matter (expressed as protein) there than present in the front. This gradient fades on cessation of movement. The average protein concentrations in the crystal-free tails and fronts of 15 A. proteus were 3.9 and 3.4 per cent, respectively. In individual experiments, the tail-front difference ranged from one to eight times the accuracy of the method. Since the gradient of refractive index was shown not to result from extraction of water from the tail by the contractile vacuole, it was interpreted as displacement of water toward the anterior part of the cell during movement. It is suggested that contraction of the ectoplasm drives forward a "tide" of syncretic fluid, the anterior border of which is visible as the hyaline cap, which contains less than 1 per cent protein. The movement of the granular endoplasm into the hyaline cap would then complete the cycle by imbibition of the fluid tide. The theoretical positions of Pantin and of Dellinger have been combined in the proposal that ameba cytoplasm consists of a network of a contractile phase which is able to expel (by syneresis) a highly mobile fluid phase. Some other possible interpretations are discussed.

Extent and properties of the regeneration field in the larval legs of cockroaches (Leucophaea maderae)

Development ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 557-572
Author(s):  
Horst Bohn
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Part ◽  
Posterior Region ◽  
Anterior Region ◽  
Posterior Border ◽  
Anterior Border ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Leucophaea Maderae ◽  
Reversed Polarity ◽  
Anterior Posterior

Extirpation experiments have been performed on the larvae of cockroaches (Leucophaea maderae) to determine the extent and properties of the regeneration field of the legs of these insects. The distal segments, including the coxa, may all be removed without loss of regenerative capability; but regenerative capability eventually disappears if more proximal parts are removed. There are two regions adjoining the coxa anteriorly and posteriorly which are both important for leg regeneration. The anterior region consists of the sclerotized basal parts of the leg mainly formed by the trochantin and the praecoxa. The posterior region is an unsclerotized membranous area extending from the posterior border of the coxa to the anterior border of the next segment. This membrane is called ‘leg-inducing membrane’. If only one of these two regions is present, no leg regeneration will occur. The interaction of both parts is necessary to allow the formation of a complete leg. An extra leg with reversed anterior–posterior polarity is formed when the ‘leg-inducing membrane’ of one segment is brought into contact with the sclerites of the following segment after extirpation of the membranous area which normally separates them. This membranous area, which represents the most anterior part of a segment, is called ‘sclerite-inducing membrane’, for if the basal sclerites or part of them are combined with this membrane only sclerites are formed, either in normal or reversed polarity depending on the experimental conditions.

scholarly journals Functional Characterization of Contractile Vacuole Isolated from Amoeba proteus

2004 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 85-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eri Nishihara ◽  
Teruo Shimmen ◽  
Seiji Sonobe
Keyword(s):  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Amoeba Proteus ◽  
Contractile Vacuole

scholarly journals Presence of aquaporin and V-ATPase on the contractile vacuole of Amoeba proteus

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eri Nishihara ◽  
Etsuo Yokota ◽  
Akira Tazaki ◽  
Hidefumi Orii ◽  
Maki Katsuhara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amoeba Proteus ◽  
Contractile Vacuole

Prevalence and Length of the Anterior Loop of the Inferior Alveolar Nerve in Iranians

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 333-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Rastegar Moghddam ◽  
Zeinab Davoudmanesh ◽  
Nasim Azizi ◽  
Vahid Rakhshan ◽  
Mahsa Shariati
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Part ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Inferior Alveolar Nerve ◽  
Mental Foramen ◽  
Cone Beam ◽  
Anterior Border ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Anterior Loop ◽  
Cone Beam Computerized Tomography ◽  
The Mean

The anterior loop of the inferior alveolar nerve is a sensitive anatomical feature that should be taken into account during installation of dental implants anterior to the mental foramen. This study was conducted to explore the controversy regarding prevalence and length. A total of 452 mandible quadrants of 234 patients (age: 50.1 ± 13.3 years, 113 males, 121 females) were studied using cone-beam computerized tomography. After reconstructing axial, frontal, and sagittal slices, the region between the most anterior point on the mental foramen and the most anterior part of the mandibular nerve was inspected for signs of anterior loop presence. If positive, the length of the anterior loop was measured in mm as the distance between the anterior border of mental foramen and the anterior border of the loop. Prevalence and length of the anterior loop were compared statistically between sexes and age groups. The anterior loop was observed in 106 quadrants (23.5% of 451 quadrants) of 95 patients (40.6% of 234 patients), of whom 11 had bilateral anterior loops. Prevalences were similar in males (41%) and females (39%, chi-square P =.791). The mean anterior loop length was 2.77 ± 1.56 mm (95% CI: 2.5–3.1 mm), without significant sex (regression beta = −0.159, P = .134) or age (beta = −0.059, P = .578) differences. The anterior loop might exist in about 40% of patients, regardless of their gender. The mean safe anterior distance from the anterior loop is about 3 mm + (2.5–3.1 mm) = 5.5–6.1 mm, regardless of age.

Studies on the contractile vacuole of Amoeba proteus

1926 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Frances Botsford
Keyword(s):  
Amoeba Proteus ◽  
Contractile Vacuole

scholarly journals Rab11-like GTPase associates with and regulates the structure and function of the contractile vacuole system in Dictyostelium

2001 ◽  
Vol 114 (16) ◽  
pp. 3035-3045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Harris ◽  
Kunito Yoshida ◽  
James Cardelli ◽  
John Bush
Keyword(s):  
Proton Pump ◽  
Membrane Trafficking ◽  
Amino Acid Level ◽  
Fluid Phase ◽  
Membrane System ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Contractile Vacuole ◽  
And Function ◽  
Mutant Cells

Screening of a cDNA library revealed the existence of a Dictyostelium cDNA encoding a protein 80% identical at the amino acid level to mammalian Rab11. Subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence studies revealed that DdRab11 was exclusively associated with the ATPase proton pump-rich contractile vacuole membrane system, consisting of a reticular network and bladder-like vacuoles. Video microscopy of cells expressing GFP-DdRab11 revealed that this Rab was associated with contractile vacuolar bladders undergoing formation, fusion and expulsion of water. The association of DdRab11 with contractile vacuole membranes was disrupted when cells were exposed to either hypo-osmotic conditions or an inhibitor of the ATPase proton pump. Cells that overexpressed a dominant negative form of DdRab11 were analyzed biochemically and microscopically to measure changes in the structure and function of the contractile vacuole system. Compared with wild-type cells, the dominant negative DdRab11-expressing cells contained a more extensive contractile vacuole network and abnormally enlarged contractile vacuole bladders, most likely the result of defects in membrane trafficking. In addition, the mutant cells enlarged, detached from surfaces and contained large vacuoles when exposed to water, suggesting a functional defect in osmotic regulation. No changes were observed in mutant cells in the rate of fluid phase internalization or release, suggesting the DdRab11-mediated membrane trafficking defects were not general in nature. Surprisingly, the rate of phagocytosis was increased in the dominant negative DdRab11-expressing cells when compared with control cells. Our results are consistent with a role for DdRab11 in regulating membrane traffic to maintain the normal morphology and function of the contractile vacuole.

scholarly journals Involvement of the vacuolar proton-translocating ATPase in multiple steps of the endo-lysosomal system and in the contractile vacuole system of Dictyostelium discoideum

1996 ◽  
Vol 109 (6) ◽  
pp. 1479-1495 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Temesvari ◽  
J.M. Rodriguez-Paris ◽  
J.M. Bush ◽  
L. Zhang ◽  
J.A. Cardelli
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Fluid Phase ◽  
Contractile Vacuole ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Concanamycin A ◽  
Latex Beads ◽  
And Function

We have investigated the effects of Concanamycin A (CMA), a specific inhibitor of vacuolar type H(+)-ATPases, on acidification and function of the endo-lysosomal and contractile vacuole (CV) systems of D. discoideum. This drug inhibited acidification and increased the pH of endo-lysosomal vesicles both in vivo and in vitro in a dose dependent manner. Treatment also inhibited endocytosis and exocytosis of fluid phase, and phagocytosis of latex beads. This report also confirms our previous conclusions (Cardelli et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 3454–3463) that maintenance of acidic pH in lumenal compartments is required for efficient processing and targeting of a lysosomal enzyme, alpha-mannosidase. CMA treatment compromised the function of the contractile vacuole complex as amoebae exposed to a hypo-osmotic environment in the presence of CMA, swelled rapidly and ruptured. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that CMA treatment induced gross morphological changes in D. discoideum cells, characterized by the formation of large intracellular vacuoles containing fluid phase. The reticular membranes of the CV system were also no longer as apparent in drug treated cells. Finally, this is the first report describing cells that can adapt in the presence of CMA; in nutrient medium, D. discoideum overcame the effects of CMA after one hour of drug treatment even in the absence of protein synthesis. Upon adaptation to CMA, normal sized endo-lysosomal vesicles reappeared, endo-lysosomal pH decreased, and the rate of endocytosis, exocytosis and phagocytosis returned to normal. This study demonstrates that the V-H(+)-ATPase plays an important role in maintaining the integrity and function of the endo-lysosomal and CV systems and that D. discoideum can compensate for the loss of a functional V-H(+)-ATPase.

scholarly journals Examination of the endosomal and lysosomal pathways in Dictyostelium discoideum myosin I mutants

1996 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 663-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Temesvari ◽  
J.M. Bush ◽  
M.D. Peterson ◽  
K.D. Novak ◽  
M.A. Titus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acid Phosphatase ◽  
Dictyostelium Discoideum ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Double Mutant ◽  
Fluid Phase ◽  
Endocytic Pathway ◽  
Contractile Vacuole ◽  
C Cell ◽  
Myosin I ◽  
Lysosomal System

The role of myosin Is in endosomal trafficking and the lysosomal system was investigated in a Dictyostelium discoideum myosin I double mutant myoB-/C-, that has been previously shown to exhibit defects in fluid-phase endocytosis during growth in suspension culture (Novak et al., 1995). Various properties of the endosomal pathway in the myoB-/C- double mutant as well as in the myoB- and myoC- single mutants, including intravesicular pH, and intracellular retention time and exocytosis of a fluid phase marker, were found to be indistinguishable from wild-type parental cells. The intimate connection between the contractile vacuole complex and the endocytic pathway in Dictyostelium, and the localization of a myosin I to the contractile vacuole in Acanthamoeba, led us to also examine the structure and function of this organelle in the three myosin I mutants. No alteration in contractile vacuole structure or function was observed in the myoB-, myoC- or myoB-/C- cell lines. The transport, processing, and localization of a lysosomal enzyme, alpha-mannosidase, were also unaltered in all three mutants. However, the myoB- and myoB-/C- cell lines, but not the myoC- cell line, were found to oversecrete the lysosomal enzymes alpha-mannosidase and acid phosphatase, during growth and starvation. None of the mutants oversecreted proteins following the constitutive secretory pathway. Two additional myosin I mutants, myoA- and myoA-/B-, were also found to oversecrete the lysosomally localized enzymes alpha-mannosidase and acid phosphatase. Taken together, these results suggest that these myosins do not play a role in the intracellular movement of vesicles, but that they may participate in controlling events that occur at the actin-rich cortical region of the cell. While no direct evidence has been found for the association of myosin Is with lysosomes, we predict that the integrity of the lysosomal system is tied to the fidelity of the actin cortex, and changes in cortical organization could influence lysosomal-related membrane events such as internalization or transit of vesicles to the cell surface.

Role of dHAND in the anterior-posterior polarization of the limb bud: implications for the Sonic hedgehog pathway

Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (10) ◽  
pp. 2133-2142 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fernandez-Teran ◽  
M.E. Piedra ◽  
I.S. Kathiriya ◽  
D. Srivastava ◽  
J.C. Rodriguez-Rey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sonic Hedgehog ◽  
Limb Development ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Limb Bud ◽  
Bhlh Transcription Factor ◽  
Cardiovascular Development ◽  
Anterior Border ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Shh Pathway ◽  
Anterior Posterior

dHAND is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor essential for cardiovascular development. Here we analyze its pattern of expression and functional role during chick limb development. dHAND expression was observed in the lateral plate mesoderm prior to emergence of the limb buds. Coincident with limb initiation, expression of dHAND became restricted to the posterior half of the limb bud. Experimental procedures that caused mirror-image duplications of the limb resulted in mirror-image duplications of the pattern of dHAND expression along the anterior-posterior axis. Retroviral overexpression of dHAND in the limb bud produced preaxial polydactyly, corresponding to mild polarizing activity at the anterior border. At the molecular level, misexpression of dHAND caused ectopic activation of members of the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway, including Gli and Patched, in the anterior limb bud. A subset of infected embryos displayed ectopic anterior activation of Shh. Other factors implicated in anterior-posterior polarization of the bud such as the most 5′ Hoxd genes and Bmp2 were also ectopically activated at the anterior border. Our results indicate a role for dHAND in the establishment of anterior-posterior polarization of the limb bud.

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