Biochemical and morphological characterization of the nuclear matrix during the synchronous cell cycle of Physarum polycephalum

1993 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 1121-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Lang ◽  
T. Decristoforo ◽  
W. Waitz ◽  
P. Loidl
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Matrix ◽  
Physarum Polycephalum ◽  
Nuclear Periphery ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Nuclear Lamins ◽  
Synchronous Cell ◽  
Matrix Bound

We have investigated biochemical and ultrastructural aspects of the nuclear matrix during the naturally synchronous cell cycle of Physarum polycephalum. The morphology of the in situ nuclear matrix exhibited significant cell cycle changes as revealed by electron microscopic examination, especially during the progression of nuclei through mitosis and S-phase. In mitosis the interchromatin matrix was found to be retracted to the nuclear periphery; during S-phase this interchromatin matrix gradually resembled, concomitant with the reconstruction of a nucleolar remnant structure. During the G2-period no significant changes in matrix morphology were observed. The pattern of nuclear matrix proteins was invariant during the cell cycle; no cycle phase-specific proteins could be detected. In vivo labelling of plasmodia with [35S]methionine/cysteine showed that only a few proteins are synthesized and assembled into nuclear matrix structures in a cell cycle-dependent way; the majority of proteins were synthesized almost continuously. This was also shown for nuclear lamins homologues. In contrast to bulk nuclear histones, those histones that remain tightly bound to the nuclear matrix were synthesized and assembled into nuclear structures in the very first hour of S-phase; assembly was terminated in mid-S-phase, indicating that nuclear matrix-bound chromatin is replicated early in S-phase. Comparison of the acetylation pattern of matrix-bound histone H4 with bulk nuclear H4 revealed a largely elevated acetate content of matrix H4. The percentage of acetylated subspecies was entirely different from that in bulk nuclear H4, indicating that matrix-associated histones represent a subpopulation of nuclear histones with distinct properties, reflecting specific structural requirements of matrix-attached chromatin.

scholarly journals Pteridine biosynthesis and nitric oxide synthase in Physarum polycephalum

1994 ◽  
Vol 304 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Werner-Felmayer ◽  
G Golderer ◽  
E R Werner ◽  
P Gröbner ◽  
H Wachter
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Physarum Polycephalum ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Synchronous Cell ◽  
Cycle Dependent ◽  
Dihydroneopterin Aldolase ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Pteridine Biosynthesis ◽  
Aromatic Amino Acid Hydroxylases

Physarum polycephalum, an acellular slime mould, serves as a model system to study cell-cycle-dependent events since nuclear division is naturally synchronous. This organism was shown to release isoxanthopterin which is structurally related to tetrahydrobiopterin, a cofactor of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and of nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) (EC 1.14.13.39). Here, we studied Physarum pteridine biosynthesis in more detail and found that high amounts of tetrahydrobiopterin are produced and NOS activity is expressed. Physarum pteridine biosynthesis is peculiar in as much as 7,8-dihydroneopterin aldolase (EC 4.1.2.25), an enzyme of folic acid biosynthesis usually not found in organisms producing tetrahydrobiopterin, is detected in parallel. NOS purified from Physarum depends on NADPH, tetrahydrobiopterin and flavins. Enzyme activity is independent of exogenous Ca2+ and is inhibited by arginine analogues. The purified enzyme (with a molecular mass of 130 kDa) contains tightly bound tetrahydrobiopterin and flavins. During the synchronous cell cycle of Physarum, pteridine biosynthesis increases during S-phase whereas NOS activity peaks during mitosis, drops at telophase and peaks again during early S-phase. Our results characterize Physarum pteridine biosynthesis and NOS and suggest a possible link between NOS activity and mitosis.

scholarly journals ADP-ribosyltransferase in isolated nuclei during the cell cycle of Physarum polycephalum

1985 ◽  
Vol 232 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Gröbner ◽  
P Loidl
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Physarum Polycephalum ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Exogenous Dna ◽  
Isolated Nuclei ◽  
Synchronous Cell ◽  
Enzyme Pattern ◽  
Adp Ribosyltransferase ◽  
Exogenous Substrates

ADP-ribosyltransferase was measured in isolated nuclei of Physarum polycephalum. Activity was determined with and without exogenous DNA and histones. During the synchronous cell cycle the activity measured with exogenous substrates exhibited a typical peak enzyme pattern with a maximum of activity in S-phase, whereas activity measured without exogenous substrates displayed a step enzyme pattern. Both activities doubled in each cell cycle.

Assessment of cell cycle phase-specific effects of zerumbone on mitotically synchronous surface cultures of Physarum polycephalum

PROTOPLASMA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 251 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iyyappan Rajan ◽  
Remitha Rabindran ◽  
N. Nithya ◽  
T. Lakshmipriya ◽  
P. R. Jayasree ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Physarum Polycephalum ◽  
Cell Cycle Phase ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Specific Effects

scholarly journals Cdk Phosphorylation of a Nucleoporin Controls Localization of Active Genes through the Cell Cycle

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 3421-3432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Garvey Brickner ◽  
Jason H. Brickner
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Periphery ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Cdk Inhibitor ◽  
Cyclin Dependent Kinase ◽  
Initiation Of Dna Replication ◽  
Cdk Phosphorylation ◽  
Inducible Genes ◽  
Active Genes

Many inducible genes in yeast are targeted to the nuclear pore complex when active. We find that the peripheral localization of the INO1 and GAL1 genes is regulated through the cell cycle. Active INO1 and GAL1 localized at the nuclear periphery during G1, became nucleoplasmic during S-phase, and then returned to the nuclear periphery during G2/M. Loss of peripheral targeting followed the initiation of DNA replication and was lost in cells lacking a cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor. Furthermore, the Cdk1 kinase and two Cdk phosphorylation sites in the nucleoporin Nup1 were required for peripheral targeting of INO1 and GAL1. Introduction of aspartic acid residues in place of either of these two sites in Nup1 bypassed the requirement for Cdk1 and resulted in targeting of INO1 and GAL1 to the nuclear periphery during S-phase. Thus, phosphorylation of a nuclear pore component by cyclin dependent kinase controls the localization of active genes to the nuclear periphery through the cell cycle.

scholarly journals Precise detection of S phase onset reveals decoupled G1/S transition events

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin D. Grant ◽  
Katarzyna M. Kedziora ◽  
Juanita C. Limas ◽  
Jeremy E. Purvis ◽  
Jeanette Gowen Cook
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Genome Stability ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Reporter System ◽  
Phase Boundaries ◽  
Fluorescent Reporter ◽  
Molecular Events ◽  
Cell Cycle Phases

AbstractThe eukaryotic cell division cycle is the process by which cells duplicate their genomes and proliferate. Transitions between sequential cell cycle phases are tightly orchestrated to ensure precise and efficient cell cycle progression. Interrogating molecular events at these transitions is important for understanding normal and pathological cell proliferation and mechanisms that ensure genome stability. A popular fluorescent reporter system known as “FUCCI” has been widely adopted for identifying cell cycle phases. Using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, we quantitatively analyzed the dynamics of the FUCCI reporters relative to the transitions into and out of S phase. Although the original reporters reflect the E3 ubiquitin ligase activities for which they were designed, SCFSkp2 and APCCdh1, their dynamics are significantly and variably offset from actual S phase boundaries. To precisely mark these transitions, we generated and thoroughly validated a new reporter containing a PCNA-interacting protein degron whose oscillations are directly coupled to the process of DNA replication itself. We combined this reporter with the geminin-based APCCdh1 reporter to create “PIP-FUCCI.” PIP degron reporter dynamics closely correlate with S phase transitions irrespective of reporter expression levels. Using PIP-FUCCI, we made the unexpected observation that the apparent timing of APCCdh1 inactivation frequently varies relative to the onset of S phase. We demonstrate that APCCdh1 inactivation is not a strict pre-requisite for S phase entry, though delayed APCCdh1 inactivation correlates with longer S phase. Our results illustrate the benefits of precise delineation of cell cycle phase boundaries for uncovering the sequences of molecular events at critical cell cycle transitions.

scholarly journals DNA damage checkpoint dynamics drive cell cycle phase transitions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Xiao Chao ◽  
Cere E. Poovey ◽  
Ashley A. Privette ◽  
Gavin D. Grant ◽  
Hui Yan Chao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Phase Transitions ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
S Phase ◽  
Cell Cycle Phase ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Dna Damage Checkpoint ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Dna Damage Checkpoints

ABSTRACTDNA damage checkpoints are cellular mechanisms that protect the integrity of the genome during cell cycle progression. In response to genotoxic stress, these checkpoints halt cell cycle progression until the damage is repaired, allowing cells enough time to recover from damage before resuming normal proliferation. Here, we investigate the temporal dynamics of DNA damage checkpoints in individual proliferating cells by observing cell cycle phase transitions following acute DNA damage. We find that in gap phases (G1 and G2), DNA damage triggers an abrupt halt to cell cycle progression in which the duration of arrest correlates with the severity of damage. However, cells that have already progressed beyond a proposed “commitment point” within a given cell cycle phase readily transition to the next phase, revealing a relaxation of checkpoint stringency during later stages of certain cell cycle phases. In contrast to G1 and G2, cell cycle progression in S phase is significantly less sensitive to DNA damage. Instead of exhibiting a complete halt, we find that increasing DNA damage doses leads to decreased rates of S-phase progression followed by arrest in the subsequent G2. Moreover, these phase-specific differences in DNA damage checkpoint dynamics are associated with corresponding differences in the proportions of irreversibly arrested cells. Thus, the precise timing of DNA damage determines the sensitivity, rate of cell cycle progression, and functional outcomes for damaged cells. These findings should inform our understanding of cell fate decisions after treatment with common cancer therapeutics such as genotoxins or spindle poisons, which often target cells in a specific cell cycle phase.

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