scholarly journals Ca2+-sequestering smooth endoplasmic reticulum in an invertebrate photoreceptor. II. Its properties as revealed by microphotometric measurements.

1982 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 849-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Walz

Microphotometric measurements are used to investigate the functional properties of Ca2+-sequestering smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) in leech photoreceptors. 10-30 intact cells are mounted in a perfusion chamber, placed between crossed polarizers in a microphotometer, and permeabilized by saponin treatment. Subsequent perfusion with solutions containing Ca2+, MgATP, and oxalate leads to Ca uptake by SER. When the solubility product of Ca-oxalate is exceeded in the SER, birefringent Ca-oxalate precipitates form in the cisternae, leading to a large increase in the optical signal recorded from the preparation. The rate of increase in light intensity is used to measure the rate of Ca uptake. Ca uptake rate is linear with time over much of its course, can be switched on/off by the addition/withdrawal of Ca2+, ATP, or oxalate to/from the medium, and is inhibited by mersalyl and tetracaine. The Ca uptake mechanism has a high specificity for MgATP (KM,MgATP is approximately 0.8 mM). Uptake rates observed with dATP, GTP, UTP, ITP, and CTP are only 20-30% of the rate measured in ATP. The Ca pump has a high affinity for Ca2+ ions: the threshold for activation of the pump is approximately 5 x 10(-8) M, the apparent KM,Ca is approximately 4 x 10(-7) M. When Na+ or Li+ is substituted for K+, Ca uptake rate is decreased by 40-50%. The results show that the Ca2+-sequestering SER in leech photoreceptors shares some basic properties with skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum and supports the idea that certain subregions of the SER in invertebrate photoreceptors function as effective Ca2+ sinks/buffers close to the plasmalemma.

1982 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 839-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Walz

Two ultrastructural approaches were used in photoreceptor cells of the leech, Hirudo medicinalis, to (a) investigate the intracellular topography of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) and (b) identify among the various subregions of the SER those which might function as Ca-sequestering sites. When the cells are prefixed with CaCl2-containing glutaraldehyde and postfixed with osmium tetroxide-ferricyanide (OsFeCN), only a part of the total SER is specifically stained. The stained SER cisternae include the submicrovillar cisternae (SMC), subsurface cisternae (SSC), the nuclear envelope, Golgi-associated SER, paracrystalline SER, and SER associated with glycogen areas. An extensive tubular SER cisternal system always remains unstained. When the cells are permeabilized by saponin and subsequently incubated with Ca2+, MgATP, and oxalate, the SMC (Walz, 1979, Eur. J. Cell Biol. 20:83-91), the SSC and the nuclear envelope contain electron-opaque Ca-oxalate precipitates indicating their ability to function as an effective Ca2+ sink. The results show that the very elaborate SER in this photoreceptor cell includes many functionally heterogeneous subregions. Of special physiological significance are those components (SMC and SSC) which are effective in Ca2+-buffering in the immediate vicinity of the plasma membrane.


1978 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
M P Blaustein ◽  
R W Ratzlaff ◽  
N C Kendrick ◽  
E S Schweitzer

A latent ATP-dependent Ca storage system is enriched in preparations of pinched-off presynaptic nerve terminals (synaptosomes), and is exposed when the terminals are disrupted by osmotic shock or saponin treatment. The data indicate that a fraction of the Ca uptake (measured with 45Ca) is associated with the intraterminal mitochondria; it is blocked by ruthenium red, by FCCP, and by azide + dinitrophenol + oligomycin. There is, however, a residual ATP-dependent Ca uptake that is insensitive to the aforementioned poisons; this (nonmitochondrial) Ca uptake is blocked by tetracaine, mersalyl and A-23187. Moreover, A-23187 rapidly releases previously accumulated Ca from these (nonmitochondrial) storage sites, whereas the Ca chelator, EGTA, does not. The proteolytic enzyme, trypsin, spares the mitochondria but inactivates the nonmitochondrial Ca uptake mechanism. Chemical measurements of total Ca indicate that the ATP-dependent Ca uptake at the nonmitochondrial sites involves the net transfer of Ca from medium to tissue fragments. This system can sequester Ca when the ambient-ionized Ca2+ concentration (buffered with EGTA) is less than 0.3 micrometer; brain mitochondria take up little Ca when the ionized Ca2+ level is this low. Preliminary subfractionation studies indicate that the nonmitochondrial Ca storage system does not sediment with synaptic vesicles. We propose that this Ca storage system, which has many properties comparable to those of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, may be associated with intraterminal smooth endoplasmic reticulum. This Ca-sequestering organelle may help to buffer intracellular Ca.


Author(s):  
John J. Wolosewick ◽  
John H. D. Bryan

Early in spermiogenesis the manchette is rapidly assembled in a distal direction from the nuclear-ring-densities. The association of vesicles of smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) and the manchette microtubules (MTS) has been reported. In the mouse, osmophilic densities at the distal ends of the manchette are the organizing centers (MTOCS), and are associated with the SER. Rapid MT assembly and the lack of rough ER suggests that there is an existing pool of MT protein. Colcemid potentiates the reaction of vinblastine with tubulin and was used in this investigation to detect this protein.


Author(s):  
F. G. Zaki

Addition of lithocholic acid (LCA), a naturally occurring bile acid in mammals, to a low protein diet fed to rats induced marked inflammatory reaction in the hepatic cells followed by hydropic degeneration and ductular cell proliferation. These changes were accompanied by dilatation and hyperplasia of the common bile duct and formation of “gallstones”. All these changes were reversible when LCA was withdrawn from the low protein diet except for the hardened gallstones which persisted.Electron microscopic studies revealed marked alterations in the hepatic cells. Early changes included disorganization, fragmentation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and detachment of its ribosomes. Free ribosomes, either singly or arranged in small clusters were frequently seen in most of the hepatic cells. Vesiculation of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum was often encountered as early as one week after the administration of LCA (Fig. 1).


Author(s):  
Kazushige Hirosawa ◽  
Eichi Yamada

The pigment epithelium is located between the choriocapillary and the visual cells. The pigment epithelial cell is characterized by a large amount of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) in its cytoplasm. In addition, the pigment epithelial cell of some lower vertebrate has myeloid body as a specialized form of the SER. Generally, SER is supposed to work in the lipid metabolism. However, the functions of abundant SER and myeloid body in the pigment epithelial cell are still in question. This paper reports an attempt, to depict the functions of these organelles in the frog retina by administering one of phospholipid precursors.


Author(s):  
S.M. Geyer ◽  
C.L. Mendenhall ◽  
J.T. Hung ◽  
E.L. Cardell ◽  
R.L. Drake ◽  
...  

Thirty-three mature male Holtzman rats were randomly placed in 3 treatment groups: Controls (C); Ethanolics (E); and Wine drinkers (W). The animals were fed synthetic diets (Lieber type) with ethanol or wine substituted isocalorically for carbohydrates in the diet of E and W groups, respectively. W received a volume of wine which provided the same gram quantity of alcohol consumed by E. The animals were sacrificed by decapitation after 6 weeks and the livers processed for quantitative triglycerides (T3), proteins, malic enzyme activity (MEA), light microscopy (LM) and electron microscopy (EM). Morphometric analysis of randomly selected LM and EM micrographs was performed to determine organellar changes in centrilobular (CV) and periportal (PV) regions of the liver. This analysis (Table 1) showed that hepatocytes from E were larger than those in C and W groups. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum decreased in E and increased in W compared to C values.


Author(s):  
Becky Jackson

Preliminary investigation has indicated similarity in hepatic ultrastructural morphology in nutritional deprivation, and cyanide induced hepatic necrosis. Analysis of hepatic tissue has indicated disruption of intracellular membranes, specifically, reduction in rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) mitochondrial integrity, and glycogen stores. An increase in smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) portion was observed.To further investigate the apparent equivalence of necrotic morphology, ultrastructura1ly, BDF1 mice were subjected to senescence, nutritional deprevation, potassium cyanide (KCN) induced toxemia, and acetaminophen induced toxemia. Controls were utilized to ellucidate non-necrotic hepatocellular normals. U1trastructura1 investigation of controls (Fig. 1) shows densely granular RER, abundant glycogen stores, and morphologically normal mitochondria. Subjects with acetaminophen induced necrosis exhibit reduced normal RER with increased levels of dialated, vesicular RER in apparent conversion to SER (Fig. 2), loss of mitochondrial integrity, and glycogen store reduction. Senescent subjects exhibit a pronounced increase in SER and loss of glycogen store. (Fig. 3). Investigation of the senescent SER at high magnification (Fig. 5) indicates that the SER is arising from degranulating and vesiculating RER.


Author(s):  
R.T.F. Bernard ◽  
R.H.M. Cross

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) is involved in the biosynthesis of steroid hormones, and changes in the organisation and abundance of this organelle are regularly used as indicators of changes in the level of steroidogenesis. SER is typically arranged as a meshwork of anastomosing tubules which, with the transmission electron microscope, appear as a random mixture of cross, oblique and longitudinal sections. Less commonly the SER appears as swollen vesicles and it is generally suggested that this is an artefact caused during immersion fixation or during immersion of poorly-perfused tissue.During a previous study of the Leydig cells of a seasonally reproducing bat, in which tissue was fixed by immersion, we noted that tubular SER and vesicular SER often occured in adjacent cells and sometimes in the same cell, and that the abundance of the two types of SER changed seasonally. We came to doubt the widelyheld dogma that vesicular SER was an artefact of immersion fixation and set out to test the hypothesis that the method of fixation does not modify the ultrastructure of the SER.


1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poul Hjortkjær Pedersen ◽  
Jørgen Falck Larsen

ABSTRACT The ultrastructure of granulosal lutein cells of 13 corpora lutea in early human pregnancy was studied. The predominant cytoplasmic element was the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. No convincing signs of degeneration of the lutein cells could be demonstrated within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, as the mitochondria as well as the rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum were well preserved. However, lysosomes may be slightly more numerous in older specimens and the subendothelial space increases with the age of gestation. A particular type of multilaminated structure one to five micron in diameter was observed, particularly in the earliest specimens. The possible intracellular location of steroid synthesis is discussed.


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