Nuclear cycle of Saprolegnia ferax

1981 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 353-367
Author(s):  
I.B. Heath ◽  
K. Rethoret

The mitotic nuclear (equivalent to cell) cycle of the oomycete fungus, Saprolegnia ferax, was analysed by quantitative serial-section electron microscopy of hyphal nuclear populations synchronized by inhibition of DNA synthesis by fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd). Following telophase and karyokinesis, kinetochore mitrotubules persist into G1 stage as a single group of approximately 42 per nucleus (2n = 42 for this species). During G1 the centrioles replicate and kinetochore microtubules separate into 2 groups of approximately 21, a configuration they retain through S and G2. During metaphase a new population of kinetochore microtubules are formed, each one of an amphitelic pair connecting to the opposite pole to that associated with the persistent microtubule from the previous division. Thus, by the end of metaphase, there are approximately 42 kinetochore microtubules per half spindle. FdUrd, applied for 2 h with uracil, completely blocks DNA synthesis yet permits centriole replication and causes nuclei to accumulate with 2 pairs of centrioles, 2 arrays (each of 21) of kinetochore microtubules, and apparently enlarged nucleoli. Removal of FdUrd permits rapid (within 30 min) DNA synthesis followed by successive rounds of decreasingly synchronous nuclear cycles. These post-FdUrd cycles are 2.5 times longer than normal at 2.5 h, with S plus G2 being more extended than other phases. Calculated durations of a normal nuclear cycle are: G1, 33 min; S, 7 min; G2, 10 min; metaphase, 8 min; anaphase, 0.5 min; and telophase, 4 min.

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 163 (4) ◽  
pp. 1337-1356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adelaide T C Carpenter

Abstract The meiotic phenotypes of two mutant alleles of the mei-W68 gene, 1 and L1, were studied by genetics and by serial-section electron microscopy. Despite no or reduced exchange, both mutant alleles have normal synaptonemal complex. However, neither has any early recombination nodules; instead, both exhibit high numbers of very long (up to 2 μm) structures here named “noodles.” These are hypothesized to be formed by the unchecked extension of identical but much shorter structures ephemerally seen in wild type, which may be precursors of early recombination nodules. Although the mei-W68L1 allele is identical to the mei-W681 allele in both the absence of early recombination nodules and a high frequency of noodles (i.e., it is amorphic for the noodle phene), it is hypomorphic in its effects on exchange and late recombination nodules. The differential effects of this allele on early and late recombination nodules are consistent with the hypothesis that Drosophila females have two separate recombination pathways—one for simple gene conversion, the other for exchange.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inna V Nechipurenko ◽  
Cristina Berciu ◽  
Piali Sengupta ◽  
Daniela Nicastro

The primary cilium is nucleated by the mother centriole-derived basal body (BB) via as yet poorly characterized mechanisms. BBs have been reported to degenerate following ciliogenesis in the C. elegans embryo, although neither BB architecture nor early ciliogenesis steps have been described in this organism. In a previous study (Doroquez et al., 2014), we described the three-dimensional morphologies of sensory neuron cilia in adult C. elegans hermaphrodites at high resolution. Here, we use serial section electron microscopy and tomography of staged C. elegans embryos to demonstrate that BBs remodel to support ciliogenesis in a subset of sensory neurons. We show that centriolar singlet microtubules are converted into BB doublets which subsequently grow asynchronously to template the ciliary axoneme, visualize degeneration of the centriole core, and define the developmental stage at which the transition zone is established. Our work provides a framework for future investigations into the mechanisms underlying BB remodeling.


eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian Joesch ◽  
David Mankus ◽  
Masahito Yamagata ◽  
Ali Shahbazi ◽  
Richard Schalek ◽  
...  

Resolving patterns of synaptic connectivity in neural circuits currently requires serial section electron microscopy. However, complete circuit reconstruction is prohibitively slow and may not be necessary for many purposes such as comparing neuronal structure and connectivity among multiple animals. Here, we present an alternative strategy, targeted reconstruction of specific neuronal types. We used viral vectors to deliver peroxidase derivatives, which catalyze production of an electron-dense tracer, to genetically identify neurons, and developed a protocol that enhances the electron-density of the labeled cells while retaining the quality of the ultrastructure. The high contrast of the marked neurons enabled two innovations that speed data acquisition: targeted high-resolution reimaging of regions selected from rapidly-acquired lower resolution reconstruction, and an unsupervised segmentation algorithm. This pipeline reduces imaging and reconstruction times by two orders of magnitude, facilitating directed inquiry of circuit motifs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhikai Liu ◽  
Yukiko Kimura ◽  
Shin-ichi Higashijima ◽  
David G. Hildebrand ◽  
Joshua L. Morgan ◽  
...  

AbstractAs sensory information moves through the brain, higher-order areas exhibit more complex tuning than lower areas. Though models predict this complexity is due to convergent inputs from neurons with diverse response properties, in most vertebrate systems convergence has only been inferred rather than tested directly. Here we measure sensory computations in zebrafish vestibular neurons across multiple axes in vivo. We establish that whole-cell physiological recordings reveal tuning of individual vestibular afferent inputs and their postsynaptic targets. An independent approach, serial section electron microscopy, supports the inferred connectivity. We find that afferents with similar or differing preferred directions converge on central vestibular neurons, conferring more simple or complex tuning, respectively. Our data also resolve a long-standing contradiction between anatomical and physiological analyses by revealing that sensory responses are produced by sparse but powerful inputs from vestibular afferents. Together these results provide a direct, quantifiable demonstration of feedforward input convergence in vivo.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Grant Colburn Hildebrand ◽  
Marcelo Cicconet ◽  
Russel Miguel Torres ◽  
Woohyuk Choi ◽  
Tran Minh Quan ◽  
...  

Investigating the dense meshwork of wires and synapses that form neuronal circuits is possible with the high resolution of serial-section electron microscopy (ssEM)1. However, the imaging scale required to comprehensively reconstruct axons and dendrites is more than 10 orders of magnitude smaller than the spatial extents occupied by networks of interconnected neurons2—some of which span nearly the entire brain. The difficulties in generating and handling data for relatively large volumes at nanoscale resolution has thus restricted all studies in vertebrates to neuron fragments, thereby hindering investigations of complete circuits. These efforts were transformed by recent advances in computing, sample handling, and imaging techniques1, but examining entire brains at high resolution remains a challenge. Here we present ssEM data for a complete 5.5 days post-fertilisation larval zebrafish brain. Our approach utilizes multiple rounds of targeted imaging at different scales to reduce acquisition time and data management. The resulting dataset can be analysed to reconstruct neuronal processes, allowing us to, for example, survey all the myelinated axons (the projectome). Further, our reconstructions enabled us to investigate the precise projections of neurons and their contralateral counterparts. In particular, we observed that myelinated axons of reticulospinal and lateral line afferent neurons exhibit remarkable bilateral symmetry. Additionally, we found that fasciculated reticulospinal axons maintain the same neighbour relations throughout the extent of their projections. Furthermore, we use the dataset to set the stage for whole-brain comparisons of structure and function by co-registering functional reference atlases and in vivo two-photon fluorescence microscopy data from the same specimen. We provide the complete dataset and reconstructions as an open-access resource for neurobiologists and others interested in the ultrastructure of the larval zebrafish.


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