scholarly journals In Vivo Analysis of Cajal Body Movement, Separation, and Joining in Live Human Cells

2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (7) ◽  
pp. 1561-1574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melpomeni Platani ◽  
Ilya Goldberg ◽  
Jason R. Swedlow ◽  
Angus I. Lamond

Cajal bodies (also known as coiled bodies) are subnuclear organelles that contain specific nuclear antigens, including splicing small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) and a subset of nucleolar proteins. Cajal bodies are localized in the nucleoplasm and are often found at the nucleolar periphery. We have constructed a stable HeLa cell line, HeLaGFP-coilin, that expresses the Cajal body marker protein, p80 coilin, fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP-coilin). The localization pattern and biochemical properties of the GFP-coilin fusion protein are identical to the endogenous p80 coilin. Time-lapse recordings on 63 nuclei of HeLaGFP-coilin cells showed that all Cajal bodies move within the nucleoplasm. Movements included translocations through the nucleoplasm, joining of bodies to form larger structures, and separation of smaller bodies from larger Cajal bodies. Also, we observed Cajal bodies moving to and from nucleoli. The data suggest that there may be at least two classes of Cajal bodies that differ in their size, antigen composition, and dynamic behavior. The smaller size class shows more frequent and faster rates of movement, up to 0.9 μm/min. The GFP-coilin protein is dynamically associated with Cajal bodies as shown by changes in their fluorescence intensity over time. This study reveals an unexpectedly high level of movement and interactions of nuclear bodies in human cells and suggests that these movements may be driven, at least in part, by regulated mechanisms.

Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 909-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enid Yi Ni Lam ◽  
Christopher J. Hall ◽  
Philip S. Crosier ◽  
Kathryn E. Crosier ◽  
Maria Vega Flores

Abstract Blood cells of an adult vertebrate are continuously generated by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that originate during embryonic life within the aorta-gonad-mesonephros region. There is now compelling in vivo evidence that HSCs are generated from aortic endothelial cells and that this process is critically regulated by the transcription factor Runx1. By time-lapse microscopy of Runx1-enhanced green fluorescent protein transgenic zebrafish embryos, we were able to capture a subset of cells within the ventral endothelium of the dorsal aorta, as they acquire hemogenic properties and directly emerge as presumptive HSCs. These nascent hematopoietic cells assume a rounded morphology, transiently occupy the subaortic space, and eventually enter the circulation via the caudal vein. Cell tracing showed that these cells subsequently populated the sites of definitive hematopoiesis (thymus and kidney), consistent with an HSC identity. HSC numbers depended on activity of the transcription factor Runx1, on blood flow, and on proper development of the dorsal aorta (features in common with mammals). This study captures the earliest events of the transition of endothelial cells to a hemogenic endothelium and demonstrates that embryonic hematopoietic progenitors directly differentiate from endothelial cells within a living organism.


2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 4622-4632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmina Bauer ◽  
Philipp Knechtle ◽  
Jürgen Wendland ◽  
Hanspeter Helfer ◽  
Peter Philippsen

Characteristic features of morphogenesis in filamentous fungi are sustained polar growth at tips of hyphae and frequent initiation of novel growth sites (branches) along the extending hyphae. We have begun to study regulation of this process on the molecular level by using the model fungus Ashbya gossypii. We found that the A. gossypii Ras-like GTPase Rsr1p/Bud1p localizes to the tip region and that it is involved in apical polarization of the actin cytoskeleton, a determinant of growth direction. In the absence of RSR1/BUD1, hyphal growth was severely slowed down due to frequent phases of pausing of growth at the hyphal tip. During pausing events a hyphal tip marker, encoded by the polarisome component AgSPA2, disappeared from the tip as was shown by in vivo time-lapse fluorescence microscopy of green fluorescent protein-labeled AgSpa2p. Reoccurrence of AgSpa2p was required for the resumption of hyphal growth. In the Agrsr1/bud1Δ deletion mutant, resumption of growth occurred at the hyphal tip in a frequently uncoordinated manner to the previous axis of polarity. Additionally, hyphal filaments in the mutant developed aberrant branching sites by mislocalizing AgSpa2p thus distorting hyphal morphology. These results define AgRsr1p/Bud1p as a key regulator of hyphal growth guidance.


2001 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Heun ◽  
Thierry Laroche ◽  
M.K. Raghuraman ◽  
Susan M. Gasser

We have analyzed the subnuclear position of early- and late-firing origins of DNA replication in intact yeast cells using fluorescence in situ hybridization and green fluorescent protein (GFP)–tagged chromosomal domains. In both cases, origin position was determined with respect to the nuclear envelope, as identified by nuclear pore staining or a NUP49-GFP fusion protein. We find that in G1 phase nontelomeric late-firing origins are enriched in a zone immediately adjacent to the nuclear envelope, although this localization does not necessarily persist in S phase. In contrast, early firing origins are randomly localized within the nucleus throughout the cell cycle. If a late-firing telomere-proximal origin is excised from its chromosomal context in G1 phase, it remains late-firing but moves rapidly away from the telomere with which it was associated, suggesting that the positioning of yeast chromosomal domains is highly dynamic. This is confirmed by time-lapse microscopy of GFP-tagged origins in vivo. We propose that sequences flanking late-firing origins help target them to the periphery of the G1-phase nucleus, where a modified chromatin structure can be established. The modified chromatin structure, which would in turn retard origin firing, is both autonomous and mobile within the nucleus.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 719-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Faust ◽  
Florencio Varas ◽  
Louise M. Kelly ◽  
Susanne Heck ◽  
Thomas Graf

Abstract Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells have been studied extensively, but the events that occur during their differentiation remain largely uncharted. To develop a system that allows the differentiation of cultured multipotent progenitors by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, myelomonocytic cells were labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in vivo. This was achieved by knocking the enhanced GFP (EGFP) gene into the murine lysozyme M (lys) locus and using a targeting vector, which contains a neomycin resistant (neo) gene flanked by LoxP sites and “splinked” ends, to increase the frequency of homologous recombination. Analysis of the blood and bone marrow of thelys-EGFP mice revealed that most myelomonocytic cells, especially mature neutrophil granulocytes, were fluorescence-positive, while cells from other lineages were not. Removal of the neogene through breeding of the mice with the Cre-deleter strain led to an increased fluorescence intensity. Mice with an inactivation of both copies of the lys gene developed normally and were fertile.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 719-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Faust ◽  
Florencio Varas ◽  
Louise M. Kelly ◽  
Susanne Heck ◽  
Thomas Graf

Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells have been studied extensively, but the events that occur during their differentiation remain largely uncharted. To develop a system that allows the differentiation of cultured multipotent progenitors by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, myelomonocytic cells were labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in vivo. This was achieved by knocking the enhanced GFP (EGFP) gene into the murine lysozyme M (lys) locus and using a targeting vector, which contains a neomycin resistant (neo) gene flanked by LoxP sites and “splinked” ends, to increase the frequency of homologous recombination. Analysis of the blood and bone marrow of thelys-EGFP mice revealed that most myelomonocytic cells, especially mature neutrophil granulocytes, were fluorescence-positive, while cells from other lineages were not. Removal of the neogene through breeding of the mice with the Cre-deleter strain led to an increased fluorescence intensity. Mice with an inactivation of both copies of the lys gene developed normally and were fertile.


1996 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
R D Shelby ◽  
K M Hahn ◽  
K F Sullivan

We have constructed a fluorescent alpha-satellite DNA-binding protein to explore the motile and mechanical properties of human centromeres. A fusion protein consisting of human CENP-B coupled to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) of A. victoria specifically targets to centromeres when expressed in human cells. Morphometric analysis revealed that the alpha-satellite DNA domain bound by CENPB-GFP becomes elongated in mitosis in a microtubule-dependent fashion. Time lapse confocal microscopy in live mitotic cells revealed apparent elastic deformations of the central domain of the centromere that occurred during metaphase chromosome oscillations. These observations demonstrate that the interior region of the centromere behaves as an elastic element that could play a role in the mechanoregulatory mechanisms recently identified at centromeres. Fluorescent labeling of centromeres revealed that they disperse throughout the nucleus in a nearly isometric expansion during chromosome decondensation in telophase and early G1. During interphase, centromeres were primarily stationary, although motility of individual or small groups of centromeres was occasionally observed at very slow rates of 7-10 microns/h.


Author(s):  
Arapat Rustamovna Bagavova ◽  
◽  
Natal’ya S. Velichko ◽  
Timofey E. Pylayev ◽  
Yuliya P. Fedonenko ◽  
...  

The Herbaspirillum lusitanum P6-12 strain containing the vector plasmid pJN105TurboGFP, which encodes the synthesis of the green fluorescent protein GFP, and which has resistance to the antibiotic gentamicin, was obtained by electroporation. The constructed strain of H. lusitanum P6-12 in cultural, morphological and biochemical properties did not differ from the original typical natural strain of H. lusitanum P6-12. On solid growth media, the recombinant strain formed yellow-green colonies, fluorescent under UV irradiation. Upon inoculation with the resulting culture of plant objects, a green glow of the marked H. lusitanum P6-12 cells, actively colonizing the internal tissues of the host plant, was observed. The created strain can be used as a model strain for studying the patterns and characteristics of the behaviour of organisms in integrated systems, including for tracking bacterial cells during interaction with plants, assessing their survival, competitiveness, etc.


1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (23) ◽  
pp. 4243-4255 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Faire ◽  
C.M. Waterman-Storer ◽  
D. Gruber ◽  
D. Masson ◽  
E.D. Salmon ◽  
...  

Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) have been hypothesized to regulate microtubule dynamics and/or functions. To test hypotheses concerning E-MAP-115 (ensconsin) function, we prepared stable cell lines expressing conjugates in which the full-length MAP (Ensc) or its microtubule-binding domain (EMTB) was conjugated to one or more green fluorescent protein (GFP) molecules. Because both distribution and microtubule-binding properties of GFP-Ensc, GFP-EMTB, and 2x, 3x, or 4xGFP-EMTB chimeras all appeared to be identical to those of endogenous E-MAP-115 (ensconsin), we used the 2xGFP-EMTB molecule as a reporter for the behavior and microtubule-binding function of endogenous MAP. Dual wavelength time-lapse fluorescence imaging of 2xGFP-EMTB in cells microinjected with labeled tubulin revealed that this GFP-MAP chimera associated with the lattice of all microtubules immediately upon polymerization and dissociated concomitant with depolymerization, suggesting that dynamics of MAP:microtubule interactions were at least as rapid as tubulin:microtubule dynamics in the polymerization reaction. Presence of both GFP-EMTB chimeras and endogenous E-MAP-115 (ensconsin) along apparently all cellular microtubules at all cell cycle stages suggested that the MAP might function in modulating stability or dynamics of microtubules, a capability shown previously in transiently transfected cells. Although cells with extremely high expression levels of GFP-EMTB chimera exhibited stabilized microtubules, cells expressing four to ten times the physiological level of endogenous MAP exhibited microtubule dynamics indistinguishable from those of untransfected cells. This result shows that E-MAP-115 (ensconsin) is unlikely to function as a microtubule stabilizer in vivo. Instead, this MAP most likely serves to modulate microtubule functions or interactions with other cytoskeletal elements.


2000 ◽  
Vol 151 (3) ◽  
pp. 653-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Snaar ◽  
Karien Wiesmeijer ◽  
Aart G. Jochemsen ◽  
Hans J. Tanke ◽  
Roeland W. Dirks

Cajal bodies (CBs) are subnuclear organelles that contain components of a number of distinct pathways in RNA transcription and RNA processing. CBs have been linked to other subnuclear organelles such as nucleoli, but the reason for the presence of nucleolar proteins such as fibrillarin in CBs remains uncertain. Here, we use full-length fibrillarin and truncated fibrillarin mutants fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) to demonstrate that specific structural domains of fibrillarin are required for correct intranuclear localization of fibrillarin to nucleoli and CBs. The second spacer domain and carboxy terminal alpha-helix domain in particular appear to target fibrillarin, respectively, to the nucleolar transcription centers and CBs. The presence of the RNP domain seems to be a prerequisite for correct targeting of fibrillarin. Time-lapse confocal microscopy of human cells that stably express fibrillarin-GFP shows that CBs fuse and split, albeit at low frequencies. Recovered fluorescence of fibrillarin-GFP in nucleoli and CBs after photobleaching indicates that it is highly mobile in both organelles (estimated diffusion constant ∼0.02 μm2 s−1), and has a significantly larger mobile fraction in CBs than in nucleoli.


1999 ◽  
Vol 112 (24) ◽  
pp. 4521-4534 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Windoffer ◽  
R.E. Leube

To monitor the desmosome-anchored cytokeratin network in living cells fusion protein HK13-EGFP consisting of human cytokeratin 13 and the enhanced green fluorescent protein was stably expressed in vulvar carcinoma-derived A-431 cells. It is shown for A-431 subclone AK13-1 that HK13-EGFP emits strong fluorescence in fixed and living cells, being part of an extended cytoplasmic intermediate filament network that is indistinguishable from that of parent A-431 cells. Biochemical, immunological and ultrastructural analyses demonstrate that HK13-EGFP behaves identically to the endogenous cytokeratin 13 and is therefore a reliable in vivo tag for this polypeptide and the structures formed by it. Time-lapse fluorescence microscopy reveals that the cytokeratin 13-containing network is in constant motion, resulting in continuous restructuring occurring in single and migratory cells, as well as in desmosome-anchored cells. Two major types of movement are distinguished: (i) oscillations of mostly long filaments, and (ii) an inward-directed flow of fluorescence originating as diffuse material at the cell periphery and moving in the form of dots and thin filaments toward the deeper cytoplasm where it coalesces with other filaments and filament bundles. Both movements are energy dependent and can be inhibited by nocodazole, but not by cytochalasin D. Finally, disassembly and reformation of cytokeratin filament networks are documented in dividing cells revealing distinct and rapidly occurring stages of cytokeratin organisation and distribution.


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