Lysosomes in cultured cells

Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis spp.) as sentinel organisms in coastal pollution monitoring: A review

The blue mussel (Mytilus spp.) is widely used as a bioindicator for monitoring of coastal water pollution (mussel watch programs). Herein we provide a review of this study field with emphasis on: the suitability of Mytilus spp. as environmental sentinels; uptake and bioaccumulation patterns of key pollutant classes; the use of Mytilus spp. in mussel watch programs; recent trends in Norwegian mussel monitoring; environmental quality standards and background concentrations of key contaminants; pollutant effect biomarkers; confounding factors; particulate contaminants (microplastics, engineered nanomaterials); climate change; harmonization of monitoring procedures; and the use of deployed mussels (transplant caging) in pollution monitoring. Lastly, the overall state of the art of blue mussel pollution monitoring is discussed and some important issues for future research and development are highlighted.

Photosensitization of human skin cell lines by ATMPn (9-acetoxy-2,7,12,17-tetrakis-(beta-methoxyethyl)-porphycene) in vitro: mechanism of action

9-Acetoxy-2,7,12,17-tetrakis-(beta-methoxyethyl)-porphycene (ATMPn) is a promising new photosensitizer characterized by high absorption around 640 nm and high singlet oxygen yield. To study the mechanism of action in vitro we have investigated uptake, intracellular localization, cell survival and ultrastructural changes following photodynamic treatment in human cell lines derived from the skin (SCL1 and SCL2, squamous cell carcinoma; HaCaT keratinocytes; N1 fibroblasts). Using flow cytometry we have determined the cellular fluorescence as a marker for the uptake of ATMPn after incubation for 60 min. Co-staining with ATMPn and fluorescent dyes specific for cell organelles reveals an intracellular localization of ATMPn in lysosomes. Following irradiation using an incoherent light source (580-740 nm) and a light fluence of 24 J cm-2, phototoxicity is determined by means of the 3-4.5 dimethylthiazol-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. For all cell lines ATMPn concentrations above 15 nM yield a significant phototoxic effect. The 50% effective concentration, EC50, for SCL1 cells is 11.2 +/- 2.9 nM ATMPn. ATMPn uptake and phototoxicity are more effective for HaCaT and SCL1 as compared to SCL2 and N1 cells. Growth curves confirmed the results of the MTT assay. Because of the high lysosomal accumulation of ATMPn, already low photosensitizer concentrations without dark toxicity yield a high photodynamic effect. Immunofluorescence and electron microscopy reveal damage to tonofilaments, plasma membrane and mitochondria, indicating a mechanism unrelated to apoptosis. A dose yielding complete cell killing, as needed for oncological indications, might lead to necrosis, whereas lower sub-lethal doses result in induction of apoptosis.

Characterization of the egg vesicular components in the seaweed, Fucus serratus L. (Fucales, Phaeophyta), using enzyme histochemistry and vital staining: the search for a lysosome-like body

Fucus serratus eggs were examined for evidence of the existence of a lysosome-like body using enzyme histochemical and vital staining techniques. Simultaneous coupling azo-dye techniques for lysosomal acid phosphatase proved inappropriate owing to endogenous phenolic binding artefacts. The large number of alginate polysaccharide and polyphenolic egg vesicles interfered with vital staining techniques for lysosomes. Lysosomal esterase activity was detected in the abundant egg lipid bodies. The role of the egg lipid body as an equivalent lysosome-like body of higher plants, the spherosome, is discussed in relation to egg fertilization and early zygote development.

DEMONSTRATION OF ACID PHOSPHATASE-CONTAINING GRANULES AND CYTOPLASMIC BODIES IN THE EPITHELIUM OF FOETAL RAT DUODENUM DURING CERTAIN STAGES OF DIFFERENTIATION

Dense cytoplasmic bodies surrounded by one or two unit membranes and containing mitochondria, vesicles, ribosomes, rough and smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum, and lamellated membranes (myelin figures) have been observed in the differentiating mucosa of the duodenum of rat foetuses by electron microscopy. Generally, the cytoplasmic components in the bodies seem to be in varying stages of disintegration. The bodies are found in greatest number on the 17th and 18th day of gestation, i.e. at the onset of differentiation. At this period of development the epithelium is stratified, and the villus formation is initiated by invagination of the epithelium by buds of mesenchyme followed by a splitting of the epithelium along the sides of the invaginations. When the villi have formed, the stratified epithelium has changed to the simple columnar type and the dense bodies have largely disappeared. Simultaneously, the lumen has widened considerably. In a parallel study with the light microscope, frozen sections incubated for the demonstration of acid phosphatase activity revealed the reaction product to be localized in bodies of the same size and distribution as the dense bodies found by electron microscopy. Hence, it seems that the bodies are altered and enlarged lysosomes (cytolysomes) active during the intensive differentiative events in the small intestine during the last part of intra-uterine life.

DYNAMICS OF ACRIDINE ORANGE-CELL INTERACTION. II. DYE-INDUCED ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES IN MULTIVESICULAR BODIES (ACRIDINE ORANGE PARTICLES)

The brilliantly fluorescent cytoplasmic particles that accumulate in HeLa cells treated with acridine orange, previously referred to as acridine orange particles, are shown to represent acid phosphatase positive multivesicular bodies (MVB). Dynamic changes in the ultrastructure of these organelles may be induced by varying the concentration of extracellular dye and the length of exposure to the dye. Low concentrations of dye for long intervals of time lead to marked hypertrophy of the MVB and accumulation of myelin figures within them, the acid phosphatase activity being retained. High concentrations of dye for short time intervals lead initially to a diffuse distribution of dye through out the cytoplasm (cytoplasmic reddening) as viewed in the fluorescence microscope. When cells are stained in this way and incubated in a dye-free medium, the diffusely distributed dye is segregated into MVB within 1 hour. Ultrastructurally, these MVB show dilatation but no myelin figures. The process of dye segregation is energy dependent and will not occur in starved cells. This energy dependence and the occurrence of segregation via dilatation of the MVB rather than ultrastructural transformation, i.e. formation of new binding sites, suggests that the process involves an active transport mechanism. Of the various energy sources supplied to starved cells, only glucose, mannose, and pyruvate are fully effective in supporting dye segregation. Blockage of the tricarboxylic acid cycle with malonate inhibits the effects of pyruvate but not of glucose, demonstrating the efficacy of both the tricarboxylic acid and glycolytic cycles in supplying energy for the process.

HISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF LYSOSOMES AND LYSOSOMAL ENZYMES IN VIRUS-INFECTED CELL CULTURES

The appearance of lysosomes and the distribution of lysosomal enzymes have been studied in a number of cell cultures exposed to viruses. Lysosomes were shown by fluorescence microscopy after vital staining with aminoacridines and light microscopy after vital staining with neutral red. The lysosomal enzymes studied histochemically in unfixed and fixed cells were acid phosphatase and 5-bromo-4-chloro-indoxyl acetate esterase. Activation of lysosomal enzymes was found to take place in three stages. The first is characterized by permeability of lysosomal membranes without release of enzymes. This is demonstrable by staining of lysosomal enzymes in unfixed cells and by increased uptake of aminoacridine fluorochromes and neutral red into lysosomes. In cell sheets initially stained with neutral red this gives rise to red plaques. This stage can be fully reversible; cells infected with, and yielding, the red-plaque strain of NDV, recover fully afterwards. In the second stage lysosomal enzymes are released into the cytoplasm, the cells round up and there is decreased uptake of aminoacridines and neutral red into lysosomes. In cell monolayers this results in the formation of white plaques. In the third stage, not usually seen in cell cultures, lysosomal enzymes are released from or inactivated in the cells and are not seen in either fixed or unfixed preparations. The possible roles of lysosomal enzymes in production of cytopathic effects, polykaryocytosis and malignant cell transformation are discussed.

Candidacidal activity of macrophages from three mouse strains as demonstrated by a new method: neutral red staining

A new method for assessing the candidacidal activity of macrophages utilizing neutral red stain gave results comparable to well established vital staining methods, methylene blue and acridine orange, and to the absence of germ tube formation of Candida albicans. Dead yeast cells are uniformly stained red while viable yeast cells are unstained except for a red stained vacuole. This assay was used to demonstrate the difference in candidacidal activity between resident and in vivo stimulated peritoneal macrophages of CBA/J, BALB/c and CFW mice. Stimulation of peritoneal macrophages with Concanavalin A in vivo resulted in a significant increase in candidacidal activity in the macrophages from male and female mice. In addition, Concanavalin A-elicited macrophages from female BALB/c and CFW mice exhibited greater candidacidal activity than macrophages from male BALB/c and CFW mice whereas Concanavalin A-elicited macrophages from CBA/J male and female mice exhibited a similar candidacidal ability. Resident peritoneal macrophages from male mice were significantly less candidacidal than were macrophages from female mice with the exception of the macrophages from male CBA/J mice which were as active as the macrophages from female mice.

A colorimetric assay for the assessment of cytotoxicity of yeasts

A colorimetric assay for the quantitation of microbial cytotoxicity has been developed using cells from a monocyte-like human cell line (U937), epithelial cells (Hela), and fibroblast-like cells (Vero) as targets. The fraction of surviving cells was determined by their content of the dye neutral red which is retained only by live cells and can be quantitated photometrically after controlled lysis. The neutral red retention assay was at least as sensitive as the 51Cr-release assay; it was considerably less laborious, faster, and avoided handling of radioactivity. Among the different Candida species tested, the highest cytotoxicity was associated with C. albicans and C. tropicalis; a lower degree of cytotoxicity was exhibited by C. glabrata, C. guilliermondii, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, and C. pseudotropicalis. Among the strains of a given fungal species cytotoxicity varied by up to 40%.

Analytical fractionation of homogenates from cultured rat embryo fibroblasts

Homogenates of cultured rat embryo fibroblasts have been assayed for acid phosphatase, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, cathepsin D, acid deoxyribonuclease, cytochrome oxidase, NADH cytochrome c reductase, 5'-nucleotidase, inosine diphosphatase, acid pyrophosphatase, neutral pyrophosphatase, esterase, catalase, cholesterol, and RNA. The validity of the assay conditions was checked. Neutral pyrophosphatase is a readily soluble enzyme. Acid hydrolases, except acid pyrophosphatase, are particle-bound enzymes, which exhibit a high degree of structural latency. They are activated and solubilized in a parallel fashion by mechanical treatments and tensio-active agents. Catalase is also particle-bound and latent; activating conditions stronger than those for hydrolases are required to activate the enzyme. Acid pyrophosphatase, 5'-nucleotidase and inosine diphosphatase are firmly particle-bound, but not latent; they are not easily solubilized. In differential and isopycnic centrifugation, the latent hydrolases, cytochrome oxidase and catalase dissociate largely from each other; this suggests the occurrence of lysosomes and peroxisome-like structures besides mitochondria. The distribution patterns of 5'-nucleotidase and cholesterol are largely similar; digitonin influences their equilibrium density to the same extent; these two constituents are thought to be related to the plasma membrane. Inosine diphosphatase and acid pyrophosphatase are also partially associated with the plasma membrane, although some part of these enzymic activities probably belongs to other structures. NADH cytochrome c reductase is associated partly with the endoplasmic reticulum, partly with mitochondria.

Distribution of phosphatases in the golgi region and associated structures of the thoracic ganglionic neurons in the grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis

The neuronal perikarya of the grasshopper contain sudanophilic lipochondria which exhibit an affinity for vital dyes. These lipochondria are membrane-delimited and display acid phosphatase activity; hence they correspond to lysosomes. Unlike those of most vertebrates, these lysosomes also hydrolyze thiamine pyrophosphate and adenosine triphosphate. Like vertebrate lysosomal "dense bodies," they are electron-opaque and contain granular, vesicular, or lamellar material. Along with several types of smaller dense bodies, they are found in close spatial association with the Golgi apparatus. The Golgi complexes are frequently arranged in concentric configurations within which these dense bodies lie. Some of the smaller dense bodies often lie close to or in association with the periphery of dense multivesicular bodies. Further, bodies occur that display gradations in structure between these multivesicular bodies and the dense lysosomes. Acid phosphatase activity is present in the small as well as the larger dense bodies, in the multivesicular bodies, and in some of the Golgi saccules, associated vesicles, and fenestrated membranes; thiamine pyrophosphatase is found in both the dense bodies and parts of the Golgi complex. The close spatial association of these organelles, together with their enzymatic similarities, suggests the existence of a functional or developmental relationship between them.