Variable pathways for developmental changes in composition and organization of microtubules in Physarum polycephalum

1990 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-393
Author(s):  
L. Solnica-Krezel ◽  
M. Diggins-Gilicinski ◽  
T.G. Burland ◽  
W.F. Dove
Keyword(s):  
Physarum Polycephalum ◽  
Microtubule Organizing Center ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Tubulin Isotypes ◽  
Cellular Events ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Cytoplasmic Microtubules ◽  
Beta 2 ◽  
Rare Cells ◽  
Microtubular Structures

The development of uninucleate amoebae into multinucleate plasmodia in myxomycetes is called the amoebal-plasmodial transition (APT). During the APT in Physarum polycephalum the ability to form flagellar axonemes is lost; the astral, open mitosis is replaced by the anastral, closed mitosis; and cytoskeletal microtubules disappear. These changes are accompanied by alterations in the repertoire of expressed tubulins. Using immunofluorescence microscopy we have studied the timing of loss and accumulation of developmentally regulated tubulin isotypes in relation to other cellular events during the APT. We specifically asked whether changes in the composition of microtubules are correlated with changes in their organization. The plasmodium-specific beta 2-tubulin can first be detected in microtubules of uninucleate cells after they become committed to plasmodium formation. However, rare cells are observed that exhibit beta 2-tubulin at earlier or only at later stages of development. Amoeba-specific acetylated alpha 3-tubulin disappears gradually during development. Individual cells differ in the timing of loss of this isotype: alpha 3-tubulin is present in the majority of uninucleate cells, in a fraction of binucleate and quadrinucleate cells, and is absent from larger multinucleate cells. Cytoplasmic microtubules in uninucleate cells are organized by a single microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) juxtaposed to the nucleus. Binucleate cells and quadrinucleate cells exhibit variable numbers of MTOCs. Cytoplasmic microtubules persist during the APT until the stage of plasmodia containing at least 100 nuclei. The lack of a strict correlation between the changes in tubulin composition and changes in organization of microtubular structures indicates that accumulation of beta 2-tubulin and disappearance of alpha 3-tubulin isotypes are not sufficient to bring about reorganization of microtubules during development. Individual cells in a developing population differ not only in the succession of accumulation and loss of developmentally regulated tubulins, but also in the sequences of other cellular changes occurring during the APT.

scholarly journals Ultrastructural immunocytochemical localization of calmodulin in cultured cells.

1983 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 445-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
M C Willingham ◽  
J Wehland ◽  
C B Klee ◽  
N D Richert ◽  
A V Rutherford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Performic Acid ◽  
Microtubule Organizing Center ◽  
Interphase Cells ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Late Telophase ◽  
Cytoplasmic Microtubules ◽  
Spindle Microtubules ◽  
And Function ◽  
Fibroblastic Cells

Using an antibody prepared against performic acid-treated calmodulin, we have localized calmodulin in cultured fibroblastic cells by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. In interphase cells, calmodulin was found to be diffusely distributed throughout the cytosol. An increased amount of calmodulin was found in the pericentriolar region of interphase cells. No significant aggregation of calmodulin was found in association with microfilaments, peripheral cytoplasmic microtubules or clathrin-coated structures. Calmodulin was present in moderate amounts in microvilli, ruffles, and zeiotic blebs of the cell surface. In motitic cells, calmodulin was found concentrated in the pericentriolar region, and appeared to concentrate along radiating spindle microtubules proximal to the centrioles. Redistribution of calmodulin was seen between early and late telophase, in which the pericentriolar pattern of calmodulin in early telophase shifted to an aggregation on the intercellular bridge, with a large part of the midbody portion of the bridge being devoid of calmodulin. These results show that calmodulin is distributed throughout the cytosol, but is markedly concentrated in the region of the microtubule organizing center in interphase cells, as well as in elements of the mitotic spindle apparatus. This distribution suggests that calmodulin has a regulatory role in the organization and function of microtubules during interphase, as well as during mitosis.

scholarly journals Distribution of acetylated alpha-tubulin in Physarum polycephalum.

1987 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Diggins ◽  
W F Dove
Keyword(s):  
Posttranslational Modification ◽  
Physarum Polycephalum ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Microtubule Organizing Center ◽  
Western Blots ◽  
Alpha Tubulin ◽  
Cell Biol ◽  
Tubulin Isotype ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Double Label

The expression and cytological distribution of acetylated alpha-tubulin was investigated in Physarum polycephalum. A monoclonal antibody specific for acetylated alpha-tubulin, 6-11B-1 (Piperno, G., and M. T. Fuller, 1985, J. Cell Biol., 101:2085-2094), was used to screen for this protein during three different stages of the Physarum life cycle--the amoeba, the flagellate, and the plasmodium. Western blots of two-dimensional gels of amoebal and flagellate proteins reveal that this antibody recognizes the alpha 3 tubulin isotype, which was previously shown to be formed by posttranslational modification (Green, L. L., and W. F. Dove, 1984, Mol. Cell. Biol., 4:1706-1711). Double-label immunofluorescence demonstrates that, in the flagellate, acetylated alpha-tubulin is localized in the flagella and flagellar cone. Similar experiments with amoebae interestingly reveal that only within the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) are there detectable amounts of acetylated alpha-tubulin. In contrast, the plasmodial stage gives no evidence for acetylated alpha-tubulin by Western blotting or by immunofluorescence.

scholarly journals The Functions of Klarsicht and Nuclear Lamin in Developmentally Regulated Nuclear Migrations of Photoreceptor Cells in the Drosophila Eye

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 600-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Patterson ◽  
Ari B. Molofsky ◽  
Christina Robinson ◽  
Shelley Acosta ◽  
Courtney Cater ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Photoreceptor Cells ◽  
Nuclear Migration ◽  
Genetic Screen ◽  
Microtubule Organizing Center ◽  
Developmentally Regulated ◽  
Nuclear Lamin ◽  
Drosophila Eye ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Mechanistic Basis

Photoreceptor nuclei in the Drosophila eye undergo developmentally regulated migrations. Nuclear migration is known to require the perinuclear protein Klarsicht, but the function of Klarsicht has been obscure. Here, we show that Klarsicht is required for connecting the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) to the nucleus. In addition, in a genetic screen for klarsicht-interacting genes, we identified Lam Dm0, which encodes nuclear lamin. We find that, like Klarsicht, lamin is required for photoreceptor nuclear migration and for nuclear attachment to the MTOC. Moreover, perinuclear localization of Klarsicht requires lamin. We propose that nuclear migration requires linkage of the MTOC to the nucleus through an interaction between microtubules, Klarsicht, and lamin. The Klarsicht/lamin interaction provides a framework for understanding the mechanistic basis of human laminopathies.

The localization of the divergent beta 2-tubulin isotype in the microtubular arrays of Physarum polycephalum

1989 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-226
Author(s):  
M. Diggins-Gilicinski ◽  
L. Solnica-Krezel ◽  
T.G. Burland ◽  
E.C. Paul ◽  
W.F. Dove
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Sequence ◽  
Polyclonal Antibody ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Subcellular Distribution ◽  
Physarum Polycephalum ◽  
Mitotic Spindles ◽  
Tubulin Isotypes ◽  
Tubulin Isotype ◽  
Beta 2

The beta 2-tubulin isotype of Physarum polycephalum is only 83% identical in amino acid sequence with the constitutively expressed beta 1B-tubulin and the myxamoeba-specific beta 1A-tubulin isotypes. A polyclonal antibody specific for beta 2-tubulin was used to monitor the subcellular distribution of the beta 2-tubulin antigen in the mitotic spindle of the mature plasmodium - the sole microtubular array in that stage of Physarum. By immunofluorescence, the beta 2-tubulin antigen was detected throughout this anastral mitotic spindle, at all stages of mitosis. Physarum myxamoebae contain astral mitotic spindles and cytoskeletal microtubules. No beta 2-tubulin antigen was detected in the myxamoebal stage. However, as cultures of myxamoebae developed into plasmodia, the beta 2-tubulin antigen was found in the astral mitotic spindles and cytoskeletons in developing cells. Thus, the presence of the plasmodial beta 2-tubulin isotype in a mitotic spindle does not determine a closed, anastral mitosis.

scholarly journals mRNAs for Microtubule Proteins Are Specifically Colocalized during the Sequential Formation of Basal Body, Flagella, and Cytoskeletal Microtubules in the Differentiation of Naegleria gruberi

1997 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
pp. 871-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Woong Han ◽  
Jong Ho Park ◽  
Misook Kim ◽  
JooHun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Cytochalasin D ◽  
Class I ◽  
Microtubule Organizing Center ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Specific Localization ◽  
Microtubular Structures ◽  
Sequential Formation ◽  
Β Tubulin ◽  
Naegleria Gruberi

We have examined the distribution of four mRNAs—α-tubulin, β-tubulin, flagellar calmodulin, and Class I mRNA—during differentiation of Naegleria gruberi amebas into flagellates by in situ hybridization. Three of the four mRNAs—α-tubulin, β-tubulin, and Class I mRNA—began to be colocalized at the periphery of the cells as soon as transcription of the respective genes was activated and before any microtubular structures were observable. At 70 min after the initiation of differentiation, these mRNAs were relocalized to the base of the growing flagella, adjacent to the basal bodies and microtubule organizing center for the cytoskeletal microtubules. Within an additional 15 min, the mRNAs were translocated to the posterior of the flagellated cells, and by the end of differentiation (120 min), very low levels of the mRNAs were observed. Cytochalasin D inhibited stage-specific localization of the mRNAs, demonstrating that RNA localization was actin dependent. Since cytochalasin D also blocked differentiation, this raises the possibility that actin-dependent RNA movement is an essential process for differentiation.

scholarly journals Constitutive dynein activity inshe1mutants reveals differences in microtubule attachment at the yeast spindle pole body

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 2319-2326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zane J. Bergman ◽  
Xue Xia ◽  
I. Alexandra Amaro ◽  
Tim C. Huffaker
Keyword(s):  
Spindle Pole Body ◽  
Spindle Pole ◽  
Microtubule Assembly ◽  
Microtubule Organizing Center ◽  
Microtubule Attachment ◽  
Pole Body ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Cytoplasmic Microtubules ◽  
G1 Cells

The organization of microtubules is determined in most cells by a microtubule-organizing center, which nucleates microtubule assembly and anchors their minus ends. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking She1, cytoplasmic microtubules detach from the spindle pole body at high rates. Increased rates of detachment depend on dynein activity, supporting previous evidence that She1 inhibits dynein. Detachment rates are higher in G1 than in metaphase cells, and we show that this is primarily due to differences in the strengths of microtubule attachment to the spindle pole body during these stages of the cell cycle. The minus ends of detached microtubules are stabilized by the presence of γ-tubulin and Spc72, a protein that tethers the γ-tubulin complex to the spindle pole body. A Spc72–Kar1 fusion protein suppresses detachment in G1 cells, indicating that the interaction between these two proteins is critical to microtubule anchoring. Overexpression of She1 inhibits the loading of dynactin components, but not dynein, onto microtubule plus ends. In addition, She1 binds directly to microtubules in vitro, so it may compete with dynactin for access to microtubules. Overall, these results indicate that inhibition of dynein activity by She1 is important to prevent excessive detachment of cytoplasmic microtubules, particularly in G1 cells.

scholarly journals Location of actin, myosin, and microtubular structures during directed locomotion of Dictyostelium amebae.

1984 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Rubino ◽  
M Fighetti ◽  
E Unger ◽  
P Cappuccinelli
Keyword(s):  
Immunofluorescence Microscopy ◽  
The Other ◽  
Microtubule Organizing Center ◽  
Fixed Position ◽  
Microtubule Network ◽  
Cellular Slime Mould ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Cellular Slime ◽  
Microtubular Structures

During their life cycle, amebae of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoideum aggregate to form multicellular structures in which differentiation takes place. Aggregation depends upon the release of chemotactic signals of 3',5'-cAMP from aggregation centers. In response to the signals, aggregating amebae elongate, actively more toward the attractive source, and may be easily identified from the other cells because of their polarized appearance. To examine the role of cytoskeletal components during ameboid locomotion, immunofluorescence microscopy with antibodies to actin, myosin, and to a microtubule-associated component was used. In addition, rhodamine-labeled phallotoxin was employed. Actin and myosin display a rather uniform distribution in rounded unstretched cells. In polarized locomoting cells, actin fluorescence (due to both labeled phallotoxin and specific antibody) is prevalently concentrated in the anterior pseudopod while myosin fluorescence appears to be excluded from the pseudopod. Similarly, microtubules in locomoting cells are excluded from the leading pseudopod. The cell nucleus is attached to the microtubule network by way of a nucleus-associated organelle serving as a microtubule-organizing center and seems to be maintained in a rather fixed position by the microtubules. These findings, together with available morphological and biochemical evidences, are consistent with a mechanism in which polymerized actin is moved into the pseudopod through its interaction with myosin at the base of the pseudopod. Microtubules, apparently, do not actively participate in movement but seem to behave as anchorage structures for the nucleus and possibly other cytoplasmic organelles.

Three-Dimensional reconstruction of isolated centrosomes by automated electron tomography

1994 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 310-311
Author(s):  
M.B. Braunfeld ◽  
M. Moritz ◽  
B.M. Alberts ◽  
J.W. Sedat ◽  
D.A. Agard
Keyword(s):  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Animal Cells ◽  
Microtubule Organizing Center ◽  
Nucleation Sites ◽  
Dimensional Reconstruction ◽  
Organizing Center ◽  
Resolution Model

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.

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