scholarly journals Stay in Touch—The Cortical ER of Moss Protonemata in Osmotic Stress Situations

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Harant ◽  
Ingeborg Lang

Plasmolysis is usually introduced to cell biology students as a tool to illustrate the plasma membrane: hypertonic solutions cause the living protoplast to shrink by osmotic water loss; hence, it detaches from the surrounding cell wall. What happens, however, with the subcellular structures in the cell cortex during this process of turgor loss? Here, we investigated the cortical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in moss protonema cells of Physcomitrella patens in a cell line carrying a transgenic ER marker (GFP-HDEL). The plasma membrane was labelled simultaneously with the fluorescent dye FM4-64 to achieve structural separation. By placing the protonemata in a hypertonic mannitol solution (0.8 M), we were able to follow the behaviour of the cortical ER and the protoplast during plasmolysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The protoplast shape and structural changes of the ER were further examined after depolymerisation of actin microfilaments with latrunculin B (1 µM). In its natural state, the cortical ER is a dynamic network of fine tubes and cisternae underneath the plasma membrane. Under acute and long-term plasmolysis (up to 45 min), changes in the protoplast form and the cortical ER, as well as the formation of Hechtian strands and Hechtian reticula, were observed. The processing of the high-resolution z-scans allowed the creation of 3D models and gave detailed insight into the ER of living protonema cells before, during and after plasmolysis.

2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 682-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuya Ishikawa ◽  
Kensaku Maejima ◽  
Ken Komatsu ◽  
Osamu Netsu ◽  
Takuya Keima ◽  
...  

Fig mosaic virus (FMV), a member of the newly formed genus Emaravirus, is a segmented negative-strand RNA virus. Each of the six genomic FMV segments contains a single ORF: that of RNA4 encodes the protein p4. FMV-p4 is presumed to be the movement protein (MP) of the virus; however, direct experimental evidence for this is lacking. We assessed the intercellular distribution of FMV-p4 in plant cells by confocal laser scanning microscopy and we found that FMV-p4 was localized to plasmodesmata and to the plasma membrane accompanied by tubule-like structures. A series of experiments designed to examine the movement functions revealed that FMV-p4 has the capacity to complement viral cell-to-cell movement, prompt GFP diffusion between cells, and spread by itself to neighbouring cells. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that FMV-p4 shares several properties with other viral MPs and plays an important role in cell-to-cell movement.


1998 ◽  
Vol 330 (2) ◽  
pp. 853-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Silvia MORENO ◽  
Li ZHONG ◽  
Hong-Gang LU ◽  
Wanderley DE SOUZA ◽  
Marlene BENCHIMOL

Cytoplasmic pH (pHi) regulation was studied in Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites by using the fluorescent dye 2ʹ,7ʹ-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein. Their mean baseline pHi (7.07±0.06; n = 5) was not significantly affected in the absence of extracellular Na+, K+ or HCO3- but was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner by low concentrations of N,Nʹ-dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide (DCCD), N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) or bafilomycin A1. Bafilomycin A1 also inhibited the recovery of tachyzoite pHi after an acid load with sodium propionate. Similar concentrations of DCCD, NEM and bafilomycin A1 produced depolarization of the plasma membrane potential as measured with bis-(1,3-diethylthiobarbituric)trimethineoxonol (bisoxonol), and DCCD prevented the hyperpolarization that accompanies acid extrusion after the addition of propionate, in agreement with the electrogenic nature of this pump. Confocal laser scanning microscopy indicated that, in addition to being located in cytoplasmic vacuoles, the vacuolar (V)-H+-ATPase of T. gondii tachyzoites is also located in the plasma membrane. Surface localization of the V-H+-ATPase was confirmed by experiments using biotinylation of cell surface proteins and immunoprecipitation with antibodies against V-H+-ATPases. Taken together, the results are consistent with the presence of a functional V-H+-ATPase in the plasma membrane of these intracellular parasites and with an important role of this enzyme in the regulation of pHi homoeostasis in these cells.


Author(s):  
Kooshan Nayebzadeh ◽  
Jianshe Chen ◽  
SM Mohammad Mousavi

The effect of addition of xanthan gum (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.25% weight/volume) on the formation and rheology of whey protein isolate (WPI)-xanthan gum gels has been investigated at neutral pH. The elastic modulus (G') values of the gelling test were compared. Low concentration of xanthan added (<0.05%,w/v) has a synergistic effect on the gel strength depend on phase separation, so that whey proteins concentrated in their phase and finally mixed gels with xanthan would be stronger than WPI gels. At higher xanthan concentration (> 0.05%, w/v), antagonist effect was observed by reducing the connection between clusters of whey protein by xanthan, so aggregation disruption and a related decrease in (G'). The phase separation microstructure of WPI-stabilized emulsion containing xanthan gum added has been investigated by rheology and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Xanthan was stained with Fluorescein 5(6)-isothiocyanate (FITC). Low xanthan concentration addition lead to depletion flocculation and increasing the xanthan concentration cause to increase the viscoelasticity of aqueous phase, so retarded macroscopic phase separation over period investigated. Structural changes in emulsion were observed in viscoelastic properties of separated phase in the rheometer. The CLSM image shows different phase which have different viscoelastic properties; xanthan-rich region transforms into the spherical shape which has the lowest interfacial energy and gradually two separated ultimately.


Reproduction ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 132 (6) ◽  
pp. 859-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Qian Meng ◽  
Ke-Gang Zheng ◽  
Yong Yang ◽  
Man-Xi Jiang ◽  
Yan-Ling Zhang ◽  
...  

Microfilaments (actin filaments) regulate various dynamic events during meiotic maturation. Relatively, little is known about the regulation of microfilament organization in mammalian oocytes. Proline-rich tyrosine kinase2 (Pyk2), a protein tyrosine kinase related to focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is essential in actin filaments organization. The present study was to examine the expression and localization of Pyk2, and in particular, its function during rat oocyte maturation. For the first time, by using Western blot and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we detected the expression of Pyk2 in rat oocytes and found that Pyk2 and Try402 phospho-Pyk2 were localized uniformly at the cell cortex and surrounded the germinal vesicle (GV) or the condensed chromosomes at the GV stage or after GV breakdown. At the metaphase and the beginning of anaphase, Pyk2 distributed asymmetrically both in the ooplasm and the cortex with a marked staining associated with the chromosomes and the region overlying the meiotic spindle. At telophase, Pyk2 was observed in the cleavage furrows in addition to its cortex and cytoplasm localization. The dynamics of Pyk2 were similar to that of F-actin, and this kinase was found to co-localize with microfilaments in several developmental stages during rat oocyte maturation. Microinjection of Pyk2 antibody demolished the microfilaments assembly and also inhibited the first polar body (PB1) emission. These findings suggest an important role of Pyk2 for rat oocyte maturation by regulating the organization of actin filaments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 951-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
LEI YUAN ◽  
NI WANG ◽  
FAIZAN A. SADIQ ◽  
GUOQING HE

ABSTRACT Biofilms on the surface of food processing equipment act as potential reservoirs of microbial contamination. Bacterial interactions are believed to play key roles in both biofilm formation and antimicrobial tolerance. In this study, Aeromonas hydrophila, Chryseobacterium oncorhynchi, and Pseudomonas libanensis, which were previously isolated from Chinese raw milk samples, were selected to establish two dual-species biofilm models (P. libanensis plus A. hydrophila and P. libanensis plus C. oncorhynchi) on stainless steel at 7°C. Subsequently, three disinfectants, hydrogen peroxide (100 ppm), peracetic acid (100 ppm), and sodium hypochlorite (100 ppm), were used to treat the developed sessile communities for 10 min. Structural changes after exposure to disinfectants were analyzed with confocal laser scanning microscopy. The cell numbers of both A. hydrophila and C. oncorhynchi recovered from surfaces increased when grown as dual species biofilms with P. libanensis. Dual-species biofilms were more tolerant of disinfectants than were each single-species biofilm. Peracetic acid was the most effective disinfectant for removing biofilms, followed by hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite. The results expand the knowledge of mixed-species biofilms formed by psychrotrophic bacteria and will be helpful for developing effective strategies to eliminate bacterial mixed-species biofilms. HIGHLIGHTS


1997 ◽  
Vol 321 (1) ◽  
pp. 227-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josep M. FERNÁNDEZ-NOVELL ◽  
David BELLIDO ◽  
Senen VILARÓ ◽  
Joan J. GUINOVART

After incubation with glucose a dramatic change in the intracellular distribution of glycogen synthase was observed in rat hepatocytes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that glycogen synthase existed diffusely in the cytosol of control cells, whereas in cells incubated with glucose it accumulated at the cell periphery. Colocalization analysis between glycogen synthase immunostaining and actin filaments showed that the change in glycogen synthase distribution induced by glucose correlated with a marked increase in the co-distribution of the two proteins, indicating that, in response to glucose, glycogen synthase moves to the actin-rich area close to the membrane. When glycogen synthase was immunostained with rabbit anti-(glycogen synthase) and Protein A–colloidal gold, few particles were observed close to the membrane in control cells. In contrast, in cells incubated with glucose most of the gold particles were found near the membrane, confirming that glycogen synthase had moved to the cell cortex. Furthermore, in agreement with the glycogen synthase distribution, glycogen deposition appeared to be more active at the periphery of the cell.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
María A. da Silva ◽  
José L. Baronetti ◽  
Paulina L. Páez ◽  
María G. Paraje

BackgroundPersister cells (PCs) make up a small fraction of microbial population, can survive lethal concentrations of antimicrobial agents. In recent years, Candida tropicalis has emerged as being a frequent fungal agent of medical devices subject to biofilm infections. However, PCs are still poorly understood.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the relation of PCs on the redox status in C. tropicalis biofilms exposed to high doses of Amphotericin B (AmB), and alterations in surface topography and the architecture of biofilms.MethodsWe used an experimental model of two different C. tropicalis biofilms exposed to AmB at supra minimum inhibitory concentration (SMIC80), and the intra- and extracellular reactive oxygen species (iROS and eROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and oxidative stress response were studied. Light microscopy (LM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were also used in conjunction with the image analysis software COMSTAT.ResultsWe demonstrated that biofilms derived from the PC fraction (B2) showed a higher capacity to respond to the stress generated upon AmB treatment, compared with biofilms obtained from planktonic cells. In B2, a lower ROS and RNS accumulation was observed in concordance with higher activation of the antioxidant systems, resulting in an oxidative imbalance of a smaller magnitude compared to B1. LM analysis revealed that the AmB treatment provoked a marked decrease of biomass, showing a loss of cellular aggrupation, with the presence of mostly yeast cells. Moreover, significant structural changes in the biofilm architecture were noted between both biofilms by CLSM—COMSTAT analysis. For B1, the quantitative parameters bio-volume, average micro-colony volume, surface to bio-volume ratio and surface coverage showed reductions upon AmB treatment, whereas increases were observed in roughness coefficient and average diffusion distance. In addition, untreated B2 was substantially smaller than B1, with less biomass and thickness values. The analysis of the above-mentioned parameters also showed changes in B2 upon AmB exposure.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first study that has attempted to correlate PCs of Candida biofilms with alterations in the prooxidant-antioxidant balance and the architecture of the biofilms. The finding of regular and PCs with different cellular stress status may help to solve the puzzle of biofilm resistance, with redox imbalance possibly being an important factor.


1994 ◽  
Vol 107 (7) ◽  
pp. 1929-1934 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Meindl ◽  
D. Zhang ◽  
P.K. Hepler

Rhodamine-phalloidin or FITC-phalloidin has been injected in small amounts into living, developing cells of Micrasterias denticulata and the stained microfilaments visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results reveal that two different actin filament systems are present in a growing cell: a cortical actin network that covers the inner surface of the cell and is extended far into the tips of the lobes in both the growing and the nongrowing semicell; it is also associated with the surface of the chloroplast. The second actin system ensheathes the nucleus at the isthmus-facing side during nuclear migration. Its arrangement corresponds to that of the microtubule system that has been described in earlier electron microscopic investigations. The spatial correspondence between the distribution of actin filaments and microtubules suggests a cooperation between both cytoskeleton elements in generating the motive force for nuclear migration. The function of the cortical actin network is not yet clear. It may be involved in processes like transport and fusion of secretory vesicles and may also function in shaping and anchoring the chloroplast.


Microbiology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 1779-1789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anamaris M. Colberg-Poley ◽  
Mital B. Patel ◽  
Darwin P. P. Erezo ◽  
Jay E. Slater

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL36–38 immediate-early (IE) locus encodes the UL37 exon 1 (pUL37x1) and UL37 (gpUL37) regulatory proteins, which have anti-apoptotic activities. pUL37x1 shares its entire sequence, including a hydrophobic leader and an acidic domain, with the exception of one residue, with the amino terminus of gpUL37. gpUL37 has, in addition, unique N-linked glycosylation, transmembrane and cytosolic domains. A rabbit polyvalent antiserum was generated against residues 27–40 in the shared amino-terminal domain and a mouse polyvalent antiserum was generated against the full-length protein to study trafficking of individual UL37 proteins in human cells that transiently expressed gpUL37 or pUL37x1. Co-localization studies by confocal laser scanning microscopy detected trafficking of gpUL37 and pUL37x1 from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus in permissive U373 cells and in human diploid fibroblasts (HFF). Trafficking of gpUL37 to the cellular plasma membrane was detected in unfixed HFF cells. FLAG-tagged gpUL37 trafficked similarly through the secretory apparatus to the plasma membrane. By using confocal microscopy and immunoblotting of fractionated cells, gpUL37 and pUL37x1 were found to co-localize with mitochondria in human cells. This unconventional dual trafficking pattern through the secretory apparatus and to mitochondria is novel for herpesvirus IE regulatory proteins.


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