Calcium, calmodulin, and CaMKII requirement for initiation of centrosome duplication in Xenopus egg extracts

Aberrant centrosome duplication is observed in many tumor cells and may contribute to genomic instability through the formation of multipolar mitotic spindles. Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) is required for multiple rounds of centrosome duplication in Xenopus egg extracts but not for the initial round of replication. Egg extracts undergo periodic oscillations in the level of free calcium. We show here that chelation of calcium in egg extracts or specific inactivation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) blocks even initial centrosome duplication, whereas inactivation of Cdk2 does not. Duplication can be restored to inhibited extracts by addition of CaMKII and calmodulin. These results indicate that calcium, calmodulin, and CaMKII are required for an essential step in initiation of centrosome duplication. Our data suggest that calcium oscillations in the cell cycle may be linked to centrosome duplication.     

Orc6 involved in DNA replication,chromosome segregation,and cytokinesis

Origin recognition complex (ORC) proteins serve as a landing pad for the assembly of a multiprotein prereplicative complex, which is required to initiate DNA replication. During mitosis, the smallest subunit of human ORC, Orc6, localizes to kinetochores and to a reticular-like structure around the cell periphery. As chromosomes segregate during anaphase, the reticular structures align along the plane of cell division and some Orc6 localizes to the midbody before cells separate. Silencing of Orc6 expression by small interfering RNA (siRNA) resulted in cells with multipolar spindles, aberrant mitosis, formation of multinucleated cells, and decreased DNA replication. Prolonged periods of Orc6 depletion caused a decrease in cell proliferation and increased cell death. These results implicate Orc6 as an essential gene that coordinates chromosome replication and segregation with cytokinesis.     

异源三倍体百合减数分裂染色体行为的研究

采用细胞遗传学方法,对Longiflorum×Asiatic系列异源三倍体百合 ‘Bonsoir’（2n=3x=36）小孢子母细胞减数分裂进行了研究和分析。结果显示,有64.31% 的花粉具有活力,且有活力的花粉大小范围在986.33~3 491.68 μm2之间,并呈双峰分布。形成败育花粉的主要原因如下:高度不规则的染色体配对、落后染色体、染色体桥、不均等分离、微核等现象。另外,减数分裂中期Ⅱ纺锤体的异常定向导致了末期Ⅱ二分体和三分体的形成,产生未减数的配子,如融合纺锤体和三极纺锤体;但平行纺锤体和垂直纺锤体不参与未减数配子的形成。一些小孢子母细胞在胞质分裂过程中未形成细胞板,导致单分体的形成以及二分体和三分体的增加,提高了未减数配子的频率。通过对小孢子发生过程中各种现象的观察,对异源三倍体百合在育种中的应用进行讨论。      

Cytological Studies on Unreduced Gamete Formation of Strawberries (Fragaria)

A diploid strawberry (Fragaria vesca L. ) which can naturally produce unreduced gametes (2n pollen) and doubled-unreduced gametes (4n pollen) was used to study the cytological mechanism of 2n and 4n gamete formation. The result showed that the formation of 2n gamete was mainly due to the abnormal orientation of spindles at metaphase Ⅱ. The normal orientation of two spindles at metaphase Ⅱ was perpendicular to each other, which led to tetrad formation at the end of meiosis. Two kinds of abnormal orientation of metaphase Ⅱ spindles, i.e. parallel spindles and triangle spindles, were observed. Of the parallel spindles, the 4group chromosomes were distributed to 2 poles and formed a dyad which formed two 2n pollen grains furtheriy. Of the triangle spindles, the 4 group chromosomes were distributed to 3 poles and formed a triad which formed one 2n pollen grain and two n pollen grains. In addition, a few very big pollen grains (4n pollen)which probably due to the fusion of the tetrad were found.     

Kinesin and dynein move a peroxisome in vivo: a tug-of-war or coordinated movement?

We used fluorescence imaging with one nanometer accuracy (FIONA) to analyze organelle movement by conventional kinesin and cytoplasmic dynein in a cell. We located a green fluorescence protein (GFP)-tagged peroxisome in cultured Drosophila S2 cells to within 1.5 nanometers in 1.1 milliseconds, a 400-fold improvement in temporal resolution, sufficient to determine the average step size to be approximately 8 nanometers for both dynein and kinesin. Furthermore, we found that dynein and kinesin do not work against each other in vivo during peroxisome transport. Rather, multiple kinesins or multiple dyneins work together, producing up to 10 times the in vitro speed.     

细胞松弛素B对牛卵母细胞体外成熟过程中微管、微丝及染色体的影响

细胞松弛素B(Cytochalasin B,CB)是一种抑制微丝聚合的药物,能抑制微丝的组装从而阻止胞质分裂和极体排放,是研究细胞分裂器形成与变化的重要药物。在牛卵母细胞体外成熟培养过程中加入7.5 μg/mL的CB进行处理,分析CB对减数分裂过程中细胞骨架形态、染色体的排列与分离等方面的影响。结果显示,CB处理后卵母细胞第一极体的排放受到了抑制,染色体的排列和分离受到了影响,出现了同源染色体分离不完全或分离不均匀及分离后又聚在一起等异常情况,形成许多二倍体卵母细胞;纺锤体微管的形态发生了变化,出现了两个纺锤体、巨大纺锤体和多极纺锤体等异常结构;微丝的正常分布受到了影响,染色体周围没有或少有微丝分布,皮质下的微丝分布也变得少而不均匀;这说明微丝与微管在减数分裂过程中是协同作用的,CB通过影响微丝的动态变化,改变了纺锤体微管的形态结构,最终抑制了极体的排放。     

Mutations in dynein link motor neuron degeneration to defects in retrograde transport

Degenerative disorders of motor neurons include a range of progressive fatal diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Although the causative genetic alterations are known for some cases, the molecular basis of many SMA and SBMA-like syndromes and most ALS cases is unknown. Here we show that missense point mutations in the cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain result in progressive motor neuron degeneration in heterozygous mice, and in homozygotes this is accompanied by the formation of Lewy-like inclusion bodies, thus resembling key features of human pathology. These mutations exclusively perturb neuron-specific functions of dynein.     

Orientation of asymmetric stem cell division by the APC tumor suppressor and centrosome

Stem cell self-renewal can be specified by local signals from the surrounding microenvironment, or niche. However, the relation between the niche and the mechanisms that ensure the correct balance between stem cell self-renewal and differentiation is poorly understood. Here, we show that dividing Drosophila male germline stem cells use intracellular mechanisms involving centrosome function and cortically localized Adenomatous Polyposis Coli tumor suppressor protein to orient mitotic spindles perpendicular to the niche, ensuring a reliably asymmetric outcome in which one daughter cell remains in the niche and self-renews stem cell identity, whereas the other, displaced away, initiates differentiation.     

Growing microtubules push the oocyte nucleus to polarize the Drosophila dorsal-ventral axis

The Drosophila dorsal-ventral (DV) axis is polarized when the oocyte nucleus migrates from the posterior to the anterior margin of the oocyte. Prior work suggested that dynein pulls the nucleus to the anterior side along a polarized microtubule cytoskeleton, but this mechanism has not been tested. By imaging live oocytes, we find that the nucleus migrates with a posterior indentation that correlates with its direction of movement. Furthermore, both nuclear movement and the indentation depend on microtubule polymerization from centrosomes behind the nucleus. Thus, the nucleus is not pulled to the anterior but is pushed by the force exerted by growing microtubules. Nuclear migration and DV axis formation therefore depend on centrosome positioning early in oogenesis and are independent of anterior-posterior axis formation.     

青黑杨杂种三倍体花粉母细胞减数分裂染色体行为及其花粉变异研究

目的本研究通过分析青黑杨杂种三倍体的花粉母细胞减数分裂特征和配子变异规律,为进一步利用三倍体种质作为中介材料进行杨树染色体工程育种奠定基础。方法本研究以雌配子染色体加倍来源的‘哲引3号杨’ × ‘北京杨’杂种三倍体WT-21及杂种二倍体WD-2雄株为材料,基于醋酸洋红染色压片观察,比较分析了两者花粉母细胞减数分裂染色体行为及花粉形态变异。结果（1）无论是三倍体杂种WT-21还是二倍体杂种WD-2,其花粉母细胞减数分裂染色体行为均非常丰富,存在高频率的染色体提前分离、落后染色体、微核等异常现象,反映了亲本基因组间较强的异质性。（2）WT-21和WD-2花粉母细胞减数第二次分裂过程均存在平行纺锤体、融合纺锤体、三极纺锤体等异常定向,而且在WT-21中还发生胞质提前分裂,共同导致减数分裂产物中二分体、三分体等的产生。（3）三倍体WT-21的花粉空瘪率达44.55%,高于二倍体WD-2;WT-21饱满花粉的直径显著大于WD-2,从花粉直径分布可推测出WT-21能产生少量未减数花粉;WT-21的花粉生活力为（1.08 ± 0.44）%,显著低于二倍体WD-2（28.67% ± 2.04%）。结论由于倍性效应和杂合性的双重影响,青黑杨杂种三倍体的花粉母细胞减数分裂存在复杂的染色体行为,并对配子发育造成影响;利用三倍体的花粉进行授粉,可能获得非整倍体和四倍体后代,为杨树染色体操作奠定基础。      

Murine lymphoma-induced immunosuppression: requirement for direct tumour cell contact

The FBL-3 lymphoma cell line caused impaired antibody formation in vivo when injected into mice intraperitoneally, and in vitro when added to normal syngeneic spleen cells immunized in vitro with sheep erythrocytes. Immunosuppression occurred only when intact viable tumor cells were cocultivated with the normal spleen cells. As few as 10(5) FBL-3 cells, when added to 5 X 10(6) normal cells, impaired antibody formation. However, cell-free extracts of filtrates from even much larger numbers of tumor cells did not affect antibody formation, either in vitro or in vivo. Heating the tumor cells at 56 degrees C or irradiation with as little as 1000 rads completely abolished immunosuppressive activity, both in vitro and in vivo. Separation of viable tumor cells from target antibody-forming cells by cell-impermeable membranes prevented immunosuppression, showing that direct cell-to-cell contact is required for immunosuppression.     

Cytology of 2n Pollen Formation in Nonastringent Persimmon

Cytological mechanisms of 2n pollen formation in ‘Zenjimaru‘ nonastringent persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.f. ) were studied. The following abnormalities in meiosis were found to be responsible for the production of 2n pollens: (1) disoriented spindles, including parallel, fused and tripolar spindles, were formed at metaphase Ⅱ and anaphase Ⅱ; (2) the nuclei at telophase Ⅱ were arranged to two poles, each of which contained two nuclei, or to three poles, one of which contained two nuclei, the other two contained one nucleus respectively; (3) dyads and triads were produced at the tetrad stage. The dyad would develop into two 2n pollens, and the triad would develop into one 2n and two n pollens. The 2n pollens produced by this mechanism were genetically equivalent to FDR (first division restitution) gametes, thus providing a potential value for sexual polyploidization.     

银灰杨花粉母细胞减数分裂与微管骨架变化

减数分裂是植物有性生殖过程中配子形成的必要阶段,是生殖生物学研究领域的热点。本文以银灰杨雄花枝为研究材料,运用醋酸洋红染色法和间接免疫荧光技术,开展银灰杨花粉母细胞减数分裂及其微管骨架动态变化研究。结果表明:1)银灰杨花药颜色变化可作为初步判别其花粉母细胞减数分裂时期的形态学标记,花粉母细胞从减数分裂细线期发育至四分体时期,花药颜色从嫩绿色,经由黄绿色、微红色、浅红色、鲜红色转为深红色。2)银灰杨花粉母细胞减数分裂末期Ⅰ可观察到与着丝粒微管紧密相连的落后染色体,由于染色体两侧着丝粒微管的均衡牵引而致使其停滞于细胞板中央,不移向两极而被遗弃,造成配子染色体的不平衡,可能是导致银灰杨花粉部分败育的机制。3)银灰杨的胞质分裂属于典型的连续型胞质分裂类型,受辐射状微管系统的调节,从细胞周沿向心扩展,直至细胞质完全分离。4)银灰杨花粉中存在天然2n花粉,其发生可能与减数分裂中期Ⅱ的平行纺锤体和三极纺锤体有关。本研究首次报道了银灰杨花药颜色变化与其花粉母细胞减数分裂进程的关系,从新的角度阐释了银灰杨落后染色体的形成原因及其花粉败育机制,并探索了银灰杨天然2n花粉的发生机理,为银灰杨遗传改良策略的制定奠定了基础。      

新城疫病毒HN蛋白的抑瘤机制及其研究进展

新城疫病毒囊膜上较大的纤突样糖蛋白由新城疫病毒血凝素-神经氨酸酶(HN)基因编码。HN蛋白即血凝素-神经氨酸酶蛋白,它不仅介导病毒吸附于肿瘤细胞,而且与融合蛋白一起帮助病毒侵入肿瘤细胞,其神经氨酸酶活性能水解宿主细胞表面的唾液酸,暴露宿主细胞的生物识别位点。它还能够水解病毒粒子表面糖链末端的唾液酸,防止病毒粒子在宿主表面簇集,并且能够引入新的粘附因子和免疫原性分子,诱导机体免疫系统识别。     

Common mechanism of chromosome inversion in B- and T-cell tumors: relevance to lymphoid development

An inversion of chromosome 14 present in the tumor cells of a patient with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia of B-cell lineage was shown to be the result of a site-specific recombination event between an immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable gene and the joining segment of a T-cell receptor alpha chain. This rearrangement resulted in the formation of a hybrid gene, part immunoglobulin and part T-cell receptor. Furthermore, this hybrid gene was transcribed into messenger RNA with a completely open reading frame. Thus, two loci felt to be normally activated at distinct and disparate points in lymphocyte development were unified and expressed in this tumor.     

The molecular architecture of axonemes revealed by cryoelectron tomography

Eukaryotic flagella and cilia are built on a 9 + 2 array of microtubules plus >250 accessory proteins, forming a biological machine called the axoneme. Here we describe the three-dimensional structure of rapidly frozen axonemes from Chlamydomonas and sea urchin sperm, using cryoelectron tomography and image processing to focus on the motor enzyme dynein. Our images suggest a model for the way dynein generates force to slide microtubules. They also reveal two dynein linkers that may provide "hard-wiring" to coordinate motor enzyme action, both circumferentially and along the axoneme. Periodic densities were also observed inside doublet microtubules; these may contribute to doublet stability.     

Distinctive roles of PHAP proteins and prothymosin-alpha in a death regulatory pathway

A small molecule, alpha-(trichloromethyl)-4-pyridineethanol (PETCM), was identified by high-throughput screening as an activator of caspase-3 in extracts of a panel of cancer cells. PETCM was used in combination with biochemical fractionation to identify a pathway that regulates mitochondria-initiated caspase activation. This pathway consists of tumor suppressor putative HLA-DR-associated proteins (PHAP) and oncoprotein prothymosin-alpha (ProT). PHAP proteins promoted caspase-9 activation after apoptosome formation, whereas ProT negatively regulated caspase-9 activation by inhibiting apoptosome formation. PETCM relieved ProT inhibition and allowed apoptosome formation at a physiological concentration of deoxyadenosine triphosphate. Elimination of ProT expression by RNA interference sensitized cells to ultraviolet irradiation-induced apoptosis and negated the requirement of PETCM for caspase activation. Thus, this chemical-biological combinatory approach has revealed the regulatory roles of oncoprotein ProT and tumor suppressor PHAP in apoptosis.     

Physiological regulation of the immunological synapse by agrin

T cell activation is dependent on both a primary signal delivered through the T cell receptor and a secondary costimulatory signal mediated by coreceptors. Although controversial, costimulation is thought to act through the specific redistribution and clustering of membrane and intracellular kinase-rich lipid raft microdomains at the contact site between T cells and antigen-presenting cells. This site has been termed the immunological synapse. Endogenous mediators of raft clustering in lymphocytes have not been identified, although they are essential for T cell activation. We now demonstrate that agrin, an aggregating protein crucial for formation of the neuromuscular junction, is also expressed in lymphocytes and is important in reorganization of membrane lipid microdomains and setting the threshold for T cell signaling. Our data show that agrin induces the aggregation of signaling proteins and the creation of signaling domains in both immune and nervous systems through a common lipid raft pathway.     

支配北京鸭心脏的交感节后神经元的定位——HRP法研究

本研究应用 HRP 追踪法对20例北京鸭各心区交感节后神经元进行定位。标记细胞多位于颈16(C_(15))、胸1～2(T_(1-2))交感神经节(峰值在 T_1节,约占61%),偶见于颈15(C_(15))和胸3(T_3)交感神经节;呈双侧性;以同侧略占优势。标标细胞为多突起的星形运动神经元,以中小型(φ≤29μm)为主(占97%);在交感神经节内,大部分位于节的下角端部。支配心脏各区的交感节后神经元胞体在交感神经节内的位置没有差异,但两侧心交感神经分布不对称。     

Differential regulation of dynein and kinesin motor proteins by tau

Dynein and kinesin motor proteins transport cellular cargoes toward opposite ends of microtubule tracks. In neurons, microtubules are abundantly decorated with microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) such as tau. Motor proteins thus encounter MAPs frequently along their path. To determine the effects of tau on dynein and kinesin motility, we conducted single-molecule studies of motor proteins moving along tau-decorated microtubules. Dynein tended to reverse direction, whereas kinesin tended to detach at patches of bound tau. Kinesin was inhibited at about a tenth of the tau concentration that inhibited dynein, and the microtubule-binding domain of tau was sufficient to inhibit motor activity. The differential modulation of dynein and kinesin motility suggests that MAPs can spatially regulate the balance of microtubule-dependent axonal transport.