The Organization of the Cytoskeleton During Meiosis in Eggplant (Solanum Melongena (L.)): Microtubules and F-Actin are Both Necessary for Coordinated Meiotic Division

1989 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. TRAAS ◽  
S. BURGAIN ◽  
R. DUMAS DE VAULX

Address for reprints Because two division planes form at right angles, male meiosis in higher plants provides striking examples of both division control and spatial programming. To investigate these processes we have stained microtubules and actin filaments during male meiosis in the eggplant. Our results indicate the following. (1) That microtubules and their nucleation sites are involved in the establishment of polarity; this is supported by our observation that the drug CIPC affects spindle polarity.(2) That actin microfilaments are involved in spindle formation and integrity, but not in the establishment of polarity: cytochalasin B and D affect the organization of the spindle microtubules, but not their polarized distribution.(3) That microtubules radiating from the daughter nuclei at the cell poles during interkinesis probably establish the future division plane by concentrating actin in that plane (cf. the proposed role of asters in positioning the contractile ring in animal cells).(4) That this concentration of F-actin in the division plane may be involved in preparing the cytoplasm for cytokinesis and in memorizing the division plane (much as the preprophase band observed in polarized tissues does).(5) That phragmoplast formation is a two-step process. No phragmoplast forms after metaphase I, but a four-way phragmoplast forms after metaphase II, indicating that mitosis and cytokinesis are not obligatorily coupled. These studies demonstrate that actin and microtubules are jointly involved in the spatial coordination of the division process.

1990 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-295
Author(s):  
Y. MINEYUKI ◽  
B. A. PALEVITZ

The preprophase band (PPB) of microtubules (Mts), which appears in the G2 phase of the cell cycle in higher plants but disappears well before the end of karyokinesis, is implicated in the determination of the division plane because its location marks the site at which the phragmoplast/cell plate will fuse with the parental plasmalemma during cytokinesis. The PPB first appears as a rather wide array, which progressively narrows before or during prophase. Actin-containing microfilaments (Mfs) have recently been reported in the PPB, but the role of these elements in PPB organization and/or function remains unclear. The present study employed fluorescence and pharmacological methods in symmetrically and asymmetrically dividing epidermal cells of Allium to probe this problem. Our results show that PPBs in cells treated with 2–200μM cytochalasin D (CD) are still transversely aligned but remain two to three times wider than mature bands in control cells. Treatment for 0.5 h at 20 μM is sufficient to make the PPBs abnormally widel Premitotic nuclear migration in asymmetrically dividing cells is also inhibited by CD, as is the positioning of the mitotic apparatus and the new cell plate. The plate is still transverse, however. Band-like arrays of cortical Mfs become evident in most interphase cells by prophase. The band remains quite wide compared to the final dimensions of the Mt PPB, and clearly encompasses it. Levels of CD as high as 200μM decrease the number of cells with transverse actin bands, although a majority still retain them. Other F-actin arrays are disrupted by the drug. Thus, while CD does not inhibit the formation of an initial, broad, transverse PPB in most cells, it does prevent the narrowing process that defines the precise division site. The role of actin in this effect is discussed.


2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. XUE ◽  
H. HARTIKAINEN

Selenium (Se) is able to defend human and animal cells against UV(B) stress. Higher plants are generally considered not to require Se but to have a low tolerance to it. However, recently it has been demonstrated that Se is able to protect also plants against UV-induced oxidative stress and even to promote the growth of plants subjected to high-energy light. In the present study the effects of Se on antioxidative enzymes possibly associated with this synergistic effect were investigated. Ryegrass and lettuce were grown in soil supplemented with Se at 0, 0.1 or 1.0 mg kg-1 under normal light or subjected to UV episodes. Lipid peroxidation and the changes of antioxidative enzymes were measured at two growing stages. The positive synergistic effect of the lower Se dosage and UV was found to be at least partly associated with the antioxidative role of Se through increased glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) activity, whereas ascorbate peroxidase (APX) responded negatively to both factors. The contribution of the other enzymes studied seemed to be plant-specific: glutathione S-transferase (GST) increased in both ryegrass assays and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the first lettuce assay. At the higher addition level Se acted as a pro-oxidant and diminished fresh weight yields. UV irradiation alleviated the toxicity coincidently with increase of CAT in ryegrass and SOD in lettuce.;


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Martinez ◽  
Lindy A. Allsman ◽  
Kenneth A. Brakke ◽  
Christopher Hoyt ◽  
Jordan Hayes ◽  
...  

AbstractOne key aspect of cell division in multicellular organisms is the orientation of the division plane. Proper division plane establishment contributes to normal organization of the plant body. To determine the importance of cell geometry in division plane orientation, we designed a threedimensional probabilistic mathematical modeling approach to directly test the century-old hypothesis that cell divisions mimic “soap-film minima” or that daughter cells have equal volume and the resulting division plane is a local surface area minimum. Predicted division planes were compared to a plant microtubule array that marks the division site, the preprophase band (PPB). PPB location typically matched one of the predicted divisions. Predicted divisions offset from the PPB occurred when a neighboring cell wall or PPB was observed directly adjacent to the predicted division site, to avoid creating a potentially structurally unfavorable four-way junction. By comparing divisions of differently shaped plant and animal cells to divisions simulated in silico, we demonstrate the generality of this model to accurately predict in vivo division. This powerful model can be used to separate the contribution of geometry from mechanical stresses or developmental regulation in predicting division plane orientation.


Author(s):  
James Cronshaw ◽  
Jamison E. Gilder

Adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity has been shown to be associated with numerous physiological processes in both plants and animal cells. Biochemical studies have shown that in higher plants ATPase activity is high in cell wall preparations and is associated with the plasma membrane, nuclei, mitochondria, chloroplasts and lysosomes. However, there have been only a few ATPase localization studies of higher plants at the electron microscope level. Poux (1967) demonstrated ATPase activity associated with most cellular organelles in the protoderm cells of Cucumis roots. Hall (1971) has demonstrated ATPase activity in root tip cells of Zea mays. There was high surface activity largely associated with the plasma membrane and plasmodesmata. ATPase activity was also demonstrated in mitochondria, dictyosomes, endoplasmic reticulum and plastids.


Author(s):  
M.B. Braunfeld ◽  
M. Moritz ◽  
B.M. Alberts ◽  
J.W. Sedat ◽  
D.A. Agard

In animal cells, the centrosome functions as the primary microtubule organizing center (MTOC). As such the centrosome plays a vital role in determining a cell's shape, migration, and perhaps most importantly, its division. Despite the obvious importance of this organelle little is known about centrosomal regulation, duplication, or how it nucleates microtubules. Furthermore, no high resolution model for centrosomal structure exists.We have used automated electron tomography, and reconstruction techniques in an attempt to better understand the complex nature of the centrosome. Additionally we hope to identify nucleation sites for microtubule growth.Centrosomes were isolated from early Drosophila embryos. Briefly, after large organelles and debris from homogenized embryos were pelleted, the resulting supernatant was separated on a sucrose velocity gradient. Fractions were collected and assayed for centrosome-mediated microtubule -nucleating activity by incubating with fluorescently-labeled tubulin subunits. The resulting microtubule asters were then spun onto coverslips and viewed by fluorescence microscopy.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Wei HUANG ◽  
Shi-Bao ZHANG ◽  
Kun-Fang CAO

2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 2089-2098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seongok Kim ◽  
Hyelyeon Hwang ◽  
Kwang-Pyo Kim ◽  
Hyunjin Yoon ◽  
Dong-Hyun Kang ◽  
...  

Cronobacterspp. are opportunistic pathogens that cause neonatal meningitis and sepsis with high mortality in neonates. Despite the peril associated withCronobacterinfection, the mechanisms of pathogenesis are still being unraveled. Hfq, which is known as an RNA chaperone, participates in the interaction with bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) to regulate posttranscriptionally the expression of various genes. Recent studies have demonstrated that Hfq contributes to the pathogenesis of numerous species of bacteria, and its roles are varied between bacterial species. Here, we tried to elucidate the role of Hfq inC. sakazakiivirulence. In the absence ofhfq,C. sakazakiiwas highly attenuated in disseminationin vivo, showed defects in invasion (3-fold) into animal cells and survival (103-fold) within host cells, and exhibited low resistance to hydrogen peroxide (102-fold). Remarkably, the loss ofhfqled to hypermotility on soft agar, which is contrary to what has been observed in other pathogenic bacteria. The hyperflagellated bacteria were likely to be attributable to the increased transcription of genes associated with flagellar biosynthesis in a strain lackinghfq. Together, these data strongly suggest thathfqplays important roles in the virulence ofC. sakazakiiby participating in the regulation of multiple genes.


Chromosoma ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Stapleton ◽  
Suchita Das ◽  
Bruce D. McKee
Keyword(s):  

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