scholarly journals Ultrastructural differences during embryonic cell death in normal and peripherally deprived ciliary ganglia.

1976 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Pilar ◽  
L Landmesser

Normally occurring neuron death and that brought about by prior removal of the peripheral target organ was studied ultrastructurally in embryonic chick ciliary ganglion in order to better understand the mechanism of cell death in this system. Before the period of cell death, all neurons in the normal ganglion developed a well-organized rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) which coincided with peripheral synapse formation. None of the peripherally deprived neurons underwent this change, suggesting that some interaction with the periphery, possibly synapse formation, triggered them into the secretory state. Cell death in peripherally deprived neurons was signalled by nuclear changes followed by freeing of ribosomes from polysomes and RER and presumably cessation of protein synthesis. In contrast, normal cell death was brought about by dilation of the RER with eventual cytoplasmic disruption, nuclear changes appearing only secondarily. It is suggested that failure to form or maintain peripheral synapses could result in the accumulation of transmission-related proteins with consequent cisternal dilation, and eventual cell death.

1976 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Landmesser ◽  
G Pilar

In order to understand the significance of cell death in the formation of neural circuits, it is necessary to determine whether before cell death neurons have (a) sent axons to the periphery; (b) reached the proper target organs; and (c) have established synaptic connections with them. Axon counts demonstrated that, after sending out initial axons, ciliary cells sprouted numerous collaterals at the time of peripheral synapse formation. Subsequently, large numbers of axons were lost from the nerves, slightly later than the onset of ganglion cell death. A secondary loss of collaterals later occurred unaccompanied by cell death. Measurements of conduction velocity and axon diameters indicated that all ganglion cell axons grew down the proper pathways from the start, but it was not possible to determine whether all axons had actually formed proper synapses. This was ascertained, however, in the ganglion itself where preganglionic fibres were shown to synapse selectively with all ganglion cells before cell death. During this period, degenerating preganglionic synapses were observed on normal cells. It can therefore be inferred that at least some preganglionics established proper synapses before dying and that a single synapse is not sufficient to prevent cell death. In this system neither preganglionic nor ganglionic cell death seems designed to remove improper connections but rather to remove cells that have not competed effectively for a sufficient number of synapses, resulting in a quantitative matching up of neuron numbers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Jiang ◽  
Xiaoyu Zhang ◽  
Xuejun Gu ◽  
Xiaozhuang Li ◽  
Lei Shang

AbstractLong non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides but not translated into proteins. LncRNAs regulate gene expressions at multiple levels, such as chromatin, transcription, and post-transcription. Further, lncRNAs participate in various biological processes such as cell differentiation, cell cycle regulation, and maintenance of stem cell pluripotency. We have previously reported that lncRNAs are closely related to programmed cell death (PCD), which includes apoptosis, autophagy, necroptosis, and ferroptosis. Overexpression of lncRNA can suppress the extrinsic apoptosis pathway by downregulating of membrane receptors and protect tumor cells by inhibiting the expression of necroptosis-related proteins. Some lncRNAs can also act as competitive endogenous RNA to prevent oxidation, thereby inhibiting ferroptosis, while some are known to activate autophagy. The relationship between lncRNA and PCD has promising implications in clinical research, and reports have highlighted this relationship in various cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer and gastric cancer. This review systematically summarizes the advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms through which lncRNAs impact PCD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faith L. Anderson ◽  
Katharine M. von Herrmann ◽  
Angeline S. Andrew ◽  
Yuliya I. Kuras ◽  
Alison L. Young ◽  
...  

AbstractParkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms and loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. Inflammation and cell death are recognized aspects of PD suggesting that strategies to monitor and modify these processes may improve the management of the disease. Inflammasomes are pro-inflammatory intracellular pattern recognition complexes that couple these processes. The NLRP3 inflammasome responds to sterile triggers to initiate pro-inflammatory processes characterized by maturation of inflammatory cytokines, cytoplasmic membrane pore formation, vesicular shedding, and if unresolved, pyroptotic cell death. Histologic analysis of tissues from PD patients and individuals with nigral cell loss but no diagnosis of PD identified elevated expression of inflammasome-related proteins and activation-related “speck” formation in degenerating mesencephalic tissues compared with controls. Based on previous reports of circulating inflammasome proteins in patients suffering from heritable syndromes caused by hyper-activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, we evaluated PD patient plasma for evidence of inflammasome activity. Multiple circulating inflammasome proteins were detected almost exclusively in extracellular vesicles indicative of ongoing inflammasome activation and pyroptosis. Analysis of plasma obtained from a multi-center cohort identified elevated plasma-borne NLRP3 associated with PD status. Our findings are consistent with others indicating inflammasome activity in neurodegenerative disorders. Findings suggest mesencephalic inflammasome protein expression as a histopathologic marker of early-stage nigral degeneration and suggest plasma-borne inflammasome-related proteins as a potentially useful class of biomarkers for patient stratification and the detection and monitoring of inflammation in PD.


Author(s):  
Bazhena Bahatyrevich-Kharitonik ◽  
Rafael Medina-Guzman ◽  
Alicia Flores-Cortes ◽  
Marta García-Cruzado ◽  
Edel Kavanagh ◽  
...  

Cell death related (CDR) proteins are a diverse group of proteins whose original function was ascribed to apoptotic cell death signaling. Recently, descriptions of non-apoptotic functions for CDR proteins have increased. In this minireview, we comment on recent studies of CDR proteins outside the field of apoptosis in the CNS, encompassing areas such as the inflammasome and non-apoptotic cell death, cytoskeleton reorganization, synaptic plasticity, mitophagy, neurodegeneration and calcium signaling among others. Furthermore, we discuss the evolution of proteomic techniques used to predict caspase substrates that could potentially explain their non-apoptotic roles. Finally, we address new concepts in the field of non-apoptotic functions of CDR proteins that require further research such the effect of sexual dimorphism on non-apoptotic CDR protein function and the emergence of zymogen-specific caspase functions.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Peter Barwell

<p>The cell kinetics and morphological changes during late ventral body wall development of the embryonic chick were studied, particularly midline degeneration and the medial migration of lateral tissues. An histological examination of these events was undertaken, along with autoradiography to determine the duration of the cell cycle, followed by teratological studies involving the prevention of differentiative events in the cell death pathway, using BrDU and Janus B Green as agents. The effects of cell cycle blockade on rates of cell death were also examined, as was the tissues ability to express differentiative features in vitro. Ventral body wall (VBW) cell death was classified as apoptosis, and was involved in two distinct events. Medial migration of lateral tissues began at day 5 of development, with widespread VBW apoptosis being seen by day 6, limited to the original mesoderm of the region. A later precise line of apoptosis (the VBL), involving both ectodermal cells of the midline ectodermal ruffle and the underlying mesodermal cells, was observed at day 7, spreading in a rostral to caudal fashion down the embryo, appearing as the migratory lateral tissues fused in the midline body wall. Increases in the amount of cell death are matched by decreases in the MI, such that at its peak (day 7.5 of development) the cell death rate is sufficiently greater than both the cell proliferation and immigration rates that a state of negative tissue growth ensues. The histological half-life of the apoptotic bodies approximates 3.8 hours. The ability to undergo apoptosis at day 7 is dependent upon a differentiative event around day 4 of incubation, and involves signal mechanisms intrinsic to the VBW tissues. BrDU application was found to inhibit apoptotic differentiation, in contrast to Janus B Green, which had a more generalised teratogenic effect on the region as a whole. Tissue culturing experiments revealed that an ectodermal-mesodermal interaction is important in regulating the extent of mesodermal apoptosis, the ectoderm playing a maintenance role for the mesoderm. Dead cells derive from the cycling cell population, as shown by the occurrence of labelled dead cells after autoradiography, and by the prevention of apoptosis by a cell cycle blockade, and by the production of a semi-synchronised wave of apoptoses after release of this blockade. These cell blockading results further suggest that entry into the apoptotic death program requires cells to be in a particular cell cycle stage, and it seems most likely that the decision to die was made in early G1. Tissue and cell growth rates, cell loss and death rates, cell birth rates and cell immigration rates were all determined for the VBW region throughout the time period studied.</p>


1995 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 779-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
R S Slack ◽  
I S Skerjanc ◽  
B Lach ◽  
J Craig ◽  
K Jardine ◽  
...  

The retinoblastoma (RB) protein is present at low levels in early mouse embryos and in pluripotent P19 embryonal carcinoma cells; however, the levels of RB rise dramatically in neuroectoderm formed both in embryos and in differentiating cultures of P19 cells. To investigate the effect of inactivating RB and related proteins p107 and p130, we transfected P19 cells with genes encoding mutated versions of the adenovirus E1A protein that bind RB and related proteins. When these E1A-expressing P19 cells were induced to differentiate into neuroectoderm, there was a striking rise in the expression of c-fos and extensive cell death. The ultrastructural and biochemical characteristics of the dying cells were indicative of apoptosis. The dying cells were those committed to the neural lineages because neurons and astrocytes were lost from differentiating cultures. Cell death was dependent on the ability of the E1A protein to bind RB and related proteins. Our results suggest that proteins of the RB family are essential for the development of the neural lineages and that the absence of functional RB activity triggers apoptosis of differentiating neuroectodermal cells.


Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 1165-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Blaschke ◽  
K. Staley ◽  
J. Chun

A key event in the development of the mammalian cerebral cortex is the generation of neuronal populations during embryonic life. Previous studies have revealed many details of cortical neuron development including cell birthdates, migration patterns and lineage relationships. Programmed cell death is a potentially important mechanism that could alter the numbers and types of developing cortical cells during these early embryonic phases. While programmed cell death has been documented in other parts of the embryonic central nervous system, its operation has not been previously reported in the embryonic cortex because of the lack of cell death markers and the difficulty in following the entire population of cortical cells. Here, we have investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of dying cells in the embryonic cortex using an in situ endlabelling technique called ‘ISEL+’ that identifies fragmented nuclear DNA in dying cells with increased sensitivity. The period encompassing murine cerebral cortical neurogenesis was examined, from embryonic days 10 through 18. Dying cells were rare at embryonic day 10, but by embryonic day 14, 70% of cortical cells were found to be dying. This number declined to 50% by embryonic day 18, and few dying cells were observed in the adult cerebral cortex. Surprisingly, while dying cells were observed throughout the cerebral cortical wall, the majority were found within zones of cell proliferation rather than in regions of postmitotic neurons. These observations suggest that multiple mechanisms may regulate programmed cell death in the developing cortex. Moreover, embryonic cell death could be an important factor enabling the selection of appropriate cortical cells before they complete their differentiation in postnatal life.


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