scholarly journals Morphometric studies of the localization of the glucocorticoid receptor in mammalian cells and of glucocorticoid hormone-induced effects.

1994 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 645-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Akner ◽  
A C Wikström ◽  
K Mossberg ◽  
K G Sundqvist ◽  
J A Gustafsson

We studied the subcellular distribution of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) by light microscopy (LM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) in different mammalian cell types. The effect of added glucocorticoid hormones on GR distribution was investigated by photometric quantitation on optical sections obtained by CLSM followed by statistical analysis. In the control interphase cytoplasm, the distribution of GR was fibrillar in some and diffuse in other cell types. Fibrillar GR was distributed along cytoplasmic microtubules (MTs) with predilection for a subset of MTs. GR was also observed in the centrosomes. Nuclear GR was both diffuse and granular in distribution. During cell division, GR appeared in the mitotic apparatus at all stages of mitosis. These findings were not fixation-dependent. Glucocorticoid treatment increased both the nuclear and cytoplasmic GR signal. However, this was detectable only after precipitating but not cross-linking fixation. There was both intra- and intercellular GR heterogeneity in the absence and presence of hormone but no indication of a hormone-induced nuclear translocation of GR. We present a hypothetical model of two independent GR populations in the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively, without any discernible ligand-induced nuclear translocation of GR. The extranuclear GR population may exert effect(s) on site in the cytoplasm without involving nuclear genomic transcription.

Author(s):  
M. H. Chestnut ◽  
C. E. Catrenich

Helicobacter pylori is a non-invasive, Gram-negative spiral bacterium first identified in 1983, and subsequently implicated in the pathogenesis of gastroduodenal disease including gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Cytotoxic activity, manifested by intracytoplasmic vacuolation of mammalian cells in vitro, was identified in 55% of H. pylori strains examined. The vacuoles increase in number and size during extended incubation, resulting in vacuolar and cellular degeneration after 24 h to 48 h. Vacuolation of gastric epithelial cells is also observed in vivo during infection by H. pylori. A high molecular weight, heat labile protein is believed to be responsible for vacuolation and to significantly contribute to the development of gastroduodenal disease in humans. The mechanism by which the cytotoxin exerts its effect is unknown, as is the intracellular origin of the vacuolar membrane and contents. Acridine orange is a membrane-permeant weak base that initially accumulates in low-pH compartments. We have used acridine orange accumulation in conjunction with confocal laser scanning microscopy of toxin-treated cells to begin probing the nature and origin of these vacuoles.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3738-3749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Andersson ◽  
Richard C. Scarpulla

ABSTRACT The thermogenic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) coactivator 1 (PGC-1) has previously been shown to activate mitochondrial biogenesis in part through a direct interaction with nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF-1). In order to identify related coactivators that act through NRF-1, we searched the databases for sequences with similarities to PGC-1. Here, we describe the first characterization of a 177-kDa transcriptional coactivator, designated PGC-1-related coactivator (PRC). PRC is ubiquitously expressed in murine and human tissues and cell lines; but unlike PGC-1, PRC was not dramatically up-regulated during thermogenesis in brown fat. However, its expression was down-regulated in quiescent BALB/3T3 cells and was rapidly induced by reintroduction of serum, conditions where PGC-1 was not detected. PRC activated NRF-1-dependent promoters in a manner similar to that observed for PGC-1. Moreover, NRF-1 was immunoprecipitated from cell extracts by antibodies directed against PRC, and both proteins were colocalized to the nucleoplasm by confocal laser scanning microscopy. PRC interacts in vitro with the NRF-1 DNA binding domain through two distinct recognition motifs that are separated by an unstructured proline-rich region. PRC also contains a potent transcriptional activation domain in its amino terminus adjacent to an LXXLL motif. The spatial arrangement of these functional domains coincides with those found in PGC-1, supporting the conclusion that PRC and PGC-1 are structurally and functionally related. We conclude that PRC is a functional relative of PGC-1 that operates through NRF-1 and possibly other activators in response to proliferative signals.


1996 ◽  
Vol 109 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Dutartre ◽  
J. Davoust ◽  
J.P. Gorvel ◽  
P. Chavrier

In mammalian cells, Rho GTPases control the reorganisation of the actin cytoskeleton in response to growth factors. In the cytoplasm, the polymerisation of actin filaments and their organisation into complex architectures is orchestrated by numerous proteins which act either directly, by interacting with actin, or by producing secondary messengers which serve as mediators between signal transduction pathways and the microfilament organisation. We sought to determine whether the intracellular distribution of some of these regulatory components may be controlled by the Rho GTPase CDC42Hs. With this aim, we have established HeLa-derived human cell lines in which expression of a constitutively activated mutant of CDC42Hs is inducible. Morphological analysis by immunofluorescence labelling and confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed a massive reorganisation of F-actin in cortical microspikes as well as podosome-like structures located at the ventral face of the cells. Concomitantly, the cells became giant and multinucleate indicating that cytokinesis was impaired. The actin bundling protein T-plastin, the vasodilatator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), a profilin ligand, as well as the 85 kDa regulatory subunit of the phosphoinosite 3-kinase redistributed with F-actin into the CDC42Hs-induced structures.


2001 ◽  
Vol 114 (9) ◽  
pp. 1643-1653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Dastoor ◽  
J.L. Dreyer

Recent studies indicating a role of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in apoptosis or oxidative stress has been reported. Using confocal laser-scanning microscopy, we have investigated the cellular distribution of GAPDH in central nervous system (CNS)-derived cells (neuroblastoma mNB41A3), in non-CNS derived cells (R6 fibroblast) and in an apoptosis-resistant Bcl2 overexpressing cell line (R6-Bcl2). Induction of apoptosis by staurosporine or MG132 and oxidative stress by H(2)O(2) or FeCN enhanced the nuclear translocation of endogenous GAPDH in all cell types, as detected by immunocytochemistry. In apoptotic cells, GAPDH expression is three times higher than in non-apoptotic cells. Consistent with a role for GAPDH in apoptosis, overexpression of a GAPDH-green fluorescent protein (GAPDH-GFP) hybrid increased nuclear import of GAPDH-GFP into transfected cells and the number of apoptotic cells, and made them more sensitive to agents that induce apoptosis. Bcl2 overexpression prevents nuclear translocation of GAPDH and apoptosis in untransfected cells, but not in transfected cells that overexpress GAPDH-GFP. Our observations indicate that nuclear translocation of GAPDH may play a role in apoptosis and oxidative stress, probably related to the activity of GAPDH as a DNA repair enzyme or as a nuclear carrier for pro-apoptotic molecules.


1994 ◽  
Vol 107 (4) ◽  
pp. 775-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Hush ◽  
P. Wadsworth ◽  
D.A. Callaham ◽  
P.K. Hepler

Microtubule (MT) turnover within the four principal MT arrays, the cortical array, the preprophase band, the mitotic spindle and the phragmoplast, has been measured in living stamen hair cells of Tradescantia that have been injected with fluorescent neurotubulin. Using the combined techniques of confocal laser scanning microscopy and fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching (FRAP), we report that the half-time of turnover in spindle MTs is t 1/2 = 31 +/- 6 seconds, which is in excellent agreement with previous measurements of turnover in animal cell spindles. Tradescantia interphase MTs, however, exhibit turnover rates (t 1/2 = 67 +/- seconds) that are some 3.4-fold faster than those measured in interphase mammalian cells, and thus are revealed as being highly dynamic. Preprophase band and phragmoplast MTs have turnover rates similar to those of interphase MTs in Tradescantia. The spatial and temporal aspects of the fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching in all four MT arrays are more consistent with subunit exchange by the mechanism of dynamic instability than treadmilling. This is the first quantification of MT dynamics in plant cells.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriely Goes ◽  
Philipp Lapuhs ◽  
Thomas Kuhn ◽  
Eilien Schulz ◽  
Robert Richter ◽  
...  

In 2019, it was estimated that 2.5 million people die from lower tract respiratory infections annually. One of the main causes of these infections is Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that can invade and survive within mammalian cells. S. aureus intracellular infections are difficult to treat because several classes of antibiotics are unable to permeate through the cell wall and reach the pathogen. This condition increases the need for new therapeutic avenues, able to deliver antibiotics efficiently. In this work, we obtained outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from the myxobacteria Cystobacter velatus strain Cbv34 and Cystobacter ferrugineus strain Cbfe23, that are naturally antimicrobial, to target intracellular infections, and investigated how they can affect the viability of epithelial and macrophage cell lines. We evaluated by cytometric bead array whether they induce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in blood immune cells. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry, we also investigated their interaction and uptake into mammalian cells. Finally, we studied the effect of OMVs on planktonic and intracellular S. aureus. We found that while Cbv34 OMVs were not cytotoxic to cells at any concentration tested, Cbfe23 OMVs affected the viability of macrophages, leading to a 50% decrease at a concentration of 125,000 OMVs/cell. We observed only little to moderate stimulation of release of TNF-alpha, IL-8, IL-6 and IL-1beta by both OMVs. Cbfe23 OMVs have better interaction with the cells than Cbv34 OMVs, being taken up faster by them, but both seem to remain mostly on the cell surface after 24 h of incubation. This, however, did not impair their bacteriostatic activity against intracellular S. aureus. In this study, we provide an important basis for implementing OMVs in the treatment of intracellular infections.


1997 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik A.C. Wiemer ◽  
Thibaut Wenzel ◽  
Thomas J. Deerinck ◽  
Mark H. Ellisman ◽  
Suresh Subramani

Peroxisomes in living CV1 cells were visualized by targeting the green fluorescent protein (GFP) to this subcellular compartment through the addition of a COOH-terminal peroxisomal targeting signal 1 (GFP–PTS1). The organelle dynamics were examined and analyzed using time-lapse confocal laser scanning microscopy. Two types of movement could be distinguished: a relatively slow, random, vibration-like movement displayed by the majority (∼95%) of the peroxisomes, and a saltatory, fast directional movement displayed by a small subset (∼5%) of the peroxisomes. In the latter instance, peak velocities up to 0.75 μm/s and sustained directional velocities up to 0.45 μm/s over 11.5 μm were recorded. Only the directional type of motion appeared to be energy dependent, whereas the vibrational movement continued even after the cells were depleted of energy. Treatment of cells, transiently expressing GFP–PTS1, with microtubule-destabilizing agents such as nocodazole, vinblastine, and demecolcine clearly altered peroxisome morphology and subcellular distribution and blocked the directional movement. In contrast, the microtubule-stabilizing compound paclitaxel, or the microfilament-destabilizing drugs cytochalasin B or D, did not exert these effects. High resolution confocal analysis of cells expressing GFP–PTS1 and stained with anti-tubulin antibodies revealed that many peroxisomes were associated with microtubules. The GFP–PTS1–labeled peroxisomes were found to distribute themselves in a stochastic, rather than ordered, manner to daughter cells at the time of mitosis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 92 (07) ◽  
pp. 23-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Becker ◽  
Jeremy Simpson ◽  
Rainer Pepperkok ◽  
Stefan Heinz ◽  
Christian Herder ◽  
...  

SummaryIn mammalian cells, factor VIII (FVIII) secretion depends upon its interaction with chaperones of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and requires a unique ATP-dependent step to dissociate aggregates formed within the ER. To further elucidate mechanisms which might account for the inefficient secretion of recombinant FVIII (rFVIII), we have analyzed the pathways of recombinant full length (rFVIII-FL) and B-domain deleted (rFVIIIΔB) FVIII and compared these to the secretion route of native FVIII in primary hepatocytes. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy in combination with a pulse chase of a known secretion marker, we describe the trafficking route of FVIII, which upon release from the ER – where it colocalizes with calnexin – is transported to the Golgi complex in vesiculartubular transport complexes (VTCs) which could be further identified as being COP I coated. However, a large portion of rFVIII is retained in the ER and additionally in structures which could not be assigned to the ER, Golgi complex or intermediate compartment. Moderate BiP transcription levels indicate that this observed retention of FVIII does not reflect cellular stress due to an overexpression of FVIII-protein in transduced cells. Moreover, a pulse of newly synthesized rFVIII protein is released within 4 hrs, indicating that once rFVIII is released from the ER there is no further limitation to its secretion. Our data provide new details about the secretory route of FVIII, which may ultimately help to identify factors currently limiting the efficient and physiological expression of FVIII in gene therapy and manufacture.


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