scholarly journals Membrane events involved in myoblast fusion.

1979 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Kalderon ◽  
N B Gilula
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Myoblast Fusion ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Membrane Domains ◽  
Vesicle Membrane ◽  
Cytoplasmic Vesicles ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Close Proximity

Myoblast fusion has been studied in cultures of chick embryonic muscle utilizing ultrastructural techniques. The multinucleated muscle cells (myotubes) are generated by the fusion of two plasma membranes from adjacent cells, apparently by forming a single bilayer that is particle-free in freeze-fracture replicas. This single bilayer subsequently collapses, and cytoplasmic continuity is established between the cells. The fusion between the two plasma membranes appears to take place primarily within particle-free domains (probably phospholipid enriched), and cytoplasmic unilamellar, particle-free vesicles are occasionally associated with these regions. These vesicles structurally resemble phospholipid vesicles (liposomes). They are present in normal myoblasts, but they are absent in certain fusion-arrested myoblast popluations, such as those treated with either 5-bromo-deoxyuridine (BUdR), cycloheximide (CHX), or pospholipase C (PLC). The unilamellar, particle-free vesicles are present in close proximity to the plasma membranes, and physical contact is observed frequently between the vesicle membrane and the plasma membrane. The regions of vesicle membrane-plasma membrane interaction are characteristically free of intramembrane particles. A model for myoblast fusion is presented that is based onan interpretation of these observations. This model suggests that the cytoplasmic vesicles initiate the generation of particle-depleted membrane domains, both being essential components in the fusion process.

scholarly journals Thrombocytopoiesis--analysis by membrane tracer and freeze-fracture studies on fresh human and cultured mouse megakaryocytes.

1984 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 390-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Zucker-Franklin ◽  
S Petursson
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Precursor Cell ◽  
Membrane Domains ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Energy Dependent ◽  
First Time ◽  
Later Phase ◽  
Peripheral Cytoplasm

The origin of platelets (Pt) from megakaryocytes (MK) is beyond question, but the mechanism whereby Pts are released from the precursor cell is still debated. A widely-held theory claims that the MK plasma membrane invaginates to form demarcation membranes (DMS), which delineate Pt territories. Accordingly, Pts would be derived mostly from the periphery of the MK, and the MK and Pt plasma membranes would have to be virtually identical. Since, on morphologic grounds, this theory is untenable, several aspects of thrombocytopoiesis were reexamined with the help of membrane tracer and freeze-fracture analyses of freshly-collected human and cultured mouse MK. To our surprise, freeze-cleavage of the MK plasma membrane revealed that the vast majority of intramembranous particles (IMP) remained associated with the protoplasmic leaflet (P face), whereas the partition coefficient of IMPs of the platelet membrane was the reverse. This is the first time that any difference between MK and Pt membranes has been determined. Replicas of freeze-fractured MK that were in the process of thrombocytopoiesis revealed an additional novel phenomenon, i.e., numerous areas of membrane discontinuity that appeared to be related to Pt discharge. When such areas were small, the IMP were lined up along the margin of the crevice. At a later phase, a labyrinth of fenestrations was observed. Thin sections of MK at various stages of differentiation showed that Pt territories were fully demarcated before connections of the DMS with the surface could be found. Therefore, the Pt envelope is probably not derived from invaginations of the MK plasma membrane. When living, MK were incubated with cationic ferritin or peroxidase at 37 degrees C, the tracers entered into the DMS but did not delineate all membranes with which the DMS was in continuity, suggesting the existence of distinctive membrane domains. Interiorization of tracer was not energy-dependent, but arrested at low temperatures. At 4 degrees C the DMS remained empty, unless there was evidence that Pts had been released. In such instances, the tracers outlined infoldings of peripheral cytoplasm that was devoid of organelles. Thus, the majority of Pts seem to originate from the interior of the MK, and the surface membranes of the two cells differ in origin and structure. The observations do not only throw new light on the process of thrombocytopoiesis, but also strengthen the possibility that MKs and Pts may be subject to different stimuli.

scholarly journals Differential localization of Acanthamoeba myosin I isoforms.

1992 ◽  
Vol 119 (5) ◽  
pp. 1193-1203 ◽  
Author(s):  
I C Baines ◽  
H Brzeska ◽  
E D Korn
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Contractile Vacuole ◽  
Membrane Domains ◽  
Cytoplasmic Vesicle ◽  
Large Vacuole ◽  
Anionic Phospholipids ◽  
Myosin I ◽  
Cytoplasmic Vesicles ◽  
Phagocytic Cups

Acanthamoeba myosins IA and IB were localized by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy in vegetative and phagocytosing cells and the total cell contents of myosins IA, IB, and IC were quantified by immunoprecipitation. The quantitative distributions of the three myosin I isoforms were then calculated from these data and the previously determined localization of myosin IC. Myosin IA occurs almost exclusively in the cytoplasm, where it accounts for approximately 50% of the total myosin I, in the cortex beneath phagocytic cups and in association with small cytoplasmic vesicles. Myosin IB is the predominant isoform associated with the plasma membrane, large vacuole membranes and phagocytic membranes and accounts for almost half of the total myosin I in the cytoplasm. Myosin IC accounts for a significant fraction of the total myosin I associated with the plasma membrane and large vacuole membranes and is the only myosin I isoform associated with the contractile vacuole membrane. These data suggest that myosin IA may function in cytoplasmic vesicle transport and myosin I-mediated cortical contraction, myosin IB in pseudopod extension and phagocytosis, and myosin IC in contractile vacuole function. In addition, endogenous and exogenously added myosins IA and IB appeared to be associated with the cytoplasmic surface of different subpopulations of purified plasma membranes implying that the different myosin I isoforms are targeted to specific membrane domains through a mechanism that involves more than the affinity of the myosins for anionic phospholipids.

scholarly journals Freeze-fracture identification of sterol-digitonin complexes in cell and liposome membranes.

1978 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 577-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
P M Elias ◽  
J Goerke ◽  
D S Friend ◽  
B E Brown
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Lipid Vesicles ◽  
Cholesterol Content ◽  
Erythrocyte Membranes ◽  
Membrane Domains ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Multilamellar Liposomes ◽  
Fracture Identification

To advance our understanding of the organization of cholesterol within cell membranes, we used digitonin in freeze-fracture investigations of model lipid vesicles and tissues. Cholesterol suspensions or multilamellar liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine with and without cholesterol were exposed to digitonin. Freeze-fracture replicas of those multilamellar liposomes containing cholesterol displayed either 50--60-nm wide intramembrane corrugations or extramembrane tubular complexes. Comparable intramembrane hemitubular scallops and extra-cellular free tubular complexes were observed in thin sections. Exposure of sperm, erythrocytes (whole and ghosts), and intact tissues (skin, liver, adrenal gland, epididymis) to digitonin produced the same types of intra- and extramembrane complexes or furrows as were formed in liposomes. The plasma membrane of guinea pig serum tail had two unfurrowed regions: the annulus and the zipper. Incubating erythrocyte membranes with digitonin resulted in rapid displacement of cholesterol, accompanied by intramembrane particle clustering and membrane faceting, a feature which we did not see in the intact epithelia studied. In freeze-fractured epithelia, we found that plasma membranes, lysosomes, and some vesicular organelles commonly furrowed, but that mitochondrial membranes and nuclear envelopes were generally spared, correlating well with their known cholesterol content. Finally, plasma membrane corrugations approached but did not impinge on either gap or tight junctions, or on coated vesicles. We conclude that freeze-fracture of membranes exposed to digitonin: (a) reveals distinctive cholesterol-digitonin structural complexes; (b) distinguishes cholesterol-rich and -poor organelle membranes; and (c) demonstrates membrane domains rich or poor in cholesterol.

Membrane microdomains: lessons from microscopy

1995 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 776-777
Author(s):  
J.M. Robinson ◽  
J.M Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Imaging Modalities ◽  
Membrane Microdomains ◽  
Membrane Domains ◽  
Lateral Heterogeneity ◽  
Functional Importance

Specialized regions of plasma membranes displaying lateral heterogeneity are the focus of this Symposium. Specialized membrane domains are known for certain cell types such as differentiated epithelial cells where lateral heterogeneity in lipids and proteins exists between the apical and basolateral portions of the plasma membrane. Lateral heterogeneity and the presence of microdomains in membranes that are uniform in appearance have been more difficult to establish. Nonetheless a number of studies have provided evidence for membrane microdomains and indicated a functional importance for these structures.This symposium will focus on the use of various imaging modalities and related approaches to define membrane microdomains in a number of cell types. The importance of existing as well as emerging imaging technologies for use in the elucidation of membrane microdomains will be highlighted. The organization of membrane microdomains in terms of dimensions and spatial distribution is of considerable interest and will be addressed in this Symposium.

scholarly journals Surface membrane vesicles from mononuclear cells stimulate erythroid stem cells to proliferate in culture

Blood ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 583-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Dainiak ◽  
CM Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Surface Membrane ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Freeze Fracture Electron Microscopy

Abstract In order to examine the contribution of cell surface materials to erythroid burst-promoting activity (BPA), we separated media conditioned by a variety of human cell types into pellets and supernatants by centrifugation. When added to serum-restricted cultures of nonadherent human marrow cells, pellets contained about half of the total stimulatory activity. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy of the pellets revealed the presence of unilamellar membrane vesicles ranging from 0.10 to 0.40 microM in diameter. The amount of BPA in culture increased with added vesicle concentration in a saturable fashion. Preparation of leukocyte conditioned medium (LCM) from 125I-wheat germ agglutinin labeled cells and studies comparing the glycoprotein composition of vesicles with that of leukocyte plasma membranes suggest that LCM-derived vesicles are of plasma membrane origin. Moreover, partially purified leukocyte plasma membrane preparations also contained BPA. While disruption of vesicles by freezing/thawing and hypotonic lysis did not alter BPA, heat, trypsin, or pronase treatment removed greater than 65% of BPA, implying that vesicle surface rather than intravesicular molecules express BPA. Results of BPA assays performed in two-layer clots indicated that proximity to target cells is required for vesicle BPA expression. We conclude that membrane vesicles spontaneously shed from cell surfaces may be important regulators of erythroid burst proliferation in vitro.

scholarly journals Endocytosis of synaptic vesicle membrane at the frog neuromuscular junction.

1984 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 685-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
T M Miller ◽  
J E Heuser
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Thin Section ◽  
Nerve Terminal ◽  
Motor Nerve ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Frog Neuromuscular Junction ◽  
Vesicle Membrane ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Active Zones

Frog nerve-muscle preparations were quick-frozen at various times after a single electrical stimulus in the presence of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), after which motor nerve terminals were visualized by freeze-fracture. Previous studies have shown that such stimulation causes prompt discharge of 3,000-6,000 synaptic vesicles from each nerve terminal and, as a result, adds a large amount of synaptic vesicle membrane to its plasmalemma. In the current experiments, we sought to visualize the endocytic retrieval of this vesicle membrane back into the terminal, during the interval between 1 s and 2 min after stimulation. Two distinct types of endocytosis were observed. The first appeared to be rapid and nonselective. Within the first few seconds after stimulation, relatively large vacuoles (approximately 0.1 micron) pinched off from the plasma membrane, both near to and far away from the active zones. Previous thin-section studies have shown that such vacuoles are not coated with clathrin at any stage during their formation. The second endocytic process was slower and appeared to be selective, because it internalized large intramembrane particles. This process was manifest first by the formation of relatively small (approximately 0.05 micron) indentations in the plasma membrane, which occurred everywhere except at the active zones. These indentations first appeared at 1 s, reached a peak abundance of 5.5/micron2 by 30 s after the stimulus, and disappeared almost completely by 90 s. Previous thin-section studies indicate that these indentations correspond to clathrin-coated pits. Their total abundance is comparable with the number of vesicles that were discharged initially. These endocytic structures could be classified into four intermediate forms, whose relative abundance over time suggests that, at this type of nerve terminal, endocytosis of coated vesicles has the following characteristics: (a) the single endocytotic event is short lived relative to the time scale of two minutes; (b) earlier forms last longer than later forms; and (c) a single event spends a smaller portion of its lifetime in the flat configuration soon after the stimulus than it does later on.

scholarly journals Cytochemical evidence for the presence of phospholipids in epithelial tight junction strands.

1993 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 649-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
F W Kan
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Tight Junction ◽  
Phospholipase A2 ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Membrane Lipids ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Fracture Face ◽  
Gold Particles ◽  
Pancreatic Cells ◽  
Specific Association

Previous freeze-fracture experiments using either glutaraldehyde-fixed and cryoprotected specimens or unfixed rapid-frozen samples led to the proposal that cylindrical strands of the tight junction (TJ) observed in freeze-fracture preparations are inverted cylindrical micelles made up of membrane lipids and, possibly, membrane proteins. However, no one has yet been able to directly label the structural fibrils of the TJ. To test the hypothesis that TJ strands observed on freeze-fracture preparations are composed at least partially of lipids, we have combined the phospholipase A2-gold and the fracture-label techniques for localization of phospholipids. Phospholipase A2, purified from bee venom, was adsorbed on gold particles and used for specific labeling of its substrate. Phospholipase A2-colloidal gold (PLA2-CG) complex was applied to freeze-fractured preparations of rat exocrine pancreatic cells and testicular Sertoli cells, both of which are known to have extensive TJ complexes on their plasma membranes. Fracture-label replicas of exocrine pancreatic cells revealed specific association of gold particles with TJ fibrils on the protoplasmic fracture-face of the plasma membrane. The majority of these gold particles were observed either directly on the top of the TJ fibrils or adjacent to these cylindrical structures. A high density of PLA2-CG labeling was also observed over the complementary exoplasmic fracture-face of the TJ complex. This intimate association of PLA2-CG labeling with the TJ is particularly evident in the Sertoli cell plasma membrane, where rows of gold particles were observed to be superimposed on parallel arrays of cylindrical strands of the TJ complex. The present findings provide direct cytochemical evidence to support the hypothesis that cylindrical TJ strands observed in freeze-fracture preparations contain phospholipids.

scholarly journals The Fine Structure of the Rod-Bipolar Cell Synapse in the Retina of the Albino Rat

1958 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron J. Ladman
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Fine Structure ◽  
Bipolar Cell ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Lower Pole ◽  
Albino Rat ◽  
Cytoplasmic Vesicles ◽  
Thin Lamella ◽  
Cell Synapse

The fine structure of the rod-bipolar synapse is described and illustrated. Each rod spherule possesses a large, single, oval or elongate mitochondrion approximately 0.5 x 2.0 microns. Surrounding the mitochondrion are elements of agranular endoplasmic reticulum. The bipolar dendrite projects into the lower pole of the spherule and usually terminates in two lobes separated by a cleft. The plasma membranes appear dense and thicker in the region of the synapse. In the rod spherule cytoplasm, contiguous with the plasma membrane is a dense, slightly concave arciform structure, the rod arciform density, extending from the base of the bipolar bifid process through the cleft to an equivalent point on the opposite side. Also within the spherule, and external (towards the sclera) to the rod arciform density, is a parallel, dense, thin lamella, the rod synaptic lamella. This is approximately 25 mµ in thickness and 400 mµ in width at its widest extent. This halfmoon-shaped plate straddles the cleft between the two lobes of the bipolar process. The lamella appears to consist of short regular rodlets or cylinders 5 to 7 mµ in diameter, oriented with their long axes perpendicular to the plane of the lamella. Minute cytoplasmic vesicles found in the cytoplasm of both the rod spherule and the bipolar terminal are most abundant near the rod synaptic lamella.

scholarly journals Anchorage-dependent surface distribution and partition during freeze-fracture of viral transmembrane glycoproteins.

1990 ◽  
Vol 38 (10) ◽  
pp. 1421-1426 ◽  
Author(s):  
M R Torrisi ◽  
A Pavan ◽  
L V Lotti ◽  
G Migliaccio ◽  
M C Pascale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Sindbis Virus ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Viral Proteins ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Surface Distribution ◽  
Transfected Cells ◽  
Cytosolic Side ◽  
Infected Cells

We have compared in the same cell type the surface distribution and partition in freeze-fractured plasma membranes of Sindbis virus glycoproteins in three different situations: (i) in permanently transformed cells that express the glycoproteins as the only viral product; (ii) in cells in which prebound viruses were forced to fuse with the plasma membrane by low pH treatment; (iii) in virus-infected cells. We report here that the viral proteins expressed on the surface of transfected cells show a uniform and unclustered distribution; conversely, in Sindbis virus-infected cells they appear clustered, regionally distributed, and always associated with budding viruses (i.e., interacting with the nucleocapsid on the cytosolic side of the membrane). Furthermore, the viral proteins expressed on transfected cells or implanted by low pH-mediated fusion partition during freeze-fracture with the exoplasmic faces of the cell plasma membranes, whereas an opposite partition is observed in infected cells. These results strongly suggest that in infected cells the clustering and the partition with the protoplasmic faces of the plasma membrane depend only on the strong "anchorage" of the glycoproteins to the nucleocapsid.

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