scholarly journals Subcellular Microanatomy by 3D Deconvolution Brightfield Microscopy: Method and Analysis Using Human Chromatin in the Interphase Nucleus

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Paul Joseph Tadrous

Anatomy has advanced using 3-dimensional (3D) studies at macroscopic (e.g., dissection, injection moulding of vessels, radiology) and microscopic (e.g., serial section reconstruction with light and electron microscopy) levels. This paper presents the first results in human cells of a new method of subcellular 3D brightfield microscopy. Unlike traditional 3D deconvolution and confocal techniques, this method is suitable for general application to brightfield microscopy. Unlike brightfield serial sectioning it has subcellular resolution. Results are presented of the 3D structure of chromatin in the interphase nucleus of two human cell types, hepatocyte and plasma cell. I show how the freedom to examine these structures in 3D allows greater morphological discrimination between and within cell types and the 3D structural basis for the classical “clock-face” motif of the plasma cell nucleus is revealed. Potential for further applications discussed.

Author(s):  
J. Jakana ◽  
M.F. Schmid ◽  
P. Matsudaira ◽  
W. Chiu

Actin is a protein found in all eukaryotic cells. In its polymerized form, the cells use it for motility, cytokinesis and for cytoskeletal support. An example of this latter class is the actin bundle in the acrosomal process from the Limulus sperm. The different functions actin performs seem to arise from its interaction with the actin binding proteins. A 3-dimensional structure of this macromolecular assembly is essential to provide a structural basis for understanding this interaction in relationship to its development and functions.


Author(s):  
Mohinder S. Jarial

The axolotl is a strictly aquatic salamander in which the larval external gills are retained throughout life. The external gills of the adult axolotl have been studied by light and electron microscopy for ultrastructural evidence of ionic transport. The thin epidermis of the gill filaments and gill stems is composed of 3 cell types: granular cells, the basal cells and a sparce population of intervening Leydig cells. The gill epidermis is devoid of muscles, and no mitotic figures were observed in any of its cells.The granular cells cover the gill surface as a continuous layer (Fig. 1, G) and contain secretory granules of different forms, located apically (Figs.1, 2, SG). Some granules are found intimately associated with the apical membrane while others fuse with it and release their contents onto the external surface (Fig. 3). The apical membranes of the granular cells exhibit microvilli which are covered by a PAS+ fuzzy coat, termed “glycocalyx” (Fig. 2, MV).


Author(s):  
S. Tai

Extensive cytological and histological research, correlated with physiological experimental analysis, have been done on the anterior pituitaries of many different vertebrates which have provided the knowledge to create the concept that specific cell types synthesize, store and release their specific hormones. These hormones are stored in or associated with granules. Nevertheless, there are still many doubts - that need further studies, specially on the ultrastructure and physiology of these endocrine cells during the process of synthesis, transport and secretion, whereas some new methods may provide the information about the intracellular structure and activity in detail.In the present work, ultrastructural study of the hormone-secretory cells of chicken pituitaries have been done by using TEM as well as HR-SEM, to correlate the informations obtained from 2-dimensional TEM micrography with the 3-dimensional SEM topographic images, which have a continous surface with larger depth of field that - offers the adventage to interpretate some intracellular structures which were not possible to see using TEM.


1999 ◽  
Vol 32 (1-4) ◽  
pp. 221-233
Author(s):  
I. G. Kamenin ◽  
R. M. Kadushnikov ◽  
V. M. Alievsky ◽  
D. M. Alievsky ◽  
S. V. Somina

This paper describes a 3D structure-imitation computer model of evolution of the powder compact during sinteringand recrystallization without nucleation. At the initial stages of the evolution processes (sintering until a mosaic structure of boundaries is formed) the model particles are spheres, and two-particle interaction laws control their evolution. During sintering the degree of mutual penetration of the particles increases, regions where spherical particles are wholly facetted by contacts with neighboring particles are formed and grow. These particles are described using the formalism of Voronoi radical polyhedra, and grain growth laws govern their evolution. The model predicts the time dependencies of the following structure parameters of the polyhedra: average polyhedron size and dispersion, total surface of the facets of the polyhedra and total lenght of the edges of the polyhedra.


1974 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-287
Author(s):  
J. G. LAFONTAINE ◽  
A. LORD

Radioautography under both light and electron microscopy was exploited to investigate the structural changes of the chromatin reticulum which characterizes the interphase nucleus of a number of plants. Allium porrum meristematic plant cells were used for this purpose. In this species, the telophase chromosomes uncoil into dense strands which, during the G1 period, gradually give rise to a coarse reticulum. There then follows an extensive unravelling of portions of these strands, and high-resolution radioautography reveals that labelling with tritiated thymidine predominantly occurs over zones of the nucleus consisting of diffuse fine fibrillar material. As the S-period progresses, a chromatin reticulum reappears throughout the nuclear cavity, the tortuous strands being approximately 0.25 µm in diameter. Most of the radioautographic grains still remain over the light nucleoplasmic areas but a number of these are now located on the outermost portion of the dense chromatin profiles. By the end of the S-period, the chromatin strands are slightly thicker (ca. 0.3 µm) and form a looser reticulum. Labelling has decreased noticeably in nuclei of that period, the radioautographic grains being grouped into clusters resting over more or less spherical regions of the chromatin reticulum. Judging from their localization at the surface of the nucleolus or close to the nuclear envelope, these structures correspond to chromocentres. The additional interesting finding that such nuclear structures appear much less compactly organized strongly suggests that chromocentres undergo important conformational modifications during duplication of their DNA.


2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 1492-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Lieber ◽  
Jan Fridén

Skeletal muscle contractures represent the permanent shortening of a muscle-tendon unit, resulting in loss of elasticity and, in extreme cases, joint deformation. They may result from cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, stroke, muscular dystrophy, and other neuromuscular disorders. Contractures are the prototypic and most severe clinical presentation of increased passive mechanical muscle force in humans, often requiring surgical correction. Intraoperative experiments demonstrate that high muscle passive force is associated with sarcomeres that are abnormally stretched, although otherwise normal, with fewer sarcomeres in series. Furthermore, changes in the amount and arrangement of collagen in the extracellular matrix also increase muscle stiffness. Structural light and electron microscopy studies demonstrate that large bundles of collagen, referred to as perimysial cables, may be responsible for this increased stiffness and are regulated by interaction of a number of cell types within the extracellular matrix. Loss of muscle satellite cells may be related to changes in both sarcomeres and extracellular matrix. Future studies are required to determine the underlying mechanism for changes in muscle satellite cells and their relationship (if any) to contracture. A more complete understanding of this mechanism may lead to effective nonsurgical treatments to relieve and even prevent muscle contractures.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (15) ◽  
pp. e41-e55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoiku Takaku ◽  
Daniela Malide ◽  
Jichun Chen ◽  
Rodrigo T. Calado ◽  
Sachiko Kajigaya ◽  
...  

AbstractIn many animals, blood cell production occurs in the bone marrow. Hematopoiesis is complex, requiring self-renewing and pluripotent stem cells, differentiated progenitor and precursor cells, and supportive stroma, adipose tissue, vascular structures, and extracellular matrix. Although imaging is a vital tool in hematology research, the 3-dimensional architecture of the bone marrow tissue in situ remains largely uncharacterized. The major hindrance to imaging the intact marrow is the surrounding bone structures are almost impossible to cut/image through. We have overcome these obstacles and describe a method whereby whole-mounts of bone marrow tissue were immunostained and imaged in 3 dimensions by confocal fluorescence and reflection microscopy. We have successfully mapped by multicolor immunofluorescence the localization pattern of as many as 4 cell features simultaneously over large tiled views and to depths of approximately 150 μm. Three-dimensional images can be assessed qualitatively and quantitatively to appreciate the distribution of cell types and their interrelationships, with minimal perturbations of the tissue. We demonstrate its application to normal mouse and human marrow, to murine models of marrow failure, and to patients with aplastic anemia, myeloid, and lymphoid cell malignancies. The technique should be generally adaptable for basic laboratory investigation and for clinical diagnosis of hematologic diseases.


eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Klumpe ◽  
Herman K H Fung ◽  
Sara K Goetz ◽  
Ievgeniia Zagoriy ◽  
Bernhard Hampoelz ◽  
...  

Lamella micromachining by focused ion beam milling at cryogenic temperature (cryo-FIB) has matured into a preparation method widely used for cellular cryo-electron tomography. Due to the limited ablation rates of low Ga+ ion beam currents required to maintain the structural integrity of vitreous specimens, common preparation protocols are time-consuming and labor intensive. The improved stability of new generation cryo-FIB instruments now enables automated operations. Here, we present an open-source software tool, SerialFIB, for creating automated and customizable cryo-FIB preparation protocols. The software encompasses a graphical user interface for easy execution of routine lamellae preparations, a scripting module compatible with available Python packages, and interfaces with 3-dimensional correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) tools. SerialFIB enables the streamlining of advanced cryo-FIB protocols such as multi-modal imaging, CLEM-guided lamella preparation and in situ lamella lift-out procedures. Our software therefore provides a foundation for further development of advanced cryogenic imaging and sample preparation protocols.


1996 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
pp. 1003-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
B H Keon ◽  
S Schäfer ◽  
C Kuhn ◽  
C Grund ◽  
W W Franke

Using a monoclonal antibody we have identified and cDNA-cloned a novel type of protein localized, by light and electron microscopy, to the plaque associated with the cytoplasmic face of the tight junction-containing zone (zonula occludens) of polar epithelial cells and of Sertoli cells of testis, but absent from the junctions of vascular endothelia. The approximately 3.7-kb mRNA encodes a polypeptide of 1142 amino acids (calculated molecular weight 126.5 kD, pI 6.25), for which the name "symplekin" (from Greek sigma upsilon mu pi lambda epsilon kappa epsilon iota, nu, to tie together, to weave, to be intertwined) is proposed. However, both the mRNA and the protein can also be detected in a wide range of cell types that do not form tight junctions or are even completely devoid of any stable cell contacts. Careful analyses have revealed that the protein occurs in all these diverse cells in the nucleoplasm, and only in those cells forming tight junctions is it recruited, partly but specifically, to the plaque structure of the zonula occludens. We discuss symplekin as a representative of a group of dual residence proteins which occur and probably function in the nucleus as well as in the plaques exclusive for either tight junctions, adherens junctions, or desmosomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (37) ◽  
pp. 22849-22857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basil J. Greber ◽  
Juan M. Perez-Bertoldi ◽  
Kif Lim ◽  
Anthony T. Iavarone ◽  
Daniel B. Toso ◽  
...  

The human CDK-activating kinase (CAK), a complex composed of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 7, cyclin H, and MAT1, is a critical regulator of transcription initiation and the cell cycle. It acts by phosphorylating the C-terminal heptapeptide repeat domain of the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) subunit RPB1, which is an important regulatory event in transcription initiation by Pol II, and it phosphorylates the regulatory T-loop of CDKs that control cell cycle progression. Here, we have determined the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the catalytic module of human CAK, revealing the structural basis of its assembly and providing insight into CDK7 activation in this context. The unique third component of the complex, MAT1, substantially extends the interaction interface between CDK7 and cyclin H, explaining its role as a CAK assembly factor, and it forms interactions with the CDK7 T-loop, which may contribute to enhancing CAK activity. We have also determined the structure of the CAK in complex with the covalently bound inhibitor THZ1 in order to provide insight into the binding of inhibitors at the CDK7 active site and to aid in the rational design of therapeutic compounds.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document