Microtubule protein during ciliogenesis in the mouse oviduct

Deuterosome-mediated centriole biogenesis

The ability of cells to faithfully duplicate their two centrioles once per cell cycle is critical for proper mitotic progression and chromosome segregation. Multiciliated cells represent an interesting variation of centriole duplication in that these cells generate greater than 100 centrioles, which form the basal bodies of their motile cilia. This centriole amplification is proposed to require a structure termed the deuterosome, thought to be capable of promoting de novo centriole biogenesis. Here, we begin to molecularly characterize the deuterosome and identify it as a site for the localization of Cep152, Plk4, and SAS6. Additionally we identify CCDC78 as a centriole-associated and deuterosome protein that is essential for centriole amplification. Overexpression of Cep152, but not Plk4, SAS6, or CCDC78, drives overamplification of centrioles. However, in CCDC78 morphants, Cep152 fails to localize to the deuterosome and centriole biogenesis is impaired, indicating that CCDC78-mediated recruitment of Cep152 is required for deuterosome-mediated centriole biogenesis.

Early stages of ciliogenesis in the respiratory epithelium of the nasal cavity of rabbit embryos

Previous studies have shown that ciliogenesis in the epithelial cells of various species exhibits similarities as well as differences. In an attempt to establish whether this process is identical in epithelial cells of a single species, early stages of centriole formation not previously described were encountered. Ciliogenesis was investigated in the respiratory epithelium of the nasal cavity of 18 to 23-day-old rabbit embryos. The appearance of groups of deuterosomes and fibrous granules is followed by the radial formation of procentrioles around the deuterosomes and parent centrioles. The majority of the procentrioles, forming acentriolarly, occur in pairs, with their distal ends facing each other, between the deuterosomes. Subsequent growth of these procentrioles between deuterosomes in a group results in separating the deuterosomes from one another. The deuterosomes, however, still remain interconnected by means of the growing procentrioles. Accordingly, long chains and networks consisting of the above-mentioned structures are formed. After the procentrioles have attained a certain length, the chains and networks split into separate deuterosome-procentriole complexes. During these earlier stages of ciliogenesis fibrous granules are present, however, their function is yet to be determined.

Ciliogenesis in human vestibular epithelia. A scanning electron microscopic study

Ciliogenesis events in human vestibular epithelia develop as an asynchronous process between neighbouring cells, but it is a synchronous one within each sensory cell, presenting the following stages. Initially, the cilia buds appear as stubby cylinders well aligned on the cuticular plate of the presumptive sensory cell. In the next stage, ciliary growth occurs at one pole of the cuticular plate where elongation of the kinocilium and the nearby stereocilia can be observed. Posteriorly, the elongation of the kinocilium and the nearby stereocilia continues, remaining shorter than the other emerging stereocilia buds. Finally, the staircase height pattern of the mature sensory hair bundle is reached by means of a ciliary buds differential elongation.

Free and polymerized tubulin in cultured bone cells and Chinese hamster ovary cells: the influence of cold and hormones

Free and polymerized tubulin were measured in bone cells and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells cultured on plastic substrata. Polymerized tubulin was stabilized in a microtubule- stabilizing medium (MSM) containing 50 percent glycerol and separated from free tubulin by centrifugation. Tubulin content was assayed in both fractions by the colchicines- binding assay. The measured degree of polymerization in both bone cells and CHO cells varied with stabilixation conditions. The degree of polymerization in both bone cells and CHO cells varied with stabilization conditions. The degree of polymerization in both bone cells and CHO cells varied with stabilization conditions. The degree of polymerization in attached cells was found to increase up to 73 percent during the first 20 min after addition of the MSM at 24 degrees C, and remained constant thereafter. Stabilization of 0 degrees C resulted in a decrease down to 62 percent in the degree of constant thereafter. Stabilization at 0 degrees C resulted in a decrease down to 62 percent in the degree of polymerization during the first 20 min after addition of the MSM at 24 degrees C, and remained constant thereafter. Confluent bone cells maintained at 0 degrees C for 1 h before stabilization contained significantly less polymerized tubulin than control cells kept at 37 degrees C using stabilization both at 0 degrees C and at 24 degrees C. Changes in bone cell morphology induced by incubation of cells with prostaglandin E(1) or E(2), parthyroid hormone, and dibutyryl cyclic AMP were not associated with a change in the degree of tubulin polymerization. This was confirmed morphologically by immunofluorescence using affinity-purified tubulin antibodies: microtubules in hormone- treated cells were not noticeably reorganized when compared to microtubule organization in control cells. They were, however, squeezed closer together in cellular pseudopods due to the altered cell shape. This altered cell shape appears to be correlated with disorganization of the microfilament system, since microfilaments, detected using affinity-purified actin antibodies, did alter drastically their appearance and distribution after hormone addition.

Organization of tubulin in normal and transformed rat kidney cells

We have carried out a quantitative biochemical and ultrastructural study of tubulin and microtubules in a normal rat kidney (NRK) cell line and its viral transformant (442) in culture. Under equivalent culture conditions, both cell lines contain the same amount of tubulin according to a colchicine-binding assay. The normal and transformed cells differ significantly, however, with respect to the state of organization of their tubulin. Counts of microtubules in sectioned cells indicate that NRK cells have almost twice as many microtubules per unit area of cytoplasm as the 442 cells. Centrifugation studies, on the other hand, show that 442 cells have almost twice as much pelletable tubulin as the NRK cells. We propose, therefore, that the transformed cells contain a large amount of tubulin which is in some alternative aggregate form that is not morphologically detectable as microtubles in the cytoplasm

An ultrastructural study of morphogenesis of fibrogranular complex and centriole in ductuli efferentes of Chinese hamster

An ultrastructural study of ciliated epithelial cells in the ductuli efferentes of young and adult hamsters has revealed that these cells possess dense granules, dense granule clusters, dense bodies and fibrogranular complexes as reservoirs or precursors for ciliogenesis. The dense granules are first seen in the centrosomal region. Later, many dense granules and dense granule clusters appear in the apical portion of the epithelial cells where, subsequently, dense bodies are also found. Finally, the fibrogranular complexes are formed in adults. Morphological evidence strongly suggests that cilia are formed from diplosomal centrioles, de novo centrioles, dense body centrioles, and fibrogranular complex centrioles. Ciliogenesis begins in the fourth day after birth and increases rapidly in the fifth day. After the sixth day, cilia appear to be generated mostly from dense bodies and the total ciliogenesis activities gradually decrease as the animal ages.

The photoreceptors and pigment epithelium of the larval Xenopus retina: morphogenesis and outer segment renewal

Light microscopic autoradiography and electron microscopy were used to examine outer segment renewal and the development of photoreceptors and pigment epithelium in the larvalXenopusretina. Following the injection of [3H]-leucine at stages 37/38–40 (when outer segments first develop) or 53–54 (when rod outer segments (r. o. s.) attain adult length), a band of label accumulated at the base of r. o. s. and was displaced sclerally with time, whereas label was diffusely distributed in cone outer segments (c. o. s.). By taking into account the change in shape of r. o. s. from conical to cylindrical around stage 46, and calculating outer segment growth (determined from the rate of band displacement) asvolumeof material added with time, we found a constant rate of membrane addition (1.59 μm/day) from the time of initial outer segment formation. The changes observed in r. o. s. length therefore indicate variations in the rate of disk shedding and phagocytosis, which is minimal before stage 46 and rises to 1.19 μm/day after stages 53–54. Ultrastructural observation showed that although all photoreceptor outer segments form by the repeated evagination of the plasma membrane of the connecting cilium, r. o. s. and c. o. s. are distinguishable by differences in membrane appearance even before they develop divergent membrane topologies. Fibrous granules near the basal body of young receptors may be precursors to the elongating ciliary microtubules. Clusters of cisternae observed near the ciliary base in photoreceptor inner segments may represent a stage in the transport of newly-synthesized opsin to the outer segment base.

[Ciliogenesis in the mucous cells of the quail oviduct. I. Ultrastructural study in the laying quail]

The luminal epithelium of the oviduct (magnum) of laying quails is composed of ciliated cells and mucous cells. Ciliogenesis was observed in some of the mucous cells. Both centrioles of the diplosome migrate to the top of the cell, and one of them induces the formation of a rudimentary cilium. In some of the other cells, that are filled with mucous granules, the formation of basal bodies by an acentriolar pathway was observed. In these cells, numerous, dense fibrous masses are associated with the forming face of the Golgi apparatus. In the Golgi zone, generative complexes composed of a deuterosome and some forming procentrioles were found. Cilia develop from completed basal bodies. During ciliogenesis, the Golgi apparatus is disorganized, and generally the production of mucous granules is arrested. The nucleus is also modified: it becomes larger and the chromatin is dispersed. It is assumed that mucous cells are able to be transformed into ciliated cells in the oviduct of laying quails.

Dependence of centriole formation on protein synthesis

Centriole formation was studied after inhibition of protein synthesis for various portions of the cell cycle. Synchronous populations of mitotic L929 (mouse) cells were plated into petri dishes and the course of procentriole formation was monitored by electron microscope analysis. The frequency with which procentrioles were seen in association with mature centrioles normally increased steadily in the interval from 4 to 12 h after mitosis. The formation of procentrioles was abruptly inhibited by the addition of cycloheximide at any time from mitosis until 12 h postmitosis (S phase). This suggested that the formation of procentrioles was dependent upon protein synthesis immediately before their appearance. Prophase-accociated elongation of procentrioles appeared to occur normally in cells treated with cycloheximide for up to 4 h before prophase, though the mitotic index in treated cultures decreased somewhat. Thus, protein synthesis did not appear to be essential for procentriolar elongation to the mature length.

Uterine tubulin production during early pregnancy in the rabbit

Rabbit uterine tubulin levels rise rapidly in the preimplantation period to peak values of about 10-fold in the endometrium and about 4-5 fold in the myometrium on days 3-5 of pregnancy. Endometrial tubulin falls to non-pregnancy levels by mid-pregnancy while myometrial tubulin declines much more slowly. The rise in tubulin exceeds the early rate of increase in total uterine protein and DNA. Following implantation, tubulin content of the decidual basal plate area increases rapidly to peak about day 12 then declines. Production of uterine tubulin appears capable of a major, short term response to gonadal hormone stimulation.