Depletion in nuclear spermine during human spermatogenesis, a natural process of cell differentiation

1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (2) ◽  
pp. C343-C347 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Quemener ◽  
Y. Blanchard ◽  
D. Lescoat ◽  
R. Havouis ◽  
J. P. Moulinoux

Polyamines (PA), polycations present in all mammalian cells, are essential for cell proliferation and differentiation. In vitro, PA are known to bind to DNA with a high affinity. In vivo, the intimate association of endogenous PA with highly condensed chromatin has been reported. During spermatogenesis, when processes of cell proliferation and differentiation take place, the potential role of polyamines has not been studied in depth. We report here the PA levels measured in human spermatogenic cell nuclei at different stages of differentiation. Cell populations (spermatocytes and round, elongating, or elongated spermatids) were obtained after submitting human testes to a trypsin-deoxyribonuclease digestion, then to a centrifugal elutriation and Percoll gradient centrifugation. A significant and progressive nuclear spermine level decrease was observed from primary spermatocytes to elongated spermatids. This release of spermine from nuclei was concomitant with three major events in mammalian spermiogenesis: the reduction of DNA transcription activity, the replacement of histone proteins by protamines, and the compaction of chromatin. This is the first report arguing a release of nuclear spermine during an in vivo physiological cell differentiation process.

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 957-969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Noël Freund ◽  
Claire Domon-Dell ◽  
Michèle Kedinger ◽  
Isabelle Duluc

The past years have witnessed an increasing number of reports relative to homeobox genes in endoderm-derived tissues. In this review, we focus on the caudal-related Cdx-1 and Cdx-2 homeobox genes to give an overview of the in vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo approaches that emphasize their primary role in intestinal development and in the control of intestinal cell proliferation, differentiation, and identity. The participation of these genes in colon tumorigenesis and their identification as important actors of the oncogenic process are also discussed.Key words: caudal, epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation, cancer.


2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
M. Grounds

Skeletal muscle is formed by mononucleated precursor cells (myoblasts) that cease cell proliferation to start differentiation; this results in fusion between the myoblasts to form multinucleated cells (myotubes) that continue to differentiate (and fuse with more muscle cells) and mature into myofibres. Myogenesis has been widely used as a model to study in vitro factors controlling cell proliferation and differentiation. Condition in vitro may not reflect what happens in the more complex in vivo environment. Some of the key issues are what activates quiescent myoblasts in mature skeletal muscle in vivo, and what controls the switch between proliferation and differentiation? The role of the matrix, and molecules such as MyoD, p53, NFAT and IGF-1 will be considered.


1998 ◽  
Vol 333 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit GARRIGA ◽  
Ana LIMÓN ◽  
Xavier MAYOL ◽  
Sushil G. RANE ◽  
Jeffrey H. ALBRECHT ◽  
...  

In the present study we have analysed the regulation of pocket protein expression and post-transcriptional modifications on cell proliferation and differentiation, both in vivo and in vitro. There are marked changes in pocket protein levels during these transitions, the most striking differences being observed between p130 and p107. The mechanisms responsible for regulating pocket protein levels seem to be dependent on both cell type and pocket protein, in addition to their dependence on the cell growth status. Changes in retinoblastoma protein and p107 levels are independent of their state of phosphorylation. However, whereas p130 phosphorylation to forms characteristic of quiescent/differentiated cells results in the accumulation of p130 protein, phosphorylation of p130 to one or more forms characteristic of cycling cells is accompanied by down-regulation of its protein levels. We also show here that the phosphorylation status and protein levels of p130 and p107 are regulated in vivo as in cultured cells. In vivo, changes in p130 forms are correlated with changes in E2F complexes. Moreover, the modulation of p130 and p107 status during cell differentiation in vitro is consistent with the patterns of protein expression and phosphorylation status found in mouse tissues. Thus in addition to the direct disruption of pocket protein/E2F complexes induced by cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase, the results we report here indicate that the differential modulation of pocket protein levels constitutes a major mechanism that regulates the pool of each pocket protein that is accessible to E2F and/or other transcription factors.


Development ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-174
Author(s):  
Nelly Bennett

The detection of a specific enzyme (cysteine lyase) of the yolk-sac endoderm by a very sensitive method is employed to characterize cell differentiation during the early stages of endoderm organogenesis in the chick. The first cells to contain active cysteine lyase are found in the germ wall at the primitive streak stage. In vivo observations establish a relation between the morphological specialization and organization of endodermal cells, their loss of mitotic activity and the increase in cysteine lyase activity. They suggest an influence of the mesoderm on endoderm differentiation. In vitro experiments confirm the existence in the yolk-sac endoderm of an incompatibility between cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as the action of the mesoderm on both the structural organization of the endoblast and the appearance of cysteine lyase; this last action seems to be due mainly to blood cells; chicken and rabbit blood cells are equally active. The problems of the origin of the endoderm and of the interactions occurring during the organogenesis of the yolk-sac endoderm are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Mongera ◽  
Marie Pochitaloff ◽  
Hannah J. Gustafson ◽  
Georgina A. Stooke-Vaughan ◽  
Payam Rowghanian ◽  
...  

Tissue morphogenesis and repair, as well as organ homeostasis, require cells to constantly monitor their 3D microenvironment and adapt their behaviors in response to local biochemical and mechanical cues1-6. In vitro studies have shown that substrate stiffness and stress relaxation are important mechanical parameters in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation, stem cell maintenance, cell migration 7-11, as well as tumor progression and metastasis12,13. Yet, the mechanical parameters of the microenvironment that cells perceive in vivo, within 3D tissues, remain unknown. In complex materials with strain- and time-dependent material properties, the perceived mechanical parameters depend both on the strain and timescales at which the material is mechanically probed14. Here, we quantify in vivo and in situ the mechanics of the cellular microenvironment that cells probe during vertebrate presomitic mesoderm (PSM) specification. By analyzing the magnitude and dynamics of endogenous, cell-generated strains, we show that individual cells preferentially probe the stiffness associated with deformations of the supracellular, foam-like tissue architecture. We reveal how stress relaxation leads to a perceived microenvironment stiffness that decreases over time, with cells probing the softest regime. While stress relaxation timescales are spatially uniform in the tissue, most mechanical parameters, including those probed by cells, vary along the anteroposterior axis, as mesodermal progenitors commit to different lineages. Understanding the mechanical parameters that cells probe in their native 3D environment is important for quantitative studies of mechanosensation in vivo2-4,6,15 and can help design scaffolds for tissue engineering applications16-18.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (26) ◽  
pp. 6786-6791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaxi Wu ◽  
Huaizhu Wu ◽  
Jinping An ◽  
Christie M. Ballantyne ◽  
Jason G. Cyster

CD11c, also known as integrin alpha X, is the most widely used defining marker for dendritic cells (DCs). CD11c can bind complement iC3b and mediate phagocytosis in vitro, for which it is also referred to as complement receptor 4. However, the functions of this prominent marker protein in DCs, especially in vivo, remain poorly defined. Here, in the process of studying DC activation and immune responses induced by cells lacking self-CD47, we found that DC capture of CD47-deficient cells and DC activation was dependent on the integrin-signaling adaptor Talin1. Specifically, CD11c and its partner Itgb2 were required for DC capture of CD47-deficient cells. CD11b was not necessary for this process but could partially compensate in the absence of CD11c. Mice with DCs lacking Talin1, Itgb2, or CD11c were defective in supporting T-cell proliferation and differentiation induced by CD47-deficient cell associated antigen. These findings establish a critical role for CD11c in DC antigen uptake and activation in vivo. They may also contribute to understanding the functional mechanism of CD47-blockade therapies.


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