scholarly journals Generation of a Highly Biomimetic Organoid, Including Vasculature, Resembling the Native Immature Testis Tissue

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1696
Author(s):  
Tat-Chuan Cham ◽  
Fahar Ibtisham ◽  
Mohammad Amin Fayaz ◽  
Ali Honaramooz
Keyword(s):  
Culture System ◽  
Complex Form ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Donor Cells ◽  
Structural Details ◽  
Vascular Structures ◽  
And Function ◽  
Air Liquid Interface ◽  
Testis Tissue

The creation of a testis organoid (artificial testis tissue) with sufficient resemblance to the complex form and function of the innate testis remains challenging, especially using non-rodent donor cells. Here, we report the generation of an organoid culture system with striking biomimicry of the native immature testis tissue, including vasculature. Using piglet testis cells as starting material, we optimized conditions for the formation of cell spheroids, followed by long-term culture in an air–liquid interface system. Both fresh and frozen-thawed cells were fully capable of self-reassembly into stable testis organoids consisting of tubular and interstitial compartments, with all major cell types and structural details expected in normal testis tissue. Surprisingly, our organoids also developed vascular structures; a phenomenon that has not been reported in any other culture system. In addition, germ cells do not decline over time, and Leydig cells release testosterone, hence providing a robust, tunable system for diverse basic and applied applications.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial Fission Protein 1: Emerging Roles in Organellar Form and Function in Health and Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ugochukwu Kelvin Ihenacho ◽  
Kelsey A. Meacham ◽  
Megan Cleland Harwig ◽  
Michael E. Widlansky ◽  
R. Blake Hill
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Mitochondrial Fission ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Mitochondrial Division ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Genetic Deletion ◽  
And Function

Mitochondrial fission protein 1 (Fis1) was identified in yeast as being essential for mitochondrial division or fission and subsequently determined to mediate human mitochondrial and peroxisomal fission. Yet, its exact functions in humans, especially in regard to mitochondrial fission, remains an enigma as genetic deletion of Fis1 elongates mitochondria in some cell types, but not others. Fis1 has also been identified as an important component of apoptotic and mitophagic pathways suggesting the protein may have multiple, essential roles. This review presents current perspectives on the emerging functions of Fis1 and their implications in human health and diseases, with an emphasis on Fis1’s role in both endocrine and neurological disorders.

Form and Function in Cells of the Brain

The Neuron ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 23-38
Author(s):  
Irwin B. Levitan ◽  
Leonard K. Kaczmarek
Keyword(s):  
Axonal Transport ◽  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Neuronal Cell Body ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

This chapter examines unique mechanisms that the neuron has evolved to establish and maintain the form required for its specialized signaling functions. Unlike some other organs, the brain contains a variety of cell types including several classes of glial cells, which play a critical role in the formation of the myelin sheath around axons and may be involved in immune responses, synaptic transmission, and long-distance calcium signaling in the brain. Neurons share many features in common with other cells (including glia), but they are distinguished by their highly asymmetrical shapes. The neuronal cytoskeleton is essential for establishing this cell shape during development and for maintaining it in adulthood. The process of axonal transport moves vesicles and other organelles to regions remote from the neuronal cell body. Proteins such as kinesin and dynein, called molecular motors, make use of the energy released by hydrolysis of ATP to drive axonal transport.

scholarly journals Subcellular Specialization of Mitochondrial Form and Function in Skeletal Muscle Cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Bradley Willingham ◽  
Peter T. Ajayi ◽  
Brian Glancy
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Cells ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Mitochondrial Heterogeneity ◽  
And Function

Across different cell types and within single cells, mitochondria are heterogeneous in form and function. In skeletal muscle cells, morphologically and functionally distinct subpopulations of mitochondria have been identified, but the mechanisms by which the subcellular specialization of mitochondria contributes to energy homeostasis in working muscles remains unclear. Here, we discuss the current data regarding mitochondrial heterogeneity in skeletal muscle cells and highlight potential new lines of inquiry that have emerged due to advancements in cellular imaging technologies.

SOLAR OBSERVATORY OR ALLEGORY? CALAKMUL'S GROUP E-TYPE COMPLEX FORM AND FUNCTION

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 559-583
Author(s):  
Anne S. Dowd ◽  
Anthony F. Aveni ◽  
Ramón Carrasco
Keyword(s):  
Complex Form ◽  
Solar Observatory ◽  
Summer Solstice ◽  
Floor Plan ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Type Complex ◽  
Solar Events ◽  
Maya Site ◽  
And Function

Members of the Proyecto Arqueológico de la Biosfera Calakmul under Carrasco's direction excavated the Cenote Style Group E-type complex at the Maya site of Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico. The Cenote Style refers to the plan of the E-Group with a series of three temples built onto a long narrow eastern range structure facing a western structure across a broad central plaza. Architectural data exist to evaluate this standardizing group's utility for observing solar events. Astronomical evidence for the function of this complex is presented and discussed. The overall orientation of Structures IVa, IVb, IVc, and VI is slightly east, 13° of true north, while a pair of doorways in Structure IVc align with the setting sun during the summer solstice point, despite the break in the buildings' floor-plan symmetry this represents.

scholarly journals VHL Type 2B Mutations Retain VBC Complex Form and Function

PLoS ONE ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. e3801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn E. Hacker ◽  
Caroline Martz Lee ◽  
W. Kimryn Rathmell
Keyword(s):  
Complex Form ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
And Function

scholarly journals Polyploid cardiomyocytes: implications for heart regeneration

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 148 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kirillova ◽  
Lu Han ◽  
Honghai Liu ◽  
Bernhard Kühn
Keyword(s):  
Cellular Proliferation ◽  
Cardiac Regeneration ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Heart Regeneration ◽  
Cardiomyocyte Proliferation ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Differentiated Cells ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Polyploid Cells ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACT Terminally differentiated cells are generally thought to have arrived at their final form and function. Many terminally differentiated cell types are polyploid, i.e. they have multiple copies of the normally diploid genome. Mammalian heart muscle cells, termed cardiomyocytes, are one such example of polyploid cells. Terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes are bi- or multi-nucleated, or have polyploid nuclei. Recent mechanistic studies of polyploid cardiomyocytes indicate that they can limit cellular proliferation and, hence, heart regeneration. In this short Spotlight, we present the mechanisms generating bi- and multi-nucleated cardiomyocytes, and the mechanisms generating polyploid nuclei. Our aim is to develop hypotheses about how these mechanisms might relate to cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac regeneration. We also discuss how these new findings could be applied to advance cardiac regeneration research, and how they relate to studies of other polyploid cells, such as cancer cells.

scholarly journals Knockout of a single Sox gene resurrects an ancestral cell type in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie S Babonis ◽  
Camille Enjolras ◽  
Abigail J Reft ◽  
Brent M Foster ◽  
Fredrik Hugosson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Fate ◽  
Prey Capture ◽  
Mechanistic Explanation ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Sea Anemone ◽  
Nematostella Vectensis ◽  
Sea Anemones ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Sox Gene ◽  
And Function

Cnidocytes are the explosive stinging cells found only in cnidarians (corals, jellyfish, etc). Specialized for prey capture and defense, cnidocytes are morphologically complex and vary widely in form and function across taxa; how such diversity evolved is unknown. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing in the burrowing sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, we show that a single transcription factor (NvSox2) acts as a binary switch between two alternative cnidocyte fates. Knockout of NvSox2 caused a complete transformation of nematocytes (piercing cells) into spirocytes (ensnaring cells). The type of spirocyte induced by NvSox2 knockout (robust spirocyte) is not normally found in N. vectensis but is common in sea anemones from other habitats. Homeotic control of cell fate provides a mechanistic explanation for the discontinuous distribution of cnidocyte types across cnidarians and demonstrates how simple counts of cell types can underestimate biodiversity.

scholarly journals Kinesin motors and primary cilia

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 1120-1125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen J. Verhey ◽  
John Dishinger ◽  
Hooi Lynn Kee
Keyword(s):  
Primary Cilia ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Intraflagellar Transport ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cellular Motility ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Cilia And Flagella ◽  
Protein Components ◽  
And Function ◽  
Kidney Liver

Cilia and flagella play important roles in human health by contributing to cellular motility as well as sensing and responding to environmental cues. Defects in ciliary assembly and/or function can lead to a range of human diseases, collectively known as the ciliopathies, including polycystic kidney, liver and pancreatic diseases, sterility, obesity, situs inversus, hydrocephalus and retinal degeneration. A basic understanding of how cilia form and function is essential for deciphering ciliopathies and generating therapeutic treatments. The cilium is a unique compartment that contains a distinct complement of protein and lipid. However, the molecular mechanisms by which soluble and membrane protein components are targeted to and trafficked into the cilium are not well understood. Cilia are generated and maintained by IFT (intraflagellar transport) in which IFT cargoes are transported along axonemal microtubules by kinesin and dynein motors. A variety of genetic, biochemical and cell biological approaches has established the heterotrimeric kinesin-2 motor as the ‘core’ IFT motor, whereas other members of the kinesin-2, kinesin-3 and kinesin-4 families function as ‘accessory’ motors for the transport of specific cargoes in diverse cell types. Motors of the kinesin-9 and kinesin-13 families play a non-IFT role in regulating ciliary beating or axonemal length, respectively. Entry of kinesin motors and their cargoes into the ciliary compartment requires components of the nuclear import machinery, specifically importin-β2 (transportin-1) and Ran-GTP (Ran bound to GTP), suggesting that similar mechanisms may regulate entry into the nuclear and ciliary compartments.

Annulate lamellae in the Sertoli cells of guinea pig testis after unilateral torsion of the spermatic cord

1984 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 196-197
Author(s):  
J. Chakraborty ◽  
A. P. Sinha Hikim ◽  
J. S. Jhunjhunwala
Keyword(s):  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Guinea Pigs ◽  
Spermatic Cord ◽  
Present Report ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Annulate Lamellae ◽  
Spermatogenic Cells ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Structural Details ◽  
First Time

Although the presence of annulate lamellae was noted in many cell types, including the rat spermatogenic cells, this structure was never reported in the Sertoli cells of any rodent species. The present report is based on a part of our project on the effect of torsion of the spermatic cord to the contralateral testis. This paper describes for the first time, the fine structural details of the annulate lamellae in the Sertoli cells of damaged testis from guinea pigs.One side of the spermatic cord of each of six Hartly strain adult guinea pigs was surgically twisted (540°) under pentobarbital anesthesia (1). Four months after induction of torsion, animals were sacrificed, testes were excised and processed for the light and electron microscopic investigations. In the damaged testis, the majority of seminiferous tubule contained a layer of Sertoli cells with occasional spermatogonia (Fig. 1). Nuclei of these Sertoli cells were highly pleomorphic and contained small chromatinic clumps adjacent to the inner aspect of the nuclear envelope (Fig. 2).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document