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Sample records for single mammalian cell

  1. Targeted mutations induced by a single acetylaminofluorene DNA adduct in mammalian cells and bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moryia, M.; Takeshita, M.; Johnson, F.; Peden, K.; Will, S.; Grollman, A.P.

    1988-01-01

    Mutagenic specificity of 2-acetylaminofluorene (AAF) has been established in mammalian cells and several strains of bacteria by using a shuttle plasmid vector containing a single N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)acetylaminofluorene (C8-dG-AAF) adduct. The nucleotide sequence of the gene conferring tetracycline resistance was modified by conservative codon replacement so as to accommodate the sequence d(CCTTCGCTAC) flanked by two restriction sites, Bsm I and Xho I. The corresponding synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide underwent reaction with 2-(N-acetoxy-N-acetylamino)-fluorene (AAAF), forming a single dG-AAF adduct. This modified oligodeoxynucleotide was hybridized to its complementary strand and ligated between the Bsm I and Xho I sites of the vector. Plasmids containing the C8-dG-AAF adduct were used to transfect simian virus 40-transformed simian kidney (COS-1) cells and to transform several AB strains of Escherichia coli. Colonies containing mutant plasmides were detected by hybridization to 32 P-labeled oligodeoxynucleotides. Presence of the single DNA adduct increased the mutation frequency by 8-fold in both COS cells and E. coli. Over 80% of mutations detected in both systems were targeted and represented G x C → C x G or G x C → T x A transversions or single nucleotide deletions. The authors conclude that modification of a deoxyguanosine residue with AAF preferentially induces mutations targeted at this site when a plasmid containing a single C8-dG-AAF adduct is introduced into mammalian cells or bacteria

  2. Tilted Light Sheet Microscopy with 3D Point Spread Functions for Single-Molecule Super-Resolution Imaging in Mammalian Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gustavsson, Anna-Karin; Petrov, Petar N; Lee, Maurice Y; Shechtman, Yoav; Moerner, W E

    2018-02-01

    To obtain a complete picture of subcellular nanostructures, cells must be imaged with high resolution in all three dimensions (3D). Here, we present tilted light sheet microscopy with 3D point spread functions (TILT3D), an imaging platform that combines a novel, tilted light sheet illumination strategy with engineered long axial range point spread functions (PSFs) for low-background, 3D super localization of single molecules as well as 3D super-resolution imaging in thick cells. TILT3D is built upon a standard inverted microscope and has minimal custom parts. The axial positions of the single molecules are encoded in the shape of the PSF rather than in the position or thickness of the light sheet, and the light sheet can therefore be formed using simple optics. The result is flexible and user-friendly 3D super-resolution imaging with tens of nm localization precision throughout thick mammalian cells. We validated TILT3D for 3D super-resolution imaging in mammalian cells by imaging mitochondria and the full nuclear lamina using the double-helix PSF for single-molecule detection and the recently developed Tetrapod PSF for fiducial bead tracking and live axial drift correction. We envision TILT3D to become an important tool not only for 3D super-resolution imaging, but also for live whole-cell single-particle and single-molecule tracking.

  3. Tilted light sheet microscopy with 3D point spread functions for single-molecule super-resolution imaging in mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gustavsson, Anna-Karin; Petrov, Petar N.; Lee, Maurice Y.; Shechtman, Yoav; Moerner, W. E.

    2018-02-01

    To obtain a complete picture of subcellular nanostructures, cells must be imaged with high resolution in all three dimensions (3D). Here, we present tilted light sheet microscopy with 3D point spread functions (TILT3D), an imaging platform that combines a novel, tilted light sheet illumination strategy with engineered long axial range point spread functions (PSFs) for low-background, 3D super localization of single molecules as well as 3D super-resolution imaging in thick cells. TILT3D is built upon a standard inverted microscope and has minimal custom parts. The axial positions of the single molecules are encoded in the shape of the PSF rather than in the position or thickness of the light sheet, and the light sheet can therefore be formed using simple optics. The result is flexible and user-friendly 3D super-resolution imaging with tens of nm localization precision throughout thick mammalian cells. We validated TILT3D for 3D superresolution imaging in mammalian cells by imaging mitochondria and the full nuclear lamina using the double-helix PSF for single-molecule detection and the recently developed Tetrapod PSF for fiducial bead tracking and live axial drift correction. We envision TILT3D to become an important tool not only for 3D super-resolution imaging, but also for live whole-cell single-particle and single-molecule tracking.

  4. Mammalian cell biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elkind, M.M.

    1975-01-01

    Progress is reported on the following research projects: the effects of N-ethyl-maleimide and hydroxyurea on hamster cells in culture; sensitization of synchronized human cells to x rays by N-ethylmaleimide; sensitization of hypoxic mammalian cells with a sulfhydryl inhibitor; damage interaction due to ionizing and nonionizing radiation in mammalian cells; DNA damage relative to radioinduced cell killing; spurious photolability of DNA labeled with methyl- 14 C-thymidine; radioinduced malignant transformation of cultured mouse cells; a comparison of properties of uv and near uv light relative to cell function and DNA damage; Monte Carlo simulation of DNA damage and repair mechanisms; and radiobiology of fast neutrons

  5. Dissecting Cell-Type Composition and Activity-Dependent Transcriptional State in Mammalian Brains by Massively Parallel Single-Nucleus RNA-Seq.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Peng; Fabyanic, Emily; Kwon, Deborah Y; Tang, Sheng; Zhou, Zhaolan; Wu, Hao

    2017-12-07

    Massively parallel single-cell RNA sequencing can precisely resolve cellular diversity in a high-throughput manner at low cost, but unbiased isolation of intact single cells from complex tissues such as adult mammalian brains is challenging. Here, we integrate sucrose-gradient-assisted purification of nuclei with droplet microfluidics to develop a highly scalable single-nucleus RNA-seq approach (sNucDrop-seq), which is free of enzymatic dissociation and nucleus sorting. By profiling ∼18,000 nuclei isolated from cortical tissues of adult mice, we demonstrate that sNucDrop-seq not only accurately reveals neuronal and non-neuronal subtype composition with high sensitivity but also enables in-depth analysis of transient transcriptional states driven by neuronal activity, at single-cell resolution, in vivo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Mammalian cell biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1976-01-01

    Progress is reported on studies of the molecular biology and functional changes in cultured mammalian cells following exposure to x radiation, uv radiation, fission neutrons, or various chemical environmental pollutants alone or in combinations. Emphasis was placed on the separate and combined effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons released during combustion of fossil fuels and ionizing and nonionizing radiations. Sun lamps, which emit a continuous spectrum of near ultraviolet light of 290 nm to 315 nm were used for studies of predictive cell killing due to sunlight. Results showed that exposure to uv light (254 nm) may not be adequate to predict effects produced by sunlight. Data are included from studies on single-strand breaks and repair in DNA of cultured hamster cells exposed to uv or nearultraviolet light. The possible interactions of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)-anthracene (DmBA) alone or combined with exposure to x radiation, uv radiation (254 nm) or near ultraviolet simulating sunlight were compared for effects on cell survival

  7. DNA synthesis in irradiated mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Painter, R.B.; California Univ., San Francisco; Young, B.R.

    1987-01-01

    One of the first responses observed in S phase mammalian cells that have suffered DNA damage is the inhibition of initiation of DNA replicons. In cells exposed to ionizing radiation, a single-strand break appears to be the stimulus for this effect, whereby the initiation of many adjacent replicons (a replicon cluster) is blocked by a single-strand break in any one of them. In cells exposed to ultraviolet light (u.v.), replicon initiation is blocked at fluences that induce about one pyrimidine dimer per replicon. The inhibition of replicon initiation by u.v. in Chinese hamster cells that are incapable of excising pyrimidine dimers from their DNA is virtually the same as in cells that are proficient in dimer excision. Therefore, a single-strand break formed during excision repair of pyrimidine dimers is not the stimulus for inhibition of replicon initiation in u.v.-irradiated cells. Considering this fact, as well as the comparative insensitivity of human ataxia telangiectasia cells to u.v.-induced inhibition of replicon initiation, we propose that a relatively rare lesion is the stimulus for u.v. -induced inhibition of replicon initiation. (author

  8. DNA repair and radiation sensitivity in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, D.J.C.; Stackhouse, M.; Chen, D.S.

    1993-01-01

    Ionizing radiation induces various types of damage in mammalian cells including DNA single-strand breaks, DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), DNA-protein cross links, and altered DNA bases. Although human cells can repair many of these lesions there is little detailed knowledge of the nature of the genes and the encoded enzymes that control these repair processes. We report here on the cellular and genetic analyses of DNA double-strand break repair deficient mammalian cells. It has been well established that the DNA double-strand break is one of the major lesions induced by ionizing radiation. Utilizing rodent repair-deficient mutant, we have shown that the genes responsible for DNA double-strand break repair are also responsible for the cellular expression of radiation sensitivity. The molecular genetic analysis of DSB repair in rodent/human hybrid cells indicate that at least 6 different genes in mammalian cells are responsible for the repair of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks. Mapping and the prospect of cloning of human radiation repair genes are reviewed. Understanding the molecular and genetic basis of radiation sensitivity and DNA repair in man will provide a rational foundation to predict the individual risk associated with radiation exposure and to prevent radiation-induced genetic damage in the human population

  9. Mammalian cell biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elkind, M.M.

    1979-01-01

    This section contains summaries of research on mechanisms of lethality and radioinduced changes in mammalian cell properties, new cell systems for the study of the biology of mutation and neoplastic transformation, and comparative properties of ionizing radiations

  10. Rapid and serial quantification of adhesion forces of yeast and Mammalian cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Potthoff

    Full Text Available Cell adhesion to surfaces represents the basis for niche colonization and survival. Here we establish serial quantification of adhesion forces of different cell types using a single probe. The pace of single-cell force-spectroscopy was accelerated to up to 200 yeast and 20 mammalian cells per probe when replacing the conventional cell trapping cantilever chemistry of atomic force microscopy by underpressure immobilization with fluidic force microscopy (FluidFM. In consequence, statistically relevant data could be recorded in a rapid manner, the spectrum of examinable cells was enlarged, and the cell physiology preserved until approached for force spectroscopy. Adhesion forces of Candida albicans increased from below 4 up to 16 nN at 37°C on hydrophobic surfaces, whereas a Δhgc1-mutant showed forces consistently below 4 nN. Monitoring adhesion of mammalian cells revealed mean adhesion forces of 600 nN of HeLa cells on fibronectin and were one order of magnitude higher than those observed for HEK cells.

  11. The Biochemistry of O-GlcNAc Transferase: Which Functions Make It Essential in Mammalian Cells?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, Zebulon G; Walker, Suzanne

    2016-06-02

    O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) is found in all metazoans and plays an important role in development but at the single-cell level is only essential in dividing mammalian cells. Postmitotic mammalian cells and cells of invertebrates such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila can survive without copies of OGT. Why OGT is required in dividing mammalian cells but not in other cells remains unknown. OGT has multiple biochemical activities. Beyond its well-known role in adding β-O-GlcNAc to serine and threonine residues of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, OGT also acts as a protease in the maturation of the cell cycle regulator host cell factor 1 (HCF-1) and serves as an integral member of several protein complexes, many of them linked to gene expression. In this review, we summarize current understanding of the mechanisms underlying OGT's biochemical activities and address whether known functions of OGT could be related to its essential role in dividing mammalian cells.

  12. Homogenization of Mammalian Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Araújo, Mariana E G; Lamberti, Giorgia; Huber, Lukas A

    2015-11-02

    Homogenization is the name given to the methodological steps necessary for releasing organelles and other cellular constituents as a free suspension of intact individual components. Most homogenization procedures used for mammalian cells (e.g., cavitation pump and Dounce homogenizer) rely on mechanical force to break the plasma membrane and may be supplemented with osmotic or temperature alterations to facilitate membrane disruption. In this protocol, we describe a syringe-based homogenization method that does not require specialized equipment, is easy to handle, and gives reproducible results. The method may be adapted for cells that require hypotonic shock before homogenization. We routinely use it as part of our workflow to isolate endocytic organelles from mammalian cells. © 2015 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

  13. Imaging Action Potential in Single Mammalian Neurons by Tracking the Accompanying Sub-Nanometer Mechanical Motion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yunze; Liu, Xian-Wei; Wang, Hui; Yu, Hui; Guan, Yan; Wang, Shaopeng; Tao, Nongjian

    2018-03-28

    Action potentials in neurons have been studied traditionally by intracellular electrophysiological recordings and more recently by the fluorescence detection methods. Here we describe a label-free optical imaging method that can measure mechanical motion in single cells with a sub-nanometer detection limit. Using the method, we have observed sub-nanometer mechanical motion accompanying the action potential in single mammalian neurons by averaging the repeated action potential spikes. The shape and width of the transient displacement are similar to those of the electrically recorded action potential, but the amplitude varies from neuron to neuron, and from one region of a neuron to another, ranging from 0.2-0.4 nm. The work indicates that action potentials may be studied noninvasively in single mammalian neurons by label-free imaging of the accompanying sub-nanometer mechanical motion.

  14. Acoustophoretic Synchronization of Mammalian Cells in Microchannels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thévoz, P.; Adams, J.D.; Shea, H.

    2010-01-01

    We report the first use of ultrasonic standing waves to achieve cell cycle phase synchronization in mammalian cells in a high-throughput and reagent-free manner. The acoustophoretic cell synchronization (ACS) device utilizes volume-dependent acoustic radiation force within a microchannel to selec......We report the first use of ultrasonic standing waves to achieve cell cycle phase synchronization in mammalian cells in a high-throughput and reagent-free manner. The acoustophoretic cell synchronization (ACS) device utilizes volume-dependent acoustic radiation force within a microchannel...

  15. Mammalian cell biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elkind, M.M.

    1975-01-01

    Studies of the action of N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), as an inhibitor of repair of x radioinduced injuries were extended from synchronous Chinese hamster cells to synchronous human HeLa cells. These studies showed a similar mode of action in both cell types lending support to the notion that conclusions may be extracted from such observations that are of fairly general applicability to mammalian cells. Radiation studies with NEM are being extended to hypoxic cells to inquire if NEM is effective relative to oxygen-independent damage. Observations relative to survival, DNA synthesis, and DNA strand elongation resulting from the addition products to DNA when cells were exposed to near uv in the presence of psoralen were extended. (U.S.)

  16. Voltage controlled nano-injection system for single-cell surgery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seger, R. Adam; Actis, Paolo; Penfold, Catherine; Maalouf, Michelle; Vilozny, Boaz; Pourmand, Nader

    2015-01-01

    Manipulation and analysis of single cells is the next frontier in understanding processes that control the function and fate of cells. Herein we describe a single-cell injection platform based on nanopipettes. The system uses scanning microscopy techniques to detect cell surfaces, and voltage pulses to deliver molecules into individual cells. As a proof of concept, we injected adherent mammalian cells with fluorescent dyes. PMID:22899383

  17. Single molecule approaches for quantifying transcription and degradation rates in intact mammalian tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahar Halpern, Keren; Itzkovitz, Shalev

    2016-04-01

    A key challenge in mammalian biology is to understand how rates of transcription and mRNA degradation jointly shape cellular gene expression. Powerful techniques have been developed for measuring these rates either genome-wide or at the single-molecule level, however these techniques are not applicable to assessment of cells within their native tissue microenvironment. Here we describe a technique based on single molecule Fluorescence in-situ Hybridization (smFISH) to measure transcription and degradation rates in intact mammalian tissues. The technique is based on dual-color libraries targeting the introns and exons of the genes of interest, enabling visualization and quantification of both nascent and mature mRNA. We present a software, TransQuant, that facilitates quantifying these rates from smFISH images. Our approach enables assessment of both transcription and degradation rates of any gene of interest while controlling for the inherent heterogeneity of intact tissues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Amino acids in the cultivation of mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salazar, Andrew; Keusgen, Michael; von Hagen, Jörg

    2016-05-01

    Amino acids are crucial for the cultivation of mammalian cells. This importance of amino acids was realized soon after the development of the first cell lines, and a solution of a mixture of amino acids has been supplied to cultured cells ever since. The importance of amino acids is further pronounced in chemically defined mammalian cell culture media, making the consideration of their biological and chemical properties necessary. Amino acids concentrations have been traditionally adjusted to their cellular consumption rates. However, since changes in the metabolic equilibrium of amino acids can be caused by changes in extracellular concentrations, metabolomics in conjunction with flux balance analysis is being used in the development of culture media. The study of amino acid transporters is also gaining importance since they control the intracellular concentrations of these molecules and are influenced by conditions in cell culture media. A better understanding of the solubility, stability, dissolution kinetics, and interactions of these molecules is needed for an exploitation of these properties in the development of dry powdered chemically defined media for mammalian cells. Due to the complexity of these mixtures however, this has proven to be challenging. Studying amino acids in mammalian cell culture media will help provide a better understanding of how mammalian cells in culture interact with their environment. It would also provide insight into the chemical behavior of these molecules in solutions of complex mixtures, which is important in the understanding of the contribution of individual amino acids to protein structure.

  19. Plasma treatment of mammalian vascular cells : A quantitative description

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kieft, IE; Darios, D; Roks, AJM; Stoffels, E

    For the first time, quantitative data was obtained on plasma treatment of living mammalian cells. The nonthermal atmospheric discharge produced by the plasma needle was used for treatment of mammalian endothelial and smooth muscle cells. The influence of several experimental parameters on cell

  20. Plasma treatment of mammalian vascular cells: a quantitative description

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kieft, I.E.; Darios, D.; Roks, A.J.M.; Stoffels - Adamowicz, E.

    2005-01-01

    For the first time, quantitative data was obtained on plasma treatment of living mammalian cells. The nonthermal atmospheric discharge produced by the plasma needle was used for treatment of mammalian endothelial and smooth muscle cells. The influence of several experimental parameters on cell

  1. DNA strand breaks, repair, and survival in x-irradiated mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dugle, D.L.; Gillespie, C.J.; Chapman, J.D.

    1976-01-01

    The yields of unrepairable single- and double-strand breaks in the DNA of x-irradiated Chinese hamster cells were measured by low-speed neutral and alkaline sucrose density gradient sedimentation in order to investigate the relation between these lesions and reproductive death. After maximal single-strand rejoining, at all doses, the number of residual single-strand breaks was twice the number of residual double-strand breaks. Both double-strand and unrepairable single-strand breaks were proportional to the square of absorbed dose, in the range 10-50 krad. No rejoining of double-strand breaks was observed. These observations suggest that, in mammalian cells, most double-strand breaks are not repairable, while all single-strand breaks are repaired except those that are sufficiently close on complementary strands to constitute double-strand breaks. Comparison with cell survival measurements at much lower doses suggests that loss of reproductive capacity corresponds to induction of approximately one double-strand break

  2. MeV single-ion beam irradiation of mammalian cells using the Surrey vertical nanobeam, compared with broad proton beam and X-ray irradiations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prakrajang, K. [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Faculty of Science, Maejo University, Chiang Mai 50290 (Thailand); Jeynes, J.C.G.; Merchant, M.J.; Kirkby, K.; Kirkby, N. [Surrey Ion Beam Center, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science, University of Surrey, Guildford Surrey, GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Thopan, P. [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Yu, L.D., E-mail: yuld@fnrf.science.cmu.ac.th [Plasma and Beam Physics Research Facility, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200 (Thailand); Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics, Commission on Higher Education, 328 Si Ayutthaya Road, Bangkok 10400 (Thailand)

    2013-07-15

    Highlights: •Recently completed nanobeam at the Surrey Ion Beam Centre was used. •3.8-MeV single and broad proton beams irradiated Chinese hamster cells. •Cell survival curves were measured and compared with 300-kV X-ray irradiation. •Single ion irradiation had a lower survival part at ultra-low dose. •It implies hypersensitivity, bystander effect and cell cycle phase of cell death. -- Abstract: As a part of a systematic study on mechanisms involved in physical cancer therapies, this work investigated response of mammalian cells to ultra-low-dose ion beam irradiation. The ion beam irradiation was performed using the recently completed nanobeam facility at the Surrey Ion Beam Centre. A scanning focused vertical ion nano-beam was applied to irradiate Chinese hamster V79 cells. The V79 cells were irradiated in two different beam modes, namely, focused single ion beam and defocused scanning broad ion beam of 3.8-MeV protons. The single ion beam was capable of irradiating a single cell with a precisely controlled number of the ions to extremely low doses. After irradiation and cell incubation, the number of surviving colonies as a function of the number of the irradiating ions was measured for the cell survival fraction curve. A lower survival for the single ion beam irradiation than that of the broad beam case implied the hypersensitivity and bystander effect. The ion-beam-induced cell survival curves were compared with that from 300-kV X-ray irradiation. Theoretical studies indicated that the cell death in single ion irradiation mainly occurred in the cell cycle phases of cell division and intervals between the cell division and the DNA replication. The success in the experiment demonstrated the Surrey vertical nanobeam successfully completed.

  3. A platform for rapid prototyping of synthetic gene networks in mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duportet, Xavier; Wroblewska, Liliana; Guye, Patrick; Li, Yinqing; Eyquem, Justin; Rieders, Julianne; Rimchala, Tharathorn; Batt, Gregory; Weiss, Ron

    2014-01-01

    Mammalian synthetic biology may provide novel therapeutic strategies, help decipher new paths for drug discovery and facilitate synthesis of valuable molecules. Yet, our capacity to genetically program cells is currently hampered by the lack of efficient approaches to streamline the design, construction and screening of synthetic gene networks. To address this problem, here we present a framework for modular and combinatorial assembly of functional (multi)gene expression vectors and their efficient and specific targeted integration into a well-defined chromosomal context in mammalian cells. We demonstrate the potential of this framework by assembling and integrating different functional mammalian regulatory networks including the largest gene circuit built and chromosomally integrated to date (6 transcription units, 27kb) encoding an inducible memory device. Using a library of 18 different circuits as a proof of concept, we also demonstrate that our method enables one-pot/single-flask chromosomal integration and screening of circuit libraries. This rapid and powerful prototyping platform is well suited for comparative studies of genetic regulatory elements, genes and multi-gene circuits as well as facile development of libraries of isogenic engineered cell lines. PMID:25378321

  4. Synthetic RNA Controllers for Programming Mammalian Cell Fate and Function

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-11-04

    Final report for “Synthetic RNA controllers for programming mammalian cell fate and function” Principal Investigator: Christina D. Smolke...SUBTITLE Synthetic RNA controllers for programming mammalian cell fate and function 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER...Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18   2 Synthetic RNA controllers for programming mammalian cell fate and function Task 1

  5. Incorporation of mammalian actin into microfilaments in plant cell nucleus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paves Heiti

    2004-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Actin is an ancient molecule that shows more than 90% amino acid homology between mammalian and plant actins. The regions of the actin molecule that are involved in F-actin assembly are largely conserved, and it is likely that mammalian actin is able to incorporate into microfilaments in plant cells but there is no experimental evidence until now. Results Visualization of microfilaments in onion bulb scale epidermis cells by different techniques revealed that rhodamine-phalloidin stained F-actin besides cytoplasm also in the nuclei whereas GFP-mouse talin hybrid protein did not enter the nuclei. Microinjection of fluorescently labeled actin was applied to study the presence of nuclear microfilaments in plant cells. Ratio imaging of injected fluorescent rabbit skeletal muscle actin and phalloidin staining of the microinjected cells showed that mammalian actin was able to incorporate into plant F-actin. The incorporation occurred preferentially in the nucleus and in the perinuclear region of plant cells whereas part of plant microfilaments, mostly in the periphery of cytoplasm, did not incorporate mammalian actin. Conclusions Microinjected mammalian actin is able to enter plant cell's nucleus, whereas incorporation of mammalian actin into plant F-actin occurs preferentially in the nucleus and perinuclear area.

  6. Mammalian cochlear supporting cells can divide and trans-differentiate into hair cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Patricia M; Doetzlhofer, Angelika; Lee, Yun Shain; Groves, Andrew K; Segil, Neil

    2006-06-22

    Sensory hair cells of the mammalian organ of Corti in the inner ear do not regenerate when lost as a consequence of injury, disease, or age-related deafness. This contrasts with other vertebrates such as birds, where the death of hair cells causes surrounding supporting cells to re-enter the cell cycle and give rise to both new hair cells and supporting cells. It is not clear whether the lack of mammalian hair cell regeneration is due to an intrinsic inability of supporting cells to divide and differentiate or to an absence or blockade of regenerative signals. Here we show that post-mitotic supporting cells purified from the postnatal mouse cochlea retain the ability to divide and trans-differentiate into new hair cells in culture. Furthermore, we show that age-dependent changes in supporting cell proliferative capacity are due in part to changes in the ability to downregulate the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) (also known as Cdkn1b). These results indicate that postnatal mammalian supporting cells are potential targets for therapeutic manipulation.

  7. A promoter-level mammalian expression atlas

    KAUST Repository

    Forest, Alistair R R

    2014-03-26

    Regulated transcription controls the diversity, developmental pathways and spatial organization of the hundreds of cell types that make up a mammal. Using single-molecule cDNA sequencing, we mapped transcription start sites (TSSs) and their usage in human and mouse primary cells, cell lines and tissues to produce a comprehensive overview of mammalian gene expression across the human body. We find that few genes are truly ‘housekeeping’, whereas many mammalian promoters are composite entities composed of several closely separated TSSs, with independent cell-type-specific expression profiles. TSSs specific to different cell types evolve at different rates, whereas promoters of broadly expressed genes are the most conserved. Promoter-based expression analysis reveals key transcription factors defining cell states and links them to binding-site motifs. The functions of identified novel transcripts can be predicted by coexpression and sample ontology enrichment analyses. The functional annotation of the mammalian genome 5 (FANTOM5) project provides comprehensive expression profiles and functional annotation of mammalian cell-type-specific transcriptomes with wide applications in biomedical research.

  8. A promoter-level mammalian expression atlas

    KAUST Repository

    Forest, Alistair R R; Kawaji, Hideya; Rehli, Michael; Baillie, John Kenneth; De Hoon, Michiel Jl L; Haberle, Vanja; Lassmann, Timo; Kulakovskiy, Ivan V.; Lizio, Marina; Itoh, Masayoshi; Andersson, Robin; Iida, Kei; Ikawa, Tomokatsu; Jankovic, Boris R.; Jia, Hui; Joshi, Anagha Madhusudan; Jurman, Giuseppe; Kaczkowski, Bogumił; Kai, Chieko; Kaida, Kaoru; Kaiho, Ai; Mungall, Christopher J.; Kajiyama, Kazuhiro; Kanamori-Katayama, Mutsumi; Kasianov, Artem S.; Kasukawa, Takeya; Katayama, Shintaro; Kato, Sachi; Kawaguchi, Shuji; Kawamoto, Hiroshi; Kawamura, Yuki I.; Kawashima, Tsugumi; Meehan, Terrence F.; Kempfle, Judith S.; Kenna, Tony J.; Kere, Juha; Khachigian, Levon M.; Kitamura, Toshio; Klinken, Svend Peter; Knox, Alan; Kojima, Miki; Kojima, Soichi; Kondo, Naoto; Schmeier, Sebastian; Koseki, Haruhiko; Koyasu, Shigeo; Krampitz, Sarah; Kubosaki, Atsutaka; Kwon, Andrew T.; Laros, Jeroen F J; Lee, Weonju; Lennartsson, Andreas; Li, Kang; Lilje, Berit; Bertin, Nicolas; Lipovich, Leonard; MacKay-Sim, Alan; Manabe, Riichiroh; Mar, Jessica; Marchand, Benoî t; Mathelier, Anthony; Mejhert, Niklas; Meynert, Alison M.; Mizuno, Yosuke; De Morais, David A Lima; Jø rgensen, Mette Christine; Morikawa, Hiromasa; Morimoto, Mitsuru; Moro, Kazuyo; Motakis, Efthymios; Motohashi, Hozumi; Mummery, Christine L.; Murata, Mitsuyoshi; Nagao-Sato, Sayaka; Nakachi, Yutaka; Nakahara, Fumio; Dimont, Emmanuel; Nakamura, Toshiyuki; Nakamura, Yukio; Nakazato, Kenichi; Van Nimwegen, Erik; Ninomiya, Noriko; Nishiyori, Hiromi; Noma, Shohei; Nozaki, Tadasuke; Ogishima, Soichi; Ohkura, Naganari; Arner, Erik; Ohmiya, Hiroko; Ohno, Hiroshi; Ohshima, Mitsuhiro; Okada-Hatakeyama, Mariko; Okazaki, Yasushi; Orlando, Valerio; Ovchinnikov, Dmitry A.; Pain, Arnab; Passier, Robert C J J; Patrikakis, Margaret; Schmidl, Christian; Persson, Helena A.; Piazza, Silvano; Prendergast, James G D; Rackham, Owen J L; Ramilowski, Jordan A.; Rashid, Mamoon; Ravasi, Timothy; Rizzu, Patrizia; Roncador, Marco; Roy, Sugata; Schaefer, Ulf; Rye, Morten Beck; Saijyo, Eri; Sajantila, Antti; Saka, Akiko; Sakaguchi, Shimon; Sakai, Mizuho; Sato, Hiroki; Satoh, Hironori; Savvi, Suzana; Saxena, Alka; Medvedeva, Yulia; Schneider, Claudio H.; Schultes, Erik A.; Schulze-Tanzil, Gundula G.; Schwegmann, Anita; Sengstag, Thierry; Sheng, Guojun; Shimoji, Hisashi; Shimoni, Yishai; Shin, Jay W.; Simon, Chris M.; Plessy, Charles; Sugiyama, Daisuke; Sugiyama, Takaaki; Suzuki, Masanori; Suzuki, Naoko; Swoboda, Rolf K.; 't Hoen, Peter Ac Chr; Tagami, Michihira; Tagami, Naokotakahashi; Takai, Jun; Tanaka, Hiroshi; Vitezic, Morana; Tatsukawa, Hideki; Tatum, Zuotian; Thompson, Mark; Toyoda, Hiroo; Toyoda, Tetsuro; Valen, Eivind; Van De Wetering, Marc L.; Van Den Berg, Linda M.; Verardo, Roberto; Vijayan, Dipti; Severin, Jessica M.; Vorontsov, Ilya E.; Wasserman, Wyeth W.; Watanabe, Shoko; Wells, Christine A.; Winteringham, Louise Natalie; Wolvetang, Ernst Jurgen; Wood, Emily J.; Yamaguchi, Yoko; Yamamoto, Masayuki; Yoneda, Misako; Semple, Colin Am M; Yonekura, Yohei; Yoshida, Shigehiro; Zabierowski, Susan E.; Zhang, Peter; Zhao, Xiaobei; Zucchelli, Silvia; Summers, Kim M.; Suzuki, Harukazu; Daub, Carsten Olivier; Kawai, Jun; Ishizu, Yuri; Heutink, Peter; Hide, Winston; Freeman, Tom C.; Lenhard, Boris; Bajic, Vladimir B.; Taylor, Martin S.; Makeev, Vsevolod J.; Sandelin, Albin; Hume, David A.; Carninci, Piero; Young, Robert S.; Hayashizaki, Yoshihide Yoshihide; Francescatto, Margherita; Altschuler, Intikhab Alam; Albanese, Davide; Altschule, Gabriel M.; Arakawa, Takahiro; Archer, John A.C.; Arner, Peter; Babina, Magda; Rennie, Sarah; Balwierz, Piotr J.; Beckhouse, Anthony G.; Pradhan-Bhatt, Swati; Blake, Judith A.; Blumenthal, Antje; Bodega, Beatrice; Bonetti, Alessandro; Briggs, James A.; Brombacher, Frank; Burroughs, Alexander Maxwell; Califano, Andrea C.; Cannistraci, Carlo; Carbajo, Daniel; Chen, Yun; Chierici, Marco; Ciani, Yari; Clevers, Hans C.; Dalla, Emiliano; Davis, Carrie Anne; Detmar, Michael J.; Diehl, Alexander D.; Dohi, Taeko; Drablø s, Finn; Edge, Albert SB B; Edinger, Matthias G.; Ekwall, Karl; Endoh, Mitsuhiro; Enomoto, Hideki; Fagiolini, Michela; Fairbairn, Lynsey R.; Fang, Hai; Farach-Carson, Mary Cindy; Faulkner, Geoffrey J.; Favorov, Alexander V.; Fisher, Malcolm E.; Frith, Martin C.; Fujita, Rie; Fukuda, Shiro; Furlanello, Cesare; Furuno, Masaaki; Furusawa, Junichi; Geijtenbeek, Teunis Bh H; Gibson, Andrew P.; Gingeras, Thomas R.; Goldowitz, Dan; Gough, Julian; Guhl, Sven; Guler, Reto; Gustincich, Stefano; Ha, Thomas; Hamaguchi, Masahide; Hara, Mitsuko; Harbers, Matthias; Harshbarger, Jayson; Hasegawa, Akira; Hasegawa, Yuki; Hashimoto, Takehiro; Herlyn, Meenhard F.; Hitchens, Kelly J.; Sui, Shannan J Ho; Hofmann, Oliver M.; Hoof, Ilka; Hori, Fumi; Huminiecki, Łukasz B.

    2014-01-01

    Regulated transcription controls the diversity, developmental pathways and spatial organization of the hundreds of cell types that make up a mammal. Using single-molecule cDNA sequencing, we mapped transcription start sites (TSSs) and their usage in human and mouse primary cells, cell lines and tissues to produce a comprehensive overview of mammalian gene expression across the human body. We find that few genes are truly ‘housekeeping’, whereas many mammalian promoters are composite entities composed of several closely separated TSSs, with independent cell-type-specific expression profiles. TSSs specific to different cell types evolve at different rates, whereas promoters of broadly expressed genes are the most conserved. Promoter-based expression analysis reveals key transcription factors defining cell states and links them to binding-site motifs. The functions of identified novel transcripts can be predicted by coexpression and sample ontology enrichment analyses. The functional annotation of the mammalian genome 5 (FANTOM5) project provides comprehensive expression profiles and functional annotation of mammalian cell-type-specific transcriptomes with wide applications in biomedical research.

  9. A versatile system for USER cloning-based assembly of expression vectors for mammalian cell engineering.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Mathilde Lund

    Full Text Available A new versatile mammalian vector system for protein production, cell biology analyses, and cell factory engineering was developed. The vector system applies the ligation-free uracil-excision based technique--USER cloning--to rapidly construct mammalian expression vectors of multiple DNA fragments and with maximum flexibility, both for choice of vector backbone and cargo. The vector system includes a set of basic vectors and a toolbox containing a multitude of DNA building blocks including promoters, terminators, selectable marker- and reporter genes, and sequences encoding an internal ribosome entry site, cellular localization signals and epitope- and purification tags. Building blocks in the toolbox can be easily combined as they contain defined and tested Flexible Assembly Sequence Tags, FASTs. USER cloning with FASTs allows rapid swaps of gene, promoter or selection marker in existing plasmids and simple construction of vectors encoding proteins, which are fused to fluorescence-, purification-, localization-, or epitope tags. The mammalian expression vector assembly platform currently allows for the assembly of up to seven fragments in a single cloning step with correct directionality and with a cloning efficiency above 90%. The functionality of basic vectors for FAST assembly was tested and validated by transient expression of fluorescent model proteins in CHO, U-2-OS and HEK293 cell lines. In this test, we included many of the most common vector elements for heterologous gene expression in mammalian cells, in addition the system is fully extendable by other users. The vector system is designed to facilitate high-throughput genome-scale studies of mammalian cells, such as the newly sequenced CHO cell lines, through the ability to rapidly generate high-fidelity assembly of customizable gene expression vectors.

  10. Introducing Mammalian Cell Culture and Cell Viability Techniques in the Undergraduate Biology Laboratory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowey-Dellinger, Kristen; Dixon, Luke; Ackerman, Kristin; Vigueira, Cynthia; Suh, Yewseok K; Lyda, Todd; Sapp, Kelli; Grider, Michael; Crater, Dinene; Russell, Travis; Elias, Michael; Coffield, V McNeil; Segarra, Verónica A

    2017-01-01

    Undergraduate students learn about mammalian cell culture applications in introductory biology courses. However, laboratory modules are rarely designed to provide hands-on experience with mammalian cells or teach cell culture techniques, such as trypsinization and cell counting. Students are more likely to learn about cell culture using bacteria or yeast, as they are typically easier to grow, culture, and manipulate given the equipment, tools, and environment of most undergraduate biology laboratories. In contrast, the utilization of mammalian cells requires a dedicated biological safety cabinet and rigorous antiseptic techniques. For this reason, we have devised a laboratory module and method herein that familiarizes students with common cell culture procedures, without the use of a sterile hood or large cell culture facility. Students design and perform a time-efficient inquiry-based cell viability experiment using HeLa cells and tools that are readily available in an undergraduate biology laboratory. Students will become familiar with common techniques such as trypsinizing cells, cell counting with a hemocytometer, performing serial dilutions, and determining cell viability using trypan blue dye. Additionally, students will work with graphing software to analyze their data and think critically about the mechanism of death on a cellular level. Two different adaptations of this inquiry-based lab are presented-one for non-biology majors and one for biology majors. Overall, these laboratories aim to expose students to mammalian cell culture and basic techniques and help them to conceptualize their application in scientific research.

  11. Recombinant protein production from stable mammalian cell lines and pools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacker, David L; Balasubramanian, Sowmya

    2016-06-01

    We highlight recent developments for the production of recombinant proteins from suspension-adapted mammalian cell lines. We discuss the generation of stable cell lines using transposons and lentivirus vectors (non-targeted transgene integration) and site-specific recombinases (targeted transgene integration). Each of these methods results in the generation of cell lines with protein yields that are generally superior to those achievable through classical plasmid transfection that depends on the integration of the transfected DNA by non-homologous DNA end-joining. This is the main reason why these techniques can also be used for the generation of stable cell pools, heterogenous populations of recombinant cells generated by gene delivery and genetic selection without resorting to single cell cloning. This allows the time line from gene transfer to protein production to be reduced. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Technology of mammalian cell encapsulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Uludag, H; De Vos, P; Tresco, PA

    2000-01-01

    Entrapment of mammalian cells in physical membranes has been practiced since the early 1950s when it was originally introduced as a basic research tool. The method has since been developed based on the promise of its therapeutic usefulness in tissue transplantation. Encapsulation physically isolates

  13. Structure and function of stem cell pools in mammalian cell renewal systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fliedner, T.M.; Nothdurft, W.

    1979-01-01

    Stem cells play a key-role in the maintenance of the equilibrium between cell loss and cell production in cell renewal systems as well as in the understanding of the radiation pathophysiology of mammalian organisms. The integrity of mammalian organisms with the need to maintain a constant ''millieu interior'' is depending on the normal functioning of cell renewal systems, especially those of epithelial surfaces and blood cell forming organs. All cell renewal systems of bodies have a very similar functional structure consisting of functional, proliferative - amplifying and stem cell compartments. They differ in transit and cell cycle times and in the number of amplification division - aside from the difference in their functional and biochemical make-up. The stem cell pools are providing the cells capable of differentiation without depleting their own kind. This can be achieved by symmetrical or assymmetrical stem cell division. In normal steady state, 50% of the stem cell division remain in the stem cell pool, while the other 50% leave it to differentiate, proliferate and mature, hemopoietic system is distributed throughout bodies. This is an important factor in the radiation biology of mammalian organisms since the loss of function in one area can be compensated for by more production in other areas, and locally depleted sites can be reseeded with the stem cells migrating in from blood. (Yamashita, S.)

  14. Single-step scalable conversion of waste natural oils to carbon nanowhiskers and their interaction with mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Datta, Abheek [Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Department of Chemical Sciences (India); Dutta, Priyanka [Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Department of Biological Sciences (India); Sadhu, Anustup [Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Department of Chemical Sciences (India); Maiti, Sankar [Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Department of Biological Sciences (India); Bhattacharyya, Sayan, E-mail: sayanb@iiserkol.ac.in [Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Department of Chemical Sciences (India)

    2013-07-15

    Waste cooking oil has daily deliberate hazardous effects on human health due to consumption of re-cooked oil and on the environment from disposal of the waste oil. These hazards can be controlled if there are ways to economically convert the waste oils into industrially relevant materials. Large-scale controlled catalytic conversion of the waste natural oils to carbon nanowhiskers (CNWs; diameter: 98-191 nm, length: {<=}2 {mu}m) was achieved by a one-pot, environmentally friendly process. The no-cost CNWs consist of carbon spirals with spacing between two adjacent layers at 3.1 {+-} 0.2 nm and arranged perpendicular to the whisker axis. The reactions were performed inside a sealed container at 500-850 Degree-Sign C and autogenic pressure for 4-10 h. It was demonstrated that the gaseous pressure from the decomposition of the fatty acids was crucial for formation of the semi-graphitic filamentous structures. The dilute acid-washed catalyst free CNWs were found to be negligibly toxic to the mammalian cells and can be localized inside the cell nucleus. The cellular internalization studies of the fluorescent CNWs demonstrated their viability as potential delivery vehicles into the mammalian cells.

  15. Host cell reactivation and UV-enhanced reactivation in synchronized mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lytle, C.D.; Schmidt, B.J.

    1981-01-01

    Does host cell reactivation (HCR) or UV-enhanced reactivation (UVER) of UV-irradiated Herpes simplex virus (UV-HSV) vary during the host mammalian cell cycle. The answer could be useful for interpreting UVER and or the two-component nature of the UV-HSV survival curve. Procedures were developed for infection of mitotically-synchronized CV-l monkey kidney cells. All virus survival curves determined at different cell cycle stages had two components with similar D 0 's and intercepts of the second components. Thus, no single stage of the host cell cycle was responsible for the second component of the virus survival curve. When the cells were UV-irradiated immediately prior to infection, enhanced survival of UV-HSV occurred for cell irradiation and virus infection initiated during late G 1 early S phase or late S early G 2 phase but not during early G 1 phase. For infection delayed by 24 h after cell irradiation, UVER was found at all investigated times. These results indicate that: (1) HCR is similar at all stages of the host cell cycle: and (2) the ''induction'' of UVER is not as rapid for cell-irradiation in early G 1 phase. This latter observation may be one reason why normal, contact-inhibited cells do not express UVER as rapidly as faster growing, less contact-inhibited cells. (author)

  16. Inertial picobalance reveals fast mass fluctuations in mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Martín, David; Fläschner, Gotthold; Gaub, Benjamin; Martin, Sascha; Newton, Richard; Beerli, Corina; Mercer, Jason; Gerber, Christoph; Müller, Daniel J.

    2017-10-01

    The regulation of size, volume and mass in living cells is physiologically important, and dysregulation of these parameters gives rise to many diseases. Cell mass is largely determined by the amount of water, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids present in a cell, and is tightly linked to metabolism, proliferation and gene expression. Technologies have emerged in recent years that make it possible to track the masses of single suspended cells and adherent cells. However, it has not been possible to track individual adherent cells in physiological conditions at the mass and time resolutions required to observe fast cellular dynamics. Here we introduce a cell balance (a ‘picobalance’), based on an optically excited microresonator, that measures the total mass of single or multiple adherent cells in culture conditions over days with millisecond time resolution and picogram mass sensitivity. Using our technique, we observe that the mass of living mammalian cells fluctuates intrinsically by around one to four per cent over timescales of seconds throughout the cell cycle. Perturbation experiments link these mass fluctuations to the basic cellular processes of ATP synthesis and water transport. Furthermore, we show that growth and cell cycle progression are arrested in cells infected with vaccinia virus, but mass fluctuations continue until cell death. Our measurements suggest that all living cells show fast and subtle mass fluctuations throughout the cell cycle. As our cell balance is easy to handle and compatible with fluorescence microscopy, we anticipate that our approach will contribute to the understanding of cell mass regulation in various cell states and across timescales, which is important in areas including physiology, cancer research, stem-cell differentiation and drug discovery.

  17. Producing Newborn Synchronous Mammalian Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonda, Steve R.; Helmstetter, Charles E.; Thornton, Maureen

    2008-01-01

    A method and bioreactor for the continuous production of synchronous (same age) population of mammalian cells have been invented. The invention involves the attachment and growth of cells on an adhesive-coated porous membrane immersed in a perfused liquid culture medium in a microgravity analog bioreactor. When cells attach to the surface divide, newborn cells are released into the flowing culture medium. The released cells, consisting of a uniform population of synchronous cells are then collected from the effluent culture medium. This invention could be of interest to researchers investigating the effects of the geneotoxic effects of the space environment (microgravity, radiation, chemicals, gases) and to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies involved in research on aging and cancer, and in new drug development and testing.

  18. A multi-landing pad DNA integration platform for mammalian cell engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaidukov, Leonid; Wroblewska, Liliana; Teague, Brian; Nelson, Tom; Zhang, Xin; Liu, Yan; Jagtap, Kalpana; Mamo, Selamawit; Tseng, Wen Allen; Lowe, Alexis; Das, Jishnu; Bandara, Kalpanie; Baijuraj, Swetha; Summers, Nevin M; Zhang, Lin; Weiss, Ron

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Engineering mammalian cell lines that stably express many transgenes requires the precise insertion of large amounts of heterologous DNA into well-characterized genomic loci, but current methods are limited. To facilitate reliable large-scale engineering of CHO cells, we identified 21 novel genomic sites that supported stable long-term expression of transgenes, and then constructed cell lines containing one, two or three ‘landing pad’ recombination sites at selected loci. By using a highly efficient BxB1 recombinase along with different selection markers at each site, we directed recombinase-mediated insertion of heterologous DNA to selected sites, including targeting all three with a single transfection. We used this method to controllably integrate up to nine copies of a monoclonal antibody, representing about 100 kb of heterologous DNA in 21 transcriptional units. Because the integration was targeted to pre-validated loci, recombinant protein expression remained stable for weeks and additional copies of the antibody cassette in the integrated payload resulted in a linear increase in antibody expression. Overall, this multi-copy site-specific integration platform allows for controllable and reproducible insertion of large amounts of DNA into stable genomic sites, which has broad applications for mammalian synthetic biology, recombinant protein production and biomanufacturing. PMID:29617873

  19. Measurement of Heme Synthesis Levels in Mammalian Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooda, Jagmohan; Alam, Maksudul; Zhang, Li

    2015-07-09

    Heme serves as the prosthetic group for a wide variety of proteins known as hemoproteins, such as hemoglobin, myoglobin and cytochromes. It is involved in various molecular and cellular processes such as gene transcription, translation, cell differentiation and cell proliferation. The biosynthesis levels of heme vary across different tissues and cell types and is altered in diseased conditions such as anemia, neuropathy and cancer. This technique uses [4-(14)C] 5-aminolevulinic acid ([(14)C] 5-ALA), one of the early precursors in the heme biosynthesis pathway to measure the levels of heme synthesis in mammalian cells. This assay involves incubation of cells with [(14)C] 5-ALA followed by extraction of heme and measurement of the radioactivity incorporated into heme. This procedure is accurate and quick. This method measures the relative levels of heme biosynthesis rather than the total heme content. To demonstrate the use of this technique the levels of heme biosynthesis were measured in several mammalian cell lines.

  20. Nutrient acquisition strategies of mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palm, Wilhelm; Thompson, Craig B

    2017-06-07

    Mammalian cells are surrounded by diverse nutrients, such as glucose, amino acids, various macromolecules and micronutrients, which they can import through transmembrane transporters and endolysosomal pathways. By using different nutrient sources, cells gain metabolic flexibility to survive periods of starvation. Quiescent cells take up sufficient nutrients to sustain homeostasis. However, proliferating cells depend on growth-factor-induced increases in nutrient uptake to support biomass formation. Here, we review cellular nutrient acquisition strategies and their regulation by growth factors and cell-intrinsic nutrient sensors. We also discuss how oncogenes and tumour suppressors promote nutrient uptake and thereby support the survival and growth of cancer cells.

  1. Mutation in cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, N.; Okada, S.

    1982-01-01

    Mammalian cell cultures were exposed to gamma-rays at various dose rates. Dose-rate effects were observed in cultured somatic cells of the mouse for cell killing and mutations resistant to 6-thioguanine (TGsup(r)) and to methotrexate (MTXsup(r)). Linear quadratic model may be applied to cell killing and TGsup(r) mutations in some cases but can not explain the whole data. Results at low doses with far low dose-rate were not predictable from data at high doses with acute or chronic irradiation. Radioprotective effects of dimethyl sulfoxide were seen only after acute exposure but not after chronic one, suggesting that damages by indirect action of radiations may be potentially reparable by cells. TGsup(r) mutations seem to contain gross structural changes whereas MTXsup(r) ones may have smaller alterations. (Namekawa, K.)

  2. Optical sorting and photo-transfection of mammalian cells

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Mthunzi, P

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available and that the scattering force can enable sorting through axial guiding onto laminin coated glass coverslips upon which the selected cells adhere. Following this, I report on transient photo-transfection of mammalian cells including neuroblastomas (rat/mouse and human...

  3. Engineered mammalian cells for production of recombinant proteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2017-01-01

    The present invention relates to mammalian cells modified to provide for improved expression of a recombinant protein of interest. In particular, the invention relates to CHO cells and other host cells in which the expression of one or more endogenous secreted proteins has been disrupted, as well...... as to the preparation, identification and use of such cells in the production of recombinant proteins....

  4. Algal autolysate medium to label proteins for NMR in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuccio, Carmelo; Luchinat, Enrico; Barbieri, Letizia; Neri, Sara; Fragai, Marco

    2016-04-01

    In-cell NMR provides structural and functional information on proteins directly inside living cells. At present, the high costs of the labeled media for mammalian cells represent a limiting factor for the development of this methodology. Here we report a protocol to prepare a homemade growth medium from Spirulina platensis autolysate, suitable to express uniformly labeled proteins inside mammalian cells at a reduced cost-per-sample. The human proteins SOD1 and Mia40 were overexpressed in human cells grown in (15)N-enriched S. platensis algal-derived medium, and high quality in-cell NMR spectra were obtained.

  5. Algal autolysate medium to label proteins for NMR in mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fuccio, Carmelo; Luchinat, Enrico; Barbieri, Letizia [University of Florence, Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM) (Italy); Neri, Sara [Giotto Biotech S.R.L. (Italy); Fragai, Marco, E-mail: fragai@cerm.unifi.it [University of Florence, Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM) (Italy)

    2016-04-15

    In-cell NMR provides structural and functional information on proteins directly inside living cells. At present, the high costs of the labeled media for mammalian cells represent a limiting factor for the development of this methodology. Here we report a protocol to prepare a homemade growth medium from Spirulina platensis autolysate, suitable to express uniformly labeled proteins inside mammalian cells at a reduced cost-per-sample. The human proteins SOD1 and Mia40 were overexpressed in human cells grown in {sup 15}N-enriched S. platensis algal-derived medium, and high quality in-cell NMR spectra were obtained.

  6. Cell damage evaluation of mammalian cells in cell manipulation by amplified femtosecond ytterbium laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Z.-Y.; Iino, T.; Hagihara, H.; Maeno, T.; Okano, K.; Yasukuni, R.; Hosokawa, Y.

    2018-03-01

    A micrometer-scale explosion with cavitation bubble generation is induced by focusing a femtosecond laser in an aqueous solution. We have proposed to apply the explosion as an impulsive force to manipulate mammalian cells especially in microfluidic chip. Herein, we employed an amplified femtosecond ytterbium laser as an excitation source for the explosion and evaluated cell damage in the manipulation process to clarify the application potential. The damage of C2C12 myoblast cell prepared as a representative mammalian cell was investigated as a function of distance between cell and laser focal point. Although the cell received strong damage on the direct laser irradiation condition, the damage sharply decreased with increasing distance. Since the threshold distance, above which the cell had no damage, was consistent with radius of the cavitation bubble, impact of the cavitation bubble would be a critical factor for the cell damage. The damage had strong nonlinearity in the pulse energy dependence. On the other hand, cell position shift by the impact of the cavitation bubble was almost proportional to the pulse energy. In balance between the cell viability and the cell position shift, we elucidated controllability of the cell manipulation in microfluidic chip.

  7. Regeneration of hair cells in the mammalian vestibular system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wenyan; You, Dan; Chen, Yan; Chai, Renjie; Li, Huawei

    2016-06-01

    Hair cells regenerate throughout the lifetime of non-mammalian vertebrates, allowing these animals to recover from hearing and balance deficits. Such regeneration does not occur efficiently in humans and other mammals. Thus, balance deficits become permanent and is a common sensory disorder all over the world. Since Forge and Warchol discovered the limited spontaneous regeneration of vestibular hair cells after gentamicininduced damage in mature mammals, significant efforts have been exerted to trace the origin of the limited vestibular regeneration in mammals after hair cell loss. Moreover, recently many strategies have been developed to promote the hair cell regeneration and subsequent functional recovery of the vestibular system, including manipulating the Wnt, Notch and Atoh1. This article provides an overview of the recent advances in hair cell regeneration in mammalian vestibular epithelia. Furthermore, this review highlights the current limitations of hair cell regeneration and provides the possible solutions to regenerate functional hair cells and to partially restore vestibular function.

  8. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis unveils a prevalent epithelial/mesenchymal hybrid state during mouse organogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Ji; Hu, Yuqiong; Fan, Xiaoying; Wu, Xinglong; Mao, Yunuo; Hu, Boqiang; Guo, Hongshan; Wen, Lu; Tang, Fuchou

    2018-03-14

    Organogenesis is crucial for proper organ formation during mammalian embryonic development. However, the similarities and shared features between different organs and the cellular heterogeneity during this process at single-cell resolution remain elusive. We perform single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of 1916 individual cells from eight organs and tissues of E9.5 to E11.5 mouse embryos, namely, the forebrain, hindbrain, skin, heart, somite, lung, liver, and intestine. Based on the regulatory activities rather than the expression patterns, all cells analyzed can be well classified into four major groups with epithelial, mesodermal, hematopoietic, and neuronal identities. For different organs within the same group, the similarities and differences of their features and developmental paths are revealed and reconstructed. We identify mutual interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal cells and detect epithelial cells with prevalent mesenchymal features during organogenesis, which are similar to the features of intermediate epithelial/mesenchymal cells during tumorigenesis. The comprehensive transcriptome at single-cell resolution profiled in our study paves the way for future mechanistic studies of the gene-regulatory networks governing mammalian organogenesis.

  9. Different intracellular distribution of avian reovirus core protein sigmaA in cells of avian and mammalian origin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vázquez-Iglesias, Lorena; Lostalé-Seijo, Irene; Martínez-Costas, José; Benavente, Javier

    2012-01-01

    A comparative analysis of the intracellular distribution of avian reovirus (ARV) core protein sigmaA in cells of avian and mammalian origin revealed that, whereas the viral protein accumulates in the cytoplasm and nucleolus of avian cells, most sigmaA concentrates in the nucleoplasm of mammalian cells in tight association with the insoluble nuclear matrix fraction. Our results further showed that sigmaA becomes arrested in the nucleoplasm of mammalian cells via association with mammalian cell-specific factors and that this association prevents nucleolar targeting. Inhibition of RNA polymerase II activity, but not of RNA polymerase I activity, in infected mammalian cells induces nucleus-to-cytoplasm sigmaA translocation through a CRM1- and RanGTP-dependent mechanism, yet a heterokaryon assay suggests that sigmaA does not shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm. The scarcity of sigmaA in cytoplasmic viral factories of infected mammalian cells could be one of the factors contributing to limited ARV replication in mammalian cells.

  10. Different intracellular distribution of avian reovirus core protein sigmaA in cells of avian and mammalian origin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vazquez-Iglesias, Lorena; Lostale-Seijo, Irene; Martinez-Costas, Jose [Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, y Centro Singular de Investigacion en Quimica Biologica y Materiales Moleculares (CIQUS), Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782-Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Benavente, Javier, E-mail: franciscojavier.benavente@usc.es [Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, y Centro Singular de Investigacion en Quimica Biologica y Materiales Moleculares (CIQUS), Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782-Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

    2012-10-25

    A comparative analysis of the intracellular distribution of avian reovirus (ARV) core protein sigmaA in cells of avian and mammalian origin revealed that, whereas the viral protein accumulates in the cytoplasm and nucleolus of avian cells, most sigmaA concentrates in the nucleoplasm of mammalian cells in tight association with the insoluble nuclear matrix fraction. Our results further showed that sigmaA becomes arrested in the nucleoplasm of mammalian cells via association with mammalian cell-specific factors and that this association prevents nucleolar targeting. Inhibition of RNA polymerase II activity, but not of RNA polymerase I activity, in infected mammalian cells induces nucleus-to-cytoplasm sigmaA translocation through a CRM1- and RanGTP-dependent mechanism, yet a heterokaryon assay suggests that sigmaA does not shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm. The scarcity of sigmaA in cytoplasmic viral factories of infected mammalian cells could be one of the factors contributing to limited ARV replication in mammalian cells.

  11. Quantifying the Traction Force of a Single Cell by Aligned Silicon Nanowire Array

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Zhou

    2009-10-14

    The physical behaviors of stationary cells, such as the morphology, motility, adhesion, anchorage, invasion and metastasis, are likely to be important for governing their biological characteristics. A change in the physical properties of mammalian cells could be an indication of disease. In this paper, we present a silicon-nanowire-array based technique for quantifying the mechanical behavior of single cells representing three distinct groups: normal mammalian cells, benign cells (L929), and malignant cells (HeLa). By culturing the cells on top of NW arrays, the maximum traction forces of two different tumor cells (HeLa, L929) have been measured by quantitatively analyzing the bending of the nanowires. The cancer cell exhibits a larger traction force than the normal cell by ∼20% for a HeLa cell and ∼50% for a L929 cell. The traction forces have been measured for the L929 cells and mechanocytes as a function of culture time. The relationship between cells extending area and their traction force has been investigated. Our study is likely important for studying the mechanical properties of single cells and their migration characteristics, possibly providing a new cellular level diagnostic technique. © 2009 American Chemical Society.

  12. Engineered Trehalose Permeable to Mammalian Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Abazari

    Full Text Available Trehalose is a naturally occurring disaccharide which is associated with extraordinary stress-tolerance capacity in certain species of unicellular and multicellular organisms. In mammalian cells, presence of intra- and extracellular trehalose has been shown to confer improved tolerance against freezing and desiccation. Since mammalian cells do not synthesize nor import trehalose, the development of novel methods for efficient intracellular delivery of trehalose has been an ongoing investigation. Herein, we studied the membrane permeability of engineered lipophilic derivatives of trehalose. Trehalose conjugated with 6 acetyl groups (trehalose hexaacetate or 6-O-Ac-Tre demonstrated superior permeability in rat hepatocytes compared with regular trehalose, trehalose diacetate (2-O-Ac-Tre and trehalose tetraacetate (4-O-Ac-Tre. Once in the cell, intracellular esterases hydrolyzed the 6-O-Ac-Tre molecules, releasing free trehalose into the cytoplasm. The total concentration of intracellular trehalose (plus acetylated variants reached as high as 10 fold the extracellular concentration of 6-O-Ac-Tre, attaining concentrations suitable for applications in biopreservation. To describe this accumulation phenomenon, a diffusion-reaction model was proposed and the permeability and reaction kinetics of 6-O-Ac-Tre were determined by fitting to experimental data. Further studies suggested that the impact of the loading and the presence of intracellular trehalose on cellular viability and function were negligible. Engineering of trehalose chemical structure rather than manipulating the cell, is an innocuous, cell-friendly method for trehalose delivery, with demonstrated potential for trehalose loading in different types of cells and cell lines, and can facilitate the wide-spread application of trehalose as an intracellular protective agent in biopreservation studies.

  13. Local Nucleosome Dynamics Facilitate Chromatin Accessibility in Living Mammalian Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saera Hihara

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Genome information, which is three-dimensionally organized within cells as chromatin, is searched and read by various proteins for diverse cell functions. Although how the protein factors find their targets remains unclear, the dynamic and flexible nature of chromatin is likely crucial. Using a combined approach of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, single-nucleosome imaging, and Monte Carlo computer simulations, we demonstrate local chromatin dynamics in living mammalian cells. We show that similar to interphase chromatin, dense mitotic chromosomes also have considerable chromatin accessibility. For both interphase and mitotic chromatin, we observed local fluctuation of individual nucleosomes (∼50 nm movement/30 ms, which is caused by confined Brownian motion. Inhibition of these local dynamics by crosslinking impaired accessibility in the dense chromatin regions. Our findings show that local nucleosome dynamics drive chromatin accessibility. We propose that this local nucleosome fluctuation is the basis for scanning genome information.

  14. The self-orientation of mammalian cells in optical tweezers—the importance of the nucleus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perney, Nicolas M B; Horak, Peter; Melvin, Tracy; Hanley, Neil A

    2012-01-01

    Here we present the first evidence showing that eukaryotic cells can be stably trapped in a single focused Gaussian beam with an orientation that is defined by the nucleus. A mammalian eukaryotic cell (in suspension) is trapped and is re-oriented in the focus of a linearly polarized Gaussian beam with a waist of dimension smaller than the radius of the nucleus. The cell reaches a position relative to the focus that is dictated by the nucleus and nuclear components. Our studies illustrate that the force exerted by the optical tweezers at locations within the cell can be predicted theoretically; the data obtained in this way is consistent with the experimental observations. (communication)

  15. InXy and SeXy, compact heterologous reporter proteins for mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fluri, David A; Kelm, Jens M; Lesage, Guillaume; Baba, Marie Daoud-El; Fussenegger, Martin

    2007-10-15

    Mammalian reporter proteins are essential for gene-function analysis, drugscreening initiatives and as model product proteins for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Bacillus subtilis can maintain its metabolism by secreting Xylanase A (XynA), which converts xylan into shorter xylose oligosaccharides. XynA is a family 11 xylanase monospecific for D-xylose containing substrates. Mammalian cells transgenic for constitutive expression of wild-type xynA showed substantial secretion of this prokaryotic enzyme. Deletion analysis confirmed that a prokaryotic signal sequence encoded within the first 81 nucleotides was compatible with the secretory pathway of mammalian cells. Codon optimization combined with elimination of the prokaryotic signal sequence resulted in an exclusively intracellular mammalian Xylanase A variant (InXy) while replacement by an immunoglobulin-derived secretion signal created an optimal secreted Xylanase A derivative (SeXy). A variety of chromogenic and fluorescence-based assays adapted for use with mammalian cells detected InXy and SeXy with high sensitivity and showed that both reporter proteins resisted repeated freeze/thaw cycles, remained active over wide temperature and pH ranges, were extremely stable in human serum stored at room temperature and could independently be quantified in samples also containing other prominent reporter proteins such as the human placental alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) and the Bacillus stearothermophilus-derived secreted alpha-amylase (SAMY). Glycoprofiling revealed that SeXy produced in mammalian cells was N- glycosylated at four different sites, mutation of which resulted in impaired secretion. SeXy was successfully expressed in a variety of mammalian cell lines and primary cells following transient transfection and transduction with adeno-associated virus particles (AAV) engineered for constitutive SeXy expression. Intramuscular injection of transgenic AAVs into mice showed significant SeXy levels in the bloodstream

  16. Does autophagy have a license to kill mammalian cells?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scarlatti, F.; Granata, R.; Meijer, A. J.; Codogno, P.

    2009-01-01

    Macroautophagy is an evolutionarily conserved vacuolar, self-digesting mechanism for cellular components, which end up in the lysosomal compartment. In mammalian cells, macroautophagy is cytoprotective, and protects the cells against the accumulation of damaged organelles or protein aggregates, the

  17. Next-generation mammalian genetics toward organism-level systems biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susaki, Etsuo A; Ukai, Hideki; Ueda, Hiroki R

    2017-01-01

    Organism-level systems biology in mammals aims to identify, analyze, control, and design molecular and cellular networks executing various biological functions in mammals. In particular, system-level identification and analysis of molecular and cellular networks can be accelerated by next-generation mammalian genetics. Mammalian genetics without crossing, where all production and phenotyping studies of genome-edited animals are completed within a single generation drastically reduce the time, space, and effort of conducting the systems research. Next-generation mammalian genetics is based on recent technological advancements in genome editing and developmental engineering. The process begins with introduction of double-strand breaks into genomic DNA by using site-specific endonucleases, which results in highly efficient genome editing in mammalian zygotes or embryonic stem cells. By using nuclease-mediated genome editing in zygotes, or ~100% embryonic stem cell-derived mouse technology, whole-body knock-out and knock-in mice can be produced within a single generation. These emerging technologies allow us to produce multiple knock-out or knock-in strains in high-throughput manner. In this review, we discuss the basic concepts and related technologies as well as current challenges and future opportunities for next-generation mammalian genetics in organism-level systems biology.

  18. Assaying Break and Nick-Induced Homologous Recombination in Mammalian Cells Using the DR-GFP Reporter and Cas9 Nucleases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vriend, Lianne E. M.; Jasin, Maria; Krawczyk, Przemek M.

    2014-01-01

    Thousands of DNA breaks occur daily in mammalian cells, including potentially tumorigenic double-strand breaks (DSBs) and less dangerous but vastly more abundant single-strand breaks (SSBs). The majority of SSBs are quickly repaired, but some can be converted to DSBs, posing a threat to the

  19. Determination of glutamine and glutamic acid in mammalian cell cultures using tetrathiafulvalene modified enzyme electrodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulchandani, A; Bassi, A S

    1996-01-01

    Tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) mediated amperometric enzyme electrodes have been developed for the monitoring of L-glutamine and L-glutamic acid in growing mammalian cell cultures. The detection of glutamine was accomplished by a coupled enzyme system comprised of glutaminase plus glutamate oxidase, while the detection of glutamic acid was carried out by a single enzyme, glutamate oxidase. The appropriate enzyme(s) were immoblized on the Triton-X treated surface of tetrathiafulvalene modified carbon paste electrodes by adsorption, in conjunction with entrapment by an electrochemically deposited copolymer film of 1,3-phenylenediamine and resorcinol. Operating conditions for the glutamine enzyme electrode were optimized with respect to the amount of enzymes immoblized, pH, temperature and mobile phase flow rate for operation in a flow injection (FIA) system. When applied to glutamine and glutamic acid measurements in mammalian cell culture in FIA, the results obtained with enzyme electrodes were in excellent agreement with those determined by enzymatic analysis.

  20. Recombinant human albumin supports single cell cloning of CHO cells in chemically defined media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jiang; Wooh, Jong Wei; Hou, Jeff Jia Cheng; Hughes, Benjamin S; Gray, Peter P; Munro, Trent P

    2012-01-01

    Biologic drugs, such as monoclonal antibodies, are commonly made using mammalian cells in culture. The cell lines used for manufacturing should ideally be clonal, meaning derived from a single cell, which represents a technically challenging process. Fetal bovine serum is often used to support low cell density cultures, however, from a regulatory perspective, it is preferable to avoid animal-derived components to increase process consistency and reduce the risk of contamination from adventitious agents. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the most widely used cell line in industry and a large number of serum-free, protein-free, and fully chemically defined growth media are commercially available, although these media alone do not readily support efficient single cell cloning. In this work, we have developed a simple, fully defined, single-cell cloning media, specifically for CHO cells, using commercially available reagents. Our results show that a 1:1 mixture of CD-CHO™ and DMEM/F12 supplemented with 1.5 g/L of recombinant albumin (Albucult®) supports single cell cloning. This formulation can support recovery of single cells in 43% of cultures compared to 62% in the presence of serum. Copyright © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

  1. Carbamazepine induces mitotic arrest in mammalian Vero cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez Martin, J.M.; Fernandez Freire, P.; Labrador, V.; Hazen, M.J.

    2008-01-01

    We reported recently that the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine, at supratherapeutic concentrations, exerts antiproliferative effects in mammalian Vero cells, but the underlying mechanism has not been elucidated. This motivates us to examine rigorously whether growth arrest was associated with structural changes in cellular organization during mitosis. In the present work, we found that exposure of the cells to carbamazepine led to an increase in mitotic index, mainly due to the sustained block at the metaphase/anaphase boundary, with the consequent inhibition of cell proliferation. Indirect immunofluorescence, using antibodies directed against spindle apparatus proteins, revealed that mitotic arrest was associated with formation of monopolar spindles, caused by impairment of centrosome separation. The final consequence of the spindle defects induced by carbamazepine, depended on the duration of cell cycle arrest. Following the time course of accumulation of metaphase and apoptotic cells during carbamazepine treatments, we observed a causative relationship between mitotic arrest and induction of cell death. Conversely, cells released from the block of metaphase by removal of the drug, continued to progress through mitosis and resume normal proliferation. Our results show that carbamazepine shares a common antiproliferative mechanism with spindle-targeted drugs and contribute to a better understanding of the cytostatic activity previously described in Vero cells. Additional studies are in progress to extend these initial findings that define a novel mode of action of carbamazepine in cultured mammalian cells

  2. Carbamazepine induces mitotic arrest in mammalian Vero cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez Martin, J.M.; Fernandez Freire, P.; Labrador, V. [Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Hazen, M.J. [Departamento de Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain)], E-mail: mariajose.hazen@uam.es

    2008-01-01

    We reported recently that the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine, at supratherapeutic concentrations, exerts antiproliferative effects in mammalian Vero cells, but the underlying mechanism has not been elucidated. This motivates us to examine rigorously whether growth arrest was associated with structural changes in cellular organization during mitosis. In the present work, we found that exposure of the cells to carbamazepine led to an increase in mitotic index, mainly due to the sustained block at the metaphase/anaphase boundary, with the consequent inhibition of cell proliferation. Indirect immunofluorescence, using antibodies directed against spindle apparatus proteins, revealed that mitotic arrest was associated with formation of monopolar spindles, caused by impairment of centrosome separation. The final consequence of the spindle defects induced by carbamazepine, depended on the duration of cell cycle arrest. Following the time course of accumulation of metaphase and apoptotic cells during carbamazepine treatments, we observed a causative relationship between mitotic arrest and induction of cell death. Conversely, cells released from the block of metaphase by removal of the drug, continued to progress through mitosis and resume normal proliferation. Our results show that carbamazepine shares a common antiproliferative mechanism with spindle-targeted drugs and contribute to a better understanding of the cytostatic activity previously described in Vero cells. Additional studies are in progress to extend these initial findings that define a novel mode of action of carbamazepine in cultured mammalian cells.

  3. X-rays sensitive mammalian cell mutant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Utsumi, Hiroshi

    1982-01-01

    A phenomenon that in x-ray-sensitive mammalian-cell mutants, cellular death due to x-ray radiation was not increased by caffeine, but on the contrary, the dead cells were resuscitated by it was discussed. The survival rate of mutant cells increased by caffein in a low concentration. This suggested that caffeine may have induced some mechanism to produce x-ray resistant mutant cells. Postirradiation treatment with caffeine increased considerably the survival rate of the mutant cells, and this suggested the existence of latent caffeine-sensitive potentially lethal damage repair system. This system, after a few hours, is thought to be substituted by caffeine-resistant repair system which is induced by caffeine, and this may be further substituted by x-ray-resistant repair system. The repair system was also induced by adenine. (Ueda, J.)

  4. DNA-barcode directed capture and electrochemical metabolic analysis of single mammalian cells on a microelectrode array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Douglas, Erik S; Hsiao, Sonny C; Onoe, Hiroaki; Bertozzi, Carolyn R; Francis, Matthew B; Mathies, Richard A

    2009-07-21

    A microdevice is developed for DNA-barcode directed capture of single cells on an array of pH-sensitive microelectrodes for metabolic analysis. Cells are modified with membrane-bound single-stranded DNA, and specific single-cell capture is directed by the complementary strand bound in the sensor area of the iridium oxide pH microelectrodes within a microfluidic channel. This bifunctional microelectrode array is demonstrated for the pH monitoring and differentiation of primary T cells and Jurkat T lymphoma cells. Single Jurkat cells exhibited an extracellular acidification rate of 11 milli-pH min(-1), while primary T cells exhibited only 2 milli-pH min(-1). This system can be used to capture non-adherent cells specifically and to discriminate between visually similar healthy and cancerous cells in a heterogeneous ensemble based on their altered metabolic properties.

  5. Mammalian designer cells: Engineering principles and biomedical applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Mingqi; Fussenegger, Martin

    2015-07-01

    Biotechnology is a widely interdisciplinary field focusing on the use of living cells or organisms to solve established problems in medicine, food production and agriculture. Synthetic biology, the science of engineering complex biological systems that do not exist in nature, continues to provide the biotechnology industry with tools, technologies and intellectual property leading to improved cellular performance. One key aspect of synthetic biology is the engineering of deliberately reprogrammed designer cells whose behavior can be controlled over time and space. This review discusses the most commonly used techniques to engineer mammalian designer cells; while control elements acting on the transcriptional and translational levels of target gene expression determine the kinetic and dynamic profiles, coupling them to a variety of extracellular stimuli permits their remote control with user-defined trigger signals. Designer mammalian cells with novel or improved biological functions not only directly improve the production efficiency during biopharmaceutical manufacturing but also open the door for cell-based treatment strategies in molecular and translational medicine. In the future, the rational combination of multiple sets of designer cells could permit the construction and regulation of higher-order systems with increased complexity, thereby enabling the molecular reprogramming of tissues, organisms or even populations with highest precision. Copyright © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Radiation effects in mammalian cells in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, C.K.; Han, A.; Elkind, M.M.; Wells, R.L.; Buess, E.M.; Lin, C.M.

    1985-01-01

    The purpose of this research effort is to elucidate the mechanisms for the radiation-induced changes in mammalian cells that lead to cell death, mutation, neoplastic transformation, DNA damage, and chromosomal alterations. Of particular interest are the effects of low-dose-rate and fractionated irradiation on these end points with respect to the mechanisms whereby these effects are influenced by cellular repair processes, inhibitors, and promoters that act at the genetic or biochemical level. 17 refs

  7. Dynamic JUNQ inclusion bodies are asymmetrically inherited in mammalian cell lines through the asymmetric partitioning of vimentin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogrodnik, Mikołaj; Salmonowicz, Hanna; Brown, Rachel; Turkowska, Joanna; Średniawa, Władysław; Pattabiraman, Sundararaghavan; Amen, Triana; Abraham, Ayelet-chen; Eichler, Noam; Lyakhovetsky, Roman; Kaganovich, Daniel

    2014-06-03

    Aging is associated with the accumulation of several types of damage: in particular, damage to the proteome. Recent work points to a conserved replicative rejuvenation mechanism that works by preventing the inheritance of damaged and misfolded proteins by specific cells during division. Asymmetric inheritance of misfolded and aggregated proteins has been shown in bacteria and yeast, but relatively little evidence exists for a similar mechanism in mammalian cells. Here, we demonstrate, using long-term 4D imaging, that the vimentin intermediate filament establishes mitotic polarity in mammalian cell lines and mediates the asymmetric partitioning of damaged proteins. We show that mammalian JUNQ inclusion bodies containing soluble misfolded proteins are inherited asymmetrically, similarly to JUNQ quality-control inclusions observed in yeast. Mammalian IPOD-like inclusion bodies, meanwhile, are not always inherited by the same cell as the JUNQ. Our study suggests that the mammalian cytoskeleton and intermediate filaments provide the physical scaffold for asymmetric inheritance of dynamic quality-control JUNQ inclusions. Mammalian IPOD inclusions containing amyloidogenic proteins are not partitioned as effectively during mitosis as their counterparts in yeast. These findings provide a valuable mechanistic basis for studying the process of asymmetric inheritance in mammalian cells, including cells potentially undergoing polar divisions, such as differentiating stem cells and cancer cells.

  8. Electron microscopic comparison of the sequences of single-stranded genomes of mammalian parvoviruses by heteroduplex mapping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Banerjee, P.T.; Olson, W.H.; Allison, D.P.; Bates, R.C.; Snyder, C.E.; Mitra, S.

    1983-01-01

    The sequence homologies among the linear single-stranded genomes of several mammalian parvoviruses have been studied by electron microscopic analysis of tthe heteroduplexes produced by reannealing the complementary strands of their DNAs. The genomes of Kilham rat virus, H-1, minute virus of ice and LuIII, which are antigenically distinct non-defective parvoviruses, have considerable homology: about 70% of their sequences are conserved. The homologous regions map at similar locations in the left halves (from the 3' ends) of the genomes. No sequence homology, however, is observed between the DNAs of these nondefective parvoviruses and that of bovine parvovirus, another non-defective virus, or that of defective adenoassociated virus, nor between the genomes of bovine parvovirus and adenoassociated virus. This suggests that only very short, if any, homologous regions are present. From these results, an evolutionary relationship among Kilham rat virus, H-1, minute virus of mice and LuIII is predicted. It is interesting to note that, although LuIII was originally isolated from a human cell line and is specific for human cells in vitro, its genome has sequences in common only with the rodent viruses Kilham rat virus, minute virus of mice and H-1, and not with the other two mammalian parvoviruses tested.

  9. Regulation of Autophagy by Glucose in Mammalian Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erwin Knecht

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that contributes to maintain cell homeostasis. Although it is strongly regulated by many extracellular factors, induction of autophagy is mainly produced by starvation of nutrients. In mammalian cells, the regulation of autophagy by amino acids, and also by the hormone insulin, has been extensively investigated, but knowledge about the effects of other autophagy regulators, including another nutrient, glucose, is more limited. Here we will focus on the signalling pathways by which environmental glucose directly, i.e., independently of insulin and glucagon, regulates autophagy in mammalian cells, but we will also briefly mention some data in yeast. Although glucose deprivation mainly induces autophagy via AMPK activation and the subsequent inhibition of mTORC1, we will also comment other signalling pathways, as well as evidences indicating that, under certain conditions, autophagy can be activated by glucose. A better understanding on how glucose regulates autophagy not only will expand our basic knowledge of this important cell process, but it will be also relevant to understand common human disorders, such as cancer and diabetes, in which glucose levels play an important role.

  10. Chasing the precursor of functional hematopoietic stem cells at the single cell levels in mouse embryos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaochen; Gong, Yuemin; Ema, Hideo

    2016-07-22

    Adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), the ideal system for regenerative research, were isolated at single cell levels decades ago, whereas studies on embryonic HSCs are much more difficult. Zhou et al identified a new pre-HSC cell surface marker, CD201, by which they isolated pre-HSCs at single cell levels for further analyses. The novel expression pattern of HSC development is revealed, including the fundamental role of mammalian targets of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in HSCs emergence, and the repopulation potential of S/G2/M phase pre-HSCs. Deeper understandings of the cellular origin and developmental regulatory network of HSCs are essential to develop new strategies of generating HSCs in vitro for clinical application.

  11. miR-96 regulates the progression of differentiation in mammalian cochlear inner and outer hair cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhn, Stephanie; Johnson, Stuart L; Furness, David N; Chen, Jing; Ingham, Neil; Hilton, Jennifer M; Steffes, Georg; Lewis, Morag A; Zampini, Valeria; Hackney, Carole M; Masetto, Sergio; Holley, Matthew C; Steel, Karen P; Marcotti, Walter

    2011-02-08

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs able to regulate a broad range of protein-coding genes involved in many biological processes. miR-96 is a sensory organ-specific miRNA expressed in the mammalian cochlea during development. Mutations in miR-96 cause nonsyndromic progressive hearing loss in humans and mice. The mouse mutant diminuendo has a single base change in the seed region of the Mir96 gene leading to widespread changes in the expression of many genes. We have used this mutant to explore the role of miR-96 in the maturation of the auditory organ. We found that the physiological development of mutant sensory hair cells is arrested at around the day of birth, before their biophysical differentiation into inner and outer hair cells. Moreover, maturation of the hair cell stereocilia bundle and remodelling of auditory nerve connections within the cochlea fail to occur in miR-96 mutants. We conclude that miR-96 regulates the progression of the physiological and morphological differentiation of cochlear hair cells and, as such, coordinates one of the most distinctive functional refinements of the mammalian auditory system.

  12. A hybrid mammalian cell cycle model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincent Noël

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Hybrid modeling provides an effective solution to cope with multiple time scales dynamics in systems biology. Among the applications of this method, one of the most important is the cell cycle regulation. The machinery of the cell cycle, leading to cell division and proliferation, combines slow growth, spatio-temporal re-organisation of the cell, and rapid changes of regulatory proteins concentrations induced by post-translational modifications. The advancement through the cell cycle comprises a well defined sequence of stages, separated by checkpoint transitions. The combination of continuous and discrete changes justifies hybrid modelling approaches to cell cycle dynamics. We present a piecewise-smooth version of a mammalian cell cycle model, obtained by hybridization from a smooth biochemical model. The approximate hybridization scheme, leading to simplified reaction rates and binary event location functions, is based on learning from a training set of trajectories of the smooth model. We discuss several learning strategies for the parameters of the hybrid model.

  13. Effects of track structure and cell inactivation on the calculation of heavy ion mutation rates in mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cucinotta, F. A.; Wilson, J. W.; Shavers, M. R.; Katz, R.

    1996-01-01

    It has long been suggested that inactivation severely effects the probability of mutation by heavy ions in mammalian cells. Heavy ions have observed cross sections of inactivation that approach and sometimes exceed the geometric size of the cell nucleus in mammalian cells. In the track structure model of Katz the inactivation cross section is found by summing an inactivation probability over all impact parameters from the ion to the sensitive sites within the cell nucleus. The inactivation probability is evaluated using the dose-response of the system to gamma-rays and the radial dose of the ions and may be equal to unity at small impact parameters for some ions. We show how the effects of inactivation may be taken into account in the evaluation of the mutation cross sections from heavy ions in the track structure model through correlation of sites for gene mutation and cell inactivation. The model is fit to available data for HPRT mutations in Chinese hamster cells and good agreement is found. The resulting calculations qualitatively show that mutation cross sections for heavy ions display minima at velocities where inactivation cross sections display maxima. Also, calculations show the high probability of mutation by relativistic heavy ions due to the radial extension of ions track from delta-rays in agreement with the microlesion concept. The effects of inactivation on mutations rates make it very unlikely that a single parameter such as LET or Z*2/beta(2) can be used to specify radiation quality for heavy ion bombardment.

  14. Golgi structure formation, function, and post-translational modifications in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Shijiao; Wang, Yanzhuang

    2017-01-01

    The Golgi apparatus is a central membrane organelle for trafficking and post-translational modifications of proteins and lipids in cells. In mammalian cells, it is organized in the form of stacks of tightly aligned flattened cisternae, and dozens of stacks are often linked laterally into a ribbon-like structure located in the perinuclear region of the cell. Proper Golgi functionality requires an intact architecture, yet Golgi structure is dynamically regulated during the cell cycle and under disease conditions. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the relationship between Golgi structure formation, function, and regulation, with focus on how post-translational modifications including phosphorylation and ubiquitination regulate Golgi structure and on how Golgi unstacking affects its functions, in particular, protein trafficking, glycosylation, and sorting in mammalian cells.

  15. Cell-mediated mutagenesis and cell transformation of mammalian cells by chemical carcinogens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huberman, E.; Langenbach, R.

    1977-01-01

    We have developed a cell-mediated mutagenesis assay in which cells with the appropriate markers for mutagenesis are co-cultivated with either lethally irradiated rodent embryonic cells that can metabolize carcinogenic hydrocarbons or with primary rat liver cells that can metabolize chemicals carcinogenic to the liver. During co-cultivation, the reactive metabolites of the procarcinogen appear to be transmitted to the mutable cells and induce mutations in them. Assays of this type make it possible to demonstrate a relationship between carcinogenic potency of the chemicals and their ability to induce mutations in mammalian cells. In addition, by simultaneously comparing the frequencies of transformation and mutation induced in normal diploid hamster cells by benzo(a)pyrene (BP) and one of its metabolites, it is possible to estimate the genetic target size for cell transformation in vitro

  16. Regulation of Autophagy by Glucose in Mammalian Cells

    OpenAIRE

    Moruno, Félix; Pérez-Jiménez, Eva; Knecht, Erwin

    2012-01-01

    Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that contributes to maintain cell homeostasis. Although it is strongly regulated by many extracellular factors, induction of autophagy is mainly produced by starvation of nutrients. In mammalian cells, the regulation of autophagy by amino acids, and also by the hormone insulin, has been extensively investigated, but knowledge about the effects of other autophagy regulators, including another nutrient, glucose, is more limited. Here we will focu...

  17. Radiosensitization of mammalian cells by misonidazole and oxygen: DNA damage exposed by Micrococcus luteus enzymes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skov, K.A.; Palcic, B.; Skarsgard, L.D.

    1979-01-01

    When misonidazole is present during irradiation of hypoxic mammalian cells, an enhancement of single-strand breaks (SSB) in DNA is observed. Oxygen also enhances SSB, presumably in a manner similar to that of misonidazole. The dose-modifying factor (DMF) for 15 mM misonidazole was found to be 3.4, compared to an oxygen enhancement ratio (OER) of 3.5. Another class of DNA damage, namely, sites exposed by an extract of Micrococcus luteus, was examined. Radiation-induced M. luteus extract-sensitive sites (MLS) were also found to be enhanced by the presence of misonidazole or molecular oxygen. The DMF for this damage by 15 mM misonidazole was 1.6 while the OER was 2.5. The ratio of MLS to SSB is approximately 1.25 under hypoxia, 0.9 in the presence of oxygen, and 0.6 in the presence of 15 mM misonidazole under hypoxic conditions. Incubation with misonidazole under conditions which are toxic to mammalian cells (37 0 C, hypoxia), and which result in many SSB, produces no detectable lesions sensitive to the M. luteus extract

  18. Labeling proteins on live mammalian cells using click chemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikić, Ivana; Kang, Jun Hee; Girona, Gemma Estrada; Aramburu, Iker Valle; Lemke, Edward A

    2015-05-01

    We describe a protocol for the rapid labeling of cell-surface proteins in living mammalian cells using click chemistry. The labeling method is based on strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) and strain-promoted inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder cycloaddition (SPIEDAC) reactions, in which noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) bearing ring-strained alkynes or alkenes react, respectively, with dyes containing azide or tetrazine groups. To introduce ncAAs site specifically into a protein of interest (POI), we use genetic code expansion technology. The protocol can be described as comprising two steps. In the first step, an Amber stop codon is introduced--by site-directed mutagenesis--at the desired site on the gene encoding the POI. This plasmid is then transfected into mammalian cells, along with another plasmid that encodes an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA (RS/tRNA) pair that is orthogonal to the host's translational machinery. In the presence of the ncAA, the orthogonal RS/tRNA pair specifically suppresses the Amber codon by incorporating the ncAA into the polypeptide chain of the POI. In the second step, the expressed POI is labeled with a suitably reactive dye derivative that is directly supplied to the growth medium. We provide a detailed protocol for using commercially available ncAAs and dyes for labeling the insulin receptor, and we discuss the optimal surface-labeling conditions and the limitations of labeling living mammalian cells. The protocol involves an initial cloning step that can take 4-7 d, followed by the described transfections and labeling reaction steps, which can take 3-4 d.

  19. Chemical sporulation and germination: cytoprotective nanocoating of individual mammalian cells with a degradable tannic acid-FeIII complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Juno; Cho, Hyeoncheol; Choi, Jinsu; Kim, Doyeon; Hong, Daewha; Park, Ji Hun; Yang, Sung Ho; Choi, Insung S.

    2015-11-01

    Individual mammalian cells were coated with cytoprotective and degradable films by cytocompatible processes maintaining the cell viability. Three types of mammalian cells (HeLa, NIH 3T3, and Jurkat cells) were coated with a metal-organic complex of tannic acid (TA) and ferric ion, and the TA-FeIII nanocoat effectively protected the coated mammalian cells against UV-C irradiation and a toxic compound. More importantly, the cell proliferation was controlled by programmed formation and degradation of the TA-FeIII nanocoat, mimicking the sporulation and germination processes found in nature.Individual mammalian cells were coated with cytoprotective and degradable films by cytocompatible processes maintaining the cell viability. Three types of mammalian cells (HeLa, NIH 3T3, and Jurkat cells) were coated with a metal-organic complex of tannic acid (TA) and ferric ion, and the TA-FeIII nanocoat effectively protected the coated mammalian cells against UV-C irradiation and a toxic compound. More importantly, the cell proliferation was controlled by programmed formation and degradation of the TA-FeIII nanocoat, mimicking the sporulation and germination processes found in nature. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details, LSCM images, and SEM and TEM images. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr05573c

  20. Regulation of gene expression in mammalian cells following ionizing radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boothman, D.A.; Lee, S.W

    1991-01-01

    Mammalian cells use a variety of mechanisms to control the expression of new gene transcrips elicited in response to ionizing radiation. Damage-induced proteins have been found which contain DNA binding sites located within the promoter regions of SV40 and human thymidine kinase genes. DNA binding proteins as well as proteins which bind to specific DNA lesions (e.g., XIP bp 175 binds specifically to X-ray-damaged DNA) may play a role in the initial recognition of DNA damage and may initiate DNA repair processes, along with new transcription. Mammalian gene expression after DNA damage is also regulated via the stabilization of preexisting mRNA transcripts. Stabilized mRNA transcripts are translated into protein products not previously present in the cell due to undefined posttranscriptional modifications. Thus far, the only example of mRNA stabilization following X-irradiation is the immediate induction of tissue-type plasminogen activator. Mammalian cells synthesize new mRNA transcripts indirect response to DNA damage. Using cDNA cloning, Northern RNA blotting and nuclear run-on techniques, the levels of a variety of known and previously unknown genes dramatically increase following X-irradiation. These genes/proteins now include; a) DNA binding transcripts factors, such as the UV-responsive element binding factors, ionizing radiation-induced DNA-binding proteins, and XIP bP 175; b) proto-oncogenes, such as c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc; c) several growth-related genes, (e.g., the gadd genes, protein kinase C, IL-1, and thymidine kinase); and d) a variety of other genes, including proteases, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and DT diaphorase. Mammalian cells respond to X-irradiation by eliciting a very complex series of events resulting in the appearance of new genes and proteins. These gene products may affect DNA repair, adaptive responses, apoptosis, SOS-type mutagenic response, and/or carcinogenesis. (J.P.N.)

  1. AMMONIA REMOVAL FROM MAMMALIAN CELL CULTURE MEDIUM BY ION-EXCHANGE MEMBRANES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metabolites such as ammonia and lactic acid formed during mammalian cell culture can frequently be toxic to the cells themselves beyond a threshold concentration of the metabolites. Cell culture conducted in the presence of such accumulated metabolites is therefore limited in pro...

  2. Arctigenin from Fructus Arctii is a novel suppressor of heat shock response in mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishihara, Keiichi; Yamagishi, Nobuyuki; Saito, Youhei; Takasaki, Midori; Konoshima, Takao; Hatayama, Takumi

    2006-01-01

    Because heat shock proteins (Hsps) are involved in protecting cells and in the pathophysiology of diseases such as inflammation, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders, the use of regulators of the expression of Hsps in mammalian cells seems to be useful as a potential therapeutic modality. To identify compounds that modulate the response to heat shock, we analyzed several natural products using a mammalian cell line containing an hsp promoter-regulated reporter gene. In this study, we found that an extract from Fructus Arctii markedly suppressed the expression of Hsp induced by heat shock. A component of the extract arctigenin, but not the component arctiin, suppressed the response at the level of the activation of heat shock transcription factor, the induction of mRNA, and the synthesis and accumulation of Hsp. Furthermore, arctigenin inhibited the acquisition of thermotolerance in mammalian cells, including cancer cells. Thus, arctigenin seemed to be a new suppressive regulator of heat shock response in mammalian cells, and may be useful for hyperthermia cancer therapy. PMID:16817321

  3. Wnt/β-catenin signaling in adult mammalian epithelial stem cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kretzschmar, Kai; Clevers, Hans

    2017-01-01

    Adult stem cells self-renew and replenish differentiated cells in various organs and tissues throughout a mammal's life. Over the last 25 years an ever-growing body of knowledge has unraveled the essential regulation of adult mammalian epithelia by the canonical Wnt signaling with its key

  4. Focusing on RISC assembly in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Junmei; Wei, Na; Chalk, Alistair; Wang, Jue; Song, Yutong; Yi, Fan; Qiao, Ren-Ping; Sonnhammer, Erik L L; Wahlestedt, Claes; Liang, Zicai; Du, Quan

    2008-04-11

    RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex) is a central protein complex in RNAi, into which a siRNA strand is assembled to become effective in gene silencing. By using an in vitro RNAi reaction based on Drosophila embryo extract, an asymmetric model was recently proposed for RISC assembly of siRNA strands, suggesting that the strand that is more loosely paired at its 5' end is selectively assembled into RISC and results in target gene silencing. However, in the present study, we were unable to establish such a correlation in cell-based RNAi assays, as well as in large-scale RNAi data analyses. This suggests that the thermodynamic stability of siRNA is not a major determinant of gene silencing in mammalian cells. Further studies on fork siRNAs showed that mismatch at the 5' end of the siRNA sense strand decreased RISC assembly of the antisense strand, but surprisingly did not increase RISC assembly of the sense strand. More interestingly, measurements of melting temperature showed that the terminal stability of fork siRNAs correlated with the positions of the mismatches, but not gene silencing efficacy. In summary, our data demonstrate that there is no definite correlation between siRNA stability and gene silencing in mammalian cells, which suggests that instead of thermodynamic stability, other features of the siRNA duplex contribute to RISC assembly in RNAi.

  5. Focusing on RISC assembly in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong Junmei; Wei Na; Chalk, Alistair; Wang Jue; Song, Yutong; Yi Fan; Qiao Renping; Sonnhammer, Erik L.L.; Wahlestedt, Claes; Liang Zicai; Du, Quan

    2008-01-01

    RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex) is a central protein complex in RNAi, into which a siRNA strand is assembled to become effective in gene silencing. By using an in vitro RNAi reaction based on Drosophila embryo extract, an asymmetric model was recently proposed for RISC assembly of siRNA strands, suggesting that the strand that is more loosely paired at its 5' end is selectively assembled into RISC and results in target gene silencing. However, in the present study, we were unable to establish such a correlation in cell-based RNAi assays, as well as in large-scale RNAi data analyses. This suggests that the thermodynamic stability of siRNA is not a major determinant of gene silencing in mammalian cells. Further studies on fork siRNAs showed that mismatch at the 5' end of the siRNA sense strand decreased RISC assembly of the antisense strand, but surprisingly did not increase RISC assembly of the sense strand. More interestingly, measurements of melting temperature showed that the terminal stability of fork siRNAs correlated with the positions of the mismatches, but not gene silencing efficacy. In summary, our data demonstrate that there is no definite correlation between siRNA stability and gene silencing in mammalian cells, which suggests that instead of thermodynamic stability, other features of the siRNA duplex contribute to RISC assembly in RNAi

  6. Generation of organized germ layers from a single mouse embryonic stem cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poh, Yeh-Chuin; Chen, Junwei; Hong, Ying; Yi, Haiying; Zhang, Shuang; Chen, Junjian; Wu, Douglas C; Wang, Lili; Jia, Qiong; Singh, Rishi; Yao, Wenting; Tan, Youhua; Tajik, Arash; Tanaka, Tetsuya S; Wang, Ning

    2014-05-30

    Mammalian inner cell mass cells undergo lineage-specific differentiation into germ layers of endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm during gastrulation. It has been a long-standing challenge in developmental biology to replicate these organized germ layer patterns in culture. Here we present a method of generating organized germ layers from a single mouse embryonic stem cell cultured in a soft fibrin matrix. Spatial organization of germ layers is regulated by cortical tension of the colony, matrix dimensionality and softness, and cell-cell adhesion. Remarkably, anchorage of the embryoid colony from the 3D matrix to collagen-1-coated 2D substrates of ~1 kPa results in self-organization of all three germ layers: ectoderm on the outside layer, mesoderm in the middle and endoderm at the centre of the colony, reminiscent of generalized gastrulating chordate embryos. These results suggest that mechanical forces via cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions are crucial in spatial organization of germ layers during mammalian gastrulation. This new in vitro method could be used to gain insights on the mechanisms responsible for the regulation of germ layer formation.

  7. Single molecule microscopy in 3D cell cultures and tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauer, Florian M; Kaemmerer, Elke; Meckel, Tobias

    2014-12-15

    From the onset of the first microscopic visualization of single fluorescent molecules in living cells at the beginning of this century, to the present, almost routine application of single molecule microscopy, the method has well-proven its ability to contribute unmatched detailed insight into the heterogeneous and dynamic molecular world life is composed of. Except for investigations on bacteria and yeast, almost the entire story of success is based on studies on adherent mammalian 2D cell cultures. However, despite this continuous progress, the technique was not able to keep pace with the move of the cell biology community to adapt 3D cell culture models for basic research, regenerative medicine, or drug development and screening. In this review, we will summarize the progress, which only recently allowed for the application of single molecule microscopy to 3D cell systems and give an overview of the technical advances that led to it. While initially posing a challenge, we finally conclude that relevant 3D cell models will become an integral part of the on-going success of single molecule microscopy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Electroporation of Mammalian Cells by Nanosecond Electric Field Oscillations and its Inhibition by the Electric Field Reversal

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-09-08

    Report 3. DATES COVERED (From – To) March 2013 to July 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Electroporation of mammalian cells by nanosecond electric field...Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 1Scientific RepoRts | 5:13818 | DOi: 10.1038/srep13818 www.nature.com/scientificreports Electroporation of mammalian cells...first to demonstrate that mammalian cells can be electroporated by damped sine wave electric stimuli of nanosecond duration. By comparing the

  9. The food additive vanillic acid controls transgene expression in mammalian cells and mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gitzinger, Marc; Kemmer, Christian; Fluri, David A; El-Baba, Marie Daoud; Weber, Wilfried; Fussenegger, Martin

    2012-03-01

    Trigger-inducible transcription-control devices that reversibly fine-tune transgene expression in response to molecular cues have significantly advanced the rational reprogramming of mammalian cells. When designed for use in future gene- and cell-based therapies the trigger molecules have to be carefully chosen in order to provide maximum specificity, minimal side-effects and optimal pharmacokinetics in a mammalian organism. Capitalizing on control components that enable Caulobacter crescentus to metabolize vanillic acid originating from lignin degradation that occurs in its oligotrophic freshwater habitat, we have designed synthetic devices that specifically adjust transgene expression in mammalian cells when exposed to vanillic acid. Even in mice transgene expression was robust, precise and tunable in response to vanillic acid. As a licensed food additive that is regularly consumed by humans via flavoured convenience food and specific fresh vegetable and fruits, vanillic acid can be considered as a safe trigger molecule that could be used for diet-controlled transgene expression in future gene- and cell-based therapies.

  10. Analysis of the factors in determining radiosensitivity in mammalian cells by using radio-sensitive and -resistant clones isolated from HeLa S3 cells in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikaido, Osamu; Horikawa, Masakatsu

    1976-01-01

    The factors in determining radiosensitivity of cultured mammalian cells were analysed by using two clones each having different radiosensitivities. The radiosensitive clones were isolated from HeLa S3 cells by the N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-treatment, X-irradiation (200 R) and 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR)-visible light method. On the other hand, the radioresistant clone was isolated by single X-irradiation (2000 R) from MNNG-treated HeLa S3 cell population. The radiosensitivities expressed in D sub(o) and D sub(q) values were 110 and 140 R in radiosensitive SM-1a clone and 180 and 230 R in radioresistant RM-1b clone respectively. The biological and biochemical characteristics of both clones such as the distribution of chromosome numbers, formation and rejoining of single strand breaks in DNA caused by X-irradiation, non-protein sulfhydryl (NPSH) and apparent total sulfhydryl (APSH) contents were measured. Among the characteristics analysed, different contents of NPSH in the cell were well correlated to their daiosensitivities among the original HeLa S3 cells, SM-1a and RM-1b clone. Additionally, it was found that the radioresistant L.P3 Co-3 cells isolated by Tsuboi et al. from the original mouse L.P3 cells by means of serial irradiation with 60 Co γ-rays have more abundant NPSH than the original L.P3 cells. From these results, it can be concluded that the amount of NPSH play the main role in determining radiosensitivity in cultured mammalian cells. (auth.)

  11. Enhanced photo-transfection efficiency of mammalian cells on graphene coated substrates

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Mthunzi, P

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Literature reports graphene, an atomic-thick sheet of carbon atoms as one of the promising biocompatible scaffolds that promotes cellular proliferation in human mesenchymal stem cells. On the other hand, different mammalian cell lines including...

  12. The impact of locally multiply damaged sites (LMDS) induced by ionizing radiation in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Averbeck, D.; Boucher, D.

    2006-01-01

    Monte Carlo calculations have shown that ionising radiations produce a specific type of clustered cell damage called locally multiply damaged sites or LMDS. These lesions consist of closely positioned single-strand breaks, (oxidative) base damage and DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) in between one helical turn of DNA. As specific markers of radiation-induced damage these lesions are likely to condition biological responses and are thus of great interest for radiation protection. Calculations indicate that there should be more LMDS induced by high than by low LET radiation, and they should be absent in un-irradiated cells. Processes like K-shell activation and local Auger electron emission can be expected to add complex DSB or LMDS, producing significant chromosomal damage. In the discussion of the specificity of ionising radiation in comparison to other genotoxic agents, many arguments have been put forward that these lesions should be particularly deleterious for living cells. Complex lesions of that type should represent big obstacles for DNA repair and give rise to high lethality. Moreover, cellular attempts to repair them could accentuate harm, leading to mutations, genetic instability and cancer. In vitro experiments with oligonucleotides containing an artificially introduced set of base damage and SSB in different combinations have shown that depending on the close positioning of the damage on DNA, repair enzymes, and even whole cell extracts, are unable to repair properly and may stimulate mis-repair. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in conjunction with enzymatic treatments has been used to detect LMDS in mammalian cells after high and low LET radiation. In order to further define the importance of LMDS for radiation induced cellular responses, we studied the induction of LMDS as a function of radiation dose and dose rate in mammalian cells (CHO and MRC5) using 137 Cs gamma-radiation. Using PFGE and specific glycosylases to convert oxidative damage into

  13. The impact of locally multiply damaged sites (LMDS) induced by ionizing radiation in mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Averbeck, D.; Boucher, D. [Institut Curie-Section de Recherche, UMR2027 CNRS, LCR-V28 du CEA, Centre Universitaire, 91405 Orsay Cedex (France)

    2006-07-01

    Monte Carlo calculations have shown that ionising radiations produce a specific type of clustered cell damage called locally multiply damaged sites or LMDS. These lesions consist of closely positioned single-strand breaks, (oxidative) base damage and DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) in between one helical turn of DNA. As specific markers of radiation-induced damage these lesions are likely to condition biological responses and are thus of great interest for radiation protection. Calculations indicate that there should be more LMDS induced by high than by low LET radiation, and they should be absent in un-irradiated cells. Processes like K-shell activation and local Auger electron emission can be expected to add complex DSB or LMDS, producing significant chromosomal damage. In the discussion of the specificity of ionising radiation in comparison to other genotoxic agents, many arguments have been put forward that these lesions should be particularly deleterious for living cells. Complex lesions of that type should represent big obstacles for DNA repair and give rise to high lethality. Moreover, cellular attempts to repair them could accentuate harm, leading to mutations, genetic instability and cancer. In vitro experiments with oligonucleotides containing an artificially introduced set of base damage and SSB in different combinations have shown that depending on the close positioning of the damage on DNA, repair enzymes, and even whole cell extracts, are unable to repair properly and may stimulate mis-repair. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in conjunction with enzymatic treatments has been used to detect LMDS in mammalian cells after high and low LET radiation. In order to further define the importance of LMDS for radiation induced cellular responses, we studied the induction of LMDS as a function of radiation dose and dose rate in mammalian cells (CHO and MRC5) using {sup 137}Cs gamma-radiation. Using PFGE and specific glycosylases to convert oxidative damage

  14. Risk Mitigation in Preventing Adventitious Agent Contamination of Mammalian Cell Cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiratori, Masaru; Kiss, Robert

    2017-11-14

    Industrial-scale mammalian cell culture processes have been contaminated by viruses during the culturing phase. Although the historical frequency of such events has been quite low, the impact of contamination can be significant for the manufacturing company and for the supply of the product to patients. This chapter discusses sources of adventitious agent contamination risk in a cell culture process, provides a semiquantitative assessment of such risks, and describes potential process barriers that can be used to reduce contamination risk. High-temperature, short-time (HTST) heat treatment is recommended as the process barrier of choice, when compatible with the process. A case study assessing the compatibility of HTST heat treatment with a cell culture medium is presented, and lessons learned are shared from our experiences over many years of developing and implementing virus barriers in mammalian cell culture processes. Graphical Abstract.

  15. Robotic multi-well planar patch-clamp for native and primary mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milligan, Carol J; Li, Jing; Sukumar, Piruthivi; Majeed, Yasser; Dallas, Mark L; English, Anne; Emery, Paul; Porter, Karen E; Smith, Andrew M; McFadzean, Ian; Beccano-Kelly, Dayne; Bahnasi, Yahya; Cheong, Alex; Naylor, Jacqueline; Zeng, Fanning; Liu, Xing; Gamper, Nikita; Jiang, Lin-Hua; Pearson, Hugh A; Peers, Chris; Robertson, Brian; Beech, David J

    2009-01-01

    Multi-well robotic planar patch-clamp has become common in drug development and safety programmes because it enables efficient and systematic testing of compounds against ion channels during voltage-clamp. It has not, however, been adopted significantly in other important areas of ion channel research, where conventional patch-clamp remains the favoured method. Here we show the wider potential of the multi-well approach with the capability for efficient intracellular solution exchange, describing protocols and success rates for recording from a range of native and primary mammalian cells derived from blood vessels, arthritic joints, and the immune and central nervous systems. The protocol involves preparing a suspension of single cells to be dispensed robotically into 4-8 microfluidic chambers each containing a glass chip with a small aperture. Under automated control, giga-seals and whole-cell access are achieved followed by pre-programmed routines of voltage paradigms and fast extracellular or intracellular solution exchange. Recording from 48 chambers usually takes 1-6 hr depending on the experimental design and yields 16-33 cell recordings. PMID:19197268

  16. Stability of resazurin in buffers and mammalian cell culture media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Eva; Nicolaisen, G.M.

    1999-01-01

    The utility of a ferricyanide/ferrocyanide system used in the AlamarBlue(TM) (Serotec, Oxford, UK) vital. dye to inhibit the reduction of resazurin by mammalian cell culture media is questioned. Resazurin was found to be relatively stable when dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The use...... of HEPES resulted in a huge immediate dye reduction, which was significantly enhanced by exposure to diffuse light from fluorescent tubes in the laboratory 8 h per day. The reduction of resazurin by various cell culture media was time and temperature dependent, and it was significantly enhanced......'s nutrient mixture F-10 and F-12. Fetal calf serum (5-20%) slightly decreased resazurin reduction during the first 2 days of incubation. The reduction of resazurin by mammalian cell culture media do not appear to be problematic under normal culture conditions, and it is primarily dependent upon the presence...

  17. Apple derived cellulose scaffolds for 3D mammalian cell culture.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel J Modulevsky

    Full Text Available There are numerous approaches for producing natural and synthetic 3D scaffolds that support the proliferation of mammalian cells. 3D scaffolds better represent the natural cellular microenvironment and have many potential applications in vitro and in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that 3D cellulose scaffolds produced by decellularizing apple hypanthium tissue can be employed for in vitro 3D culture of NIH3T3 fibroblasts, mouse C2C12 muscle myoblasts and human HeLa epithelial cells. We show that these cells can adhere, invade and proliferate in the cellulose scaffolds. In addition, biochemical functionalization or chemical cross-linking can be employed to control the surface biochemistry and/or mechanical properties of the scaffold. The cells retain high viability even after 12 continuous weeks of culture and can achieve cell densities comparable with other natural and synthetic scaffold materials. Apple derived cellulose scaffolds are easily produced, inexpensive and originate from a renewable source. Taken together, these results demonstrate that naturally derived cellulose scaffolds offer a complementary approach to existing techniques for the in vitro culture of mammalian cells in a 3D environment.

  18. A universal mammalian vaccine cell line substrate.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jackelyn Murray

    Full Text Available Using genome-wide small interfering RNA (siRNA screens for poliovirus, influenza A virus and rotavirus, we validated the top 6 gene hits PV, RV or IAV to search for host genes that when knocked-down (KD enhanced virus permissiveness and replication over wild type Vero cells or HEp-2 cells. The enhanced virus replication was tested for 12 viruses and ranged from 2-fold to >1000-fold. There were variations in virus-specific replication (strain differences across the cell lines examined. Some host genes (CNTD2, COQ9, GCGR, NDUFA9, NEU2, PYCR1, SEC16G, SVOPL, ZFYVE9, and ZNF205 showed that KD resulted in enhanced virus replication. These findings advance platform-enabling vaccine technology, the creation of diagnostic cells substrates, and are informative about the host mechanisms that affect virus replication in mammalian cells.

  19. The use of a cloned bacterial gene to study mutation in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thacker, J.; Debenham, P.G.; Stretch, A.; Webb, M.B.T.

    1983-01-01

    The recombinant DNA molecule pSV2-gpt, which contains the bacterial gene coding for xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (XGPRT) activity, was introduced into a hamster cell line lacking the equivalent mammalian enzyme (HGPRT). Hamster cell sublines were found with stable expression of XGPRT activity and were used to study mutation of the integrated pSV2-gpt DNA sequence. Mutants were selected by their resistance to 6-thioguanine (TG) under optimal conditions which were found to be very similar to those for selection of HGPRT-deficient mutants of mammalian cells. The frequency of XGPRT-deficient mutants was increased by treatment with X-rays, ethyl methanesulphonate and ethyl nitrosourea. X-Ray induction of mutants increased approximately linearly with dose up to about 500 rad, but the frequency of mutants per rad was very much higher than that usually found for 'native' mammalian genes. (orig./AJ)

  20. The Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis toxin complex is active against cultured mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hares, Michelle C; Hinchliffe, Stewart J; Strong, Philippa C R; Eleftherianos, Ioannis; Dowling, Andrea J; ffrench-Constant, Richard H; Waterfield, Nick

    2008-11-01

    The toxin complex (Tc) genes were first identified in the insect pathogen Photorhabdus luminescens and encode approximately 1 MDa protein complexes which are toxic to insect pests. Subsequent genome sequencing projects have revealed the presence of tc orthologues in a range of bacterial pathogens known to be associated with insects. Interestingly, members of the mammalian-pathogenic yersiniae have also been shown to encode Tc orthologues. Studies in Yersinia enterocolitica have shown that divergent tc loci either encode insect-active toxins or play a role in colonization of the gut in gastroenteritis models of rats. So far little is known about the activity of the Tc proteins in the other mammalian-pathogenic yersiniae. Here we present work to suggest that Tc proteins in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis are not insecticidal toxins but have evolved for mammalian pathogenicity. We show that Tc is secreted by Y. pseudotuberculosis strain IP32953 during growth in media at 28 degrees C and 37 degrees C. We also demonstrate that oral toxicity of strain IP32953 to Manduca sexta larvae is not due to Tc expression and that lysates of Escherichia coli BL21 expressing the Yersinia Tc proteins are not toxic to Sf9 insect cells but are toxic to cultured mammalian cell lines. Cell lysates of E. coli BL21 expressing the Y. pseudotuberculosis Tc proteins caused actin ruffles, vacuoles and multi-nucleation in cultured human gut cells (Caco-2); similar morphology was observed after application of a lysate of E. coli BL21 expressing the Y. pestis Tc proteins to mouse fibroblast NIH3T3 cells, but not Caco-2 cells. Finally, transient expression of the individual Tc proteins in Caco-2 and NIH3T3 cell lines reproduced the actin and nuclear rearrangement observed with the topical applications. Together these results add weight to the growing hypothesis that the Tc proteins in Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. pestis have been adapted for mammalian pathogenicity. We further

  1. Quantification of mammalian tumor cell state plasticity with digital holographic cytometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hejna, Miroslav; Jorapur, Aparna; Zhang, Yuntian; Song, Jun S.; Judson, Robert L.

    2018-02-01

    Individual cells within isogenic tumor populations can exhibit distinct cellular morphologies, behaviors, and molecular profiles. Cell state plasticity refers to the propensity of a cell to transition between these different morphologies and behaviors. Elevation of cell state plasticity is thought to contribute to critical stages in tumor evolution, including metastatic dissemination and acquisition of therapeutic resistance. However, methods for quantifying general plasticity in mammalian cells remain limited. Working with a HoloMonitor M4 digital holographic cytometry platform, we have established a machine learning-based pipeline for high accuracy and label-free classification of adherent cells. We use twenty-six morphological and optical density-derived features for label-free identification of cell state in heterogeneous cultures. The system is housed completely within a mammalian cell incubator, permitting the monitoring of changes in cell state over time. Here we present an application of our approach for studying cell state plasticity. Human melanoma cell lines of known metastatic potential were monitored in standard growth conditions. The rate of feature change was quantified for each individual cell in the populations. We observed that cells of higher metastatic potential exhibited more rapid fluctuation of cell state in homeostatic conditions. The approach we demonstrate will be advantageous for further investigations into the factors that influence cell state plasticity.

  2. Expression of recombinant glycoproteins in mammalian cells: towards an integrative approach to structural biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aricescu, A Radu; Owens, Raymond J

    2013-06-01

    Mammalian cells are rapidly becoming the system of choice for the production of recombinant glycoproteins for structural biology applications. Their use has enabled the structural investigation of a whole new set of targets including large, multi-domain and highly glycosylated eukaryotic cell surface receptors and their supra-molecular assemblies. We summarize the technical advances that have been made in mammalian expression technology and highlight some of the structural insights that have been obtained using these methods. Looking forward, it is clear that mammalian cell expression will provide exciting and unique opportunities for an integrative approach to the structural study of proteins, especially of human origin and medically relevant, by bridging the gap between the purified state and the cellular context. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. A validated system for ligation-free USER™ -based assembly of expression vectors for mammalian cell engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund, Anne Mathilde; Kildegaard, Helene Faustrup; Hansen, Bjarne Gram

    The development in the field of mammalian cell factories require fast and high-throughput methods, this means a high need for simpler and more efficient cloning techniques. For optimization of protein expression by genetic engineering and for allowing metabolic engineering in mammalian cells, a new...

  4. Global Screening of Antiviral Genes that Suppress Baculovirus Transgene Expression in Mammalian Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chia-Hung; Naik, Nenavath Gopal; Liao, Lin-Li; Wei, Sung-Chan; Chao, Yu-Chan

    2017-09-15

    Although baculovirus has been used as a safe and convenient gene delivery vector in mammalian cells, baculovirus-mediated transgene expression is less effective in various mammalian cell lines. Identification of the negative regulators in host cells is necessary to improve baculovirus-based expression systems. Here, we performed high-throughput shRNA library screening, targeting 176 antiviral innate immune genes, and identified 43 host restriction factor genes in a human A549 lung carcinoma cell line. Among them, suppression of receptor interaction protein kinase 1 (RIP1, also known as RIPK1) significantly increased baculoviral transgene expression without resulting in significant cell death. Silencing of RIP1 did not affect viral entry or cell viability, but it did inhibit nuclear translocation of the IRF3 and NF-κB transcription factors. Also, activation of downstream signaling mediators (such as TBK1 and IRF7) was affected, and subsequent interferon and cytokine gene expression levels were abolished. Further, Necrostatin-1 (Nec-1)-an inhibitor of RIP1 kinase activity-dramatically increased baculoviral transgene expression in RIP1-silenced cells. Using baculovirus as a model system, this study presents an initial investigation of large numbers of human cell antiviral innate immune response factors against a "nonadaptive virus." In addition, our study has made baculovirus a more efficient gene transfer vector for some of the most frequently used mammalian cell systems.

  5. Mammalian cell culture capacity for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ecker, Dawn M; Ransohoff, Thomas C

    2014-01-01

    : With worldwide sales of biopharmaceuticals increasing each year and continuing growth on the horizon, the manufacture of mammalian biopharmaceuticals has become a major global enterprise. We describe the current and future industry wide supply of manufacturing capacity with regard to capacity type, distribution, and geographic location. Bioreactor capacity and the use of single-use products for biomanufacturing are also profiled. An analysis of the use of this capacity is performed, including a discussion of current trends that will influence capacity growth, availability, and utilization in the coming years.

  6. Redox signaling during hypoxia in mammalian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimberly A. Smith

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Hypoxia triggers a wide range of protective responses in mammalian cells, which are mediated through transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms. Redox signaling in cells by reactive oxygen species (ROS such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 occurs through the reversible oxidation of cysteine thiol groups, resulting in structural modifications that can change protein function profoundly. Mitochondria are an important source of ROS generation, and studies reveal that superoxide generation by the electron transport chain increases during hypoxia. Other sources of ROS, such as the NAD(PH oxidases, may also generate oxidant signals in hypoxia. This review considers the growing body of work indicating that increased ROS signals during hypoxia are responsible for regulating the activation of protective mechanisms in diverse cell types.

  7. Single-cell printing to form three-dimensional lines of olfactory ensheathing cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Othon, Christina M; Ringeisen, Bradley R; Wu Xingjia; Anders, Juanita J

    2008-01-01

    Biological laser printing (BioLP(TM)) is a unique tool capable of printing high resolution two- and three-dimensional patterns of living mammalian cells, with greater than 95% viability. These results have been extended to primary cultured olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), harvested from adult Sprague-Dawley rats. OECs have been found to provide stimulating environments for neurite outgrowth in spinal cord injury models. BioLP is unique in that small load volumes (∼μLs) are required to achieve printing, enabling low numbers of OECs to be harvested, concentrated and printed. BioLP was used to form several 8 mm lines of OECs throughout a multilayer hydrogel scaffold. The line width was as low as 20 μm, with most lines comprising aligned single cells. Fluorescent confocal microscopy was used to determine the functionality of the printed OECs, to monitor interactions between printed OECs, and to determine the extent of cell migration throughout the 3D scaffold. High-resolution printing of low cell count, harvested OECs is an important advancement for in vitro study of cell interactions and functionality. In addition, these cell-printed scaffolds may provide an alternative for spinal cord repair studies, as the single-cell patterns formed here are on relevant size scales for neurite outgrowth

  8. Expression of hepatitis C virus envelope protein 2 induces apoptosis in cultured mammalian cells

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Li-Xin Zhu; Jing Liu; You-Hua Xie; Yu-Ying Kong; Ye Ye; Chun-Lin Wang; Guang-Di Li; Yuan Wang

    2004-01-01

    AIM: To explore the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope protein 2 (E2) in the induction of apoptosis.METHODS: A carboxyterminal truncated E2 (E2-661) was transiently expressed in several cultured mammalian cell lines or stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)cell line. Cell proliferation was assessed by 3H thymidine uptake. Apoptosis was examined by Hoechst 33258staining, flow cytometry and DNA fragmentation analysis.RESULTS: Reduced proliferation was readily observed in the E2-661 expressing cells. These cells manifested the typical features of apoptosis, including cell shrinkage,chromatin condensation and hypodiploid genomic DNA content. Similar apoptotic cell death was observed in an E2-661 stably expressing cell line.CONCLUSION: HCV E2 can induce apoptosis in cultured mammalian cells.

  9. The ciliary margin zone of the mammalian retina generates retinal ganglion cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcucci, Florencia; Murcia-Belmonte, Veronica; Coca, Yaiza; Ferreiro-Galve, Susana; Wang, Qing; Kuwajima, Takaaki; Khalid, Sania; Ross, M. Elizabeth; Herrera, Eloisa; Mason, Carol

    2016-01-01

    Summary The retina of lower vertebrates grows continuously by integrating new neurons generated from progenitors in the ciliary margin zone (CMZ). Whether the mammalian CMZ provides the neural retina with retinal cells is controversial. Live-imaging of embryonic retina expressing eGFP in the CMZ shows that cells migrate laterally from the CMZ to the neural retina where differentiated retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) reside. As Cyclin D2, a cell-cycle regulator, is enriched in ventral CMZ, we analyzed Cyclin D2−/− mice to test whether the CMZ is a source of retinal cells. Neurogenesis is diminished in Cyclin D2 mutants, leading to a reduction of RGCs in the ventral retina. In line with these findings, in the albino retina, the decreased production of ipsilateral RGCs is correlated with fewer Cyclin D2+ cells. Together, these results implicate the mammalian CMZ as a neurogenic site that produces RGCs and whose proper generation depends on Cyclin D2 activity. PMID:28009286

  10. Applications of flow cytometry to toxicological mycotoxin effects in cultured mammalian cells: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juan-García, Ana; Manyes, Lara; Ruiz, María-José; Font, Guillermina

    2013-06-01

    This review gives an overview of flow cytometry applications to toxicological studies of several physiological target sites of mycotoxins on different mammalian cell lines. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi that may be present in food, feed, air and water. The increasing presence of mycotoxins in crops, their wide distribution in the food chain, and their potential for toxicity demonstrate the need for further knowledge. Flow cytometry has become a valuable tool in mycotoxin studies in recent years for the rapid analysis of single cells in a mixture. In toxicology, the power of these methods lies in the possibility of determining a wide range of cell parameters, providing valuable information to elucidate cell growth and viability, metabolic activity, mitochondrial membrane potential and membrane integrity mechanisms. There are studies using flow cytometry technique on Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium mycotoxins including information about cell type, assay conditions and functional parameters. Most of the studies collected in the literature are on deoxynivalenol and zearalenone mycotoxins. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis are the processes more widely investigated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. TALE activators regulate gene expression in a position- and strand-dependent manner in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uhde-Stone, Claudia; Cheung, Edna; Lu, Biao

    2014-01-24

    Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) are a class of transcription factors that are readily programmable to regulate gene expression. Despite their growing popularity, little is known about binding site parameters that influence TALE-mediated gene activation in mammalian cells. We demonstrate that TALE activators modulate gene expression in mammalian cells in a position- and strand-dependent manner. To study the effects of binding site location, we engineered TALEs customized to recognize specific DNA sequences located in either the promoter or the transcribed region of reporter genes. We found that TALE activators robustly activated reporter genes when their binding sites were located within the promoter region. In contrast, TALE activators inhibited the expression of reporter genes when their binding sites were located on the sense strand of the transcribed region. Notably, this repression was independent of the effector domain utilized, suggesting a simple blockage mechanism. We conclude that TALE activators in mammalian cells regulate genes in a position- and strand-dependent manner that is substantially different from gene activation by native TALEs in plants. These findings have implications for optimizing the design of custom TALEs for genetic manipulation in mammalian cells. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Nucleolar localization of influenza A NS1: striking differences between mammalian and avian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mazel-Sanchez Beryl

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In mammalian cells, nucleolar localization of influenza A NS1 requires the presence of a C-terminal nucleolar localization signal. This nucleolar localization signal is present only in certain strains of influenza A viruses. Therefore, only certain NS1 accumulate in the nucleolus of mammalian cells. In contrast, we show that all NS1 tested in this study accumulated in the nucleolus of avian cells even in the absence of the above described C-terminal nucleolar localization signal. Thus, nucleolar localization of NS1 in avian cells appears to rely on a different nucleolar localization signal that is more conserved among influenza virus strains.

  13. Mammalian synthetic biology for studying the cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathur, Melina; Xiang, Joy S; Smolke, Christina D

    2017-01-02

    Synthetic biology is advancing the design of genetic devices that enable the study of cellular and molecular biology in mammalian cells. These genetic devices use diverse regulatory mechanisms to both examine cellular processes and achieve precise and dynamic control of cellular phenotype. Synthetic biology tools provide novel functionality to complement the examination of natural cell systems, including engineered molecules with specific activities and model systems that mimic complex regulatory processes. Continued development of quantitative standards and computational tools will expand capacities to probe cellular mechanisms with genetic devices to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the cell. In this study, we review synthetic biology tools that are being applied to effectively investigate diverse cellular processes, regulatory networks, and multicellular interactions. We also discuss current challenges and future developments in the field that may transform the types of investigation possible in cell biology. © 2017 Mathur et al.

  14. Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Defines Heterogeneity and Transcriptional Dynamics in the Adult Neural Stem Cell Lineage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ben W. Dulken

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Neural stem cells (NSCs in the adult mammalian brain serve as a reservoir for the generation of new neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize adult NSC populations and examine the molecular identities and heterogeneity of in vivo NSC populations. We find that cells in the NSC lineage exist on a continuum through the processes of activation and differentiation. Interestingly, rare intermediate states with distinct molecular profiles can be identified and experimentally validated, and our analysis identifies putative surface markers and key intracellular regulators for these subpopulations of NSCs. Finally, using the power of single-cell profiling, we conduct a meta-analysis to compare in vivo NSCs and in vitro cultures, distinct fluorescence-activated cell sorting strategies, and different neurogenic niches. These data provide a resource for the field and contribute to an integrative understanding of the adult NSC lineage.

  15. Advances in Mammalian Cell Line Development Technologies for Recombinant Protein Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Say Kong Ng

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available From 2006 to 2011, an average of 15 novel recombinant protein therapeutics have been approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA annually. In addition, the expiration of blockbuster biologics has also spurred the emergence of biosimilars. The increasing numbers of innovator biologic products and biosimilars have thus fuelled the demand of production cell lines with high productivity. Currently, mammalian cell line development technologies used by most biopharmaceutical companies are based on either the methotrexate (MTX amplification technology or the glutamine synthetase (GS system. With both systems, the cell clones obtained are highly heterogeneous, as a result of random genome integration by the gene of interest and the gene amplification process. Consequently, large numbers of cell clones have to be screened to identify rare stable high producer cell clones. As such, the cell line development process typically requires 6 to 12 months and is a time, capital and labour intensive process. This article reviews established advances in protein expression and clone screening which are the core technologies in mammalian cell line development. Advancements in these component technologies are vital to improve the speed and efficiency of generating robust and highly productive cell line for large scale production of protein therapeutics.

  16. Intracellular dielectric tagging for improved optical manipulation of mammalian cells

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Mthunzi, P

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available review the application of optical forces for cellmanipulation and sorting, highlighting some of the key experiments over the last twenty years.We then introduce a new technique for enhancing the dielectric contrast of mammalian cells, which is a result...

  17. Mammalian target of rapamycin activity is required for expansion of CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geest, Christian R.; Zwartkruis, Fried J.; Vellenga, Edo; Coffer, Paul J.; Buitenhuis, Miranda

    Background The mammalian target of rapamycin is a conserved protein kinase known to regulate protein synthesis, cell size and proliferation. Aberrant regulation of mammalian target of rapamycin activity has been observed in hematopoietic malignancies, including acute leukemias and myelodysplastic

  18. Autonomously bioluminescent mammalian cells for continuous and real-time monitoring of cytotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tingting; Close, Dan M; Webb, James D; Ripp, Steven A; Sayler, Gary S

    2013-10-28

    Mammalian cell-based in vitro assays have been widely employed as alternatives to animal testing for toxicological studies but have been limited due to the high monetary and time costs of parallel sample preparation that are necessitated due to the destructive nature of firefly luciferase-based screening methods. This video describes the utilization of autonomously bioluminescent mammalian cells, which do not require the destructive addition of a luciferin substrate, as an inexpensive and facile method for monitoring the cytotoxic effects of a compound of interest. Mammalian cells stably expressing the full bacterial bioluminescence (luxCDABEfrp) gene cassette autonomously produce an optical signal that peaks at 490 nm without the addition of an expensive and possibly interfering luciferin substrate, excitation by an external energy source, or destruction of the sample that is traditionally performed during optical imaging procedures. This independence from external stimulation places the burden for maintaining the bioluminescent reaction solely on the cell, meaning that the resultant signal is only detected during active metabolism. This characteristic makes the lux-expressing cell line an excellent candidate for use as a biosentinel against cytotoxic effects because changes in bioluminescent production are indicative of adverse effects on cellular growth and metabolism. Similarly, the autonomous nature and lack of required sample destruction permits repeated imaging of the same sample in real-time throughout the period of toxicant exposure and can be performed across multiple samples using existing imaging equipment in an automated fashion.

  19. The effects of selenium on glutathione peroxidase activity and radioprotection in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diamond, A.M.; Murray, J.L.; Dale, P.; Tritz, R.; Grdina, D.J.

    1995-01-01

    The media of representative mammalian cell lines were supplemented with low levels of selenium in the form of sodium selenite in order to investigate the effects of selenium on mammalian cells. Following incubation in 30 nM sodium selenite, these cells were assayed for changes in glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. The cells examined included NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblasts, PC12 rat sympathetic precursor cells, SupT-1 human lymphocytes, MCF-7 adr human breast carcinoma cells and AA8 Chinese hamster ovary cells. Selenium supplementation resulted in a marginal increase in GPx activity for the NIH 3T3, MCF-7 adr and Supt-1 cells but stimulated GPx activity approximately 5-fold in PC12 and AA8 cells. AA8 cells were selected to evaluate whether selenium supplementation was radioprotective against 60 cobalt gamma irradiation. Protection against radiation-induced mutation was measured by evaluating mutation frequency at the hprt locus. In this assay, preincubation of AA8 CHO cells significantly protected these cells from exposure to 8 Gy

  20. Multiplexed expression and screening for recombinant protein production in mammalian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McCafferty John

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A variety of approaches to understanding protein structure and function require production of recombinant protein. Mammalian based expression systems have advantages over bacterial systems for certain classes of protein but can be slower and more laborious. Thus the availability of a simple system for production and rapid screening of constructs or conditions for mammalian expression would be of great benefit. To this end we have coupled an efficient recombinant protein production system based on transient transfection in HEK-293 EBNA1 (HEK-293E suspension cells with a dot blot method allowing pre-screening of proteins expressed in cells in a high throughput manner. Results A nested PCR approach was used to clone 21 extracellular domains of mouse receptors as CD4 fusions within a mammalian GATEWAY expression vector system. Following transient transfection, HEK-293E cells grown in 2 ml cultures in 24-deep well blocks showed similar growth kinetics, viability and recombinant protein expression profiles, to those grown in 50 ml shake flask cultures as judged by western blotting. Following optimisation, fluorescent dot blot analysis of transfection supernatants was shown to be a rapid method for analysing protein expression yielding similar results as western blot analysis. Addition of urea enhanced the binding of glycoproteins to a nitrocellulose membrane. A good correlation was observed between the results of a plate based small scale transient transfection dot blot pre-screen and successful purification of proteins expressed at the 50 ml scale. Conclusion The combination of small scale multi-well plate culture and dot blotting described here will allow the multiplex analysis of different mammalian expression experiments enabling a faster identification of high yield expression constructs or conditions prior to large scale protein production. The methods for parallel GATEWAY cloning and expression of multiple constructs in cell

  1. Mammalian knock out cells reveal prominent roles for atlastin GTPases in ER network morphology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Guohua; Zhu, Peng-Peng; Renvoisé, Benoît; Maldonado-Báez, Lymarie; Park, Seong Hee; Blackstone, Craig, E-mail: blackstc@ninds.nih.gov

    2016-11-15

    Atlastins are large, membrane-bound GTPases that participate in the fusion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) tubules to generate the polygonal ER network in eukaryotes. They also regulate lipid droplet size and inhibit bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, though mechanisms remain unclear. Humans have three atlastins (ATL1, ATL2, and ATL3), and ATL1 and ATL3 are mutated in autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia and hereditary sensory neuropathies. Cellular investigations of atlastin orthologs in most yeast, plants, flies and worms are facilitated by the presence of a single or predominant isoform, but loss-of-function studies in mammalian cells are complicated by multiple, broadly-expressed paralogs. We have generated mouse NIH-3T3 cells lacking all three mammalian atlastins (Atl1/2/3) using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout (KO). ER morphology is markedly disrupted in these triple KO cells, with prominent impairment in formation of three-way ER tubule junctions. This phenotype can be rescued by expression of distant orthologs from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sey1p) and Arabidopsis (ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE3) as well as any one of the three human atlastins. Minimal, if any, changes are observed in the morphology of mitochondria and the Golgi apparatus. Alterations in BMP signaling and increased sensitivity to ER stress are also noted, though effects appear more modest. Finally, atlastins appear required for the proper differentiation of NIH-3T3 cells into an adipocyte-like phenotype. These findings have important implications for the pathogenesis of hereditary spastic paraplegias and sensory neuropathies associated with atlastin mutations. - Highlights: • NIH-3T3 cells lacking all three atlastin paralogs were generated using CRISPR/Cas9. • Cells lacking all atlastin GTPases exhibit far fewer 3-way ER tubule junctions. • ER morphology defects in atlastin knockout cells are rescued by distant plant and yeast orthologs. • Atlastin knock out cells also

  2. Mammalian knock out cells reveal prominent roles for atlastin GTPases in ER network morphology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Guohua; Zhu, Peng-Peng; Renvoisé, Benoît; Maldonado-Báez, Lymarie; Park, Seong Hee; Blackstone, Craig

    2016-01-01

    Atlastins are large, membrane-bound GTPases that participate in the fusion of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) tubules to generate the polygonal ER network in eukaryotes. They also regulate lipid droplet size and inhibit bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, though mechanisms remain unclear. Humans have three atlastins (ATL1, ATL2, and ATL3), and ATL1 and ATL3 are mutated in autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia and hereditary sensory neuropathies. Cellular investigations of atlastin orthologs in most yeast, plants, flies and worms are facilitated by the presence of a single or predominant isoform, but loss-of-function studies in mammalian cells are complicated by multiple, broadly-expressed paralogs. We have generated mouse NIH-3T3 cells lacking all three mammalian atlastins (Atl1/2/3) using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout (KO). ER morphology is markedly disrupted in these triple KO cells, with prominent impairment in formation of three-way ER tubule junctions. This phenotype can be rescued by expression of distant orthologs from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sey1p) and Arabidopsis (ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE3) as well as any one of the three human atlastins. Minimal, if any, changes are observed in the morphology of mitochondria and the Golgi apparatus. Alterations in BMP signaling and increased sensitivity to ER stress are also noted, though effects appear more modest. Finally, atlastins appear required for the proper differentiation of NIH-3T3 cells into an adipocyte-like phenotype. These findings have important implications for the pathogenesis of hereditary spastic paraplegias and sensory neuropathies associated with atlastin mutations. - Highlights: • NIH-3T3 cells lacking all three atlastin paralogs were generated using CRISPR/Cas9. • Cells lacking all atlastin GTPases exhibit far fewer 3-way ER tubule junctions. • ER morphology defects in atlastin knockout cells are rescued by distant plant and yeast orthologs. • Atlastin knock out cells also

  3. Adult Mammalian Neural Stem Cells and Neurogenesis: Five Decades Later

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Allison M.; Ming, Guo-li; Song, Hongjun

    2015-01-01

    Summary Adult somatic stem cells in various organs maintain homeostatic tissue regeneration and enhance plasticity. Since its initial discovery five decades ago, investigations of adult neurogenesis and neural stem cells have led to an established and expanding field that has significantly influenced many facets of neuroscience, developmental biology and regenerative medicine. Here we review recent progress and focus on questions related to adult mammalian neural stem cells that also apply to other somatic stem cells. We further discuss emerging topics that are guiding the field toward better understanding adult neural stem cells and ultimately applying these principles to improve human health. PMID:26431181

  4. Plasticity within stem cell hierarchies in mammalian epithelia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tetteh, Paul W; Farin, Henner F; Clevers, Hans

    2015-02-01

    Tissue homeostasis and regeneration are fueled by resident stem cells that have the capacity to self-renew, and to generate all the differentiated cell types that characterize a particular tissue. Classical models of such cellular hierarchies propose that commitment and differentiation occur unidirectionally, with the arrows 'pointing away' from the stem cell. Recent studies, all based on genetic lineage tracing, describe various strategies employed by epithelial stem cell hierarchies to replace damaged or lost cells. While transdifferentiation from one tissue type into another ('metaplasia') appears to be generally forbidden in nonpathological contexts, plasticity within an individual tissue stem cell hierarchy may be much more common than previously appreciated. In this review, we discuss recent examples of such plasticity in selected mammalian epithelia, highlighting the different modes of regeneration and their implications for our understanding of cellular hierarchy and tissue self-renewal. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Processing of radiation-induced clustered DNA damage generates DSB in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gulston, M.K.; De Lara, C.M.; Davis, E.L.; Jenner, T.J.; O'Neill, P.

    2003-01-01

    Full text: Clustered DNA damage sites, in which two or more lesions are formed within a few helical turns of the DNA after passage of a single radiation track, are signatures of DNA modifications induced by ionizing radiation in mammalian cell. With 60 Co-radiation, the abundance of clustered DNA damage induced in CHO cells is ∼4x that of prompt double strand breaks (DSB) determined by PFGE. Less is known about the processing of non-DSB clustered DNA damage induced in cells. To optimize observation of any additional DSB formed during processing of DNA damage at 37 deg C, xrs-5 cells deficient in non-homologous end joining were used. Surprisingly, ∼30% of the DSB induced by irradiation at 37 deg C are rejoined within 4 minutes in both mutant and wild type cells. No significant mis-repair of these apparent DSB was observed. It is suggested that a class of non-DSB clustered DNA damage is formed which repair correctly within 4 min but, if 'trapped' prior to repair, are converted into DSB during the lysis procedure of PFGE. However at longer times, a proportion of non-DSB clustered DNA damage sites induced by γ-radiation are converted into DSB within ∼30 min following post-irradiation incubation at 37 deg C. The corresponding formation of additional DSB was not apparent in wild type CHO cells. From these observations, it is estimated that only ∼10% of the total yield of non DSB clustered DNA damage sites are converted into DSB through cellular processing. The biological consequences that the majority of non-DSB clustered DNA damage sites are not converted into DSBs may be significant even at low doses, since a finite chance exists of these clusters being formed in a cell by a single radiation track

  6. Photooxidative damage to mammalian cells and proteins by visible light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Packer, L.; Kellogg, E.W. III

    1980-01-01

    In the present article, studies carried out in our laboratory on the effects of visible irradiation and O 2 in a variety of target systems ranging from cultured mammalian cells to purified catalase are reviewed. We will relate these studies of photooxidative damage to a scheme for the propagation of intracellular damage which traces a number of the possible pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant pathways found in the cell

  7. Cytolethal distending toxin: a conserved bacterial genotoxin that blocks cell cycle progression, leading to apoptosis of a broad range of mammalian cell lineages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jinadasa, Rasika N; Bloom, Stephen E; Weiss, Robert S; Duhamel, Gerald E

    2011-07-01

    Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) is a heterotrimeric AB-type genotoxin produced by several clinically important Gram-negative mucocutaneous bacterial pathogens. Irrespective of the bacterial species of origin, CDT causes characteristic and irreversible cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a broad range of cultured mammalian cell lineages. The active subunit CdtB has structural homology with the phosphodiesterase family of enzymes including mammalian DNase I, and alone is necessary and sufficient to account for cellular toxicity. Indeed, mammalian cells treated with CDT initiate a DNA damage response similar to that elicited by ionizing radiation-induced DNA double strand breaks resulting in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The mechanism of CDT-induced apoptosis remains incompletely understood, but appears to involve both p53-dependent and -independent pathways. While epithelial, endothelial and fibroblast cell lines respond to CDT by undergoing arrest of cell cycle progression resulting in nuclear and cytoplasmic distension that precedes apoptotic cell death, cells of haematopoietic origin display rapid apoptosis following a brief period of cell cycle arrest. In this review, the ecology of pathogens producing CDT, the molecular biology of bacterial CDT and the molecular mechanisms of CDT-induced cytotoxicity are critically appraised. Understanding the contribution of a broadly conserved bacterial genotoxin that blocks progression of the mammalian cell cycle, ultimately causing cell death, should assist with elucidating disease mechanisms for these important pathogens.

  8. Autonomous bioluminescent expression of the bacterial luciferase gene cassette (lux in a mammalian cell line.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan M Close

    Full Text Available The bacterial luciferase (lux gene cassette consists of five genes (luxCDABE whose protein products synergistically generate bioluminescent light signals exclusive of supplementary substrate additions or exogenous manipulations. Historically expressible only in prokaryotes, the lux operon was re-synthesized through a process of multi-bicistronic, codon-optimization to demonstrate for the first time self-directed bioluminescence emission in a mammalian HEK293 cell line in vitro and in vivo.Autonomous in vitro light production was shown to be 12-fold greater than the observable background associated with untransfected control cells. The availability of reduced riboflavin phosphate (FMNH(2 was identified as the limiting bioluminescence substrate in the mammalian cell environment even after the addition of a constitutively expressed flavin reductase gene (frp from Vibrio harveyi. FMNH(2 supplementation led to a 151-fold increase in bioluminescence in cells expressing mammalian codon-optimized luxCDE and frp genes. When injected subcutaneously into nude mice, in vivo optical imaging permitted near instantaneous light detection that persisted independently for the 60 min length of the assay with negligible background.The speed, longevity, and self-sufficiency of lux expression in the mammalian cellular environment provides a viable and powerful alternative for real-time target visualization not currently offered by existing bioluminescent and fluorescent imaging technologies.

  9. Comparison of mammalian and fish cell line cytotoxicity: impact of endpoint and exposure duration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guelden, Michael; Moerchel, Sabine; Seibert, Hasso

    2005-01-01

    Comparisons of acute toxic concentrations of chemicals to fish in vivo and cytotoxic concentrations to fish cell lines in vitro reveal rather good correlations of the toxic potencies in vitro and in vivo, but a clearly lower sensitivity of the fish cells. To examine whether the low sensitivity is specific for fish cells, cytotoxic potencies of reference chemicals from the Multicenter Evaluation of In Vitro Cytotoxicity program (MEIC) reported for the fish cell lines R1 and RTG-2 were compared with those obtained with the mouse Balb/c 3T3 cell line. Cytotoxic potencies (EC 50 values) for MEIC reference chemicals were determined with exponentially growing Balb/c 3T3 cells using three different test protocols. To assess both endpoints, cell proliferation and cell survival, EC 50 values were measured for the decrease in final cell protein after 24 and 72 h of exposure and for the reduction of cell protein increase during 24 h of exposure. EC 50 values obtained with the fish cell lines R1 and RTG-2 using cell survival as endpoint were taken from the MEIC data base. The comparison of cytotoxic potencies shows that, in general, the fish cell lines and the mammalian cell line are almost equally sensitive towards the cytotoxic action of chemicals. The mammalian cell line assay, however, becomes considerably more sensitive, by factors of 3.4-8.5, than the fish cell line assays, if cell growth instead of cell survival is used as endpoint. It is concluded, that cell proliferation might be a better endpoint than cell survival and that mammalian cell lines might be suited to assess fish acute toxicity

  10. Delivery of proteins to mammalian cells via gold nanoparticle mediated laser transfection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heinemann, D; Kalies, S; Schomaker, M; Ertmer, W; Meyer, H; Ripken, T; Murua Escobar, H

    2014-01-01

    Nanoparticle laser interactions are in widespread use in cell manipulation. In particular, molecular medicine needs techniques for the directed delivery of molecules into mammalian cells. Proteins are the final mediator of most cellular cascades. However, despite several methodical approaches, the efficient delivery of proteins to cells remains challenging. This paper presents a new protein transfection technique via laser scanning of cells previously incubated with gold nanoparticles. The laser-induced plasmonic effects on the gold nanoparticles cause a transient permeabilization of the cellular membrane, allowing proteins to enter the cell. Applying this technique, it was possible to deliver green fluorescent protein into mammalian cells with an efficiency of 43%, maintaining a high level of cell viability. Furthermore, a functional delivery of Caspase 3, an apoptosis mediating protein, was demonstrated and evaluated in several cellular assays. Compared to conventional protein transfection techniques such as microinjection, the methodical approach presented here enables high-throughput transfection of about 10 000 cells per second. Moreover, a well-defined point in time of delivery is guaranteed by gold nanoparticle mediated laser transfection, allowing the detailed temporal analysis of cellular pathways and protein trafficking. (papers)

  11. Trafficking and processing of bacterial proteins by mammalian cells: Insights from chondroitinase ABC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muir, Elizabeth; Raza, Mansoor; Ellis, Clare; Burnside, Emily; Love, Fiona; Heller, Simon; Elliot, Matthew; Daniell, Esther; Dasgupta, Debayan; Alves, Nuno; Day, Priscilla; Fawcett, James; Keynes, Roger

    2017-01-01

    There is very little reported in the literature about the relationship between modifications of bacterial proteins and their secretion by mammalian cells that synthesize them. We previously reported that the secretion of the bacterial enzyme Chondroitinase ABC by mammalian cells requires the strategic removal of at least three N-glycosylation sites. The aim of this study was to determine if it is possible to enhance the efficacy of the enzyme as a treatment for spinal cord injury by increasing the quantity of enzyme secreted or by altering its cellular location. To determine if the efficiency of enzyme secretion could be further increased, cells were transfected with constructs encoding the gene for chondroitinase ABC modified for expression by mammalian cells; these contained additional modifications of strategic N-glycosylation sites or alternative signal sequences to direct secretion of the enzyme from the cells. We show that while removal of certain specific N-glycosylation sites enhances enzyme secretion, N-glycosylation of at least two other sites, N-856 and N-773, is essential for both production and secretion of active enzyme. Furthermore, we find that the signal sequence directing secretion also influences the quantity of enzyme secreted, and that this varies widely amongst the cell types tested. Last, we find that replacing the 3'UTR on the cDNA encoding Chondroitinase ABC with that of β-actin is sufficient to target the enzyme to the neuronal growth cone when transfected into neurons. This also enhances neurite outgrowth on an inhibitory substrate. Some intracellular trafficking pathways are adversely affected by cryptic signals present in the bacterial gene sequence, whilst unexpectedly others are required for efficient secretion of the enzyme. Furthermore, targeting chondroitinase to the neuronal growth cone promotes its ability to increase neurite outgrowth on an inhibitory substrate. These findings are timely in view of the renewed prospects for

  12. Trafficking and processing of bacterial proteins by mammalian cells: Insights from chondroitinase ABC.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Muir

    Full Text Available There is very little reported in the literature about the relationship between modifications of bacterial proteins and their secretion by mammalian cells that synthesize them. We previously reported that the secretion of the bacterial enzyme Chondroitinase ABC by mammalian cells requires the strategic removal of at least three N-glycosylation sites. The aim of this study was to determine if it is possible to enhance the efficacy of the enzyme as a treatment for spinal cord injury by increasing the quantity of enzyme secreted or by altering its cellular location.To determine if the efficiency of enzyme secretion could be further increased, cells were transfected with constructs encoding the gene for chondroitinase ABC modified for expression by mammalian cells; these contained additional modifications of strategic N-glycosylation sites or alternative signal sequences to direct secretion of the enzyme from the cells. We show that while removal of certain specific N-glycosylation sites enhances enzyme secretion, N-glycosylation of at least two other sites, N-856 and N-773, is essential for both production and secretion of active enzyme. Furthermore, we find that the signal sequence directing secretion also influences the quantity of enzyme secreted, and that this varies widely amongst the cell types tested. Last, we find that replacing the 3'UTR on the cDNA encoding Chondroitinase ABC with that of β-actin is sufficient to target the enzyme to the neuronal growth cone when transfected into neurons. This also enhances neurite outgrowth on an inhibitory substrate.Some intracellular trafficking pathways are adversely affected by cryptic signals present in the bacterial gene sequence, whilst unexpectedly others are required for efficient secretion of the enzyme. Furthermore, targeting chondroitinase to the neuronal growth cone promotes its ability to increase neurite outgrowth on an inhibitory substrate. These findings are timely in view of the renewed

  13. Enhanced production and isotope enrichment of recombinant glycoproteins produced in cultured mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skelton, David; Goodyear, Abbey [Florida State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (United States); Ni, DaQun; Walton, Wendy J.; Rolle, Myron; Hare, Joan T. [Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics (United States); Logan, Timothy M., E-mail: tlogan@fsu.ed [Florida State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (United States)

    2010-10-15

    NMR studies of post-translationally modified proteins are complicated by the lack of an efficient method to produce isotope enriched recombinant proteins in cultured mammalian cells. We show that reducing the glucose concentration and substituting glutamate for glutamine in serum-free medium increased cell viability while simultaneously increasing recombinant protein yield and the enrichment of non-essential amino acids compared to culture in unmodified, serum-free medium. Adding dichloroacetate, a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitor, further improves cell viability, recombinant protein yield, and isotope enrichment. We demonstrate the method by producing partially enriched recombinant Thy1 glycoprotein from Lec1 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using U-{sup 13}C-glucose and {sup 15}N-glutamate as labeled precursors. This study suggests that uniformly {sup 15}N,{sup 13}C-labeled recombinant proteins may be produced in cultured mammalian cells starting from a mixture of labeled essential amino acids, glucose, and glutamate.

  14. Enhanced production and isotope enrichment of recombinant glycoproteins produced in cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skelton, David; Goodyear, Abbey; Ni, DaQun; Walton, Wendy J.; Rolle, Myron; Hare, Joan T.; Logan, Timothy M.

    2010-01-01

    NMR studies of post-translationally modified proteins are complicated by the lack of an efficient method to produce isotope enriched recombinant proteins in cultured mammalian cells. We show that reducing the glucose concentration and substituting glutamate for glutamine in serum-free medium increased cell viability while simultaneously increasing recombinant protein yield and the enrichment of non-essential amino acids compared to culture in unmodified, serum-free medium. Adding dichloroacetate, a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitor, further improves cell viability, recombinant protein yield, and isotope enrichment. We demonstrate the method by producing partially enriched recombinant Thy1 glycoprotein from Lec1 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using U- 13 C-glucose and 15 N-glutamate as labeled precursors. This study suggests that uniformly 15 N, 13 C-labeled recombinant proteins may be produced in cultured mammalian cells starting from a mixture of labeled essential amino acids, glucose, and glutamate.

  15. On the origins of the universal dynamics of endogenous granules in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanapalli, Siva A; Li, Yixuan; Mugele, Frieder; Duits, Michel H G

    2009-12-01

    Endogenous granules (EGs) that consist of lipid droplets and mitochondria have been commonly used to assess intracellular mechanical properties via multiple particle tracking microrheology (MPTM). Despite their widespread use, the nature of interaction of EGs with the cytoskeletal network and the type of forces driving their dynamics--both of which are crucial for the interpretation of the results from MPTM technique--are yet to be resolved. In this report, we study the dynamics of endogenous granules in mammalian cells using particle tracking methods. We find that the ensemble dynamics of EGs is diffusive in three types of mammalian cells (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts), thereby suggesting an apparent universality in their dynamical behavior. Moreover, in a given cell, the amplitude of the mean-squared displacement for EGs is an order of magnitude larger than that of injected particles. This observation along with results from ATP depletion and temperature intervention studies suggests that cytoskeletal active forces drive the dynamics of EGs. To elucidate the dynamical origin of the diffusive-like nonthermal motion, we consider three active force generation mechanisms--molecular motor transport, actomyosin contractility and microtubule polymerization forces. We test these mechanisms using pharmacological interventions. Experimental evidence and model calculations suggest that EGs are intimately linked to microtubules and that microtubule polymerization forces drive their dynamics. Thus, endogenous granules could serve as non-invasive probes for microtubule network dynamics in mammalian cells.

  16. Membrane phospholipids and radiation-induced death of mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolters, H.

    1987-01-01

    Radiation-induced cell killing is generally believed to be a consequence of residual DNA damage or damage that is mis-repaired. However, besides this DNA damage, damage to other molecules or structures of the cell may be involved in the killing. Especially membranes have been suggested as a determinant in cellular radiosensitivity. In this thesis experiments are described, dealing with the possible involvement of membranes in radiation-induced killing of mammalian cells. A general treatise of membrane structure is followed by information concerning deleterious effects of radiation on membranes. Consequences of damage to structure and function of membranes are reviewed. Thereafter evidence relating to the possible involvement of membranes in radiation-induced cell killing is presented. (Auth.)

  17. Biological studies using mammalian cell lines and the current status of the microbeam irradiation system, SPICE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Konishi, T. [Dept. of Technical Support and Development, Fundamental Technology Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan)], E-mail: tkonishi@nirs.go.jp; Ishikawa, T. [Dept. of Technical Support and Development, Fundamental Technology Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Iso, H. [Dept. of Technical Support and Development, Fundamental Technology Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Neos-Tech Co. Ltd., Benten 4-11-13-202, Chuo-ku, Chiba 206-0045 (Japan); Yasuda, N.; Oikawa, M. [Dept. of Technical Support and Development, Fundamental Technology Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Higuchi, Y. [Dept. of Technical Support and Development, Fundamental Technology Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Neos-Tech Co. Ltd., Benten 4-11-13-202, Chuo-ku, Chiba 206-0045 (Japan); Kato, T. [Dept. of Technical Support and Development, Fundamental Technology Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Graduate School of Science, Rikkyo University, 3-34-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshimaku, Tokyo 171-8501 (Japan); Hafer, K. [Department of Radiation Oncology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Kodama, K. [Dept. of Technical Support and Development, Fundamental Technology Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Neos-Tech Co. Ltd., Benten 4-11-13-202, Chuo-ku, Chiba 206-0045 (Japan); Hamano, T.; Suya, N.; Imaseki, H. [Dept. of Technical Support and Development, Fundamental Technology Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan)

    2009-06-15

    The development of SPICE (single-particle irradiation system to cell), a microbeam irradiation system, has been completed at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS). The beam size has been improved to approximately 5 {mu}m in diameter, and the cell targeting system can irradiate up to 400-500 cells per minute. Two cell dishes have been specially designed: one a Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} plate (2.5 mm x 2.5 mm area with 1 {mu}m thickness) supported by a 7.5 mm x 7.5 mm frame of 200 {mu}m thickness, and the other a Mylar film stretched by pressing with a metal ring. Both dish types may be placed on a voice coil stage equipped on the cell targeting system, which includes a fluorescent microscope and a CCD camera for capturing cell images. This microscope system captures images of dyed cell nuclei, computes the location coordinates of individual cells, and synchronizes this with the voice coil motor stage and single-particle irradiation system consisting of a scintillation counter and a beam deflector. Irradiation of selected cells with a programmable number of protons is now automatable. We employed the simultaneous detection method for visualizing the position of mammalian cells and proton traversal through CR-39 to determine whether the targeted cells are actually irradiated. An immuno-assay was also performed against {gamma}-H2AX, to confirm the induction of DNA double-strand breaks in the target cells.

  18. Improvement of mammalian cell culture performance through surfactant enabled concentrated feed media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hossler, Patrick; McDermott, Sean; Racicot, Christopher; Fann, John C H

    2013-01-01

    The design of basal and feed media in mammalian cell culture is paramount towards ensuring acceptable upstream process performance in various operation modes, especially fed-batch culture. Mammalian cell culture media designs have evolved from the classical formulations designed by Eagle and Ham, to today's formulations designed from continuous improvement and statistical frameworks. Feed media is especially important for ensuring robust cell growth, productivity, and ensuring the product quality of recombinant therapeutics are within acceptable ranges. Numerous studies have highlighted the benefit of various media designs, supplements, and feed addition strategies towards the resulting cell culture process. In this work we highlight the use of a top-down level approach towards feed media design enabled by the use of select surfactants for the targeted enrichment of a chemically defined feed media. The use of the enriched media was able to improve product titers at g/L levels, without adversely impacting the growth of multiple Chinese Hamster Ovary cell lines or the product quality of multiple recombinant antibodies. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  19. Radiation equivalence of genotoxic chemicals - Validation in cultered mammalian cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murthy, M.S.S.

    1982-01-01

    Published data on mutations induced by ionizing radiation and 6 monofunctional alkylating agents, namely EMS, MMS, ENNG, MNNG, ENU and MNU, in different cell lines (Chinese hamster ovary, Chinese hamster lung V79, mouse lymphoma L5178 and human cells) were analysed so that radiation-equivalent chemical (REC) values could be calculated. REC values thus obtained for a given alkylating agent with different cell lines fall within a narrow range suggesting its validation in cultured mammalian cell systems including human. (orig.)

  20. Serum-Free Cryopreservation of Five Mammalian Cell Lines in Either a Pelleted or Suspended State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corsini Joe

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Herein we have explored two practical aspects of cryopreserving cultured mammalian cells during routine laboratory maintenance. First, we have examined the possibility of using a serum-free, hence more affordable, cryopreservative. Using five mammalian lines (Crandell Feline Kidney, MCF7, A72, WI 38 and NB324K, we found that the serum-free alternative preserves nearly as efficiently as the serum-containing preservatives. Second, we compared cryostorage of those cells in suspended versus a pellet form using both aforementioned cryopreservatives. Under our conditions, cells were in general recovered equally well in a suspended versus a pellet form.

  1. YAP/TAZ enhance mammalian embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in a Tead-dependent manner

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Dasol; Byun, Sung-Hyun; Park, Soojeong; Kim, Juwan; Kim, Inhee; Ha, Soobong; Kwon, Mookwang; Yoon, Keejung, E-mail: keejung@skku.edu

    2015-02-27

    Mammalian brain development is regulated by multiple signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. Here we show that YAP/TAZ enhance embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in a cell autonomous fashion using diverse experimental approaches. Introduction of retroviral vectors expressing YAP or TAZ into the mouse embryonic brain induced cell localization in the ventricular zone (VZ), which is the embryonic neural stem cell niche. This change in cell distribution in the cortical layer is due to the increased stemness of infected cells; YAP-expressing cells were colabeled with Sox2, a neural stem cell marker, and YAP/TAZ increased the frequency and size of neurospheres, indicating enhanced self-renewal- and proliferative ability of neural stem cells. These effects appear to be TEA domain family transcription factor (Tead)–dependent; a Tead binding-defective YAP mutant lost the ability to promote neural stem cell characteristics. Consistently, in utero gene transfer of a constitutively active form of Tead2 (Tead2-VP16) recapitulated all the features of YAP/TAZ overexpression, and dominant negative Tead2-EnR resulted in marked cell exit from the VZ toward outer cortical layers. Taken together, these results indicate that the Tead-dependent YAP/TAZ signaling pathway plays important roles in neural stem cell maintenance by enhancing stemness of neural stem cells during mammalian brain development. - Highlights: • Roles of YAP and Tead in vivo during mammalian brain development are clarified. • Expression of YAP promotes embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in vivo in a cell autonomous fashion. • Enhancement of neural stem cell characteristics by YAP depends on Tead. • Transcriptionally active form of Tead alone can recapitulate the effects of YAP. • Transcriptionally repressive form of Tead severely reduces stem cell characteristics.

  2. YAP/TAZ enhance mammalian embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in a Tead-dependent manner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Dasol; Byun, Sung-Hyun; Park, Soojeong; Kim, Juwan; Kim, Inhee; Ha, Soobong; Kwon, Mookwang; Yoon, Keejung

    2015-01-01

    Mammalian brain development is regulated by multiple signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. Here we show that YAP/TAZ enhance embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in a cell autonomous fashion using diverse experimental approaches. Introduction of retroviral vectors expressing YAP or TAZ into the mouse embryonic brain induced cell localization in the ventricular zone (VZ), which is the embryonic neural stem cell niche. This change in cell distribution in the cortical layer is due to the increased stemness of infected cells; YAP-expressing cells were colabeled with Sox2, a neural stem cell marker, and YAP/TAZ increased the frequency and size of neurospheres, indicating enhanced self-renewal- and proliferative ability of neural stem cells. These effects appear to be TEA domain family transcription factor (Tead)–dependent; a Tead binding-defective YAP mutant lost the ability to promote neural stem cell characteristics. Consistently, in utero gene transfer of a constitutively active form of Tead2 (Tead2-VP16) recapitulated all the features of YAP/TAZ overexpression, and dominant negative Tead2-EnR resulted in marked cell exit from the VZ toward outer cortical layers. Taken together, these results indicate that the Tead-dependent YAP/TAZ signaling pathway plays important roles in neural stem cell maintenance by enhancing stemness of neural stem cells during mammalian brain development. - Highlights: • Roles of YAP and Tead in vivo during mammalian brain development are clarified. • Expression of YAP promotes embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in vivo in a cell autonomous fashion. • Enhancement of neural stem cell characteristics by YAP depends on Tead. • Transcriptionally active form of Tead alone can recapitulate the effects of YAP. • Transcriptionally repressive form of Tead severely reduces stem cell characteristics

  3. Intracellular proteins produced by mammalian cells in response to environmental stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goochee, Charles F.; Passini, Cheryl A.

    1988-01-01

    The nature of the response of mammalian cells to environmental stress is examined by reviewing results of studies where cultured mouse L cells and baby hamster kidney cells were exposed to heat shock and the synthesis of heat-shock proteins and stress-response proteins (including HSP70, HSC70, HSP90, ubiquitin, and GRP70) in stressed and unstressed cells was evaluated using 2D-PAGE. The intracellular roles of the individual stress response proteins are discussed together with the regulation of the stress response system.

  4. Exposure of Mammalian Cells to Air-Pollutant Mixtures at the Air-Liquid Interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    It has been widely accepted that exposure of mammalian cells to air-pollutant mixtures at the air-liquid interface is a more realistic approach than exposing cell under submerged conditions. The VITROCELL systems, are commercially available systems for air-liquid interface expo...

  5. Single-nucleus Hi-C of mammalian oocytes and zygotes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gassler, Johanna; Flyamer, Ilya M; Tachibana, Kikuë

    2018-01-01

    The 3D folding of the genome is linked to essential nuclear processes including gene expression, DNA repair, and replication. Chromatin conformation capture assays such as Hi-C are providing unprecedented insights into higher-order chromatin structure. Bulk Hi-C of millions of cells enables detection of average chromatin features at high resolution but is challenging to apply to rare cell types. This chapter describes our recently developed single-nucleus Hi-C (snHi-C) approach for detection of chromatin contacts in single nuclei of murine oocytes and one-cell embryos (zygotes). The step-by-step protocol includes isolation of these cells, extraction of nuclei, fixation, restriction digestion, ligation, and whole genome amplification. Contacts obtained by snHi-C allow detection of chromatin features including loops, topologically associating domains, and compartments when averaged over the genome. The combination of snHi-C with other single-cell techniques in these and other rare cell types will likely provide a comprehensive picture of how chromatin architecture shapes cell identity. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Radiation- induced aneuploidy in mammalian germ cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tease, C.

    1989-01-01

    The ability of ionizing radiation to induce aneuploidy in mammalian germ cells has been investigated experimentally in the laboratory mouse using a variety of cytogenetic and genetic methods. These studies have provided unambiguous evidence of induced nondisjunction in both male and female germ cells when the effect of irradiation is screened in meiotic cells or preimplantation embryos. In contrast, however, cytogenetic analyses of post-implantation embryos and genetic assays for induced chromosome gains have not found a significant radiation effect. These apparently contradictory findings may be reconciled if (a) radiation induces tertiary rather than primary trisomy, or (b) induces embryo-lethal genetic damage, such as deletions, in addition to numerical anomalies. Either or both of these explanations may account for the apparent loss during gestation of radiation-induced trisomic embryos. Extrapolating from the information so far available, it seems unlikely that environmental exposure to low doses if low dose rate radiation will result in a detectable increase in the rate of aneuploidy in the human population. (author)

  7. A Vector with a Single Promoter for In Vitro Transcription and Mammalian Cell Expression of CRISPR gRNAs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter J Romanienko

    Full Text Available The genomes of more than 50 organisms have now been manipulated due to rapid advancement of gene editing technology. One way to perform gene editing in the mouse using the CRISPR/CAS system, guide RNA (gRNA and CAS9 mRNA transcribed in vitro are microinjected into fertilized eggs that are then allowed to develop to term. As a rule, gRNAs are tested first in tissue culture cells and the one with the highest locus-specific cleavage activity is chosen for microinjection. For cell transfections, gRNAs are typically expressed using the human U6 promoter (hU6. However, gRNAs for microinjection into zygotes are obtained by in vitro transcription from a T7 bacteriophage promoter in a separate plasmid vector. Here, we describe the design and construction of a combined U6T7 hybrid promoter from which the same gRNA sequence can be expressed. An expression vector containing such a hybrid promoter can now be used to generate gRNA for testing in mammalian cells as well as for microinjection purposes. The gRNAs expressed and transcribed from this vector are found to be functional in cells as well as in mice.

  8. Action spectra in mammalian cells exposed to ultraviolet radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1981-01-01

    A review is given of the literature published since 1977 on action spectra in mammalian cells exposed to ultraviolet radiation in the wavelength region above 220 nm. Action spectra for lethal events are discussed for cell inactivation in normal cells, growth arrested cells and photosensitive cells. Action spectra for non-lethal events are also discussed in relation to pyrimidine dimer formation, photoreactivation and the use of photosensitisers. It was concluded from these studies that damage to the DNA, and the extent of the repair of this damage, seems to determine a cell's response to such parameters as inactivation, mutation, transformation, latent viral activation, cellular viral capacity and ultraviolet enhanced viral reactivation. In addition to the direct effects of UV on DNA, photosensitization of cellular responses with chemicals such as 8-MOP extend the wavelength range at which damage can be demonstrated. (U.K.)

  9. Bicaudal is a conserved substrate for Drosophila and mammalian caspases and is essential for cell survival.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Creagh, Emma M

    2009-01-01

    Members of the caspase family of cysteine proteases coordinate cell death through restricted proteolysis of diverse protein substrates and play a conserved role in apoptosis from nematodes to man. However, while numerous substrates for the mammalian cell death-associated caspases have now been described, few caspase substrates have been identified in other organisms. Here, we have utilized a proteomics-based approach to identify proteins that are cleaved by caspases during apoptosis in Drosophila D-Mel2 cells, a subline of the Schneider S2 cell line. This approach identified multiple novel substrates for the fly caspases and revealed that bicaudal\\/betaNAC is a conserved substrate for Drosophila and mammalian caspases. RNAi-mediated silencing of bicaudal expression in Drosophila D-Mel2 cells resulted in a block to proliferation, followed by spontaneous apoptosis. Similarly, silencing of expression of the mammalian bicaudal homologue, betaNAC, in HeLa, HEK293T, MCF-7 and MRC5 cells also resulted in spontaneous apoptosis. These data suggest that bicaudal\\/betaNAC is essential for cell survival and is a conserved target of caspases from flies to man.

  10. Feathers and fins: non-mammalian models for hair cell regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brignull, Heather R; Raible, David W; Stone, Jennifer S

    2009-06-24

    Death of mechanosensory cells in the inner ear results in two profound disabilities: hearing loss and balance disorders. Although mammals lack the capacity to regenerate hair cells, recent studies in mice and other rodents have offered valuable insight into strategies for stimulating hair cell regeneration in mammals. Investigations of model organisms that retain the ability to form new hair cells after embryogenesis, such as fish and birds, are equally important and have provided clues as to the cellular and molecular mechanisms that may block hair cell regeneration in mammals. Here, we summarize studies on hair cell regeneration in the chicken and the zebrafish, discuss specific advantages of each model, and propose future directions for the use of non-mammalian models in understanding hair cell regeneration.

  11. Substoichiometric hydroxynonenylation of a single protein recapitulates whole-cell-stimulated antioxidant response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parvez, Saba; Fu, Yuan; Li, Jiayang; Long, Marcus J C; Lin, Hong-Yu; Lee, Dustin K; Hu, Gene S; Aye, Yimon

    2015-01-14

    Lipid-derived electrophiles (LDEs) that can directly modify proteins have emerged as important small-molecule cues in cellular decision-making. However, because these diffusible LDEs can modify many targets [e.g., >700 cysteines are modified by the well-known LDE 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE)], establishing the functional consequences of LDE modification on individual targets remains devilishly difficult. Whether LDE modifications on a single protein are biologically sufficient to activate discrete redox signaling response downstream also remains untested. Herein, using T-REX (targetable reactive electrophiles and oxidants), an approach aimed at selectively flipping a single redox switch in cells at a precise time, we show that a modest level (∼34%) of HNEylation on a single target is sufficient to elicit the pharmaceutically important antioxidant response element (ARE) activation, and the resultant strength of ARE induction recapitulates that observed from whole-cell electrophilic perturbation. These data provide the first evidence that single-target LDE modifications are important individual events in mammalian physiology.

  12. Radiation activation of transcription factors in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kraemer, M.; Stein, B.; Mai, S.; Kunz, E.; Koenig, H.; Ponta, H.; Herrlich, P.; Rahmsdorf, H.J.; Loferer, H.; Grunicke, H.H.

    1990-01-01

    In mammalian cells radiation induces the enhanced transcription of several genes. The cis acting elements in the control region of inducible genes have been delimited by site directed mutagenesis. Several different elements have been found in different genes. They do not only activate gene transcription in response to radiation but also in response to growth factors and to tumor promoter phorbol esters. The transcription factors binding to these elements are present also in non-irradiated cells, but their DNA binding activity and their transactivating capability is increased upon irradiation. The signal chain linking the primary radiation induced signal (damaged DNA) to the activation of transcription factors involves the action of (a) protein kinase(s). (orig.)

  13. Laser flow microphotometry for rapid analysis and sorting of mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mullaney, P.F.; Steinkamp, J.A.; Crissman, H.A.; Cram, L.S.; Crowell, J.M.; Salzman, G.C.; Martin, J.C.; Price, B.

    1976-01-01

    Quantitative precision measurements can be made of the optical properties of individual mammalian cells using flow microphotometry. Suspended cells pass through a special flow chamber where they are lined up for exposure to blue light from an argon-ion laser. As each cell crosses the laser beam, it produces one or more optical pulses of a duration equal to cell transit time across the beam. These pulses are detected, amplified, and analyzed using the techniques of gamma ray spectroscopy. Quantitative DNA distributions made it possible to distinguish tumor cells from normal cells as well as to assay for radiation effects on tumor cells subjected to x and gamma radiation

  14. Chemical and Enzymatic Strategies for Bacterial and Mammalian Cell Surface Engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bi, Xiaobao; Yin, Juan; Chen Guanbang, Ashley; Liu, Chuan-Fa

    2018-06-07

    The cell surface serves important functions such as the regulation of cell-cell and cell-environment interactions. The understanding and manipulation of the cell surface is important for a wide range of fundamental studies of cellular behavior and for biotechnological and medical applications. With the rapid advance of biology, chemistry and materials science, many strategies have been developed for the functionalization of bacterial and mammalian cell surfaces. Here, we review the recent development of chemical and enzymatic approaches to cell surface engineering with particular emphasis on discussing the advantages and limitations of each of these strategies. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Mechanism for multiplicity of steady states with distinct cell concentration in continuous culture of mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yongky, Andrew; Lee, Jongchan; Le, Tung; Mulukutla, Bhanu Chandra; Daoutidis, Prodromos; Hu, Wei-Shou

    2015-07-01

    Continuous culture for the production of biopharmaceutical proteins offers the possibility of steady state operations and thus more consistent product quality and increased productivity. Under some conditions, multiplicity of steady states has been observed in continuous cultures of mammalian cells, wherein with the same dilution rate and feed nutrient composition, steady states with very different cell and product concentrations may be reached. At those different steady states, cells may exhibit a high glycolysis flux with high lactate production and low cell concentration, or a low glycolysis flux with low lactate and high cell concentration. These different steady states, with different cell concentration, also have different productivity. Developing a mechanistic understanding of the occurrence of steady state multiplicity and devising a strategy to steer the culture toward the desired steady state is critical. We establish a multi-scale kinetic model that integrates a mechanistic intracellular metabolic model and cell growth model in a continuous bioreactor. We show that steady state multiplicity exists in a range of dilution rate in continuous culture as a result of the bistable behavior in glycolysis. The insights from the model were used to devise strategies to guide the culture to the desired steady state in the multiple steady state region. The model provides a guideline principle in the design of continuous culture processes of mammalian cells. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Kinetics of repair of DNA single-strand breaks in cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vexler, F.B.; Eidus, L.Kh.; Vexler, A.M.

    1984-01-01

    Postirradiation treatment of Chinese hamster cells with cysteamine (MEA), caffeine-benzoate (CB) and caffeine sharply inhibits the repair of DNA single-strand breaks in the first five minutes. This inhibition is reversible since removing of the agent leads immediately to the resumption of the repair. The rate of the repair is decreased with prolongation of treatment and increasing concentration of the modifying agent. The efficiency of the substances studied depends not only on their concentration in the medium. For MEA and CB, which are weak electrolytes, it is also pH-dependent. This is explained by the theory of dissociation of weak electrolytes and their distribution between the cell and medium. It is shown that intracellular concentration of the substances is the most important factor determining their efficiency. All the three substances exert practically the same effect when compared at equal intracellular concentration. The above presented data serve as evidence for the existence of an unspecific mechanism of the effect of the substances studied. (author)

  17. Mammalian Synthetic Biology: Time for Big MACs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martella, Andrea; Pollard, Steven M; Dai, Junbiao; Cai, Yizhi

    2016-10-21

    The enabling technologies of synthetic biology are opening up new opportunities for engineering and enhancement of mammalian cells. This will stimulate diverse applications in many life science sectors such as regenerative medicine, development of biosensing cell lines, therapeutic protein production, and generation of new synthetic genetic regulatory circuits. Harnessing the full potential of these new engineering-based approaches requires the design and assembly of large DNA constructs-potentially up to chromosome scale-and the effective delivery of these large DNA payloads to the host cell. Random integration of large transgenes, encoding therapeutic proteins or genetic circuits into host chromosomes, has several drawbacks such as risks of insertional mutagenesis, lack of control over transgene copy-number and position-specific effects; these can compromise the intended functioning of genetic circuits. The development of a system orthogonal to the endogenous genome is therefore beneficial. Mammalian artificial chromosomes (MACs) are functional, add-on chromosomal elements, which behave as normal chromosomes-being replicating and portioned to daughter cells at each cell division. They are deployed as useful gene expression vectors as they remain independent from the host genome. MACs are maintained as a single-copy and can accommodate multiple gene expression cassettes of, in theory, unlimited DNA size (MACs up to 10 megabases have been constructed). MACs therefore enabled control over ectopic gene expression and represent an excellent platform to rapidly prototype and characterize novel synthetic gene circuits without recourse to engineering the host genome. This review describes the obstacles synthetic biologists face when working with mammalian systems and how the development of improved MACs can overcome these-particularly given the spectacular advances in DNA synthesis and assembly that are fuelling this research area.

  18. Mammalian Cell Culture Process for Monoclonal Antibody Production: Nonlinear Modelling and Parameter Estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan Selişteanu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs are at present one of the fastest growing products of pharmaceutical industry, with widespread applications in biochemistry, biology, and medicine. The operation of mAbs production processes is predominantly based on empirical knowledge, the improvements being achieved by using trial-and-error experiments and precedent practices. The nonlinearity of these processes and the absence of suitable instrumentation require an enhanced modelling effort and modern kinetic parameter estimation strategies. The present work is dedicated to nonlinear dynamic modelling and parameter estimation for a mammalian cell culture process used for mAb production. By using a dynamical model of such kind of processes, an optimization-based technique for estimation of kinetic parameters in the model of mammalian cell culture process is developed. The estimation is achieved as a result of minimizing an error function by a particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm. The proposed estimation approach is analyzed in this work by using a particular model of mammalian cell culture, as a case study, but is generic for this class of bioprocesses. The presented case study shows that the proposed parameter estimation technique provides a more accurate simulation of the experimentally observed process behaviour than reported in previous studies.

  19. Whole‐cell Escherichia coli lactate biosensor for monitoring mammalian cell cultures during biopharmaceutical production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goers, Lisa; Ainsworth, Catherine; Goey, Cher Hui; Kontoravdi, Cleo; Freemont, Paul S.

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Many high‐value added recombinant proteins, such as therapeutic glycoproteins, are produced using mammalian cell cultures. In order to optimize the productivity of these cultures it is important to monitor cellular metabolism, for example the utilization of nutrients and the accumulation of metabolic waste products. One metabolic waste product of interest is lactic acid (lactate), overaccumulation of which can decrease cellular growth and protein production. Current methods for the detection of lactate are limited in terms of cost, sensitivity, and robustness. Therefore, we developed a whole‐cell Escherichia coli lactate biosensor based on the lldPRD operon and successfully used it to monitor lactate concentration in mammalian cell cultures. Using real samples and analytical validation we demonstrate that our biosensor can be used for absolute quantification of metabolites in complex samples with high accuracy, sensitivity, and robustness. Importantly, our whole‐cell biosensor was able to detect lactate at concentrations more than two orders of magnitude lower than the industry standard method, making it useful for monitoring lactate concentrations in early phase culture. Given the importance of lactate in a variety of both industrial and clinical contexts we anticipate that our whole‐cell biosensor can be used to address a range of interesting biological questions. It also serves as a blueprint for how to capitalize on the wealth of genetic operons for metabolite sensing available in nature for the development of other whole‐cell biosensors. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1290–1300. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:28112405

  20. Binucleate cell formation correlates to loss of colony-forming ability in X-irradiated cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, H.; Yoshinaga, H.; Kura, S.

    1986-01-01

    The relationship between binucleate cell formation and the loss of colony-forming ability was examined in several cultured mammalian cell lines irradiated with X rays. The maximum fraction of binucleate cells after X irradiation increased dose-dependently within the range in which reproductive cell death might predominate over interphase cell death. When the logarithm of percentage survival was plotted against the percentage binucleate cells, a similar correlation was found for all cell lines tested, with the exception of mouse leukemia L5178Y cells, the most radiosensitive cells used. These observations suggest that the fraction of binucleate cells in the cell population can serve as a measure of cellular radiation damage

  1. Product quality considerations for mammalian cell culture process development and manufacturing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gramer, Michael J

    2014-01-01

    The manufacturing of a biologic drug from mammalian cells results in not a single substance, but an array of product isoforms, also known as variants. These isoforms arise due to intracellular or extracellular events as a result of biological or chemical modification. The most common examples related to biomanufacturing include amino acid modifications (glycosylation, isomerization, oxidation, adduct formation, pyroglutamate formation, phosphorylation, sulfation, amidation), amino acid sequence variants (genetic mutations, amino acid misincorporation, N- and C-terminal heterogeneity, clipping), and higher-order structure modifications (misfolding, aggregation, disulfide pairing). Process-related impurities (HCP, DNA, media components, viral particles) are also important quality attributes related to product safety. The observed ranges associated with each quality attribute define the product quality profile. A biologic drug must have a correct and consistent quality profile throughout clinical development and scale-up to commercial production to ensure product safety and efficacy. In general, the upstream process (cell culture) defines the quality of product-related substances, whereas the downstream process (purification) defines the residual level of process- and product-related impurities. The purpose of this chapter is to review the impact of the cell culture process on product quality. Emphasis is placed on studies with industrial significance and where the direct mechanism of product quality impact was determined. Where possible, recommendations for maintaining consistent or improved quality are provided.

  2. The response of mammalian cells to UV-light reveals Rad54-dependent and independent pathways of homologous recombination

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eppink, Berina; Tafel, Agnieszka A; Hanada, Katsuhiro

    2011-01-01

    with lesions in replicating DNA. The core HR protein in mammalian cells is the strand exchange protein RAD51, which is aided by numerous proteins, including RAD54. We used RAD54 as a cellular marker for HR to study the response of mammalian embryonic stem (ES) cells to UV irradiation. In contrast to yeast, ES...

  3. Cell lineage analysis of the mammalian female germline.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yitzhak Reizel

    Full Text Available Fundamental aspects of embryonic and post-natal development, including maintenance of the mammalian female germline, are largely unknown. Here we employ a retrospective, phylogenetic-based method for reconstructing cell lineage trees utilizing somatic mutations accumulated in microsatellites, to study female germline dynamics in mice. Reconstructed cell lineage trees can be used to estimate lineage relationships between different cell types, as well as cell depth (number of cell divisions since the zygote. We show that, in the reconstructed mouse cell lineage trees, oocytes form clusters that are separate from hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells, both in young and old mice, indicating that these populations belong to distinct lineages. Furthermore, while cumulus cells sampled from different ovarian follicles are distinctly clustered on the reconstructed trees, oocytes from the left and right ovaries are not, suggesting a mixing of their progenitor pools. We also observed an increase in oocyte depth with mouse age, which can be explained either by depth-guided selection of oocytes for ovulation or by post-natal renewal. Overall, our study sheds light on substantial novel aspects of female germline preservation and development.

  4. Development of an Improved Mammalian Overexpression Method for Human CD62L

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Haley A.; Roth, Gwynne; Holzapfel, Genevieve; Shen, Sarek; Rahbari, Kate; Ireland, Joanna; Zou, Zhongcheng; Sun, Peter D.

    2014-01-01

    We have previously developed a glutamine synthetase (GS)-based mammalian recombinant protein expression system that is capable of producing 5 to 30 mg/L recombinant proteins. The over expression is based on multiple rounds of target gene amplification driven by methionine sulfoximine (MSX), an inhibitor of glutamine synthetase. However, like other stable mammalian over expression systems, a major shortcoming of the GS-based expression system is its lengthy turn-around time, typically taking 4–6 months to produce. To shorten the construction time, we replaced the muti-round target gene amplifications with single-round in situ amplifications, thereby shortening the cell line construction to 2 months. The single-round in situ amplification method resulted in highest recombinant CD62L expressing CHO cell lines producing ~5mg/L soluble CD62L, similar to those derived from the multi-round amplification and selection method. In addition, we developed a MSX resistance assay as an alternative to utilizing ELISA for evaluating the expression level of stable recombinant CHO cell lines. PMID:25286402

  5. Heavy ion effects on mammalian cells: Inactivation measurements with different cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wulf, H.; Kraft-Weyrather, W.; Miltenburger, H.G.; Kraft, G.

    1985-07-01

    In track segment experiments, the inactivation of different mammalian cells by heavy charged particles between helium and uranium in the energy range between 1 and 1000 MeV/u has been measured at the heavy ion accelerator Unilac, Darmstadt, the Tandem Van de Graaf, Heidelberg and the Bevalac, Berkeley. The inactivation cross sections calculated from the final slope of the dose effect curves are given as a function of the particle energy and the LET. (orig.)

  6. Radon exposure system for mammalian cells in culture: Design, operation, and dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seed, T.M.; Kretz, N.D.; Schlenker, R.A.

    1991-01-01

    A novel system for Rn gas exposure of mammalian cells in culture has been designed, constructed, and used to directly assess both the magnitude and the nature of chronic, low-dose Rn/Rn daughter toxicity of exposed vital lung cells isolated from normal pulmonary tissue, propagated and exposed in vitro. Direct correlations between atmospheric Rn concentrations, alpha-particle fluences, and macro- and microdoses of absorbed radiation doses by lung cells provide for a heretofore unavailable assessment of critical doses to vital cells

  7. A biotin-triggered genetic switch in mammalian cells and mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Wilfried; Lienhart, Cédric; Baba, Marie Daoud-El; Fussenegger, Martin

    2009-03-01

    Adjustable and reversible transgene expression systems enabling precise control of metabolic pathways and tunable production of specific target proteins have been essential for conditional reprogramming of mammalian cells to achieve progress in basic and applied bioengineering disciplines. Most of the currently available transgene control modalities have been designed to be responsive to clinically licensed pharmacologically active drugs which were expected to prevail in future clinical trials yet raised concerns about side effects when administered long term at subclinical doses. We have chosen vitamin H, also known as biotin, to control target gene transcription in mammalian cells in a potentially side effect-free manner. BirA, the Escherichia coli repressor of the biotin biosynthesis operon, was fused to the Herpes simplex transactivation domain to generate a biotin-dependent transactivator(BIT), which, in the presence of biotin, binds and activates chimeric target promoters (P(BIT)) harboring BirA-specific operator sites 5' of a minimal promoter. Biotin-inducible transgene expression was functional in a variety of rodent, monkey and human cell lines, showed excellent adjustability and reversibility in transgenic Chinese hamster ovary cell lines, provided precise product gene control in standard bioreactor cultures and enabled dose-dependent vitamin H control of a human glycoprotein in mice. The combination of a side effect-free inducer, precise and reversible transcription tunability and broad functionality in different cell types as well as in entire animals represents a unique asset for the use of biotin-inducible transgene control in future gene therapy, tissue engineering and biopharmaceutical manufacturing scenarios.

  8. Fluorogenic RNA Mango aptamers for imaging small non-coding RNAs in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Autour, Alexis; C Y Jeng, Sunny; D Cawte, Adam; Abdolahzadeh, Amir; Galli, Angela; Panchapakesan, Shanker S S; Rueda, David; Ryckelynck, Michael; Unrau, Peter J

    2018-02-13

    Despite having many key roles in cellular biology, directly imaging biologically important RNAs has been hindered by a lack of fluorescent tools equivalent to the fluorescent proteins available to study cellular proteins. Ideal RNA labelling systems must preserve biological function, have photophysical properties similar to existing fluorescent proteins, and be compatible with established live and fixed cell protein labelling strategies. Here, we report a microfluidics-based selection of three new high-affinity RNA Mango fluorogenic aptamers. Two of these are as bright or brighter than enhanced GFP when bound to TO1-Biotin. Furthermore, we show that the new Mangos can accurately image the subcellular localization of three small non-coding RNAs (5S, U6, and a box C/D scaRNA) in fixed and live mammalian cells. These new aptamers have many potential applications to study RNA function and dynamics both in vitro and in mammalian cells.

  9. Protection of cultured mammalian cells by rebamipide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antoku, Shigetoshi; Aramaki, Ryoji; Tanaka, Hisashi; Kusumoto, Naotoshi.

    1997-01-01

    Rebamipide which is used as a drug for gastritis and stomach ulcer has large capability for OH radical scavenging. It is expected that rebamipide has protective effect against ionizing radiations. The present paper deals with protective effect of rebamipide for cultured mammalian cells exposed to ionizing radiations. As rebamipide is insoluble in water, three solvents were used to dissolve. Rebamipide dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethyl formamide (DMFA) and 0.02 N NaOH was added to the cells in Eagle's minimum essential medium (MEM) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and the cells were irradiated with X-rays. After irradiation, the cells were trypsinized, plated in MEM with 10% fetal calf serum and incubated for 7 days in a CO 2 incubator to form colonies. Rebamipide dissolved in 0.02 N NaOH exhibited the protective effect expected its OH radical scavenging capability. However, the protective effect of rebamipide dissolved in DMSO was about half of that expected by its radical scavenging capability and that of rebamipide dissolved in DMFA was not observed. Uptake of rebamipide labeled with 14 C increased with increasing contact time with rebamipide. These rebamipide mainly distributed in nucleus rather than cytoplasm. (author)

  10. Isolation of Lysosomes from Mammalian Tissues and Cultured Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguado, Carmen; Pérez-Jiménez, Eva; Lahuerta, Marcos; Knecht, Erwin

    2016-01-01

    Lysosomes participate within the cells in the degradation of organelles, macromolecules, and a wide variety of substrates. In any study on specific roles of lysosomes, both under physiological and pathological conditions, it is advisable to include methods that allow their reproducible and reliable isolation. However, purification of lysosomes is a difficult task, particularly in the case of cultured cells. This is mainly because of the heterogeneity of these organelles, along with their low number and high fragility. Also, isolation methods, while disrupting plasma membranes, have to preserve the integrity of lysosomes, as the breakdown of their membranes releases enzymes that could damage all cell organelles, including themselves. The protocols described below have been routinely used in our laboratory for the specific isolation of lysosomes from rat liver, NIH/3T3, and other cultured cells, but can be adapted to other mammalian tissues or cell lines.

  11. Activation of ADP-ribosyltransferase in polyamine-depleted mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, H M; Gordon, A M; Keir, H M; Pearson, C K

    1984-01-01

    Mammalian fibroblasts were cultured in the presence of alpha-methylornithine and/or methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone), which inhibit the synthesis of polyamines. This led to a decrease in the cellular content of the polyamines spermine and spermidine by up to 60% when the cells were grown in the presence of both drugs together. The activity of the chromatin-associated enzyme ADP-ribosyltransferase was enhanced 2-3-fold in the drug-treated cells when measured in cells subsequently rendered permeable to exogenous NAD+, the substrate for the transferase. This is a novel and surprising observation, since the transferase is invariably activated by the addition of polyamines to a suitable incubation system such as permeabilized cells, isolated nuclei or the purified enzyme. We found no evidence that the activation was due to the appearance of DNA strand breaks, by using a variety of procedures including both neutral [the 'nucleoid' technique of Cook & Brazell [(1975) J. Cell Sci. 19, 261-279; (1976) J. Cell Sci. 22, 287-302

  12. Influence of ornithine decarboxylase antizymes and antizyme inhibitors on agmatine uptake by mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos-Molina, Bruno; López-Contreras, Andrés J; Lambertos, Ana; Dardonville, Christophe; Cremades, Asunción; Peñafiel, Rafael

    2015-05-01

    Agmatine (4-aminobutylguanidine), a dicationic molecule at physiological pH, exerts relevant modulatory actions at many different molecular target sites in mammalian cells, having been suggested that the administration of this compound may have therapeutic interest. Several plasma membrane transporters have been implicated in agmatine uptake by mammalian cells. Here we report that in kidney-derived COS-7 cell line, at physiological agmatine levels, the general polyamine transporter participates in the plasma membrane translocation of agmatine, with an apparent Km of 44 ± 7 µM and Vmax of 17.3 ± 3.3 nmol h(-1) mg(-1) protein, but that at elevated concentrations, agmatine can be also taken up by other transport systems. In the first case, the physiological polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine), several diguanidines and bis(2-aminoimidazolines) and the polyamine transport inhibitor AMXT-1501 markedly decreased agmatine uptake. In cells transfected with any of the three ornithine decarboxylase antizymes (AZ1, AZ2 and AZ3), agmatine uptake was dramatically reduced. On the contrary, transfection with antizyme inhibitors (AZIN1 and AZIN2) markedly increased the transport of agmatine. Furthermore, whereas putrescine uptake was significantly decreased in cells transfected with ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), the accumulation of agmatine was stimulated, suggesting a trans-activating effect of intracellular putrescine on agmatine uptake. All these results indicate that ODC and its regulatory proteins (antizymes and antizyme inhibitors) may influence agmatine homeostasis in mammalian tissues.

  13. Fluorescence and confocal imaging of mammalian cells using conjugated oligoelectrolytes with phenylenevinylene core

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milczarek, Justyna; Pawlowska, Roza; Zurawinski, Remigiusz; Lukasik, Beata; Garner, Logan E.; Chworos, Arkadiusz

    2017-05-01

    Over the last few years, considerable efforts are taken, in order to find a molecular fluorescent probe fulfilling their applicability requirements. Due to a good optical properties and affinity to biological structures conjugated oligoelectrolytes (COEs) can be considered as a promising dyes for application in fluorescence-based bioimaging. In this work, we synthetized COEs with phenylenevinylene core (PV-COEs) and applied as fluorescent membranous-specific probes. Cytotoxicity effects of each COE were probed on cancerous and non-cancerous cell types and little to no toxicity effects were observed at the high range of concentrations. The intensity of cell fluorescence following the COE staining was determined by the photoluminescence analysis and fluorescence activated cell sorting method (FACS). Intercalation of tested COEs into mammalian cell membranes was revealed by fluorescent and confocal microscopy colocalization with commercial dyes specific for cellular structures including mitochondria, Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum. The phenylenevinylene conjugated oligoelectrolytes have been found to be suitable for fluorescent bioimaging of mammalian cells and membrane-rich organelles. Due to their water solubility coupled with spontaneous intercalation into cells, favorable photophysical features, ease of cell staining, low cytotoxicity and selectivity for membranous structures, PV-COEs can be applied as markers for fluorescence imaging of a variety of cell types.

  14. Co-visualization of DNA damage and ion traversals in live mammalian cells using a fluorescent nuclear track detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kodaira, Satoshi; Konishi, Teruaki; Kobayashi, Alisa

    2015-01-01

    The geometric locations of ion traversals in mammalian cells constitute important information in the study of heavy ion-induced biological effect. Single ion traversal through a cellular nucleus produces complex and massive DNA damage at a nanometer level, leading to cell inactivation, mutations and transformation. We present a novel approach that uses a fluorescent nuclear track detector (FNTD) for the simultaneous detection of the geometrical images of ion traversals and DNA damage in single cells using confocal microscopy. HT1080 or HT1080–53BP1-GFP cells were cultured on the surface of a FNTD and exposed to 5.1-MeV/n neon ions. The positions of the ion traversals were obtained as fluorescent images of a FNTD. Localized DNA damage in cells was identified as fluorescent spots of γ-H2AX or 53BP1-GFP. These track images and images of damaged DNA were obtained in a short time using a confocal laser scanning microscope. The geometrical distribution of DNA damage indicated by fluorescent γ-H2AX spots in fixed cells or fluorescent 53BP1-GFP spots in living cells was found to correlate well with the distribution of the ion traversals. This method will be useful for evaluating the number of ion hits on individual cells, not only for micro-beam but also for random-beam experiments. (author)

  15. DNA damage does not appear to be a trigger for thermotolerance in mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anderson, R.L.; Shiu, E.; Fisher, G.A.; Hahn, G.M.

    1988-08-01

    The hypothesis that DNA damage is the trigger for thermotolerance in mammalian cells was tested in Chinese hamster ovary cells by looking for evidence of thermotolerance after ionizing radiation or ultraviolet light exposure. As previous studies have demonstrated that relatively non-toxic radiation exposures do not induce thermotolerance in mammalian cells (Li et al. 1976), higher doses, comparable to those used in yeast to induce thermotolerance (Mitchel and Morison 1984), were tested in this study. Doses of this magnitude are lethal to mammalian cells, thereby precluding the use of clonogenic survival as an endpoint. The authors used three alternative assays as indicators of the subsequent development of thermotolerance: (a) heat-induced inhibition of total protein synthesis, (b) heat-induced uptake of dansyl lysine, and (c) synthesis of heat shock proteins. Only total protein synthesis revealed evidence of a small degree of thermotolerance which occurred immediately after ..gamma..-radiation exposure. By 4 h postirradiation the tolerance, as measured by this assay, was no longer evident. No evidence of thermotolerance was seen following UV exposure. In addition, when a large radiation dose was given either immediately before or after a heat treatment used to induce thermotolerance, there was no alteration in the level of heat-induced tolerance, despite the extensive number of DNA strand breaks caused by the radiation.

  16. DNA damage does not appear to be a trigger for thermotolerance in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, R.L.; Shiu, E.; Fisher, G.A.; Hahn, G.M.

    1988-01-01

    The hypothesis that DNA damage is the trigger for thermotolerance in mammalian cells was tested in Chinese hamster ovary cells by looking for evidence of thermotolerance after ionizing radiation or ultraviolet light exposure. As previous studies have demonstrated that relatively non-toxic radiation exposures do not induce thermotolerance in mammalian cells (Li et al. 1976), higher doses, comparable to those used in yeast to induce thermotolerance (Mitchel and Morison 1984), were tested in this study. Doses of this magnitude are lethal to mammalian cells, thereby precluding the use of clonogenic survival as an endpoint. The authors used three alternative assays as indicators of the subsequent development of thermotolerance: (a) heat-induced inhibition of total protein synthesis, (b) heat-induced uptake of dansyl lysine, and (c) synthesis of heat shock proteins. Only total protein synthesis revealed evidence of a small degree of thermotolerance which occurred immediately after γ-radiation exposure. By 4 h postirradiation the tolerance, as measured by this assay, was no longer evident. No evidence of thermotolerance was seen following UV exposure. In addition, when a large radiation dose was given either immediately before or after a heat treatment used to induce thermotolerance, there was no alteration in the level of heat-induced tolerance, despite the extensive number of DNA strand breaks caused by the radiation. (author)

  17. Eps8 regulates hair bundle length and functional maturation of mammalian auditory hair cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeria Zampini

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Hair cells of the mammalian cochlea are specialized for the dynamic coding of sound stimuli. The transduction of sound waves into electrical signals depends upon mechanosensitive hair bundles that project from the cell's apical surface. Each stereocilium within a hair bundle is composed of uniformly polarized and tightly packed actin filaments. Several stereociliary proteins have been shown to be associated with hair bundle development and function and are known to cause deafness in mice and humans when mutated. The growth of the stereociliar actin core is dynamically regulated at the actin filament barbed ends in the stereociliary tip. We show that Eps8, a protein with actin binding, bundling, and barbed-end capping activities in other systems, is a novel component of the hair bundle. Eps8 is localized predominantly at the tip of the stereocilia and is essential for their normal elongation and function. Moreover, we have found that Eps8 knockout mice are profoundly deaf and that IHCs, but not OHCs, fail to mature into fully functional sensory receptors. We propose that Eps8 directly regulates stereocilia growth in hair cells and also plays a crucial role in the physiological maturation of mammalian cochlear IHCs. Together, our results indicate that Eps8 is critical in coordinating the development and functionality of mammalian auditory hair cells.

  18. Eps8 regulates hair bundle length and functional maturation of mammalian auditory hair cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zampini, Valeria; Rüttiger, Lukas; Johnson, Stuart L; Franz, Christoph; Furness, David N; Waldhaus, Jörg; Xiong, Hao; Hackney, Carole M; Holley, Matthew C; Offenhauser, Nina; Di Fiore, Pier Paolo; Knipper, Marlies; Masetto, Sergio; Marcotti, Walter

    2011-04-01

    Hair cells of the mammalian cochlea are specialized for the dynamic coding of sound stimuli. The transduction of sound waves into electrical signals depends upon mechanosensitive hair bundles that project from the cell's apical surface. Each stereocilium within a hair bundle is composed of uniformly polarized and tightly packed actin filaments. Several stereociliary proteins have been shown to be associated with hair bundle development and function and are known to cause deafness in mice and humans when mutated. The growth of the stereociliar actin core is dynamically regulated at the actin filament barbed ends in the stereociliary tip. We show that Eps8, a protein with actin binding, bundling, and barbed-end capping activities in other systems, is a novel component of the hair bundle. Eps8 is localized predominantly at the tip of the stereocilia and is essential for their normal elongation and function. Moreover, we have found that Eps8 knockout mice are profoundly deaf and that IHCs, but not OHCs, fail to mature into fully functional sensory receptors. We propose that Eps8 directly regulates stereocilia growth in hair cells and also plays a crucial role in the physiological maturation of mammalian cochlear IHCs. Together, our results indicate that Eps8 is critical in coordinating the development and functionality of mammalian auditory hair cells.

  19. Whole-cell Escherichia coli lactate biosensor for monitoring mammalian cell cultures during biopharmaceutical production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goers, Lisa; Ainsworth, Catherine; Goey, Cher Hui; Kontoravdi, Cleo; Freemont, Paul S; Polizzi, Karen M

    2017-06-01

    Many high-value added recombinant proteins, such as therapeutic glycoproteins, are produced using mammalian cell cultures. In order to optimize the productivity of these cultures it is important to monitor cellular metabolism, for example the utilization of nutrients and the accumulation of metabolic waste products. One metabolic waste product of interest is lactic acid (lactate), overaccumulation of which can decrease cellular growth and protein production. Current methods for the detection of lactate are limited in terms of cost, sensitivity, and robustness. Therefore, we developed a whole-cell Escherichia coli lactate biosensor based on the lldPRD operon and successfully used it to monitor lactate concentration in mammalian cell cultures. Using real samples and analytical validation we demonstrate that our biosensor can be used for absolute quantification of metabolites in complex samples with high accuracy, sensitivity, and robustness. Importantly, our whole-cell biosensor was able to detect lactate at concentrations more than two orders of magnitude lower than the industry standard method, making it useful for monitoring lactate concentrations in early phase culture. Given the importance of lactate in a variety of both industrial and clinical contexts we anticipate that our whole-cell biosensor can be used to address a range of interesting biological questions. It also serves as a blueprint for how to capitalize on the wealth of genetic operons for metabolite sensing available in nature for the development of other whole-cell biosensors. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 1290-1300. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Electrochemical monitoring of intracellular enzyme activity of single living mammalian cells by using a double-mediator system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumae, Yoshiharu; Takahashi, Yasufumi; Ino, Kosuke; Shiku, Hitoshi; Matsue, Tomokazu

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO) activity of single HeLa cells were evaluated by using the menadione–ferrocyanide double mediator system combined with scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). - Highlights: • NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase activity of single cells were evaluated with SECM. • Fe(CN) 6 3− /menadione concentrations were optimized for long-term SECM monitoring. • Menadione affect the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species and GSH. • At 100 μM menadione, the Fe(CN) 6 3− generation rate decreased rapidly within 30 min. - Abstract: We evaluated the intracellular NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO) activity of single HeLa cells by using the menadione–ferrocyanide double-mediator system combined with scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The double-mediator system was used to amplify the current response from the intracellular NQO activity and to reduce menadione-induced cell damage. The electron shuttle between the electrode and menadione was mediated by the ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple. Generation of ferrocyanide was observed immediately after the addition of a lower concentration (10 μM) of menadione. The ferrocyanide generation rate was constant for 120 min. At a higher menadione concentration (100 μM), the ferrocyanide generation rate decreased within 30 min because of the cytotoxic effect of menadione. We also investigated the relationship between intracellular reactive oxygen species or glutathione levels and exposure to different menadione concentrations to determine the optimal condition for SECM with minimal invasiveness. The present study clearly demonstrates that SECM is useful for the analysis of intracellular enzymatic activities in single cells with a double-mediator system

  1. Electrochemical monitoring of intracellular enzyme activity of single living mammalian cells by using a double-mediator system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsumae, Yoshiharu [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aramaki 6-6-11-605, Aoba, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Takahashi, Yasufumi [Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Ino, Kosuke [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aramaki 6-6-11-605, Aoba, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Shiku, Hitoshi, E-mail: shiku@bioinfo.che.tohoku.ac.jp [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aramaki 6-6-11-605, Aoba, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Matsue, Tomokazu, E-mail: matsue@bioinfo.che.tohoku.ac.jp [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Aramaki 6-6-11-605, Aoba, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan)

    2014-09-09

    Graphical abstract: NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO) activity of single HeLa cells were evaluated by using the menadione–ferrocyanide double mediator system combined with scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). - Highlights: • NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase activity of single cells were evaluated with SECM. • Fe(CN){sub 6}{sup 3−}/menadione concentrations were optimized for long-term SECM monitoring. • Menadione affect the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species and GSH. • At 100 μM menadione, the Fe(CN){sub 6}{sup 3−} generation rate decreased rapidly within 30 min. - Abstract: We evaluated the intracellular NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO) activity of single HeLa cells by using the menadione–ferrocyanide double-mediator system combined with scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The double-mediator system was used to amplify the current response from the intracellular NQO activity and to reduce menadione-induced cell damage. The electron shuttle between the electrode and menadione was mediated by the ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple. Generation of ferrocyanide was observed immediately after the addition of a lower concentration (10 μM) of menadione. The ferrocyanide generation rate was constant for 120 min. At a higher menadione concentration (100 μM), the ferrocyanide generation rate decreased within 30 min because of the cytotoxic effect of menadione. We also investigated the relationship between intracellular reactive oxygen species or glutathione levels and exposure to different menadione concentrations to determine the optimal condition for SECM with minimal invasiveness. The present study clearly demonstrates that SECM is useful for the analysis of intracellular enzymatic activities in single cells with a double-mediator system.

  2. Dual-function vector for protein expression in both mammalian cells and Xenopus laevis oocytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jespersen, Thomas; Grunnet, M; Angelo, K

    2002-01-01

    Both Xenopus laevis oocytes and mammalian cells are widely used for heterologous expression of several classes of proteins, and membrane proteins especially, such as ion channels or receptors, have been extensively investigated in both cell types. A full characterization of a specific protein wil...

  3. Inside Job: Methods for Delivering Proteins to the Interior of Mammalian Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruce, Virginia J; McNaughton, Brian R

    2017-08-17

    Currently, 7 of the top 10 selling drugs are biologics, and all of them are proteins. Their large size, structural complexity, and molecular diversity often results in surfaces capable of potent and selective recognition of receptors that challenge, or evade, traditional small molecules. However, most proteins do not penetrate the lipid bilayer exterior of mammalian cells. This severe limitation dramatically limits the number of disease-relevant receptors that proteins can target and modulate. Given the major role proteins play in modern medicine, and the magnitude of this limitation, it is unsurprising that an enormous amount of effort has been dedicated to overcoming this pesky impediment. In this article, we summarize and evaluate current approaches for intracellular delivery of exogenous proteins to mammalian cells and, in doing so, aim to illuminate fertile ground for future discovery in this critical area of research. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  4. Dose-rate effects on mammalian cells exposed to ionizing radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, J.B.

    1978-01-01

    The effect of irradiation on the life cycle and on cell survival was studied for a range of different dose rates. Log phase, plateau phase and synchronized cultures of different mammalian cells were used. Cell cycle redistribution during the radiation exposure was found to be a very important factor in determining the overall dose-rate effect for log phase and synchronized cells. In fact, cell cycle redistribution during the exposure, in some instances, resulted in a lower dose rate being more effective in cell killing per unit dose than a higher dose rate. For plateau phase cultures, where cell cycle times are greatly lengthened, the effects of redistribution in regard to cell killing was virtually eliminated. Both fed and unfed plateau phase cultures exhibited a dose-rate effect, but it was found that below dose rates of 154 rad/h there is no further loss in effectiveness

  5. Bacteria Facilitate Enteric Virus Co-infection of Mammalian Cells and Promote Genetic Recombination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erickson, Andrea K; Jesudhasan, Palmy R; Mayer, Melinda J; Narbad, Arjan; Winter, Sebastian E; Pfeiffer, Julie K

    2018-01-10

    RNA viruses exist in genetically diverse populations due to high levels of mutations, many of which reduce viral fitness. Interestingly, intestinal bacteria can promote infection of several mammalian enteric RNA viruses, but the mechanisms and consequences are unclear. We screened a panel of 41 bacterial strains as a platform to determine how different bacteria impact infection of poliovirus, a model enteric virus. Most bacterial strains, including those extracted from cecal contents of mice, bound poliovirus, with each bacterium binding multiple virions. Certain bacterial strains increased viral co-infection of mammalian cells even at a low virus-to-host cell ratio. Bacteria-mediated viral co-infection correlated with bacterial adherence to cells. Importantly, bacterial strains that induced viral co-infection facilitated genetic recombination between two different viruses, thereby removing deleterious mutations and restoring viral fitness. Thus, bacteria-virus interactions may increase viral fitness through viral recombination at initial sites of infection, potentially limiting abortive infections. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Viral Cre-LoxP tools aid genome engineering in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sengupta, Ranjita; Mendenhall, Amy; Sarkar, Nandita; Mukherjee, Chandreyee; Afshari, Amirali; Huang, Joseph; Lu, Biao

    2017-01-01

    Targeted nucleases have transformed genome editing technology, providing more efficient methods to make targeted changes in mammalian genome. In parallel, there is an increasing demand of Cre-LoxP technology for complex genome manipulation such as large deletion, addition, gene fusion and conditional removal of gene sequences at the target site. However, an efficient and easy-to-use Cre-recombinase delivery system remains lacking. We designed and constructed two sets of expression vectors for Cre-recombinase using two highly efficient viral systems, the integrative lentivirus and non-integrative adeno associated virus. We demonstrate the effectiveness of those methods in Cre-delivery into stably-engineered HEK293 cells harboring LoxP-floxed red fluorescent protein (RFP) and puromycin (Puro) resistant reporters. The delivered Cre recombinase effectively excised the floxed RFP-Puro either directly or conditionally, therefore validating the function of these molecular tools. Given the convenient options of two selections markers, these viral-based systems offer a robust and easy-to-use tool for advanced genome editing, expanding complicated genome engineering to a variety of cell types and conditions. We have developed and functionally validated two viral-based Cre-recombinase delivery systems for efficient genome manipulation in various mammalian cells. The ease of gene delivery with the built-in reporters and inducible element enables live cell monitoring, drug selection and temporal knockout, broadening applications of genome editing.

  7. A three-dimensional comparison of tick-borne flavivirus infection in mammalian and tick cell lines.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danielle K Offerdahl

    Full Text Available Tick-borne flaviviruses (TBFV are sustained in nature through cycling between mammalian and tick hosts. In this study, we used African green monkey kidney cells (Vero and Ixodes scapularis tick cells (ISE6 to compare virus-induced changes in mammalian and arthropod cells. Using confocal microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, and electron tomography (ET, we examined viral protein distribution and the ultrastructural changes that occur during TBFV infection. Within host cells, flaviviruses cause complex rearrangement of cellular membranes for the purpose of virus replication. Virus infection was accompanied by a marked expansion in endoplasmic reticulum (ER staining and markers for TBFV replication were localized mainly to the ER in both cell lines. TEM of Vero cells showed membrane-bound vesicles enclosed in a network of dilated, anastomosing ER cisternae. Virions were seen within the ER and were sometimes in paracrystalline arrays. Tubular structures or elongated vesicles were occasionally noted. In acutely and persistently infected ISE6 cells, membrane proliferation and vesicles were also noted; however, the extent of membrane expansion and the abundance of vesicles were lower and no viral particles were observed. Tubular profiles were far more prevalent in persistently infected ISE6 cells than in acutely infected cells. By ET, tubular profiles, in persistently infected tick cells, had a cross-sectional diameter of 60-100 nm, reached up to 800 nm in length, were closed at the ends, and were often arranged in fascicle-like bundles, shrouded with ER membrane. Our experiments provide analysis of viral protein localization within the context of both mammalian and arthropod cell lines as well as both acute and persistent arthropod cell infection. Additionally, we show for the first time 3D flavivirus infection in a vector cell line and the first ET of persistent flavivirus infection.

  8. Ultra-fast repair of single-strand breaks in DNA of. gamma. -irradiated Chinese hamster cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leontjeva, G A; Mantzighin, Yu A; Gaziev, A I [AN SSSR, Pushchino-na-Oke. Inst. Biologicheskoj Fiziki

    1976-12-01

    Studies of the effect of thermal treatment of Chinese hamster cells on sedimentation of DNA in the alkaline sucrose gradient showed that heating the cells to 68/sup 0/C for 15 min caused the same degradation as ..gamma..-irradiation with 5 to 7 krad at 37/sup 0/C. The inhibition of cellular repair enzymes by heating was therefore unacceptable. The process of ultra-fast repair is essentially determined by the DNA-ligase reaction, which is activated in the presence of Mg ions, and inhibited in mammalian cells in the presence of EDTA and pyrophosphate. Sedimentation profiles were therefore measured for the DNA of Chinese hamster cells ..gamma..-irradiated (5 krad) at 0/sup 0/C or 22/sup 0/C in the presence of Mg/sup + +/, or EDTA and pyrophosphate, and the results demonstrated ultra-fast repair only at 20 to 37/sup 0/C, in contrast to bacteria. A study was made of the temperature dependence of the activity of the DNA ligases isolated from E.coli and rabbit bone marrow. The NAD-dependent bacterial DNA ligase was active at temperatures from 0 to 40/sup 0/C, whereas ATP-dependent DNA ligase of mammals only showed activity in the range 15 to 40/sup 0/C. The differing temperature dependences of ultra-fast repair in bacterial and mammalian cells are in agreement with the temperature dependences of the activities of isolated enzymes, and the results suggest that the process of ultra-fast repair of single-strand breaks of DNA takes place in both bacterial and mammalian cells.

  9. Escherichia coli cell-free protein synthesis and isotope labeling of mammalian proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terada, Takaho; Yokoyama, Shigeyuki

    2015-01-01

    This chapter describes the cell-free protein synthesis method, using an Escherichia coli cell extract. This is a cost-effective method for milligram-scale protein production and is particularly useful for the production of mammalian proteins, protein complexes, and membrane proteins that are difficult to synthesize by recombinant expression methods, using E. coli and eukaryotic cells. By adjusting the conditions of the cell-free method, zinc-binding proteins, disulfide-bonded proteins, ligand-bound proteins, etc., may also be produced. Stable isotope labeling of proteins can be accomplished by the cell-free method, simply by using stable isotope-labeled amino acid(s) in the cell-free reaction. Moreover, the cell-free protein synthesis method facilitates the avoidance of stable isotope scrambling and dilution over the recombinant expression methods and is therefore advantageous for amino acid-selective stable isotope labeling. Site-specific stable isotope labeling is also possible with a tRNA molecule specific to the UAG codon. By the cell-free protein synthesis method, coupled transcription-translation is performed from a plasmid vector or a PCR-amplified DNA fragment encoding the protein. A milligram quantity of protein can be produced with a milliliter-scale reaction solution in the dialysis mode. More than a thousand solution structures have been determined by NMR spectroscopy for uniformly labeled samples of human and mouse functional domain proteins, produced by the cell-free method. Here, we describe the practical aspects of mammalian protein production by the cell-free method for NMR spectroscopy. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Influence of ornithine decarboxylase antizymes and antizyme inhibitors on agmatine uptake by mammalian cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ramos-Molina, Bruno; López-Contreras, Andrés J; Lambertos, Ana

    2015-01-01

    Agmatine (4-aminobutylguanidine), a dicationic molecule at physiological pH, exerts relevant modulatory actions at many different molecular target sites in mammalian cells, having been suggested that the administration of this compound may have therapeutic interest. Several plasma membrane...... transporters have been implicated in agmatine uptake by mammalian cells. Here we report that in kidney-derived COS-7cell line, at physiological agmatine levels, the general polyamine transporter participates in the plasma membrane translocation of agmatine, with an apparent Km of 44 ± 7 µM and V max of 17.......3 ± 3.3 nmol h(-1) mg(-1) protein, but that at elevated concentrations, agmatine can be also taken up by other transport systems. In the first case, the physiological polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine), several diguanidines and bis(2-aminoimidazolines) and the polyamine transport inhibitor...

  11. Mechanical properties of mammalian single smooth muscle cells. II. Evaluation of a modified technique for attachment of cells to the measurement apparatus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J.J. Glerum (Jacobus); R. van Mastrigt (Ron)

    1990-01-01

    textabstractA method is described for attaching isolated single smooth muscle cells to an apparatus designed for measuring the longitudinal forces developed passively and actively by the cell upon straining, electrical or pharmacological stimulation. Primary attachment of the cell is based on its

  12. ACh-induced hyperpolarization and decreased resistance in mammalian type II vestibular hair cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poppi, Lauren A; Tabatabaee, Hessam; Drury, Hannah R; Jobling, Phillip; Callister, Robert J; Migliaccio, Americo A; Jordan, Paivi M; Holt, Joseph C; Rabbitt, Richard D; Lim, Rebecca; Brichta, Alan M

    2018-01-01

    In the mammalian vestibular periphery, electrical activation of the efferent vestibular system (EVS) has two effects on afferent activity: 1) it increases background afferent discharge and 2) decreases afferent sensitivity to rotational stimuli. Although the cellular mechanisms underlying these two contrasting afferent responses remain obscure, we postulated that the reduction in afferent sensitivity was attributed, in part, to the activation of α9- containing nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors (α9*nAChRs) and small-conductance potassium channels (SK) in vestibular type II hair cells, as demonstrated in the peripheral vestibular system of other vertebrates. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of the predominant EVS neurotransmitter ACh on vestibular type II hair cells from wild-type (wt) and α9-subunit nAChR knockout (α9 -/- ) mice. Immunostaining for choline acetyltransferase revealed there were no obvious gross morphological differences in the peripheral EVS innervation among any of these strains. ACh application onto wt type II hair cells, at resting potentials, produced a fast inward current followed by a slower outward current, resulting in membrane hyperpolarization and decreased membrane resistance. Hyperpolarization and decreased resistance were due to gating of SK channels. Consistent with activation of α9*nAChRs and SK channels, these ACh-sensitive currents were antagonized by the α9*nAChR blocker strychnine and SK blockers apamin and tamapin. Type II hair cells from α9 -/- mice, however, failed to respond to ACh at all. These results confirm the critical importance of α9nAChRs in efferent modulation of mammalian type II vestibular hair cells. Application of exogenous ACh reduces electrical impedance, thereby decreasing type II hair cell sensitivity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Expression of α9 nicotinic subunit was crucial for fast cholinergic modulation of mammalian vestibular type II hair cells. These findings show a multifaceted

  13. Physiological significance of polyploidization in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandit, Shusil K; Westendorp, Bart; de Bruin, Alain

    2013-11-01

    Programmed polyploidization occurs in all mammalian species during development and aging in selected tissues, but the biological properties of polyploid cells remain obscure. Spontaneous polyploidization arises during stress and has been observed in a variety of pathological conditions, such as cancer and degenerative diseases. A major challenge in the field is to test the predicted functions of polyploidization in vivo. However, recent genetic mouse models with diminished polyploidization phenotypes represent novel, powerful tools to unravel the biological function of polyploidization. Contrary to a longstanding hypothesis, polyploidization appears to not be required for differentiation and has no obvious impact on proliferation. Instead, polyploidization leads to increased cell size and genetic diversity, which could promote better adaptation to chronic injury or stress. We discuss here the consequences of reducing polyploidization in mice and review which stress responses and molecular signals trigger polyploidization during development and disease. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Internalisation of engineered nanoparticles into mammalian cells in vitro: influence of cell type and particle properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Busch, Wibke; Bastian, Susanne; Trahorsch, Ulrike; Iwe, Maria; Kühnel, Dana; Meißner, Tobias; Springer, Armin; Gelinsky, Michael; Richter, Volkmar; Ikonomidou, Chrysanthy; Potthoff, Annegret; Lehmann, Irina; Schirmer, Kristin

    2011-01-01

    Cellular internalisation of industrial engineered nanoparticles is undesired and a reason for concern. Here we investigated and compared the ability of seven different mammalian cell cultures in vitro to incorporate six kinds of engineered nanoparticles, focussing on the role of cell type and particle properties in particle uptake. Uptake was examined using light and electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for particle element identification. Flow cytometry was applied for semi-quantitative analyses of particle uptake and for exploring the influence on uptake by the phagocytosis inhibitor Cytochalasin D (CytoD). All particles studied were found to enter each kind of cultured cells. Yet, particles were never found within cell nuclei. The presence of the respective particles within the cells was confirmed by EDX. Live-cell imaging revealed the time-dependent process of internalisation of technical nanoparticles, which was exemplified by tungsten carbide particle uptake into the human skin cells, HaCaT. Particles were found to co-localise with lysosomal structures within the cells. The incorporated nanoparticles changed the cellular granularity, as measured by flow cytometry, already after 3 h of exposure in a particle specific manner. By correlating particle properties with flow cytometry data, only the primary particle size was found to be a weakly influential property for particle uptake. CytoD, an inhibitor of actin filaments and therewith of phagocytosis, significantly inhibited the internalisation of particle uptake in only two of the seven investigated cell cultures. Our study, therefore, supports the notion that nanoparticles can enter mammalian cells quickly and easily, irrespective of the phagocytic ability of the cells.

  15. Methods for Using Small Non-Coding RNAs to Improve Recombinant Protein Expression in Mammalian Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Inwood

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The ability to produce recombinant proteins by utilizing different “cell factories” revolutionized the biotherapeutic and pharmaceutical industry. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO cells are the dominant industrial producer, especially for antibodies. Human embryonic kidney cells (HEK, while not being as widely used as CHO cells, are used where CHO cells are unable to meet the needs for expression, such as growth factors. Therefore, improving recombinant protein expression from mammalian cells is a priority, and continuing effort is being devoted to this topic. Non-coding RNAs are RNA segments that are not translated into a protein and often have a regulatory role. Since their discovery, major progress has been made towards understanding their functions. Non-coding RNA has been investigated extensively in relation to disease, especially cancer, and recently they have also been used as a method for engineering cells to improve their protein expression capability. In this review, we provide information about methods used to identify non-coding RNAs with the potential of improving recombinant protein expression in mammalian cell lines.

  16. Empty Turnip yellow mosaic virus capsids as delivery vehicles to mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Doyeong; Lee, Younghee; Dreher, Theo W; Cho, Tae-Ju

    2018-05-03

    Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV) was able to enter animal cells when the spherical plant virus was conjugated with Tat, a cell penetrating peptide (CPP). Tat was chemically attached to the surface lysine residues of TYMV using hydrazone chemistry. Baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells were incubated with either unmodified or Tat-conjugated TYMV and examined by flow cytometry and confocal microscopic analyses. Tat conjugation was shown to be more efficient than Lipofectamine in allowing TYMV to enter the mammalian cells. Tat-assisted-transfection was also associated with less loss of cell viability than lipofection. Among the CPPs tested (Tat, R8, Pep-1 and Pen), it was observed that R8 and Pen were also effective while Pep-1 was not. We also examined if the internal space of TYMV can be used to load fluorescein dye as a model cargo. When TYMV is treated by freezing and thawing, the virus is known to convert into a structure with a 6-8 nm hole and release viral RNA. When the resultant pot-like particles were reacted with fluorescein-5-maleimide using interior sulfhydryl groups as conjugation sites, about 145 fluorescein molecules were added per particle. The fluorescein-loaded TYMV particles were conjugated with Tat and introduced into BHK cells, again with higher transfection efficiency compared to lipofection. Our studies demonstrate the potential of modified TYMV as an efficient system for therapeutic cargo delivery to mammalian cells. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Does autophagy have a license to kill mammalian cells?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scarlatti, F; Granata, R; Meijer, A J; Codogno, P

    2009-01-01

    Macroautophagy is an evolutionarily conserved vacuolar, self-digesting mechanism for cellular components, which end up in the lysosomal compartment. In mammalian cells, macroautophagy is cytoprotective, and protects the cells against the accumulation of damaged organelles or protein aggregates, the loss of interaction with the extracellular matrix, and the toxicity of cancer therapies. During periods of nutrient starvation, stimulating macroautophagy provides the fuel required to maintain an active metabolism and the production of ATP. Macroautophagy can inhibit the induction of several forms of cell death, such as apoptosis and necrosis. However, it can also be part of the cascades of events that lead to cell death, either by collaborating with other cell death mechanisms or by causing cell death on its own. Loss of the regulation of bulk macroautophagy can prime self-destruction by cells, and some forms of selective autophagy and non-canonical forms of macroautophagy have been shown to be associated with cell demise. There is now mounting evidence that autophagy and apoptosis share several common regulatory elements that are crucial in any attempt to understand the dual role of autophagy in cell survival and cell death.

  18. Mammalian Cochlear Hair Cell Regeneration and Ribbon Synapse Reformation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoling Lu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Hair cells (HCs are the sensory preceptor cells in the inner ear, which play an important role in hearing and balance. The HCs of organ of Corti are susceptible to noise, ototoxic drugs, and infections, thus resulting in permanent hearing loss. Recent approaches of HCs regeneration provide new directions for finding the treatment of sensor neural deafness. To have normal hearing function, the regenerated HCs must be reinnervated by nerve fibers and reform ribbon synapse with the dendrite of spiral ganglion neuron through nerve regeneration. In this review, we discuss the research progress in HC regeneration, the synaptic plasticity, and the reinnervation of new regenerated HCs in mammalian inner ear.

  19. Information system for selection of conditions and equipment for the cultivation of mammalian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. R. Batyrgazieva

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The use of mammals cells and their products wide application, so the actual problem is a creation of an information system in the field of their cultivation for the organizing and structuring of information on process experimental data. This work is devoted the analysis of mammalian cell cultivation. The main technologies of cell cultivation, necessary equipment and matrices are considered. The main stages of database design and information system is described. The justification of software products are provided and the results of the database and information system implementation are done. The detailed description of all modules of the system, as well as a comparative analysis of the results of the search are in the system to verify correct operation of the system. The scientific and practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the effective tool for presenting knowledge and data for search by specific parameters is required. The convenience of the system is that it is not necessary to address in various data sources to get and conditions of cultivation of mammalian cells, it has already been collected and structured according to parameters. With help of the system, it is possible to select conditions for the cultivation of mammalian cells at the stage of scientific researches that will significantly reduce the time and cost of work, also to rank of recommended technological and hardware solutions. The system has a functional completeness, i.e. in a specific subject area, it ensures the fulfillment of user's requirements, and allows to accumulate and process information.

  20. Assessing mRNA nuclear export in mammalian cells by microinjection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Eliza S; Palazzo, Alexander F

    2017-08-15

    The nuclear export of mRNAs is an important yet little understood part of eukaryotic gene expression. One of the easiest methods for monitoring mRNA export in mammalian tissue culture cells is through the microinjection of DNA plasmids into the nucleus and monitoring the distribution of the transcribed product over time. Here we describe how to setup a microscope equipped with a micromanipulator used in cell microinjections, and we explain how to perform a nuclear mRNA export assay and obtain the nuclear export rate for any given mRNA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. The fractal dimension of cell membrane correlates with its capacitance: A new fractal single-shell model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xujing; Becker, Frederick F.; Gascoyne, Peter R. C.

    2010-01-01

    The scale-invariant property of the cytoplasmic membrane of biological cells is examined by applying the Minkowski–Bouligand method to digitized scanning electron microscopy images of the cell surface. The membrane is found to exhibit fractal behavior, and the derived fractal dimension gives a good description of its morphological complexity. Furthermore, we found that this fractal dimension correlates well with the specific membrane dielectric capacitance derived from the electrorotation measurements. Based on these findings, we propose a new fractal single-shell model to describe the dielectrics of mammalian cells, and compare it with the conventional single-shell model (SSM). We found that while both models fit with experimental data well, the new model is able to eliminate the discrepancy between the measured dielectric property of cells and that predicted by the SSM. PMID:21198103

  2. Protection of cultured mammalian cells by rebamipide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antoku, Shigetoshi; Aramaki, Ryoji [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan). Faculty of Medicine; Tanaka, Hisashi; Kusumoto, Naotoshi

    1997-06-01

    Rebamipide which is used as a drug for gastritis and stomach ulcer has large capability for OH radical scavenging. It is expected that rebamipide has protective effect against ionizing radiations. The present paper deals with protective effect of rebamipide for cultured mammalian cells exposed to ionizing radiations. As rebamipide is insoluble in water, three solvents were used to dissolve. Rebamipide dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethyl formamide (DMFA) and 0.02 N NaOH was added to the cells in Eagle`s minimum essential medium (MEM) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and the cells were irradiated with X-rays. After irradiation, the cells were trypsinized, plated in MEM with 10% fetal calf serum and incubated for 7 days in a CO{sub 2} incubator to form colonies. Rebamipide dissolved in 0.02 N NaOH exhibited the protective effect expected its OH radical scavenging capability. However, the protective effect of rebamipide dissolved in DMSO was about half of that expected by its radical scavenging capability and that of rebamipide dissolved in DMFA was not observed. Uptake of rebamipide labeled with {sup 14}C increased with increasing contact time with rebamipide. These rebamipide mainly distributed in nucleus rather than cytoplasm. (author)

  3. Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Mammalian Endangered Species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Nun, Inbar Friedrich; Montague, Susanne C; Houck, Marlys L; Ryder, Oliver; Loring, Jeanne F

    2015-01-01

    For some highly endangered species there are too few reproductively capable animals to maintain adequate genetic diversity, and extraordinary measures are necessary to prevent their extinction. Cellular reprogramming is a means to capture the genomes of individual animals as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which may eventually facilitate reintroduction of genetic material into breeding populations. Here, we describe a method for generating iPSCs from fibroblasts of mammalian endangered species.

  4. Repair of furocoumarin adducts in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zolan, M.E.; Smith, C.A.; Hanawalt, P.C.

    1984-01-01

    DNA repair was studied in cultured mammalian cells treated with the furocoumarins 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), aminomethyl trioxsalen, or angelicin and irradiated with near UV light. The amount of DNA cross-linked by 8-MOP in normal human cells decreased by about one-half in 24 hours after treatment; no decrease was observed in xeroderma pigmentosum cells, group A. At present, it is not known to what extent this decrease represents complete repair events at the sites of cross-links. Furocoumarin adducts elicited excision repair in normal human and monkey cells but not in xeroderma pigmentosum group A cells. This excision repair resembled in several aspects that elicited by pyrimidine dimers, formed in DNA by irradiation with 254-nm UV light; however, it appeared that for at least 8-MOP and aminomethyl trioxsalen, removal of adducts was not as efficient as was the removal of pyrimidine dimers. A comparison was also made of repair in the 172-base-pair repetitive alpha-DNA component of monkey cells to repair in the bulk of the genome. Although repair elicited by pyrimidine dimers in alpha-DNA was the same as in the bulk DNA, that following treatment of cells with either aminomethyl trioxsalen or angelicin and near UV was markedly deficient in alpha-DNA. This deficiency reflected the removal of fewer adducts from alpha-DNA after the same initial adduct frequencies. These results could mean that each furocoumarin may produce several structurally distinct adducts to DNA in cells and that the capacity of cellular repair systems to remove these various adducts may vary greatly

  5. Repair of radiation damage in mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Setlow, R.B.

    1981-01-01

    The responses, such as survival, mutation, and carcinogenesis, of mammalian cells and tissues to radiation are dependent not only on the magnitude of the damage to macromolecular structures - DNA, RNA, protein, and membranes - but on the rates of macromolecular syntheses of cells relative to the half-lives of the damages. Cells possess a number of mechanisms for repairing damage to DNA. If the repair systems are rapid and error free, cells can tolerate much larger doses than if repair is slow or error prone. It is important to understand the effects of radiation and the repair of radiation damage because there exist reasonable amounts of epidemiological data that permits the construction of dose-response curves for humans. The shapes of such curves or the magnitude of the response will depend on repair. Radiation damage is emphasized because: (a) radiation dosimetry, with all its uncertainties for populations, is excellent compared to chemical dosimetry; (b) a number of cancer-prone diseases are known in which there are defects in DNA repair and radiation results in more chromosomal damage in cells from such individuals than in cells from normal individuals; (c) in some cases, specific radiation products in DNA have been correlated with biological effects, and (d) many chemical effects seem to mimic radiation effects. A further reason for emphasizing damage to DNA is the wealth of experimental evidence indicating that damages to DNA can be initiating events in carcinogenesis.

  6. Repair of radiation damage in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Setlow, R.B.

    1981-01-01

    The responses, such as survival, mutation, and carcinogenesis, of mammalian cells and tissues to radiation are dependent not only on the magnitude of the damage to macromolecular structures - DNA, RNA, protein, and membranes - but on the rates of macromolecular syntheses of cells relative to the half-lives of the damages. Cells possess a number of mechanisms for repairing damage to DNA. If the repair systems are rapid and error free, cells can tolerate much larger doses than if repair is slow or error prone. It is important to understand the effects of radiation and the repair of radiation damage because there exist reasonable amounts of epidemiological data that permits the construction of dose-response curves for humans. The shapes of such curves or the magnitude of the response will depend on repair. Radiation damage is emphasized because: (a) radiation dosimetry, with all its uncertainties for populations, is excellent compared to chemical dosimetry; (b) a number of cancer-prone diseases are known in which there are defects in DNA repair and radiation results in more chromosomal damage in cells from such individuals than in cells from normal individuals; (c) in some cases, specific radiation products in DNA have been correlated with biological effects, and (d) many chemical effects seem to mimic radiation effects. A further reason for emphasizing damage to DNA is the wealth of experimental evidence indicating that damages to DNA can be initiating events in carcinogenesis

  7. Heat shock protein (Hsp) 40 mutants inhibit Hsp70 in mammalian cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Michels, AA; Kanon, B; Bensaude, O; Kampinga, HH

    1999-01-01

    Heat shock protein (Hsp) 70 and Hsp40 expressed in mammalian cells had been previously shown to cooperate in accelerating the reactivation of heat-denatured firefly luciferase (Michels, A. A., Kanon, B., Konings, A. W. T., Ohtsuka, K,, Bensaude, O., and Kampinga, H. H. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272,

  8. Intercellular contact: its influence on the Dsub(q) of mammalian cell survival curves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durand, R.E.; Sutherland, R.M.

    1975-01-01

    Cell survival in tissues exposed to a given dose of ionizing radiation is usually greater than that of similar cells grown individually in vitro, despite the fact that the radiosensitivities (D 0 ) are virtually identical under the two conditions. An analogous increase in cell survival is observed when Chinese hamster V79-171 cells are grown in suspension culture and irradiated as multicell spheroids. Unfortunately, the information gained from the survival curves so obtained is limited by the inhomogeneity of the cell population with respect to both degree of contact and cell cycle position. The latter can be studied using synchronized small spheroids. The ratio of Dsub(q) of spheroid cells to Dsub(q) of single cells increased as the cells progressed through the cell cycle, from a minimum of 1.3 for G 1 phase cells to a maximum of 2.2 for late S-phase cells. The enhanced survival, or 'contact effect', developed slowly as the spheroids grew, after an initial latent period of about one generation cycle of the cells. A second effect of intercellular contact on mammalian cell survival has also been observed. When cells are assayed under conditions in which intercellular contact is maintained, the net cellular survival is increased further. This effect is different from the usual repair of potentially lethal damage, in that it occurs much more slowly and results in modification of the survival-curve shoulder. Not all cell types tested have shown enhanced survival when grown as spheroids. Several MNNG-induced mutants of the Chinese hamster V79-171 line have been isolated and sublines which do and do not show the contact effect are now available. These may permit study of the mechanism(s) of contact effects. (author)

  9. Effect of an aminothiol (WR-1065) on radiation-induced mutagenesis and cytotoxicity in two repair-deficient mammalian cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grdina, D.J.; Nagy, B.; Meechan, P.J.

    1991-01-01

    WR-2721 and its free thiol WR-1065 have been found to effectively protect against radiation- and/or chemotherapy-induced mutagenesis, transformation and carcinogenesis. With respect to the antimutagenic effect, WR-1065 significantly reduced the frequency of HGPRT mutants even when it was administered up to three hours following exposure of cells to radiation. The mechanisms of action most often attributed to these agents include their ability to scavenge free radicals, enter into chemical repair processes through the donation of hydrogen atoms, and induce intracellular hypoxia by means of auto-oxidative processes. Although evidence exists for each of these processes, none is sufficiently satisfactory to account for the post-irradiation protection of WR-1065 against mutation induction in mammalian cells. The most elegant work describing the role of aminothiols on cellular enzymatic repair processes has focused on well-characterized repair-proficient and -deficient bacterial and yeast cell systems. Protection against radiation-induced cytotoxicity by the aminothiol cysteamine was absent in E. coli cell lines that were characterized as having genetically defective repair systems. Until recently, such studies could not be effectively performed with mammalian cells. However, with the isolation and characterization of rodent cell lines deficient in their ability to repair DNA damage, it is now possible to investigate the role of cell-mediated repair systems on aminothiol radioprotection. Specifically, the authors have investigated the effects of WR-1065 on radiation-induced mutagenesis and cytotoxicity in cell lines EM9 and xrs-5, which are defective in DNA single-strand break (SSB) and double-strand break (DSB) rejoining, respectively. Corresponding parental repair-proficient cell lines, AA8 and K1, were also studied for comparative purposes. 26 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

  10. Single-Cell Profiling of Epigenetic Modifiers Identifies PRDM14 as an Inducer of Cell Fate in the Mammalian Embryo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Burton

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Cell plasticity or potency is necessary for the formation of multiple cell types. The mechanisms underlying this plasticity are largely unknown. Preimplantation mouse embryos undergo drastic changes in cellular potency, starting with the totipotent zygote through to the formation of the pluripotent inner cell mass (ICM and differentiated trophectoderm in the blastocyst. Here, we set out to identify and functionally characterize chromatin modifiers that define the transitions of potency and cell fate in the mouse embryo. Using a quantitative microfluidics approach in single cells, we show that developmental transitions are marked by distinctive combinatorial profiles of epigenetic modifiers. Pluripotent cells of the ICM are distinct from their differentiated trophectoderm counterparts. We show that PRDM14 is heterogeneously expressed in 4-cell-stage embryos. Forced expression of PRDM14 at the 2-cell stage leads to increased H3R26me2 and can induce a pluripotent ICM fate. Our results shed light on the epigenetic networks that govern cellular potency and identity in vivo.

  11. Efficient secretion of small proteins in mammalian cells relies on Sec62-dependent posttranslational translocation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakkaraju, Asvin K. K.; Thankappan, Ratheeshkumar; Mary, Camille; Garrison, Jennifer L.; Taunton, Jack; Strub, Katharina

    2012-01-01

    Mammalian cells secrete a large number of small proteins, but their mode of translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum is not fully understood. Cotranslational translocation was expected to be inefficient due to the small time window for signal sequence recognition by the signal recognition particle (SRP). Impairing the SRP pathway and reducing cellular levels of the translocon component Sec62 by RNA interference, we found an alternate, Sec62-dependent translocation path in mammalian cells required for the efficient translocation of small proteins with N-terminal signal sequences. The Sec62-dependent translocation occurs posttranslationally via the Sec61 translocon and requires ATP. We classified preproteins into three groups: 1) those that comprise ≤100 amino acids are strongly dependent on Sec62 for efficient translocation; 2) those in the size range of 120–160 amino acids use the SRP pathway, albeit inefficiently, and therefore rely on Sec62 for efficient translocation; and 3) those larger than 160 amino acids depend on the SRP pathway to preserve a transient translocation competence independent of Sec62. Thus, unlike in yeast, the Sec62-dependent translocation pathway in mammalian cells serves mainly as a fail-safe mechanism to ensure efficient secretion of small proteins and provides cells with an opportunity to regulate secretion of small proteins independent of the SRP pathway. PMID:22648169

  12. Mitochondrial fission proteins regulate programmed cell death in yeast

    OpenAIRE

    Fannjiang, Yihru; Cheng, Wen-Chih; Lee, Sarah J.; Qi, Bing; Pevsner, Jonathan; McCaffery, J. Michael; Hill, R. Blake; Basañez, Gorka; Hardwick, J. Marie

    2004-01-01

    The possibility that single-cell organisms undergo programmed cell death has been questioned in part because they lack several key components of the mammalian cell death machinery. However, yeast encode a homolog of human Drp1, a mitochondrial fission protein that was shown previously to promote mammalian cell death and the excessive mitochondrial fragmentation characteristic of apoptotic mammalian cells. In support of a primordial origin of programmed cell death involving mitochondria, we fo...

  13. Chromatin condensation and differential sensitivity of mammalian and insect cells to DNA strand breaks induced by bleomycin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez-Larraza, Daniel M.; Padron, Juan; Ronci, Natalia E.; Vidal Rioja, Lidia A.

    2006-01-01

    Bleomycin (BLM) induces DNA damage in living cells. In this report we analyzed the role of chromatin compactness in the differential response of mosquito (ATC-15) and mammalian (CHO) cells to DNA strand breaks induced by BLM. We used cells unexposed and exposed to sodium butyrate (NaB), which induces chromatin decondensation. By nucleoid sedimentation assay and digestions of nuclei with DNAse I, untreated mosquito cells (no BLM; no NaB) were shown to have more chromatin condensation than untreated CHO cells. By alkaline unwinding ATC-15 cells treated with NaB showed more BLM-induced DNA strand breaks than NaB-untreated CHO cells. The time-course of BLM-induced DNA damage to nuclear DNA was similar for NaB-untreated mammalian and insect cells, but with mosquito cells showing less DNA strand breaks, both at physiological temperatures and at 4 o C. However, when DNA repair was inhibited by low temperatures and chromatin was decondensed by NaB treatments, differences in BLM-induced DNA damage between these cells lines were no longer observed. In both cell lines, NaB did not affect BLM action on cell growth and viability. On the other hand, the low sensitivity of ATC-15 cells to BLM was reflected in their better growth efficiency. These cells exhibited a satisfactory growth at BLM doses that produced a permanent arrest of growth in CHO cells. The data suggest that mosquito cells might have linker DNAs shorter than those of mammalian cells, which would result in the observed both greater chromatin condensation and greater resistance to DNA damage induced by BLM as compared to CHO cells

  14. Chromatin condensation and differential sensitivity of mammalian and insect cells to DNA strand breaks induced by bleomycin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lopez-Larraza, Daniel M. [IMBICE, C.C. 403, 1900 La Plata (Argentina)]. E-mail: danielop@imbice.org.ar; Padron, Juan [IMBICE, C.C. 403, 1900 La Plata (Argentina); Ronci, Natalia E. [IMBICE, C.C. 403, 1900 La Plata (Argentina); Vidal Rioja, Lidia A. [IMBICE, C.C. 403, 1900 La Plata (Argentina)

    2006-08-30

    Bleomycin (BLM) induces DNA damage in living cells. In this report we analyzed the role of chromatin compactness in the differential response of mosquito (ATC-15) and mammalian (CHO) cells to DNA strand breaks induced by BLM. We used cells unexposed and exposed to sodium butyrate (NaB), which induces chromatin decondensation. By nucleoid sedimentation assay and digestions of nuclei with DNAse I, untreated mosquito cells (no BLM; no NaB) were shown to have more chromatin condensation than untreated CHO cells. By alkaline unwinding ATC-15 cells treated with NaB showed more BLM-induced DNA strand breaks than NaB-untreated CHO cells. The time-course of BLM-induced DNA damage to nuclear DNA was similar for NaB-untreated mammalian and insect cells, but with mosquito cells showing less DNA strand breaks, both at physiological temperatures and at 4 {sup o}C. However, when DNA repair was inhibited by low temperatures and chromatin was decondensed by NaB treatments, differences in BLM-induced DNA damage between these cells lines were no longer observed. In both cell lines, NaB did not affect BLM action on cell growth and viability. On the other hand, the low sensitivity of ATC-15 cells to BLM was reflected in their better growth efficiency. These cells exhibited a satisfactory growth at BLM doses that produced a permanent arrest of growth in CHO cells. The data suggest that mosquito cells might have linker DNAs shorter than those of mammalian cells, which would result in the observed both greater chromatin condensation and greater resistance to DNA damage induced by BLM as compared to CHO cells.

  15. Lack of radiation protective effect of orgotein in normal and malignant mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Overgaard, J.; Nielsen, O.S.; Overgaard, M.; Steenholdt, S.; Jakobsen, A.; Sell, A.

    1979-01-01

    The potential radiation protective effect of orgotein, a metalloprotein with superoxide dismutase activity, was investigated in L 1 A 2 tumour cells in vitro, jejunal crypt cells and C 3 H mouse mammary carcinoma in vivo. No effect of orgotein, given either 2 hours before irradiation or 30 min after, was observed compared to the effect of irradiation alone. Thus, it was concluded that orgotein did not influence the primary radiation response in air in mammalian cells. (Auth.)

  16. Estimation of relative biological effectiveness for low energy protons using cytogenetic end points in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhat, N.N.; Nairy, Rajesh; Chaurasia, Rajesh; Desai, Utkarsha; Shirsath, K.B.; Anjaria, K.B.; Sreedevi, B.

    2013-01-01

    A facility has been designed and developed to facilitate irradiation of biological samples to proton beam using folded tandem ion accelerator (FOTIA) at BARC. The primary proton beam from the accelerator was diffused using gold foil and channelled through a drift tube. Scattered beam was monitored and calibrated. Uniformity and dosimetry studies were conducted to calibrate the setup for precise irradiation of mammalian cells. Irradiation conditions and geometry were optimized for mammalian cells and other biological samples in thin layer. The irradiation facility is housed in a clean air laminar flow to help exposure of samples in aseptic conditions. The set up has been used for studying various radiobiological endpoints in many biological model systems. CHO, MCF-7, A-549 and INT-407 cell lines were studied in the present investigation using micronucleus (MN) induction as an indicator of radiation damage. The mammalian cells grown on petri plates to about 40 % confluence (log phase) were exposed to proton beam of known doses in the range of 0.1 to 2 Gy. The dose estimation was done based on specific ionization in cell medium. Studies were also conducted using 60 Co gamma radiation to compare the results. Linear quadratic response was observed for all the cell lines when exposed to 60 Co gamma radiation. In contrast, linear response was observed for proton beam. In addition, very significant increase in the MN yield was observed for proton beam compared to 60 Co gamma radiation. Estimated α and β values for CHO cells is found to be 0.02±0.003 Gy-1 and 0.042±0.006 Gy-2 respectively for 60 Co gamma radiation. For proton beam, estimated α for linear fit is found to be 0.37±0.011 Gy-1. Estimated RBE was found to be in the range of 4-8 for all the cell lines and dose ranges studied. In conclusion, the proton irradiation facility developed for mammalian cells has helped to study various radiobiological endpoints. In this presentation, facility description, MN as

  17. Synthetic biology in mammalian cells: Next generation research tools and therapeutics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lienert, Florian; Lohmueller, Jason J; Garg, Abhishek; Silver, Pamela A

    2014-01-01

    Recent progress in DNA manipulation and gene circuit engineering has greatly improved our ability to programme and probe mammalian cell behaviour. These advances have led to a new generation of synthetic biology research tools and potential therapeutic applications. Programmable DNA-binding domains and RNA regulators are leading to unprecedented control of gene expression and elucidation of gene function. Rebuilding complex biological circuits such as T cell receptor signalling in isolation from their natural context has deepened our understanding of network motifs and signalling pathways. Synthetic biology is also leading to innovative therapeutic interventions based on cell-based therapies, protein drugs, vaccines and gene therapies. PMID:24434884

  18. [New strategy for RNA vectorization in mammalian cells. Use of a peptide vector].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vidal, P; Morris, M C; Chaloin, L; Heitz, F; Divita, G

    1997-04-01

    A major barrier for gene delivery is the low permeability of nucleic acids to cellular membranes. The development of antisenses and gene therapy has focused mainly on improving methods of oligonucleotide or gene delivery to the cell. In this report we described a new strategy for RNA cell delivery, based on a short single peptide. This peptide vector is derived from both the fusion domain of the gp41 protein of HIV and the nuclear localization sequence of the SV40 large T antigen. This peptide vector localizes rapidly to the cytoplasm then to the nucleus of human fibroblasts (HS-68) within a few minutes and exhibits a high affinity for a single-stranded mRNA encoding the p66 subunit of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (in a 100 nM range). The peptide/RNA complex formation involves mainly electrostatic interactions between the basic residues of the peptide and the charges on the phosphate group of the RNA. In the presence of the peptide-vector fluorescently-labelled mRNA is delivered into the cytoplasm of mammalian cells (HS68 human fibroblasts) in less than 1 h with a relatively high efficiency (80%). This new concept based on a peptide-derived vector offers several advantages compared to other compounds commonly used in gene delivery. This vector is highly soluble and exhibits no cytotoxicity at the concentrations used for optimal gene delivery. This result clearly supports the fact that this peptide vector is a powerful tool and that it can be used widely, as much for laboratory research as for new applications and development in gene and/or antisense therapy.

  19. Chromosomal damages and mutagenesis in mammalian and human cells induced by ionizing radiations with different LET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Govorun, R.D.

    1997-01-01

    On the basis of literature and proper data the inference was made about essential role of structural chromosomal (and gene) damages in spontaneous and radiation-induced mutagenesis of mammalian and human cells on HPRT-loci. The evidences of increasing role of these damages in the mutagenesis after the influence of ionizing radiations with high LET are adduced. The consequences of HPRT-gene damages have been examined hypothetically. The geterogeneity of mutant subclones on their cytogenetical properties were revealed experimentally. The data reflect a phenomenon of the reproductive chromosomal instability in many generations of mutant cell. The mutagenesis of mammalian cells is also accompanied by the impairment of chromosome integrity with high probability as a stage of appropriate genome reorganization because of changed vital conditions

  20. Effect of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl quinone on the radiosensitivity of thiol-depleted mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodgkiss, R.J.; Stratford, M.R.; Watfa, R.R.

    1989-01-01

    The effect of hypoxic cell radiosensitizers is increased when mammalian cells are depleted of endogenous glutathione by buthionine sulphoximine pre-treatment in vitro; a similar gain has not been observed in tumors in vivo despite evidence of glutathione depletion in vivo following buthionine sulphoximine treatment. However, concentrations of biological reducing agents other than glutathione were not measured in the in vivo experiments. Other reducing agents found in tumors include alpha-tocopherol, which reduces the sensitizing efficiency of nitro-aromatic sensitizers in thiol-depleted mammalian cells. These data suggest that the failure to observe large gains in misonidazole sensitizing efficiency in thiol-depleted tumors in vivo may be due, in part, to the presence of biological reducing agents such as alpha-tocopherol

  1. Designed Transcriptional Regulation in Mammalian Cells Based on TALE- and CRISPR/dCas9.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebar, Tina; Jerala, Roman

    2018-01-01

    Transcriptional regulation lies at the center of many cellular processes and is the result of cellular response to different external and internal signals. Control of transcription of selected genes enables an unprecedented access to shape the cellular response. While orthogonal transcription factors from bacteria, yeast, plants, or other cells have been used to introduce new cellular logic into mammalian cells, the discovery of designable modular DNA binding domains, such as Transcription Activator-Like Effectors (TALEs) and the CRISPR system, enable targeting of almost any selected DNA sequence. Fusion or conditional association of DNA targeting domain with transcriptional effector domains enables controlled regulation of almost any endogenous or ectopic gene. Moreover, the designed regulators can be linked into genetic circuits to implement complex responses, such as different types of Boolean functions and switches. In this chapter, we describe the protocols for achieving efficient transcriptional regulation with TALE- and CRISPR-based designed transcription factors in mammalian cells.

  2. Thicker three-dimensional tissue from a "symbiotic recycling system" combining mammalian cells and algae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haraguchi, Yuji; Kagawa, Yuki; Sakaguchi, Katsuhisa; Matsuura, Katsuhisa; Shimizu, Tatsuya; Okano, Teruo

    2017-01-31

    In this paper, we report an in vitro co-culture system that combines mammalian cells and algae, Chlorococcum littorale, to create a three-dimensional (3-D) tissue. While the C2C12 mouse myoblasts and rat cardiac cells consumed oxygen actively, intense oxygen production was accounted for by the algae even in the co-culture system. Although cell metabolism within thicker cardiac cell-layered tissues showed anaerobic respiration, the introduction of innovative co-cultivation partially changed the metabolism to aerobic respiration. Moreover, the amount of glucose consumption and lactate production in the cardiac tissues and the amount of ammonia in the culture media decreased significantly when co-cultivated with algae. In the cardiac tissues devoid of algae, delamination was observed histologically, and the release of creatine kinase (CK) from the tissues showed severe cardiac cell damage. On the other hand, the layered cell tissues with algae were observed to be in a good histological condition, with less than one-fifth decline in CK release. The co-cultivation with algae improved the culture condition of the thicker tissues, resulting in the formation of 160 μm-thick cardiac tissues. Thus, the present study proposes the possibility of creating an in vitro "symbiotic recycling system" composed of mammalian cells and algae.

  3. Identifying and engineering promoters for high level and sustainable therapeutic recombinant protein production in cultured mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Steven C L; Yang, Yuansheng

    2014-08-01

    Promoters are essential on plasmid vectors to initiate transcription of the transgenes when generating therapeutic recombinant proteins expressing mammalian cell lines. High and sustained levels of gene expression are desired during therapeutic protein production while gene expression is useful for cell engineering. As many finely controlled promoters exhibit cell and product specificity, new promoters need to be identified, optimized and carefully evaluated before use. Suitable promoters can be identified using techniques ranging from simple molecular biology methods to modern high-throughput omics screenings. Promoter engineering is often required after identification to either obtain high and sustained expression or to provide a wider range of gene expression. This review discusses some of the available methods to identify and engineer promoters for therapeutic recombinant protein expression in mammalian cells.

  4. A Versatile System for USER Cloning-Based Assembly of Expression Vectors for Mammalian Cell Engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund, Anne Mathilde; Kildegaard, Helene Faustrup; Petersen, Maja Borup Kjær

    2014-01-01

    , in addition the system is fully extendable by other users. The vector system is designed to facilitate high-throughput genome-scale studies of mammalian cells, such as the newly sequenced CHO cell lines, through the ability to rapidly generate high-fidelity assembly of customizable gene expression vectors....

  5. Application of recombinant fluorescent mammalian cells as a toxicity biosensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, E J; Lee, Y; Lee, J E; Gu, M B

    2002-01-01

    With respect to developing a more sensitive biosensor, a recombinant fluorescent Chinese Hamster Ovary cell line was used for the monitoring of various toxicants. Both cell lines, EFC-500 and KFC-A10, were able to detect toxicants sensitively. They were characterized with mitomycin C and gamma-ray as genotoxicants and bisphenol A, nonylphenol, ziram and methyl bromide as possible and known EDCs. When compared to each other, the response of KFC-A10 was generally more informative and sensitive. Compared to typical bacterial biosensor systems, these cell lines offered a sensitivity of 2- to 50-fold greater for the tested chemicals. Based on these results, the use of mammalian cells offers a sensitive biosensor system that is not only fast, cheap and reproducible but also capable of monitoring the endocrine-like characteristics of environmental toxicants.

  6. Some important advances in DNA repair study on the mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xia Shouxuan.

    1991-01-01

    In the recent years the study of DNA damage and repair in the mammalian cells has gone deeply at gene level and got the following advances: (1) For a long time DNA has been considered to be an uniform unit in case of damage and repair. Now this concept should be replaced by the non-random distribution of damage and heterogenous repair in the genome. These would allow us to study cellular mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, aging and dying processes in great detail, and would be beneficial to the elucidation of mechanisms of radiation sickness and chemical toxicology. (2) The advent of new techniques in molecular biology has made it possible to isolate and clone the human DNA repair genes. Up to now more than ten human DNA repair genes have been cloned and these works would have an important impact on the theoretical and practical study in this field. Because DNA repair system is very complicate, voluminous work should be done in the future. (3) The technique of gene transfer has been efficiently used in the study of DNA repair in mammalian cells and has made great contribution in the cellular engineering. It could modify the genetic behavior of the gene-accepting cells, and enhance the DNA repair ability to physical and chemical damages. Human gene therapy for DNA deficient diseases is now on the day

  7. Mammalian Cell Culture Clarification: A Case Study Using Chimeric Anti-CEA Monoclonal Antibodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Ali Abol Hassan

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The extracellular expression of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs in mammalian cell culture provides both opportunities and restrictions for the design of robust harvest and clarification operations. With advances in cell culture media and cell lines, it is now possible to achieve high titers of over 5 g/l for mAbs. However, Mammalian cells are sensitive to breakage due to shear stress that can result in release of proteases and other host cell proteins (HCPs which eventually affects product stability and purity. There is larger number of mAbs undergoing clinical development and it has placed significant importance on platform technologies of process development. Generally, Centrifugation and microfiltration are the primary harvest techniques used in the industry and depth filtration is also used as a step operation on clarification. This study compares the unit operations; centrifugation, microfiltration and depth filtration for maximum recovery of monoclonal antibodies. The results have shown that the depth filtration as more suitable operation for mammalian cell culture clarification since it gives 96% recovery of mAbs in comparison to centrifugation and microfiltration. ABSTRAK: Pengungkapan luar sel dari antibodi monoklon (monoclonal antibodies ((mAbs dalam kultur sel mamalia memberi ruang dan batasan terhadap reka bentuk penuaian yang cekap dan penerangan operasi. Dengan kemajuan dalam media sel kultur dan cell lines (produk yang berupa sel kekal yang digunakan untuk tujuan kajian biologi, kini adalah berkemungkinan untuk memperolehi titer tinggi melebihi 5g/l untuk mAbs [2]. Walaupun begitu, sel mamalia sensitif terhadap retakan disebabkan tegasan ricih yang menyebabkan pengeluaran protease dan hos sel protein yang lain, (host cell proteins (HCPs akhirnya mempengaruhi kestabilan dan keaslian produk. Terdapat mAbs dalam jumlah besar yang masih menjalani pembangunan klinikal dan sesungguhnya ini penting sebagai satu landasan teknologi dalam

  8. An Evolutionary-Conserved Function of Mammalian Notch Family Members as Cell Adhesion Molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murata, Akihiko; Yoshino, Miya; Hikosaka, Mari; Okuyama, Kazuki; Zhou, Lan; Sakano, Seiji; Yagita, Hideo; Hayashi, Shin-Ichi

    2014-01-01

    Notch family members were first identified as cell adhesion molecules by cell aggregation assays in Drosophila studies. However, they are generally recognized as signaling molecules, and it was unclear if their adhesion function was restricted to Drosophila. We previously demonstrated that a mouse Notch ligand, Delta-like 1 (Dll1) functioned as a cell adhesion molecule. We here investigated whether this adhesion function was conserved in the diversified mammalian Notch ligands consisted of two families, Delta-like (Dll1, Dll3 and Dll4) and Jagged (Jag1 and Jag2). The forced expression of mouse Dll1, Dll4, Jag1, and Jag2, but not Dll3, on stromal cells induced the rapid and enhanced adhesion of cultured mast cells (MCs). This was attributed to the binding of Notch1 and Notch2 on MCs to each Notch ligand on the stromal cells themselves, and not the activation of Notch signaling. Notch receptor-ligand binding strongly supported the tethering of MCs to stromal cells, the first step of cell adhesion. However, the Jag2-mediated adhesion of MCs was weaker and unlike other ligands appeared to require additional factor(s) in addition to the receptor-ligand binding. Taken together, these results demonstrated that the function of cell adhesion was conserved in mammalian as well as Drosophila Notch family members. Since Notch receptor-ligand interaction plays important roles in a broad spectrum of biological processes ranging from embryogenesis to disorders, our finding will provide a new perspective on these issues from the aspect of cell adhesion. PMID:25255288

  9. Lack of radiation protective effect of orgotein in normal and malignant mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Overgaard, J; Nielsen, O S; Overgaard, M; Steenholdt, S; Jakobsen, A; Sell, A [Institute of Cancer Research and The Department of Radiation Therapy and Oncology, The Radium Centre, Aarhus, Denmark

    1979-01-01

    The potential radiation protective effect of orgotein, a metalloprotein with superoxide dismutase activity, was investigated in L/sub 1/A/sub 2/ tumour cells in vitro, jejunal crypt cells and C/sub 3/H mouse mammary carcinoma in vivo. No effect of orgotein, given either 2 hours before irradiation or 30 min after, was observed compared to the effect of irradiation alone. Thus, it was concluded that orgotein did not influence the primary radiation response in air in mammalian cells.

  10. Is ultraviolet enhanced reactivation of mammalian virus mutagenic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bockstahler, L.E.; Hellman, K.B.; Cantwell, J.M.; Strickland, A.

    1981-01-01

    Ultraviolet enhanced reactivation consists of an increase in the survival of certain uv-irradiated mammalian viruses when assayed for infectivity in uv-irradiated host mammalian cells, as compared with unirradiated cells. In this report ultraviolet enhanced reactivation is described, and a review is presented of investigations from this and other laboratories to establish whether or not this process is mutagenic. The answer to this question may help establish if error-prone DNA repair is induced in irradiated mammalian cells. We approached the mutagenesis question by examining the phenotypic reversion of a uv-irradiated temperature sensitive mutant of Herpes simplex virus to wild type growth in uv-irradiated monkey kidney cells. Apparent reversion was observed in both irradiated and unirradiated cells. No correlation could be found between the extent of reversion and uv exposure to the cells. The conclusions from studies reported by other investigators using various mammalian virus mutagenesis systems are conflicting. It was generally agreed that viral mutagenesis occurs when irradiated virus is passaged through either irradiated or unexposed cells. However, in some studies it was found that the frequency of mutagenesis in irradiated cells was greater than that in unirradiated cells, while in other studies increased mutagenesis in irradiated cells was not observed

  11. Specificity of chicken and mammalian transferrins in myogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beach, R.L.; Popiela, Heinz; Festoff, B.W.

    1985-01-01

    Chicken transferrins isolated from eggs, embryo extract, serum or ischiatic-peroneal nerves are able to stimulate incorporation of ( 3 H)thymidine, and promote myogenesis by primary chicken muscles cells in vitro. Mammalian transferrins (bovine, rat, mouse, horse, rabbit, and human) do not promote ( 3 H)thymidine incorporation or myotube development. Comparison of the peptide fragments obtained after chemical or limited proteolytic cleavage demonstrates that the four chicken transferrins are all indistinguishable, but they differ considerably from the mammalian transferrins. The structural differences between chicken and mammalian transferrins probably account for the inability of mammalian transferrins to act as mitogens for, and to support myogenesis of, primary chicken muscle cells. (author)

  12. Synchronized mammalian cell culture: part II--population ensemble modeling and analysis for development of reproducible processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jandt, Uwe; Barradas, Oscar Platas; Pörtner, Ralf; Zeng, An-Ping

    2015-01-01

    The consideration of inherent population inhomogeneities of mammalian cell cultures becomes increasingly important for systems biology study and for developing more stable and efficient processes. However, variations of cellular properties belonging to different sub-populations and their potential effects on cellular physiology and kinetics of culture productivity under bioproduction conditions have not yet been much in the focus of research. Culture heterogeneity is strongly determined by the advance of the cell cycle. The assignment of cell-cycle specific cellular variations to large-scale process conditions can be optimally determined based on the combination of (partially) synchronized cultivation under otherwise physiological conditions and subsequent population-resolved model adaptation. The first step has been achieved using the physical selection method of countercurrent flow centrifugal elutriation, recently established in our group for different mammalian cell lines which is presented in Part I of this paper series. In this second part, we demonstrate the successful adaptation and application of a cell-cycle dependent population balance ensemble model to describe and understand synchronized bioreactor cultivations performed with two model mammalian cell lines, AGE1.HNAAT and CHO-K1. Numerical adaptation of the model to experimental data allows for detection of phase-specific parameters and for determination of significant variations between different phases and different cell lines. It shows that special care must be taken with regard to the sampling frequency in such oscillation cultures to minimize phase shift (jitter) artifacts. Based on predictions of long-term oscillation behavior of a culture depending on its start conditions, optimal elutriation setup trade-offs between high cell yields and high synchronization efficiency are proposed. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  13. Detection of PIWI and piRNAs in the mitochondria of mammalian cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, ChangHyuk; Tak, Hyosun; Rho, Mina; Chang, Hae Ryung; Kim, Yon Hui; Kim, Kyung Tae; Balch, Curt; Lee, Eun Kyung; Nam, Seungyoon

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • piRNA sequences were mapped to human mitochondrial (mt) genome. • We inspected small RNA-Seq datasets from somatic cell mt subcellular fractions. • Piwi and piRNA transcripts are present in mammalian somatic cancer cell mt fractions. - Abstract: Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are 26–31 nt small noncoding RNAs that are processed from their longer precursor transcripts by Piwi proteins. Localization of Piwi and piRNA has been reported mostly in nucleus and cytoplasm of higher eukaryotes germ-line cells, where it is believed that known piRNA sequences are located in repeat regions of nuclear genome in germ-line cells. However, localization of PIWI and piRNA in mammalian somatic cell mitochondria yet remains largely unknown. We identified 29 piRNA sequence alignments from various regions of the human mitochondrial genome. Twelve out 29 piRNA sequences matched stem-loop fragment sequences of seven distinct tRNAs. We observed their actual expression in mitochondria subcellular fractions by inspecting mitochondrial-specific small RNA-Seq datasets. Of interest, the majority of the 29 piRNAs overlapped with multiple longer transcripts (expressed sequence tags) that are unique to the human mitochondrial genome. The presence of mature piRNAs in mitochondria was detected by qRT-PCR of mitochondrial subcellular RNAs. Further validation showed detection of Piwi by colocalization using anti-Piwil1 and mitochondria organelle-specific protein antibodies

  14. Detection of PIWI and piRNAs in the mitochondria of mammalian cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, ChangHyuk, E-mail: netbuyer@hanmail.net [Cancer Genomics Branch, National Cancer Center, Goyang 410-769 (Korea, Republic of); Tak, Hyosun, E-mail: chuberry@naver.com [Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701 (Korea, Republic of); Rho, Mina, E-mail: minarho@hanyang.ac.kr [Department of Computer Science, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791 (Korea, Republic of); Chang, Hae Ryung, E-mail: heyhae@ncc.re.kr [New Experimental Therapeutics Branch, National Cancer Center, Goyang 410-769 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yon Hui, E-mail: yhkim@ncc.re.kr [New Experimental Therapeutics Branch, National Cancer Center, Goyang 410-769 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kyung Tae, E-mail: bioktkim@ncc.re.kr [Molecular Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Center, Goyang 410-769 (Korea, Republic of); Balch, Curt, E-mail: curt.balch@gmail.com [Medical Sciences Program, Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Bloomington, IN 47405 (United States); Lee, Eun Kyung, E-mail: leeek@catholic.ac.kr [Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701 (Korea, Republic of); Nam, Seungyoon, E-mail: seungyoon.nam@ncc.re.kr [Cancer Genomics Branch, National Cancer Center, Goyang 410-769 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-03-28

    Highlights: • piRNA sequences were mapped to human mitochondrial (mt) genome. • We inspected small RNA-Seq datasets from somatic cell mt subcellular fractions. • Piwi and piRNA transcripts are present in mammalian somatic cancer cell mt fractions. - Abstract: Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are 26–31 nt small noncoding RNAs that are processed from their longer precursor transcripts by Piwi proteins. Localization of Piwi and piRNA has been reported mostly in nucleus and cytoplasm of higher eukaryotes germ-line cells, where it is believed that known piRNA sequences are located in repeat regions of nuclear genome in germ-line cells. However, localization of PIWI and piRNA in mammalian somatic cell mitochondria yet remains largely unknown. We identified 29 piRNA sequence alignments from various regions of the human mitochondrial genome. Twelve out 29 piRNA sequences matched stem-loop fragment sequences of seven distinct tRNAs. We observed their actual expression in mitochondria subcellular fractions by inspecting mitochondrial-specific small RNA-Seq datasets. Of interest, the majority of the 29 piRNAs overlapped with multiple longer transcripts (expressed sequence tags) that are unique to the human mitochondrial genome. The presence of mature piRNAs in mitochondria was detected by qRT-PCR of mitochondrial subcellular RNAs. Further validation showed detection of Piwi by colocalization using anti-Piwil1 and mitochondria organelle-specific protein antibodies.

  15. A novel glutamine–RNA interaction identified by screening libraries in mammalian cells

    OpenAIRE

    Tan, Ruoying; Frankel, Alan D.

    1998-01-01

    The arginine-rich motif provides a versatile framework for RNA recognition in which few amino acids other than arginine are needed to mediate specific binding. Using a mammalian screening system based on transcriptional activation by HIV Tat, we identified novel arginine-rich peptides from combinatorial libraries that bind tightly to the Rev response element of HIV. Remarkably, a single glutamine, but not asparagine, within a stretch of polyarginine can mediate high-affinity binding. These re...

  16. A Multiplexed Single-Cell CRISPR Screening Platform Enables Systematic Dissection of the Unfolded Protein Response. | Office of Cancer Genomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Functional genomics efforts face tradeoffs between number of perturbations examined and complexity of phenotypes measured. We bridge this gap with Perturb-seq, which combines droplet-based single-cell RNA-seq with a strategy for barcoding CRISPR-mediated perturbations, allowing many perturbations to be profiled in pooled format. We applied Perturb-seq to dissect the mammalian unfolded protein response (UPR) using single and combinatorial CRISPR perturbations. Two genome-scale CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) screens identified genes whose repression perturbs ER homeostasis.

  17. Targeted Nanodiamonds for Identification of Subcellular Protein Assemblies in Mammalian Cells

    OpenAIRE

    Lake, Michael P.; Bouchard, Louis-S.

    2017-01-01

    Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to successfully determine the structures of proteins. However, such studies are typically done ex situ after extraction of the protein from the cellular environment. Here we describe an application for nanodiamonds as targeted intensity contrast labels in biological TEM, using the nuclear pore complex (NPC) as a model macroassembly. We demonstrate that delivery of antibody-conjugated nanodiamonds to live mammalian cells using maltotriose-conj...

  18. Centriole movements in mammalian epithelial cells during cytokinesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanke Hans J

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In cytokinesis, when the cleavage furrow has been formed, the two centrioles in each daughter cell separate. It has been suggested that the centrioles facilitate and regulate cytokinesis to some extent. It has been postulated that termination of cytokinesis (abscission depends on the migration of a centriole to the intercellular bridge and then back to the cell center. To investigate the involvement of centrioles in cytokinesis, we monitored the movements of centrioles in three mammalian epithelial cell lines, HeLa, MCF 10A, and the p53-deficient mouse mammary tumor cell line KP-7.7, by time-lapse imaging. Centrin1-EGFP and α-Tubulin-mCherry were co-expressed in the cells to visualize respectively the centrioles and microtubules. Results Here we report that separated centrioles that migrate from the cell pole are very mobile during cytokinesis and their movements can be characterized as 1 along the nuclear envelope, 2 irregular, and 3 along microtubules forming the spindle axis. Centriole movement towards the intercellular bridge was only seen occasionally and was highly cell-line dependent. Conclusions These findings show that centrioles are highly mobile during cytokinesis and suggest that the repositioning of a centriole to the intercellular bridge is not essential for controlling abscission. We suggest that centriole movements are microtubule dependent and that abscission is more dependent on other mechanisms than positioning of centrioles.

  19. Single Cell Assay for Analyzing Single Cell Exosome and Endocrine Secretion and Cancer Markers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, Yu-Jui

    To understand the inhomogeneity of cells in biological systems, there is a growing demand for the capability to characterize the properties of individual single cells. Since single cell studies require continuous monitoring of the cell behaviors instead of a snapshot test at a single time point, an effective single-cell assay that can support time lapsed studies in a high throughput manner is desired. Most currently available single-cell technologies cannot provide proper environments to sustain cell growth and cannot provide, for appropriate cell types, proliferation of single cells and convenient, non-invasive tests of single cell behaviors from molecular markers. In this dissertation, I present a highly versatile single-cell assay that can accommodate different cellular types, enable easy and efficient single cell loading and culturing, and be suitable for the study of effects of in-vitro environmental factors in combination with drug screening. The salient features of the assay are the non-invasive collection and surveying of single cell secretions at different time points and massively parallel translocation of single cells by user defined criteria, producing very high compatibility to the downstream process such as single cell qPCR and sequencing. Above all, the acquired information is quantitative -- for example, one of the studies is measured by the number of exosomes each single cell secretes for a given time period. Therefore, our single-cell assay provides a convenient, low-cost, and enabling tool for quantitative, time lapsed studies of single cell properties.

  20. Simple Meets Single: The Application of CRISPR/Cas9 in Haploid Embryonic Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zixi Yin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The CRISPR/Cas9 system provides a powerful method for the genetic manipulation of the mammalian genome, allowing knockout of individual genes as well as the generation of genome-wide knockout cell libraries for genetic screening. However, the diploid status of most mammalian cells restricts the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in genetic screening. Mammalian haploid embryonic stem cells (haESCs have only one set of chromosomes per cell, avoiding the issue of heterozygous recessive mutations in diploid cells. Thus, the combination of haESCs and CRISPR/Cas9 facilitates the generation of genome-wide knockout cell libraries for genetic screening. Here, we review recent progress in CRISPR/Cas9 and haPSCs and discuss their applications in genetic screening.

  1. Radiation induced reproductive death as a function of mammalian cell ploidy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Philbrick, D.A.

    1976-09-01

    Mammalian cells containing different multiples of the diploid chromosome set were created through drug induction and cell fusion. In all cell strains used the chromosome number was determined from metaphase spreads, as well as from DNA content and cell size. The survival of cells as a function of radiation dose was determined for cell lines with differing chromosome complements at 37 0 C, 4 0 C, in hypertonic media, while frozen, and with increasing levels of incorporated IUdR. Survival of frozen diploid and hypotetraploid Chinese hamster cells was determined following varying numbers of decays of incorporated 3 HTdR and 125 IUdR. The percent of reproductively viable cells following irradiation is a function of the cell ploidy, i.e., the number of haploid sets of chromosomes contained in the cell genome. At 37 0 C and in hypertonic media, the Chinese hamster cells of progressively higher ploidies are increasingly sensitive to irradiation. As the number of chromosomes per unit cell volume increases the radiosensitivity increases. Both trends suggest interaction between chromosomes as an important cause of cell death

  2. Localization of two mammalian cyclin dependent kinases during mammalian meiosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ashley, T.; Walpita, D.; de rooij, D. G.

    2001-01-01

    Mammalian meiotic progression, like mitotic cell cycle progression, is regulated by cyclins and cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs). However, the unique requirements of meiosis (homologous synapsis, reciprocal recombination and the dual divisions that segregate first homologues, then sister chromatids)

  3. Mechanical properties of mammalian single smooth muscle cells. I. A low cost large range microforce transducer.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J.J. Glerum (Jacobus); R. van Mastrigt (Ron)

    1990-01-01

    textabstractA transducer has been developed for measuring the minute forces generated during isometric contractions (1.0-10.0 microN) of single smooth muscle cells from the pig urinary bladder and the human uterus. In addition to its high sensitivity, resolution and stability (100 mV microN-1, and

  4. UVC-induced stress granules in mammalian cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Taha Moutaoufik

    Full Text Available Stress granules (SGs are well characterized cytoplasmic RNA bodies that form under various stress conditions. We have observed that exposure of mammalian cells in culture to low doses of UVC induces the formation of discrete cytoplasmic RNA granules that were detected by immunofluorescence staining using antibodies to RNA-binding proteins. UVC-induced cytoplasmic granules are not Processing Bodies (P-bodies and are bone fide SGs as they contain TIA-1, TIA-1/R, Caprin1, FMRP, G3BP1, PABP1, well known markers, and mRNA. Concomitant with the accumulation of the granules in the cytoplasm, cells enter a quiescent state, as they are arrested in G1 phase of the cell cycle in order to repair DNA damages induced by UVC irradiation. This blockage persists as long as the granules are present. A tight correlation between their decay and re-entry into S-phase was observed. However the kinetics of their formation, their low number per cell, their absence of fusion into larger granules, their persistence over 48 hours and their slow decay, all differ from classical SGs induced by arsenite or heat treatment. The induction of these SGs does not correlate with major translation inhibition nor with phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α. We propose that a restricted subset of mRNAs coding for proteins implicated in cell cycling are removed from the translational apparatus and are sequestered in a repressed form in SGs.

  5. Artificial acceleration of mammalian cell reprogramming by bacterial proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Takashi; Uchiyama, Ikuo; Iwasaki, Mio; Sasaki, Tetsuhiko; Nakagawa, Masato; Okita, Keisuke; Masui, Shinji

    2017-10-01

    The molecular mechanisms of cell reprogramming and differentiation involve various signaling factors. Small molecule compounds have been identified to artificially influence these factors through interacting cellular proteins. Although such small molecule compounds are useful to enhance reprogramming and differentiation and to show the mechanisms that underlie these events, the screening usually requires a large number of compounds to identify only a very small number of hits (e.g., one hit among several tens of thousands of compounds). Here, we show a proof of concept that xenospecific gene products can affect the efficiency of cell reprogramming to pluripotency. Thirty genes specific for the bacterium Wolbachia pipientis were forcibly expressed individually along with reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc) that can generate induced pluripotent stem cells in mammalian cells, and eight were found to affect the reprogramming efficiency either positively or negatively (hit rate 26.7%). Mechanistic analysis suggested one of these proteins interacted with cytoskeleton to promote reprogramming. Our results raise the possibility that xenospecific gene products provide an alternative way to study the regulatory mechanism of cell identity. © 2017 Molecular Biology Society of Japan and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  6. Opto-injection into single living cells by femtosecond near-infrared laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Cheng

    This dissertation presents a novel technique to deliver membrane impermeable molecules into single living cells with the assistance of femtosecond (fs) near-infrared (NIR) laser pulses. This approach merges ultrafast laser technology with key biological, biomedical, and medical applications, such as gene transfection, gene therapy and drug delivery. This technique promises several major advantages, namely, very high transfection efficiency, high cell survival rate (≈100%) and fully preserved cell viabilities. It is also a promising method to deliver molecules into cells that are difficult or even completely resistant to established physical methods, such as microinjection by glass pipettes, electroporation, and biolistics. In this work, the system for fs NIR opto-injection was designed and built. Successful fs NIR opto-injection has been performed on several cell systems including single mammalian cells (bovine aortic endothelial cells), marine animal eggs (Spisula solidissima oocytes), and human cancer cells (fibrosarcoma HT1080) cultured in a tissue-like environment. The connections between laser parameters and cell responses were explored through further experiments and in-depth analyses, especially the relationship between dye uptake rate and incident laser intensity, and the relationship between pore size created on cell membranes and incident laser intensity. Dye uptake rate of the target cells was observed to depend on incident laser intensity. Pore size was found dependent on incident laser intensity. The conclusion was made that laser-induced breakdown and plasma-induced ablation in cell membrane are the physical principles that govern the process of fs NIR opto-injection.

  7. Cell thickness of UV absorption by the cell: relation to UV action spectrum shift in mammalian cells in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakharov, V.H.; Voronkova, L.N.; Blokhin, A.V.

    1985-01-01

    By means of reconstruction of series half - thin transverse sections the three - dimensional morphometry of SPEV cells for a series of their specific states in culture is performed: for exponential growth in a monolayer, in a merged monolayer, in the mitosis phase, for giant cells and suspension cells. In the monolayer the cell thickness in its central part depended mainly on the nucleus thickness and in average changed but slightly despite a wide range of changes in volumes of nuclei and cells and their density in culture. The cell thickness has noticeably increased in mitosis. For the above states of cells UV radiation absorption spectra are determined. It is shown that a certain shift of action spectrus of death of mammalian cells as compared with that for bacterial cell can be a seguence of selfshielding and not differences in the nature of active chromophores

  8. Thicker three-dimensional tissue from a “symbiotic recycling system” combining mammalian cells and algae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haraguchi, Yuji; Kagawa, Yuki; Sakaguchi, Katsuhisa; Matsuura, Katsuhisa; Shimizu, Tatsuya; Okano, Teruo

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we report an in vitro co-culture system that combines mammalian cells and algae, Chlorococcum littorale, to create a three-dimensional (3-D) tissue. While the C2C12 mouse myoblasts and rat cardiac cells consumed oxygen actively, intense oxygen production was accounted for by the algae even in the co-culture system. Although cell metabolism within thicker cardiac cell-layered tissues showed anaerobic respiration, the introduction of innovative co-cultivation partially changed the metabolism to aerobic respiration. Moreover, the amount of glucose consumption and lactate production in the cardiac tissues and the amount of ammonia in the culture media decreased significantly when co-cultivated with algae. In the cardiac tissues devoid of algae, delamination was observed histologically, and the release of creatine kinase (CK) from the tissues showed severe cardiac cell damage. On the other hand, the layered cell tissues with algae were observed to be in a good histological condition, with less than one-fifth decline in CK release. The co-cultivation with algae improved the culture condition of the thicker tissues, resulting in the formation of 160 μm-thick cardiac tissues. Thus, the present study proposes the possibility of creating an in vitro “symbiotic recycling system” composed of mammalian cells and algae. PMID:28139713

  9. Baculovirus IE2 Stimulates the Expression of Heat Shock Proteins in Insect and Mammalian Cells to Facilitate Its Proper Functioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tung, Hsuan; Wei, Sung-Chan; Lo, Huei-Ru; Chao, Yu-Chan

    2016-01-01

    Baculoviruses have gained popularity as pest control agents and for protein production in insect systems. These viruses are also becoming popular for gene expression, tissue engineering and gene therapy in mammalian systems. Baculovirus infection triggers a heat shock response, and this response is crucial for its successful infection of host insect cells. However, the viral protein(s) or factor(s) that trigger this response are not yet clear. Previously, we revealed that IE2-an early gene product of the baculovirus-could form unique nuclear bodies for the strong trans-activation of various promoters in mammalian cells. Here, we purified IE2 nuclear bodies from Vero E6 cells and investigated the associated proteins by using mass spectrometry. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) were found to be one of the major IE2-associated proteins. Our experiments show that HSPs are greatly induced by IE2 and are crucial for the trans-activation function of IE2. Interestingly, blocking both heat shock protein expression and the proteasome pathway preserved the IE2 protein and its nuclear body structure, and revived its function. These observations reveal that HSPs do not function directly to assist the formation of the nuclear body structure, but may rather protect IE2 from proteasome degradation. Aside from functional studies in mammalian cells, we also show that HSPs were stimulated and required to determine IE2 protein levels, in insect cells infected with baculovirus. Upon inhibiting the expression of heat shock proteins, baculovirus IE2 was substantially suppressed, resulting in a significantly suppressed viral titer. Thus, we demonstrate a unique feature in that IE2 can function in both insect and non-host mammalian cells to stimulate HSPs, which may be associated with IE2 stabilization and lead to the protection of the its strong gene activation function in mammalian cells. On the other hand, during viral infection in insect cells, IE2 could also strongly stimulate HSPs and

  10. Building the mammalian testis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svingen, Terje; Koopman, Peter

    2013-01-01

    Development of testes in the mammalian embryo requires the formation and assembly of several cell types that allow these organs to achieve their roles in male reproduction and endocrine regulation. Testis development is unusual in that several cell types such as Sertoli, Leydig, and spermatogonial...

  11. Mosaic evolution of the mammalian auditory periphery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manley, Geoffrey A

    2013-01-01

    The classical mammalian auditory periphery, i.e., the type of middle ear and coiled cochlea seen in modern therian mammals, did not arise as one unit and did not arise in all mammals. It is also not the only kind of auditory periphery seen in modern mammals. This short review discusses the fact that the constituents of modern mammalian auditory peripheries arose at different times over an extremely long period of evolution (230 million years; Ma). It also attempts to answer questions as to the selective pressures that led to three-ossicle middle ears and the coiled cochlea. Mammalian middle ears arose de novo, without an intermediate, single-ossicle stage. This event was the result of changes in eating habits of ancestral animals, habits that were unrelated to hearing. The coiled cochlea arose only after 60 Ma of mammalian evolution, driven at least partly by a change in cochlear bone structure that improved impedance matching with the middle ear of that time. This change only occurred in the ancestors of therian mammals and not in other mammalian lineages. There is no single constellation of structural features of the auditory periphery that characterizes all mammals and not even all modern mammals.

  12. Interplay between autophagy and programmed cell death in mammalian neural stem cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyung Min Chung

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Mammalian neural stem cells (NSCs are of particular interestbecause of their role in brain development and function. Recentfindings suggest the intimate involvement of programmed celldeath (PCD in the turnover of NSCs. However, the underlyingmechanisms of PCD are largely unknown. Although apoptosis isthe best-defined form of PCD, accumulating evidence hasrevealed a wide spectrum of PCD encompassing apoptosis,autophagic cell death (ACD and necrosis. This mini-reviewaims to illustrate a unique regulation of PCD in NSCs. Theresults of our recent studies on autophagic death of adulthippocampal neural stem (HCN cells are also discussed. HCNcell death following insulin withdrawal clearly provides areliable model that can be used to analyze the molecularmechanisms of ACD in the larger context of PCD. Moreresearch efforts are needed to increase our understanding of themolecular basis of NSC turnover under degenerating conditions,such as aging, stress and neurological diseases. Efforts aimed atprotecting and harnessing endogenous NSCs will offer novelopportunities for the development of new therapeutic strategiesfor neuropathologies. [BMB Reports 2013; 46(8: 383-390

  13. The Fanconi anemia group A protein modulates homologous repair of DNA double-strand breaks in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yun-Gui; Herceg, Zdenko; Nakanishi, Koji; Demuth, Ilja; Piccoli, Colette; Michelon, Jocelyne; Hildebrand, Gabriele; Jasin, Maria; Digweed, Martin; Wang, Zhao-Qi

    2005-10-01

    Fanconi anemia (FA) cells exhibit hypersensitivity to DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs) and high levels of chromosome instability. FA gene products have been shown to functionally or physically interact with BRCA1, RAD51 and the MRE11/RAD50/NBS1 complex, suggesting that the FA complex may be involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Here, we have investigated specifically the function of the FA group A protein (FANCA) in the repair of DSBs in mammalian cells. We show that the targeted deletion of Fanca exons 37-39 generates a null for Fanca in mice and abolishes ubiquitination of Fancd2, the downstream effector of the FA complex. Cells lacking Fanca exhibit increased chromosomal aberrations and attenuated accumulation of Brca1 and Rad51 foci in response to DNA damage. The absence of Fanca greatly reduces gene-targeting efficiency in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and compromises the survival of fibroblast cells in response to ICL agent treatment. Fanca-null cells exhibit compromised homology-directed repair (HDR) of DSBs, particularly affecting the single-strand annealing pathway. These data identify the Fanca protein as an integral component in the early step of HDR of DSBs and thereby minimizing the genomic instability.

  14. Method for combined 3H and 14C autoradiography with a single emulsion tested in cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perdue, S.W.; Kimball, R.F.; Hsie, A.W.

    1977-01-01

    A single-gelatin expanded film method for double-isotope autoradiography is described. A preliminary classification based upon silver-grain distribution is used to assign labeled cells to 3 H only or with 14 C classes. Optical sectioning combined with grain counting is employed to obtain ratios for classifying cells labeled with 14 C into 14 C only and 3 H + 14 C classes. The method has been tested with CHO-K1 cells in plateau-phase cultures using two 24-h labeling periods. The experimental design allowed for independent estimation of the expected frequencies of label classes under conditions that provided a wide range of possible label levels and combinations. Previous methods have used time-consuming applications of two emulsion layers and exposures to distinguish between cells labeled with 3 H only or with 14 C and do not identify the 3 H + 14 C class. A single-gelatin expanded film requires only one exposure and permits all label classes to be determined by an objective grain-counting procedure

  15. Mechanistic understanding of the cysteine capping modifications of antibodies enables selective chemical engineering in live mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Xiaotian; He, Tao; Prashad, Amar S; Wang, Wenge; Cohen, Justin; Ferguson, Darren; Tam, Amy S; Sousa, Eric; Lin, Laura; Tchistiakova, Lioudmila; Gatto, Scott; D'Antona, Aaron; Luan, Yen-Tung; Ma, Weijun; Zollner, Richard; Zhou, Jing; Arve, Bo; Somers, Will; Kriz, Ronald

    2017-04-20

    Protein modifications by intricate cellular machineries often redesign the structure and function of existing proteins to impact biological networks. Disulfide bond formation between cysteine (Cys) pairs is one of the most common modifications found in extracellularly-destined proteins, key to maintaining protein structure. Unpaired surface cysteines on secreted mammalian proteins are also frequently found disulfide-bonded with free Cys or glutathione (GSH) in circulation or culture, the mechanism for which remains unknown. Here we report that these so-called Cys-capping modifications take place outside mammalian cells, not in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where oxidoreductase-mediated protein disulfide formation occurs. Unpaired surface cysteines of extracellularly-arrived proteins such as antibodies are uncapped upon secretion before undergoing disulfide exchange with cystine or oxidized GSH in culture medium. This observation has led to a feasible way to selectively modify the nucleophilic thiol side-chain of cell-surface or extracellular proteins in live mammalian cells, by applying electrophiles with a chemical handle directly into culture medium. These findings provide potentially an effective approach for improving therapeutic conjugates and probing biological systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. DNA repair in non-mammalian animals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitani, Hiroshi

    1984-01-01

    Studies on DNA repair have been performed using microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and cultured human and mammalian cells. However, it is well known that cultured organic cells differ from each other in many respects, although DNA repair is an extremely fundamental function of organisms to protect genetic information from environmental mutagens such as radiation and 0 radicals developing in the living body. To answer the question of how DNA repair is different between the animal species, current studies on DNA repair of cultured vertebrate cells using the methods similar to those in mammalian experiments are reviewed. (Namekawa, K.)

  17. Relation Between the Cell Volume and the Cell Cycle Dynamics in Mammalian cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magno, A.C.G.; Oliveira, I.L.; Hauck, J.V.S.

    2016-01-01

    The main goal of this work is to add and analyze an equation that represents the volume in a dynamical model of the mammalian cell cycle proposed by Gérard and Goldbeter (2011) [1]. The cell division occurs when the cyclinB/Cdkl complex is totally degraded (Tyson and Novak, 2011)[2] and it reaches a minimum value. At this point, the cell is divided into two newborn daughter cells and each one will contain the half of the cytoplasmic content of the mother cell. The equations of our base model are only valid if the cell volume, where the reactions occur, is constant. Whether the cell volume is not constant, that is, the rate of change of its volume with respect to time is explicitly taken into account in the mathematical model, then the equations of the original model are no longer valid. Therefore, every equations were modified from the mass conservation principle for considering a volume that changes with time. Through this approach, the cell volume affects all model variables. Two different dynamic simulation methods were accomplished: deterministic and stochastic. In the stochastic simulation, the volume affects every model's parameters which have molar unit, whereas in the deterministic one, it is incorporated into the differential equations. In deterministic simulation, the biochemical species may be in concentration units, while in stochastic simulation such species must be converted to number of molecules which are directly proportional to the cell volume. In an effort to understand the influence of the new equation a stability analysis was performed. This elucidates how the growth factor impacts the stability of the model's limit cycles. In conclusion, a more precise model, in comparison to the base model, was created for the cell cycle as it now takes into consideration the cell volume variation (paper)

  18. Structural and functional organization of ribosomal genes within the mammalian cell nucleolus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derenzini, Massimo; Pasquinelli, Gianandrea; O'Donohue, Marie-Françoise; Ploton, Dominique; Thiry, Marc

    2006-02-01

    Data on the in situ structural-functional organization of ribosomal genes in the mammalian cell nucleolus are reviewed here. Major findings on chromatin structure in situ come from investigations carried out using the Feulgen-like osmium ammine reaction as a highly specific electron-opaque DNA tracer. Intranucleolar chromatin shows three different levels of organization: compact clumps, fibers ranging from 11 to 30 nm, and loose agglomerates of extended DNA filaments. Both clumps and fibers of chromatin exhibit a nucleosomal organization that is lacking in the loose agglomerates of extended DNA filaments. In fact, these filaments constantly show a thickness of 2-3 nm, the same as a DNA double-helix molecule. The loose agglomerates of DNA filaments are located in the fibrillar centers, the interphase counterpart of metaphase NORs, therefore being constituted by ribosomal DNA. The extended, non-nucleosomal configuration of this rDNA has been shown to be independent of transcriptional activity and characterizes ribosome genes that are either transcribed or transcriptionally silent. Data reviewed are consistent with a model of control for ribosome gene activity that is not mediated by changes in chromatin structure. The presence of rDNA in mammalian cells always structurally ready for transcription might facilitate a more rapid adjustment of the ribosome production in response to the metabolic needs of the cell.

  19. Functional assessment of sodium chloride cotransporter NCC mutants in polarized mammalian epithelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenbaek, Lena L; Rizzo, Federica; MacAulay, Nanna; Staub, Olivier; Fenton, Robert A

    2017-08-01

    The thiazide-sensitive sodium chloride cotransporter NCC is important for maintaining serum sodium (Na + ) and, indirectly, serum potassium (K + ) levels. Functional studies on NCC have used cell lines with native NCC expression, transiently transfected nonpolarized cell lines, or Xenopus laevis oocytes. Here, we developed the use of polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney type I (MDCKI) mammalian epithelial cell lines with tetracycline-inducible human NCC expression to study NCC activity and membrane abundance in the same system. In radiotracer assays, induced cells grown on filters had robust thiazide-sensitive and chloride dependent sodium-22 ( 22 Na) uptake from the apical side. To minimize cost and maximize throughput, assays were modified to use cells grown on plastic. On plastic, cells had similar thiazide-sensitive 22 Na uptakes that increased following preincubation of cells in chloride-free solutions. NCC was detected in the plasma membrane, and both membrane abundance and phosphorylation of NCC were increased by incubation in chloride-free solutions. Furthermore, in cells exposed for 15 min to low or high extracellular K + , the levels of phosphorylated NCC increased and decreased, respectively. To demonstrate that the system allows rapid and systematic assessment of mutated NCC, three phosphorylation sites in NCC were mutated, and NCC activity was examined. 22 Na fluxes in phosphorylation-deficient mutants were reduced to baseline levels, whereas phosphorylation-mimicking mutants were constitutively active, even without chloride-free stimulation. In conclusion, this system allows the activity, cellular localization, and abundance of wild-type or mutant NCC to be examined in the same polarized mammalian expression system in a rapid, easy, and low-cost fashion. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  20. Collective behaviors of mammalian cells on amine-coated silicon nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, So Yeon; Yang, Eun Gyeong

    2013-01-01

    Intensive studies with vertical nanowire (NW) arrays have illustrated broad implications for manipulating mammalian cells in vitro, but how cellular responses are influenced by the presence of NWs has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we address collective cellular behaviors, including surface area of cells, membrane trafficking, focal adhesion distribution and dynamics, and cytoskeletal protein distribution on amine-coated silicon (Si) NWs with different physical properties. The degree of HeLa cell spreading was inversely proportional to the surface area occupied by the NWs, which was not affected by manipulation of membrane trafficking dynamics. In the presence of a diffusive focal complex around the NWs, strong, well organized focal adhesion was hardly visible on the NWs, implying that the cells were interacting weakly with the NW-embedded surface. Furthermore, we found that actin filament formation of the cells on long NWs was not favorable, and this could explain our observation of reduced cell spreading, as well as the decreased number of focal adhesion complexes. Taken together, our results suggest that cells can survive on silicon NWs by adjusting their morphology and adhesion behavior through actively organizing these molecules. (paper)

  1. A mammalianized synthetic nitroreductase gene for high-level expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grohmann, Maik; Paulmann, Nils; Fleischhauer, Sebastian; Vowinckel, Jakob; Priller, Josef; Walther, Diego J

    2009-01-01

    The nitroreductase/5-(azaridin-1-yl)-2,4-dinitrobenzamide (NTR/CB1954) enzyme/prodrug system is considered as a promising candidate for anti-cancer strategies by gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) and has recently entered clinical trials. It requires the genetic modification of tumor cells to express the E. coli enzyme nitroreductase that bioactivates the prodrug CB1954 to a powerful cytotoxin. This metabolite causes apoptotic cell death by DNA interstrand crosslinking. Enhancing the enzymatic NTR activity for CB1954 should improve the therapeutical potential of this enzyme-prodrug combination in cancer gene therapy. We performed de novo synthesis of the bacterial nitroreductase gene adapting codon usage to mammalian preferences. The synthetic gene was investigated for its expression efficacy and ability to sensitize mammalian cells to CB1954 using western blotting analysis and cytotoxicity assays. In our study, we detected cytoplasmic protein aggregates by expressing GFP-tagged NTR in COS-7 cells, suggesting an impaired translation by divergent codon usage between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Therefore, we generated a synthetic variant of the nitroreductase gene, called ntro, adapted for high-level expression in mammalian cells. A total of 144 silent base substitutions were made within the bacterial ntr gene to change its codon usage to mammalian preferences. The codon-optimized ntro either tagged to gfp or c-myc showed higher expression levels in mammalian cell lines. Furthermore, the ntro rendered several cell lines ten times more sensitive to the prodrug CB1954 and also resulted in an improved bystander effect. Our results show that codon optimization overcomes expression limitations of the bacterial ntr gene in mammalian cells, thereby improving the NTR/CB1954 system at translational level for cancer gene therapy in humans

  2. Cytotoxicity analysis of three Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis δ-endotoxins towards insect and mammalian cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Franco Teixeira Corrêa

    Full Text Available Three members of the δ-endotoxin group of toxins expressed by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, Cyt2Ba, Cry4Aa and Cry11A, were individually expressed in recombinant acrystalliferous B. thuringiensis strains for in vitro evaluation of their toxic activities against insect and mammalian cell lines. Both Cry4Aa and Cry11A toxins, activated with either trypsin or Spodoptera frugiperda gastric juice (GJ, resulted in different cleavage patterns for the activated toxins as seen by SDS-PAGE. The GJ-processed proteins were not cytotoxic to insect cell cultures. On the other hand, the combination of the trypsin-activated Cry4Aa and Cry11A toxins yielded the highest levels of cytotoxicity to all insect cells tested. The combination of activated Cyt2Ba and Cry11A also showed higher toxic activity than that of toxins activated individually. When activated Cry4Aa, Cry11A and Cyt2Ba were used simultaneously in the same assay a decrease in toxic activity was observed in all insect cells tested. No toxic effect was observed for the trypsin-activated Cry toxins in mammalian cells, but activated Cyt2Ba was toxic to human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 when tested at 20 µg/mL.

  3. Endothelial cell tropism is a determinant of H5N1 pathogenesis in mammalian species.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Smanla Tundup

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning the unusually high virulence of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses in mammalian species remains unknown. Here, we investigated if the cell tropism of H5N1 virus is a determinant of enhanced virulence in mammalian species. We engineered H5N1 viruses with restricted cell tropism through the exploitation of cell type-specific microRNA expression by incorporating microRNA target sites into the viral genome. Restriction of H5N1 replication in endothelial cells via miR-126 ameliorated disease symptoms, prevented systemic viral spread and limited mortality, despite showing similar levels of peak viral replication in the lungs as compared to control virus-infected mice. Similarly, restriction of H5N1 replication in endothelial cells resulted in ameliorated disease symptoms and decreased viral spread in ferrets. Our studies demonstrate that H5N1 infection of endothelial cells results in excessive production of cytokines and reduces endothelial barrier integrity in the lungs, which culminates in vascular leakage and viral pneumonia. Importantly, our studies suggest a need for a combinational therapy that targets viral components, suppresses host immune responses, and improves endothelial barrier integrity for the treatment of highly pathogenic H5N1 virus infections.

  4. Quantitative determination of the contribution of indirect and direct radiation action to the production of lethal lesions in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pohlit, W.; Drenkard, S.

    1985-01-01

    For quantitative models of radiation action in living cells it is necessary to know what fraction of the absorbed dose affects the target molecule by direct radiation action and what fraction by indirect radiation action. Mammalian cells were irradiated in suspension, saturated with N 2 O or CO 2 . With these gases the production of OH-radicals is changed by a factor of two in aqueous solutions and a corresponding change in cell survival would be expected, if only indirect radiation action is involved in the production of lethal lesions in the living cell. No difference could be detected, however, and it is concluded that indirect radiation action does not contribute to radiation lethality in mammalian cells. (author)

  5. Quantitative analysis of gold and carbon nanoparticles in mammalian cells by flow cytometry light scattering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Gang [Nanjing University, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences (China); Liu, Naicheng; Wang, Zhenheng [Nanjing University, Department of Orthopedics, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine (China); Shi, Tongguo; Gan, Jingjing; Wang, Zhenzhen; Zhang, Junfeng, E-mail: jfzhang@nju.edu.cn [Nanjing University, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences (China)

    2017-02-15

    Nanoparticle-based applications for diagnostics and therapeutics have been extensively studied. These applications require a profound understanding of the fate of nanoparticles (NPs) in cellular environments. However, until now, few analytical methods are available and most of them rely on fluorescent properties or special elements of NPs; therefore, for NPs without observable optical properties or special elements, the existing methods are hardly applicable. In this study, we introduce a flow cytometry light scattering (FCLS)-based approach that quantifies in situ NPs accurately in mammalian cells. Continuous cells of heterogeneous human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2 cells), mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPM), and human adenocarcinomic alveolar basal epithelia (A549 cells) were cultured with NPs with certain concentrations and size. The intensity of the flow cytometric side scattered light, which indicates the quantity of NPs in the cells, was analyzed. The result shows an accurate size- and dose-dependent uptake of Au NPs (5, 30, 250 nm) in Caco-2 cells. The size- and dose- dependence of Au NPs (5, 30, 250 nm) and carbon NPs (50, 500 nm) in cells was validated by transmission electron microscope (TEM). This paper demonstrates the great potential of flow cytometry light scattering in the quantitative study of the size and dose effect on in situ metallic or non-metallic NPs in mammalian cells.

  6. Quantitative analysis of gold and carbon nanoparticles in mammalian cells by flow cytometry light scattering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Gang; Liu, Naicheng; Wang, Zhenheng; Shi, Tongguo; Gan, Jingjing; Wang, Zhenzhen; Zhang, Junfeng

    2017-02-01

    Nanoparticle-based applications for diagnostics and therapeutics have been extensively studied. These applications require a profound understanding of the fate of nanoparticles (NPs) in cellular environments. However, until now, few analytical methods are available and most of them rely on fluorescent properties or special elements of NPs; therefore, for NPs without observable optical properties or special elements, the existing methods are hardly applicable. In this study, we introduce a flow cytometry light scattering (FCLS)-based approach that quantifies in situ NPs accurately in mammalian cells. Continuous cells of heterogeneous human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2 cells), mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPM), and human adenocarcinomic alveolar basal epithelia (A549 cells) were cultured with NPs with certain concentrations and size. The intensity of the flow cytometric side scattered light, which indicates the quantity of NPs in the cells, was analyzed. The result shows an accurate size- and dose-dependent uptake of Au NPs (5, 30, 250 nm) in Caco-2 cells. The size- and dose- dependence of Au NPs (5, 30, 250 nm) and carbon NPs (50, 500 nm) in cells was validated by transmission electron microscope (TEM). This paper demonstrates the great potential of flow cytometry light scattering in the quantitative study of the size and dose effect on in situ metallic or non-metallic NPs in mammalian cells.

  7. Role of H1 linker histones in mammalian development and stem cell differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Chenyi; Fan, Yuhong

    2016-03-01

    H1 linker histones are key chromatin architectural proteins facilitating the formation of higher order chromatin structures. The H1 family constitutes the most heterogeneous group of histone proteins, with eleven non-allelic H1 variants in mammals. H1 variants differ in their biochemical properties and exhibit significant sequence divergence from one another, yet most of them are highly conserved during evolution from mouse to human. H1 variants are differentially regulated during development and their cellular compositions undergo dramatic changes in embryogenesis, gametogenesis, tissue maturation and cellular differentiation. As a group, H1 histones are essential for mouse development and proper stem cell differentiation. Here we summarize our current knowledge on the expression and functions of H1 variants in mammalian development and stem cell differentiation. Their diversity, sequence conservation, complex expression and distinct functions suggest that H1s mediate chromatin reprogramming and contribute to the large variations and complexity of chromatin structure and gene expression in the mammalian genome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Radiation induced reproductive death as a function of mammalian cell ploidy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Philbrick, D.A.

    1976-09-01

    Mammalian cells containing different multiples of the diploid chromosome set were created through drug induction and cell fusion. In all cell strains used the chromosome number was determined from metaphase spreads, as well as from DNA content and cell size. The survival of cells as a function of radiation dose was determined for cell lines with differing chromosome complements at 37/sup 0/C, 4/sup 0/C, in hypertonic media, while frozen, and with increasing levels of incorporated IUdR. Survival of frozen diploid and hypotetraploid Chinese hamster cells was determined following varying numbers of decays of incorporated /sup 3/HTdR and /sup 125/IUdR. The percent of reproductively viable cells following irradiation is a function of the cell ploidy, i.e., the number of haploid sets of chromosomes contained in the cell genome. At 37/sup 0/C and in hypertonic media, the Chinese hamster cells of progressively higher ploidies are increasingly sensitive to irradiation. As the number of chromosomes per unit cell volume increases the radiosensitivity increases. Both trends suggest interaction between chromosomes as an important cause of cell death.

  9. Reactivation of neutron killed mammalian cells by gamma irradiation: The observations, possible mechanism and implication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calkins, J.; Harrison, W.; Einspenner, M.

    1990-01-01

    We have observed that combinations of neutron plus gamma ray exposure can significantly increase the colony forming ability of monkey and human cell cultures over the neutron dose alone. The 'reactivation' of neutron killed mammalian cells by gamma rays is analogous to observations made in lower eukaryotic organisms and fits the pattern termed 'T repair' previously postulated for yeast and protozoans. (orig.)

  10. Autoprocessing of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease miniprecursor fusions in mammalian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Chaoping

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background HIV protease (PR is a virus-encoded aspartic protease that is essential for viral replication and infectivity. The fully active and mature dimeric protease is released from the Gag-Pol polyprotein as a result of precursor autoprocessing. Results We here describe a simple model system to directly examine HIV protease autoprocessing in transfected mammalian cells. A fusion precursor was engineered encoding GST fused to a well-characterized miniprecursor, consisting of the mature protease along with its upstream transframe region (TFR, and small peptide epitopes to facilitate detection of the precursor substrate and autoprocessing products. In HEK 293T cells, the resulting chimeric precursor undergoes effective autoprocessing, producing mature protease that is rapidly degraded likely via autoproteolysis. The known protease inhibitors Darunavir and Indinavir suppressed both precursor autoprocessing and autoproteolysis in a dose-dependent manner. Protease mutations that inhibit Gag processing as characterized using proviruses also reduced autoprocessing efficiency when they were introduced to the fusion precursor. Interestingly, autoprocessing of the fusion precursor requires neither the full proteolytic activity nor the majority of the N-terminal TFR region. Conclusions We suggest that the fusion precursors provide a useful system to study protease autoprocessing in mammalian cells, and may be further developed for screening of new drugs targeting HIV protease autoprocessing.

  11. Autographa californica Multicapsid Nucleopolyhedrovirus efficiently infects Sf9 cells and transduces mammalian cells via direct fusion with the plasma membrane at low pH

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dong, S.; Wang, M.; Qiu, Z.; Deng, F.; Vlak, J.M.; Hu, Z.H.; Wang, H.L.

    2010-01-01

    The budded virus (BV) of the Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) infects insect cells and transduces mammalian cells mainly through the endocytosis pathway. However, this study revealed that the treatment of the virus bound to Sf9 cells at low pH could efficiently rescue

  12. Single cell analysis facilitates staging of Blimp1-dependent primordial germ cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John J Vincent

    Full Text Available The cell intrinsic programming that regulates mammalian primordial germ cell (PGC development in the pre-gonadal stage is challenging to investigate. To overcome this we created a transgene-free method for generating PGCs in vitro (iPGCs from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs. Using labeling for SSEA1 and cKit, two cell surface molecules used previously to isolate presumptive iPGCs, we show that not all SSEA1+/cKit+ double positive cells exhibit a PGC identity. Instead, we determined that selecting for cKit(bright cells within the SSEA1+ fraction significantly enriches for the putative iPGC population. Single cell analysis comparing SSEA1+/cKit(bright iPGCs to ESCs and embryonic PGCs demonstrates that 97% of single iPGCs co-express PGC signature genes Blimp1, Stella, Dnd1, Prdm14 and Dazl at similar levels to e9.5-10.5 PGCs, whereas 90% of single mouse ESC do not co-express PGC signature genes. For the 10% of ESCs that co-express PGC signature genes, the levels are significantly lower than iPGCs. Microarray analysis shows that iPGCs are transcriptionally distinct from ESCs and repress gene ontology groups associated with mesoderm and heart development. At the level of chromatin, iPGCs contain 5-methyl cytosine bases in their DNA at imprinted and non-imprinted loci, and are enriched in histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation, yet do not have detectable levels of Mvh protein, consistent with a Blimp1-positive pre-gonadal PGC identity. In order to determine whether iPGC formation is dependent upon Blimp1, we generated Blimp1 null ESCs and found that loss of Blimp1 significantly depletes SSEA1/cKit(bright iPGCs. Taken together, the generation of Blimp1-positive iPGCs from ESCs constitutes a robust model for examining cell-intrinsic regulation of PGCs during the Blimp1-positive stage of development.

  13. Antioxidation activities of pteridines in mammalian cell lines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Y.; Shen, R. (Univ. of Texas, Galveston (United States))

    1991-03-11

    L-erythro-5,6,7,8-Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH{sub 4}), the cofactor for aromatic amino acid hydroxylases (AAA-H), is a predominant form of pteridines which occur ubiquitously in nature. When BH{sub 4} is oxidized to quinonoid dihydrobiopterin by AAA-H, it is regenerated by dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) at the expense of NADH. The role of BH{sub 4} other than serving as the hydroxylase cofactor is not clear. The existence of BH{sub 4} and DHPR in tissues which are devoid of AAA-H suggests that BH{sub 4} may play an as yet undiscovered physiological function. This study demonstrates a BH{sub 4}-mediated antioxidation system, which consists of BH{sub 4}, DHPR, peroxidase and NADH in rat pheochromocytoma PC 12 cells and mouse macrophages J774A.1. This system was as effective as catalase and ascorbic acid in protecting cells against H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and xanthine/xanthine oxidase-induced toxicity and was more effective than catalase in defense against nitrofurantoin-induced toxicity. The antioxidation effect of this system was not due to peroxidase and was improved when synthetic pteridines were substituted for BH{sub 4}. Since BH{sub 4}, DHPR, peroxidases and NADH are widely distributed in major organs and blood cells, they may constitute an as yet little known antioxidation system in mammalian cells.

  14. The effects of UV irradiation and gas plasma treatment on living mammalian cells and bacteria: a comparative approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sosnin, E.A.; Stoffels - Adamowicz, E.; Erofeev, M.V.; Kieft, I.E.; Kunts, S.E.

    2004-01-01

    Living mammalian cells and bacteria were exposed to irradiation from narrow-band UV lamps and treated with a nonthermal gas plasma (plasma needle). The model systems were: Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO-K1) cells (fibroblasts) and Escherichia Coli bacteria. UV irradiation can lead to cell death

  15. Soft sensor for monitoring biomass subpopulations in mammalian cell culture processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kroll, Paul; Stelzer, Ines V; Herwig, Christoph

    2017-11-01

    Biomass subpopulations in mammalian cell culture processes cause impurities and influence productivity, which requires this critical process parameter to be monitored in real-time. For this reason, a novel soft sensor concept for estimating viable, dead and lysed cell concentration was developed, based on the robust and cheap in situ measurements of permittivity and turbidity in combination with a simple model. It could be shown that the turbidity measurements contain information about all investigated biomass subpopulations. The novelty of the developed soft sensor is the real-time estimation of lysed cell concentration, which is directly correlated to process-related impurities such as DNA and host cell protein in the supernatant. Based on data generated by two fed-batch processes the developed soft sensor is described and discussed. The presented soft sensor concept provides a tool for viable, dead and lysed cell concentration estimation in real-time with adequate accuracy and enables further applications with respect to process optimization and control.

  16. Repair of traumatized mammalian hair cells via sea anemone repair proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Pei-Ciao; Smith, Karen Müller; Watson, Glen M

    2016-08-01

    Mammalian hair cells possess only a limited ability to repair damage after trauma. In contrast, sea anemones show a marked capability to repair damaged hair bundles by means of secreted repair proteins (RPs). Previously, it was found that recovery of traumatized hair cells in blind cavefish was enhanced by anemone-derived RPs; therefore, the ability of anemone RPs to assist recovery of damaged hair cells in mammals was tested here. After a 1 h incubation in RP-enriched culture media, uptake of FM1-43 by experimentally traumatized murine cochlear hair cells was restored to levels comparable to those exhibited by healthy controls. In addition, RP-treated explants had significantly more normally structured hair bundles than time-matched traumatized control explants. Collectively, these results indicate that anemone-derived RPs assist in restoring normal function and structure of experimentally traumatized hair cells of the mouse cochlea. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  17. A carbon dioxide stripping model for mammalian cell culture in manufacturing scale bioreactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Zizhuo; Lewis, Amanda M; Borys, Michael C; Li, Zheng Jian

    2017-06-01

    Control of carbon dioxide within the optimum range is important in mammalian bioprocesses at the manufacturing scale in order to ensure robust cell growth, high protein yields, and consistent quality attributes. The majority of bioprocess development work is done in laboratory bioreactors, in which carbon dioxide levels are more easily controlled. Some challenges in carbon dioxide control can present themselves when cell culture processes are scaled up, because carbon dioxide accumulation is a common feature due to longer gas-residence time of mammalian cell culture in large scale bioreactors. A carbon dioxide stripping model can be used to better understand and optimize parameters that are critical to cell culture processes at the manufacturing scale. The prevailing carbon dioxide stripping models in literature depend on mass transfer coefficients and were applicable to cell culture processes with low cell density or at stationary/cell death phase. However, it was reported that gas bubbles are saturated with carbon dioxide before leaving the culture, which makes carbon dioxide stripping no longer depend on a mass transfer coefficient in the new generation cell culture processes characterized by longer exponential growth phase, higher peak viable cell densities, and higher specific production rate. Here, we present a new carbon dioxide stripping model for manufacturing scale bioreactors, which is independent of carbon dioxide mass transfer coefficient, but takes into account the gas-residence time and gas CO 2 saturation time. The model was verified by CHO cell culture processes with different peak viable cell densities (7 to 12 × 10 6  cells mL -1 ) for two products in 5,000-L and 25,000-L bioreactors. The model was also applied to a next generation cell culture process to optimize cell culture conditions and reduce carbon dioxide levels at manufacturing scale. The model provides a useful tool to understand and better control cell culture carbon dioxide

  18. Automatic Control of Gene Expression in Mammalian Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fracassi, Chiara; Postiglione, Lorena; Fiore, Gianfranco; di Bernardo, Diego

    2016-04-15

    Automatic control of gene expression in living cells is paramount importance to characterize both endogenous gene regulatory networks and synthetic circuits. In addition, such a technology can be used to maintain the expression of synthetic circuit components in an optimal range in order to ensure reliable performance. Here we present a microfluidics-based method to automatically control gene expression from the tetracycline-inducible promoter in mammalian cells in real time. Our approach is based on the negative-feedback control engineering paradigm. We validated our method in a monoclonal population of cells constitutively expressing a fluorescent reporter protein (d2EYFP) downstream of a minimal CMV promoter with seven tet-responsive operator motifs (CMV-TET). These cells also constitutively express the tetracycline transactivator protein (tTA). In cells grown in standard growth medium, tTA is able to bind the CMV-TET promoter, causing d2EYFP to be maximally expressed. Upon addition of tetracycline to the culture medium, tTA detaches from the CMV-TET promoter, thus preventing d2EYFP expression. We tested two different model-independent control algorithms (relay and proportional-integral (PI)) to force a monoclonal population of cells to express an intermediate level of d2EYFP equal to 50% of its maximum expression level for up to 3500 min. The control input is either tetracycline-rich or standard growth medium. We demonstrated that both the relay and PI controllers can regulate gene expression at the desired level, despite oscillations (dampened in the case of the PI controller) around the chosen set point.

  19. Distinctive transforming genes in x-ray-transformed mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borek, C.; Ong, A.; Mason, H.

    1987-01-01

    DNAs from hamster embryo cells and mouse C3H/10T1/2 cells transformed in vitro by x-irradiation into malignant cells transmit the radiation transformation phenotype by producing transformed colonies (transfectants) in two mouse recipient lines, the NIH 3T3 and C3H/101/2 cells, and in a rat cell line, the Rat-2 cells. DNAs from unirradiated cells or irradiated and visibly untransformed cells do not produce transformed colonies. The transfectant grow in agar and form tumors in nude mice. Treatment of the DNAs with restriction endonucleases prior to transfection indicates that the same transforming gene (oncogene) is present in each of the transformed mouse cells and is the same in each of the transformed hamster cells. Southern blot analysis of 3T3 or Rat-2 transfectants carrying oncogenes from radiation-transformed C3H/10T1/2 or hamster cells indicates that the oncogenes responsible for the transformation of 3T3 cells are not the Ki-ras, Ha-ras, N-ras genes, nor are they neu, trk, raf, abl, or fms. The work demonstrates that DNAs from mammalian cells transformed into malignancy by direct exposure in vitro to radiation contain genetic sequences with detectable transforming activity in three recipient cell lines. The results provide evidence that DNA is the target of radiation carcinogenesis induced at a cellular level in vitro. The experiments indicate that malignant radiogenic transformation in vitro of hamster embryo and mouse C3H/10T1/2 cells involves the activation of unique non-ras transforming genes, which heretofore have not been described

  20. Repair capability of mammalian cell fractions demonstrated using infectivity of bacteriophage DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai, S.P.; Lytle, C.D.; Benane, S.G.

    1976-01-01

    Extracts of Potoroo kidney cells (PtK2) were examined for ability to provide a repair function in vitro. The biological activity (infectivity) of uv-irradiated replicative form (RF) DNA of bacteriophage phiX174 was restored during incubation of the DNA with a nuclear extract but not with a cytoplasmic extract. The infectivity of the RF-DNA was determined in spheroplasts of E. coli C/sub s/, which is HCR - . This system for biological assay of uv-irradiated DNA repaired in vitro may be used to complement biochemical and biophysical investigations of molecular repair mechanisms in mammalian cells

  1. A Novel Counter Sheet-flow Sandwich Cell Culture Device for Mammalian Cell Growth in Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shujin; Gao, Yuxin; Shu, Nanjiang; Tang, Zemei; Tao, Zulai; Long, Mian

    2008-08-01

    Cell culture and growth in space is crucial to understand the cellular responses under microgravity. The effects of microgravity were coupled with such environment restrictions as medium perfusion, in which the underlying mechanism has been poorly understood. In the present work, a customer-made counter sheet-flow sandwich cell culture device was developed upon a biomechanical concept from fish gill breathing. The sandwich culture unit consists of two side chambers where the medium flow is counter-directional, a central chamber where the cells are cultured, and two porous polycarbonate membranes between side and central chambers. Flow dynamics analysis revealed the symmetrical velocity profile and uniform low shear rate distribution of flowing medium inside the central culture chamber, which promotes sufficient mass transport and nutrient supply for mammalian cell growth. An on-orbit experiment performed on a recovery satellite was used to validate the availability of the device.

  2. Distinct radioprotective activities of major heat shock proteins in irradiated mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kabakov, Alexander; Malyutina, Yana; Kudryavtsev, Vladimir

    2008-01-01

    Full text: Several years ago we have suggested that heat shock proteins (Hsps) can be involved in cellular and tissue mechanisms of protection from ionizing radiation. At present, the accumulated experimental data do allow us to characterize three major mammalian Hsps, Hsp70, Hsp27 and Hsp90, as specific endogenous radioprotectors which are able to prevent or minimize cell death resulting from the radiation exposure. It follows from the many findings that the radioprotective effect of these Hsps is particularly manifested in their ability to attenuate apoptosis in various normal and tumor cells irradiated in vivo or in vitro. The obtained data already enable to suggest three main mechanisms of the radioprotection conferred by the excess Hsps: 1) Modulation of the intracellular signaling so that the apoptotic signal transduction is blocked, whereas the 'cell survival' signal transduction is stimulated; 2) Suppression of the radiation-associated free radical generation and apoptosis induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS); 3) Attenuation of the genotoxic impact of ionizing radiation. The latter suggested mechanism seems particularly intriguing and implies that the excess Hsps can somehow contribute to protection/repair of genomic DNA from radiation-induced damage. According to our recent results, Hsp90 is indeed involved in the post-irradiation repair of nuclear DNA, while excess Hsp70 can beneficially affect the p53-mediated DNA damage response in irradiated cells to ensure their long-term survival and recovery. As for Hsp27, we found that its accumulation in target cells increases their radioresistance by enhancing the irradiation-responsive activation of anti apoptotic pathways. While the Hsp70 and Hsp27 seem to perform different functions in irradiated cells, the synergistic enhancement of radioprotection was clearly observed in the cells enriched by the both the Hsps. In vivo, such radioprotective activities of the major mammalian Hsps may play a role in

  3. Mammalian mediator 19 mediates H1299 lung adenocarcinoma cell clone conformation, growth, and metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Lu-Lu; Guo, Shu-Liang; Ma, Su-Ren; Luo, Yong-Ai

    2012-01-01

    Mammalian mediator (MED) is a multi-protein coactivator that has been identified by several research groups. The involvement of the MED complex subunit 19 (MED 19) in the metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma cell line (H1299), which expresses the MED 19 subunit, was here investigated. When MED 19 expression was decreased by RNA interference H1299 cells demonstrated reduced clone formation, arrest in the S phase of the cell cycle, and lowered metastatic capacity. Thus, MED 19 appears to play important roles in the biological behavior of non-small cell lung carcinoma cells. These findings may be important for the development of novel lung carcinoma treatments.

  4. Characterization of Mammalian Selenoprotein O: A Redox-Active Mitochondrial Protein

    OpenAIRE

    Han, Seong-Jeong; Lee, Byung Cheon; Yim, Sun Hee; Gladyshev, Vadim N.; Lee, Seung-Rock

    2014-01-01

    Selenoproteins exhibit diverse biological functions, most of which are associated with redox control. However, the functions of approximately half of mammalian selenoproteins are not known. One such protein is Selenoprotein O (SelO), the largest mammalian selenoprotein with orthologs found in a wide range of organisms, including bacteria and yeast. Here, we report characterization of mammalian SelO. Expression of this protein could be verified in HEK 293T cells by metabolic labeling of cells ...

  5. Sensitization of ultraviolet radiation damage in bacteria and mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, G.J.; Watts, M.E.; Patel, K.B.; Adams, G.E.

    1978-01-01

    Bacteria (Serratia marcescens) and mammalian cells (Chinese hamsters V79-379A) were irradiated in monolayers with ultraviolet light at 254 nm or 365 nm in the presence or absence of radiosensitizing drugs. At 254 nm, killing is very efficient (Dsub(37) approximately equal 1 J m -2 exposure, or approximately equal 6 x 10 4 photons absorbed by DNA per bacterium), and sensitizers have no effect. At 365 nm, cells are not killed in buffer, but are inactivated in the presence of nifurpipone or misonidazole. Lethal exposures (approximately equal 5 x 10 3 J m -2 at 10 nM misonidazole) correspond to about 10 7 photons absorbed by sensitizer molecules per bacterium. Toxicity of stable photoproducts of the drugs is not involved, nor is oxygen required. Hence the transient species formed by photo-excitation of radiosensitizer molecules are capable of killing cells in the absence of other types of radiation damage. (author)

  6. REST-mediated recruitment of polycomb repressor complexes in mammalian cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dietrich, Nikolaj; Lerdrup, Mads; Landt, Eskild

    2012-01-01

    Polycomb Repressive Complex (PRC) 1 and PRC2 regulate genes involved in differentiation and development. However, the mechanism for how PRC1 and PRC2 are recruited to genes in mammalian cells is unclear. Here we present evidence for an interaction between the transcription factor REST, PRC1......, and increased gene expression. Genome-wide analysis of Polycomb binding in Rest¿/¿ and Eed¿/¿ mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells showed that Rest was required for PRC1 recruitment to a subset of Polycomb regulated neuronal genes. Furthermore, we found that PRC1 can be recruited to Rest binding sites independently...... of CpG islands and the H3K27Me3 mark. Surprisingly, PRC2 was frequently increased around Rest binding sites located in CpG-rich regions in the Rest¿/¿ mES cells, indicating a more complex interplay where Rest also can limit PRC2 recruitment. Therefore, we propose that Rest has context...

  7. THE GERMLINE STEM CELL NICHE UNIT IN MAMMALIAN TESTES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oatley, Jon M.; Brinster, Ralph L.

    2014-01-01

    This review addresses current understanding of the germline stem cell niche unit in mammalian testes. Spermatogenesis is a classic model of tissue-specific stem cell function relying on self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). These fate decisions are influenced by a niche microenvironment composed of a growth factor milieu that is provided by several testis somatic support cell populations. Investigations over the last two decades have identified key determinants of the SSC niche including cytokines that regulate SSC functions and support cells providing these factors, adhesion molecules that influence SSC homing, and developmental heterogeneity of the niche during postnatal aging. Emerging evidence suggests that Sertoli cells are a key support cell population influencing the formation and function of niches by secreting soluble factors and possibly orchestrating contributions of other support cells. Investigations with mice have shown that niche influence on SSC proliferation differs during early postnatal development and adulthood. Moreover, there is mounting evidence of an age-related decline in niche function, which is likely influenced by systemic factors. Defining the attributes of stem cell niches is key to developing methods to utilize these cells for regenerative medicine. The SSC population and associated niche comprise a valuable model system for study that provides fundamental knowledge about the biology of tissue-specific stem cells and their capacity to sustain homeostasis of regenerating tissue lineages. While the stem cell is essential for maintenance of all self-renewing tissues and has received considerable attention, the role of niche cells is at least as important and may prove to be more receptive to modification in regenerative medicine. PMID:22535892

  8. Quantitative Analyses of Core Promoters Enable Precise Engineering of Regulated Gene Expression in Mammalian Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ede, Christopher; Chen, Ximin; Lin, Meng-Yin; Chen, Yvonne Y.

    2016-01-01

    Inducible transcription systems play a crucial role in a wide array of synthetic biology circuits. However, the majority of inducible promoters are constructed from a limited set of tried-and-true promoter parts, which are susceptible to common shortcomings such as high basal expression levels (i.e., leakiness). To expand the toolbox for regulated mammalian gene expression and facilitate the construction of mammalian genetic circuits with precise functionality, we quantitatively characterized a panel of eight core promoters, including sequences with mammalian, viral, and synthetic origins. We demonstrate that this selection of core promoters can provide a wide range of basal gene expression levels and achieve a gradient of fold-inductions spanning two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, commonly used parts such as minimal CMV and minimal SV40 promoters were shown to achieve robust gene expression upon induction, but also suffer from high levels of leakiness. In contrast, a synthetic promoter, YB_TATA, was shown to combine low basal expression with high transcription rate in the induced state to achieve significantly higher fold-induction ratios compared to all other promoters tested. These behaviors remain consistent when the promoters are coupled to different genetic outputs and different response elements, as well as across different host-cell types and DNA copy numbers. We apply this quantitative understanding of core promoter properties to the successful engineering of human T cells that respond to antigen stimulation via chimeric antigen receptor signaling specifically under hypoxic environments. Results presented in this study can facilitate the design and calibration of future mammalian synthetic biology systems capable of precisely programmed functionality. PMID:26883397

  9. Role of somatostatin receptor-2 in gentamicin-induced auditory hair cell loss in the Mammalian inner ear.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yves Brand

    Full Text Available Hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons of the mammalian auditory system do not regenerate, and their loss leads to irreversible hearing loss. Aminoglycosides induce auditory hair cell death in vitro, and evidence suggests that phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt signaling opposes gentamicin toxicity via its downstream target, the protein kinase Akt. We previously demonstrated that somatostatin-a peptide with hormone/neurotransmitter properties-can protect hair cells from gentamicin-induced hair cell death in vitro, and that somatostatin receptors are expressed in the mammalian inner ear. However, it remains unknown how this protective effect is mediated. In the present study, we show a highly significant protective effect of octreotide (a drug that mimics and is more potent than somatostatin on gentamicin-induced hair cell death, and increased Akt phosphorylation in octreotide-treated organ of Corti explants in vitro. Moreover, we demonstrate that somatostatin receptor-1 knockout mice overexpress somatostatin receptor-2 in the organ of Corti, and are less susceptible to gentamicin-induced hair cell loss than wild-type or somatostatin-1/somatostatin-2 double-knockout mice. Finally, we show that octreotide affects auditory hair cells, enhances spiral ganglion neurite number, and decreases spiral ganglion neurite length.

  10. RAB10 Interacts with the Male Germ Cell-Specific GTPase-Activating Protein during Mammalian Spermiogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying-Hung Lin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available According to recent estimates, 2%–15% of couples are sterile, and approximately half of the infertility cases are attributed to male reproductive factors. However, the reasons remain undefined in approximately 25% of male infertility cases, and most infertility cases exhibit spermatogenic defects. Numerous genes involved in spermatogenesis still remain unknown. We previously identified Male Germ Cells Rab GTPase-Activating Proteins (MGCRABGAPs through cDNA microarray analysis of human testicular tissues with spermatogenic defects. MGCRABGAP contains a conserved RABGAP catalytic domain, TBC (Tre2/Bub2/Cdc16. RABGAP family proteins regulate cellular function (e.g., cytoskeletal remodeling, vesicular trafficking, and cell migration by inactivating RAB proteins. MGCRABGAP is a male germ cell-specific protein expressed in elongating and elongated spermatids during mammalian spermiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify proteins that interact with MGCRABGAP during mammalian spermiogenesis using a proteomic approach. We found that MGCRABGAP exhibited GTPase-activating bioability, and several MGCRABGAP interactors, possible substrates (e.g., RAB10, RAB5C, and RAP1, were identified using co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP and nano liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (nano LC-MS/MS. We confirmed the binding ability between RAB10 and MGCRABGAP via co-IP. Additionally, MGCRABGAP–RAB10 complexes were specifically colocalized in the manchette structure, a critical structure for the formation of spermatid heads, and were slightly expressed at the midpiece of mature spermatozoa. Based on these results, we propose that MGCRABGAP is involved in mammalian spermiogenesis by modulating RAB10.

  11. Bacterial mutagenicity and mammalian cell DNA damage by several substituted anilines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmer, D; Mazurek, J; Petzold, G; Bhuyan, B K

    1980-04-01

    Several substituted alkyl- and haloanilines were tested for their ability to mutate Salmonella typhimurium and to damage the DNA of mammalian (V79) cells. These results were correlated with their reported carcinogenicity. Of 9 suspected carcinogens, 4 were bacterial mutagens and 4 (out of 7 tested) damaged DNA of V79 cells. The following compounds were weakly mutagenic (less than 150 revertants/mumole): 4-fluoroaniline, 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5- and 3,4-dimethylaniline, and 2-methyl-4-fluoroaniline. The following compounds were strong mutagens: 2,4,5-trimethylaniline, 2-methyl-4-chloro-, and 2-methyl-4-bromo-, 4-methyl-2-chloro-, 4-methyl-2-bromo- and 2-ethyl-4-chloroaniline. The compounds which damaged DNA in V79 cells were: 2 methyl-4-chloroaniline, 2-methyl-4-bromoaniline, 2,4,5- and 2,4,6-trimethylaniline.

  12. The role of sex chromosomes in mammalian germ cell differentiation: can the germ cells carrying X and Y chromosomes differentiate into fertile oocytes?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teruko Taketo

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The sexual differentiation of germ cells into spermatozoa or oocytes is strictly regulated by their gonadal environment, testis or ovary, which is determined by the presence or absence of the Y chromosome, respectively. Hence, in normal mammalian development, male germ cells differentiate in the presence of X and Y chromosomes, and female germ cells do so in the presence of two X chromosomes. However, gonadal sex reversal occurs in humans as well as in other mammalian species, and the resultant XX males and XY females can lead healthy lives, except for a complete or partial loss of fertility. Germ cells carrying an abnormal set of sex chromosomes are efficiently eliminated by multilayered surveillance mechanisms in the testis, and also, though more variably, in the ovary. Studying the molecular basis for sex-specific responses to a set of sex chromosomes during gametogenesis will promote our understanding of meiotic processes contributing to the evolution of sex determining mechanisms. This review discusses the fate of germ cells carrying various sex chromosomal compositions in mouse models, the limitation of which may be overcome by recent successes in the differentiation of functional germ cells from embryonic stem cells under experimental conditions.

  13. PLE-wu, a new member of piggyBac transposon family from insect, is active in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chunxiao; Wang, Shu

    2014-10-01

    piggyBac, a highly active transposon in insect and mammalian cells, is a very useful tool in genome manipulation. A new piggyBac-like element (PLE), named PLE-wu, was identified from a mutant baculovirus cultured in sf9 insect cells. This new transposon is 2931 bp in length and encodes two active forms of transposase, a 708-amino acid-long transposase and a short 576-residue-long transposase translated from a downstream in-frame initiation codon. PLE-wu has asymmetric terminal structures, containing 6-bp inverted terminal repeats, 32-bp imperfect inverted and direct sub-terminal repeats. Similar to piggyBac, PLE-wu exhibits traceless excision activity in both insect and mammalian cells, restoring the original TTAA target sequence upon excision. It also retains the insertion activity in mammalian cells with a plasmid to chromosome transposition rate about 10-fold higher than random integration. Plasmid rescue assays revealed that the TTAA target sequence was duplicated at the junctions of the insertion site. Deletion of the terminal sequences including the sub-terminal repeats decreased the transposition activity of the 708-residue-long transposase, while the transposition activity of the short form of transposase was not affected. With its low sequence similarity to piggyBac, PLE-wu will contribute to the understanding the mechanism of PLE transposition, as well as design of new transposon systems with higher activity. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Live-cell topology assessment of URG7, MRP6102 and SP-C using glycosylatable green fluorescent protein in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hunsang; Lara, Patricia; Ostuni, Angela; Presto, Jenny; Johansson, Janne; Nilsson, IngMarie; Kim, Hyun

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Glycosylatable GFP (gGFP) is developed for the use in mammalian cells. • gGFP selectively loses its fluorescence upon N-linked glycosylation in the ER lumen. • Differential fluorescence/glycosylation pattern probes membrane protein topology. • Membrane topology of URG7, MRP6 102 , and SP-C was determined by gGFP tagging in vivo. - Abstract: Experimental tools to determine membrane topology of a protein are rather limited in higher eukaryotic organisms. Here, we report the use of glycosylatable GFP (gGFP) as a sensitive and versatile membrane topology reporter in mammalian cells. gGFP selectively loses its fluorescence upon N-linked glycosylation in the ER lumen. Thus, positive fluorescence signal assigns location of gGFP to the cytosol whereas no fluorescence signal and a glycosylated status of gGFP map the location of gGFP to the ER lumen. By using mammalian gGFP, the membrane topology of disease-associated membrane proteins, URG7, MRP6 102 , SP-C(Val) and SP-C(Leu) was confirmed. URG7 is partially targeted to the ER, and inserted in C in form. MRP6 102 and SP-C(Leu/Val) are inserted into the membrane in C out form. A minor population of untargeted SP-C is removed by proteasome dependent quality control system

  15. [Mathematical modeling of synergistic interaction of sequential thermoradiation action on mammalian cells].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belkina, S V; Semkina, M A; Kritskiĭ, R O; Petin, V G

    2010-01-01

    Data obtained by other authors for mammalian cells treated by sequential action of ionizing radiation and hyperthermia were used to estimate the dependence of synergistic enhancement ratio on the ratio of damages induced by these agents. Experimental results were described and interpreted by means of the mathematical model of synergism in accordance with which the synergism is expected to result from the additional lethal damage arising from the interaction of sublesions induced by both agents.

  16. Fast filtration sampling protocol for mammalian suspension cells tailored for phosphometabolome profiling by capillary ion chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kvitvang, Hans F N; Bruheim, Per

    2015-08-15

    Capillary ion chromatography (capIC) is the premium separation technology for low molecular phosphometabolites and nucleotides in biological extracts. Removal of excessive amounts of salt during sample preparation stages is a prerequisite to enable high quality capIC separation in combination with reproducible and sensitive MS detection. Existing sampling protocols for mammalian cells used for GC-MS and LC-MS metabolic profiling can therefore not be directly applied to capIC separations. Here, the development of a fast filtration sampling protocol for mammalian suspension cells tailored for quantitative profiling of the phosphometabolome on capIC-MS/MS is presented. The whole procedure from sampling the culture to transfer of filter to quenching and extraction solution takes less than 10s. To prevent leakage it is critical that a low vacuum pressure is applied, and satisfactorily reproducibility was only obtained by usage of a vacuum pressure controlling device. A vacuum of 60mbar was optimal for filtration of multiple myeloma Jjn-3 cell cultures through 5μm polyvinylidene (PVDF) filters. A quick deionized water (DI-water) rinse step prior to extraction was tested, and significantly higher metabolite yields were obtained during capIC-MS/MS analyses in this extract compared to extracts prepared by saline and reduced saline (25%) washing steps only. In addition, chromatographic performance was dramatically improved. Thus, it was verified that a quick DI-water rinse is tolerated by the cells and can be included as the final stage during filtration. Over 30 metabolites were quantitated in JJN-3 cell extracts by using the optimized sampling protocol with subsequent capIC-MS/MS analysis, and up to 2 million cells can be used in a single filtration step for the chosen filter and vacuum pressure. The technical set-up is also highly advantageous for microbial metabolome filtration protocols after optimization of vacuum pressure and washing solutions, and the reduced salt

  17. Laser flow microphotometry for rapid analysis and sorting of mammalian cells. [X and gamma radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mullaney, P.F.; Steinkamp, J.A.; Crissman, H.A.; Cram, L.S.; Crowell, J.M.; Salzman, G.C.; Martin, J.C.; Price, B.

    1976-01-01

    Quantitative precision measurements can be made of the optical properties of individual mammalian cells using flow microphotometry. Suspended cells pass through a special flow chamber where they are lined up for exposure to blue light from an argon-ion laser. As each cell crosses the laser beam, it produces one or more optical pulses of a duration equal to cell transit time across the beam. These pulses are detected, amplified, and analyzed using the techniques of gamma ray spectroscopy. Quantitative DNA distributions made it possible to distinguish tumor cells from normal cells as well as to assay for radiation effects on tumor cells subjected to x and gamma radiation. (HLW)

  18. Nutrient regulation by continuous feeding removes limitations on cell yield in the large-scale expansion of Mammalian cell spheroids.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bradley P Weegman

    Full Text Available Cellular therapies are emerging as a standard approach for the treatment of several diseases. However, realizing the promise of cellular therapies across the full range of treatable disorders will require large-scale, controlled, reproducible culture methods. Bioreactor systems offer the scale-up and monitoring needed, but standard stirred bioreactor cultures do not allow for the real-time regulation of key nutrients in the medium. In this study, β-TC6 insulinoma cells were aggregated and cultured for 3 weeks as a model of manufacturing a mammalian cell product. Cell expansion rates and medium nutrient levels were compared in static, stirred suspension bioreactors (SSB, and continuously fed (CF SSB. While SSB cultures facilitated increased culture volumes, no increase in cell yields were observed, partly due to limitations in key nutrients, which were consumed by the cultures between feedings, such as glucose. Even when glucose levels were increased to prevent depletion between feedings, dramatic fluctuations in glucose levels were observed. Continuous feeding eliminated fluctuations and improved cell expansion when compared with both static and SSB culture methods. Further improvements in growth rates were observed after adjusting the feed rate based on calculated nutrient depletion, which maintained physiological glucose levels for the duration of the expansion. Adjusting the feed rate in a continuous medium replacement system can maintain the consistent nutrient levels required for the large-scale application of many cell products. Continuously fed bioreactor systems combined with nutrient regulation can be used to improve the yield and reproducibility of mammalian cells for biological products and cellular therapies and will facilitate the translation of cell culture from the research lab to clinical applications.

  19. Nutrient Regulation by Continuous Feeding Removes Limitations on Cell Yield in the Large-Scale Expansion of Mammalian Cell Spheroids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weegman, Bradley P.; Nash, Peter; Carlson, Alexandra L.; Voltzke, Kristin J.; Geng, Zhaohui; Jahani, Marjan; Becker, Benjamin B.; Papas, Klearchos K.; Firpo, Meri T.

    2013-01-01

    Cellular therapies are emerging as a standard approach for the treatment of several diseases. However, realizing the promise of cellular therapies across the full range of treatable disorders will require large-scale, controlled, reproducible culture methods. Bioreactor systems offer the scale-up and monitoring needed, but standard stirred bioreactor cultures do not allow for the real-time regulation of key nutrients in the medium. In this study, β-TC6 insulinoma cells were aggregated and cultured for 3 weeks as a model of manufacturing a mammalian cell product. Cell expansion rates and medium nutrient levels were compared in static, stirred suspension bioreactors (SSB), and continuously fed (CF) SSB. While SSB cultures facilitated increased culture volumes, no increase in cell yields were observed, partly due to limitations in key nutrients, which were consumed by the cultures between feedings, such as glucose. Even when glucose levels were increased to prevent depletion between feedings, dramatic fluctuations in glucose levels were observed. Continuous feeding eliminated fluctuations and improved cell expansion when compared with both static and SSB culture methods. Further improvements in growth rates were observed after adjusting the feed rate based on calculated nutrient depletion, which maintained physiological glucose levels for the duration of the expansion. Adjusting the feed rate in a continuous medium replacement system can maintain the consistent nutrient levels required for the large-scale application of many cell products. Continuously fed bioreactor systems combined with nutrient regulation can be used to improve the yield and reproducibility of mammalian cells for biological products and cellular therapies and will facilitate the translation of cell culture from the research lab to clinical applications. PMID:24204645

  20. Differential biological effects of iodoacetate in mammalian cell lines; radio sensitization and radio protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yadav, Usha; Anjaria, K.B.; Desai, Utkarsha N.; Chaurasia, Rajesh K.; Shirsath, K.B.; Bhat, Nagesh N.; Balakrishnan, Sreedevi; Sapra, B.K.; Nairy, Rajesha

    2014-01-01

    There are several studies where it has been shown that Iodoacetate (IA) possesses in vivo anti-tumor activity. The fact that it is a model glycolytic inhibitor makes it more interesting. As seen in recent trends, glycolytic inhibitors are emerging as new strategy for cancer therapeutic research taking advantage of glycolytic phenotype of cancerous tissues. IA has been reported to have radioprotective effects in yeast cells and human lymphocytes. Biological effects of IA in response to radiation in mammalian cell lines are not well documented. We screened IA for cytotoxicity using clonogenic assay at different concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 2.5 μg/ml using three different mammalian cell lines; A-549 (human lung carcinoma cell line), MCF-7 (human mammary cancer cell line) and a noncancerous CHO (Chinese hamster ovary cell line). For studying radioprotective/radio sensitizing efficacy, cells were exposed to 4 Gy of 60 Co-γ radiation using a teletherapy source at a dose rate of 1 Gy/min, following which IA post-treatment was carried out. Clonogenic and micronucleus assay were performed to assess radioprotection/sensitization. The results indicated that IA was highly cytotoxic in cancerous cell lines A-549 (IC 50 =1.25 μg/ml) and MCF-7 (IC 50 = 1.9 μg/ml). In contrast, it was totally non-toxic in non-cancerous cell line, viz. CHO, in the same concentration range. In addition, IA exhibited radio protective effect in CHO cell line, whereas in other two cancer cell lines, viz. A-549 and MCF-7, radio sensitizing effect was seen as judged by induction of cell killing and micronuclei. In conclusion, lA, a model glycolytic inhibitor, was found to be selectively cytotoxic in cancer cells as compared to normal cells. Further, it reduced radiation induced damage (micronuclei and cell killing) in normal cells but increased it in cancer cells indicating its potential use in cancer therapy. (author)

  1. Highly multiplexed targeted DNA sequencing from single nuclei.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Marco L; Wang, Yong; Kim, Charissa; Gao, Ruli; Jiang, Jerry; Sei, Emi; Navin, Nicholas E

    2016-02-01

    Single-cell DNA sequencing methods are challenged by poor physical coverage, high technical error rates and low throughput. To address these issues, we developed a single-cell DNA sequencing protocol that combines flow-sorting of single nuclei, time-limited multiple-displacement amplification (MDA), low-input library preparation, DNA barcoding, targeted capture and next-generation sequencing (NGS). This approach represents a major improvement over our previous single nucleus sequencing (SNS) Nature Protocols paper in terms of generating higher-coverage data (>90%), thereby enabling the detection of genome-wide variants in single mammalian cells at base-pair resolution. Furthermore, by pooling 48-96 single-cell libraries together for targeted capture, this approach can be used to sequence many single-cell libraries in parallel in a single reaction. This protocol greatly reduces the cost of single-cell DNA sequencing, and it can be completed in 5-6 d by advanced users. This single-cell DNA sequencing protocol has broad applications for studying rare cells and complex populations in diverse fields of biological research and medicine.

  2. Control of radiation sensitivity of mammalian cells. Regulation of expression of DNA repair genes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Kayo; Morita, Takashi

    2003-01-01

    This review describes authors' investigations concerning regulation of expression of DNA repair genes for the purpose of control of radiosensitivity of mammalian cells for cancer radiotherapy. One of their experiments concerns the enhancement of sensitivity to radiation and anti-tumor agents by suppressing the expression of mammalian Rad51 gene which playing a central role in recombination repair against DNA double-strand break, by RNA interference (RNAi). Described are the mode of action of RNAi, mechanism of suppression of Rad51 gene expression by it, enhancing effect in radiosensitivity, stable suppression and enhancement by hairpin RNA and its possible usefulness in cancer therapy. The other concerns the histone H2AX gene, which delivering the repair signal post phosphorylation in chromatin against the double-strand break. Experimental results of suppression of the histone H2AX gene by tet-off system, enhancement of radiosensitivity by the suppression and functional recovery by the gene transfer are described, and the radiosensitivity can be thus artificially controlled by tetracycline in authors' F9 2AX (tet/tet) cells. (N.I.)

  3. Role of cyclins in controlling progression of mammalian spermatogenesis

    OpenAIRE

    WOLGEMUTH, DEBRA J.; MANTEROLA, MARCIA; VASILEVA, ANA

    2013-01-01

    Cyclins are key regulators of the mammalian cell cycle, functioning primarily in concert with their catalytic partners, the cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks). While their function during mitosis in somatic cells has been extensively documented, their function during both mitosis and meiosis in the germ line is poorly understood. From the perspective of cell cycle regulation there are several aspects of mammalian spermatogenesis that suggest unique modes of regulation and hence, possible unique ...

  4. Sonic hedgehog promotes stem-cell potential of Mueller glia in the mammalian retina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Jin; Zheng Hua; Xiao Honglei; She Zhenjue; Zhou Guomin

    2007-01-01

    Mueller glia have been demonstrated to display stem-cell properties after retinal damage. Here, we report this potential can be regulated by Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling. Shh can stimulate proliferation of Mueller glia through its receptor and target gene expressed on them, furthermore, Shh-treated Mueller glia are induced to dedifferentiate by expressing progenitor-specific markers, and then adopt cell fate of rod photoreceptor. Inhibition of signaling by cyclopamine inhibits proliferation and dedifferentiation. Intraocular injection of Shh promotes Mueller glia activation in the photoreceptor-damaged retina, Shh also enhances neurogenic potential by producing more rhodopsin-positive photoreceptors from Mueller glia-derived cells. Together, these results provide evidences that Mueller glia act as potential stem cells in mammalian retina, Shh may have therapeutic effects on these cells for promoting the regeneration of retinal neurons

  5. Sonic hedgehog promotes stem-cell potential of Mueller glia in the mammalian retina

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jin, Wan; Hua, Zheng; Honglei, Xiao; Zhenjue, She [Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, 200032 Shanghai (China); Zhou Guomin [Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, 200032 Shanghai (China)], E-mail: gmzhou185@yahoo.com.cn

    2007-11-16

    Mueller glia have been demonstrated to display stem-cell properties after retinal damage. Here, we report this potential can be regulated by Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling. Shh can stimulate proliferation of Mueller glia through its receptor and target gene expressed on them, furthermore, Shh-treated Mueller glia are induced to dedifferentiate by expressing progenitor-specific markers, and then adopt cell fate of rod photoreceptor. Inhibition of signaling by cyclopamine inhibits proliferation and dedifferentiation. Intraocular injection of Shh promotes Mueller glia activation in the photoreceptor-damaged retina, Shh also enhances neurogenic potential by producing more rhodopsin-positive photoreceptors from Mueller glia-derived cells. Together, these results provide evidences that Mueller glia act as potential stem cells in mammalian retina, Shh may have therapeutic effects on these cells for promoting the regeneration of retinal neurons.

  6. Cdt1 revisited: complex and tight regulation during the cell cycle and consequences of deregulation in mammalian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fujita Masatoshi

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In eukaryotic cells, replication of genomic DNA initiates from multiple replication origins distributed on multiple chromosomes. To ensure that each origin is activated precisely only once during each S phase, a system has evolved which features periodic assembly and disassembly of essential pre-replication complexes (pre-RCs at replication origins. The pre-RC assembly reaction involves the loading of a presumptive replicative helicase, the MCM2-7 complexes, onto chromatin by the origin recognition complex (ORC and two essential factors, CDC6 and Cdt1. The eukaryotic cell cycle is driven by the periodic activation and inactivation of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks and assembly of pre-RCs can only occur during the low Cdk activity period from late mitosis through G1 phase, with inappropriate re-assembly suppressed during S, G2, and M phases. It was originally suggested that inhibition of Cdt1 function after S phase in vertebrate cells is due to geminin binding and that Cdt1 hyperfunction resulting from Cdt1-geminin imbalance induces re-replication. However, recent progress has revealed that Cdt1 activity is more strictly regulated by two other mechanisms in addition to geminin: (1 functional and SCFSkp2-mediated proteolytic regulation through phosphorylation by Cdks; and (2 replication-coupled proteolysis mediated by the Cullin4-DDB1Cdt2 ubiquitin ligase and PCNA, an eukaryotic sliding clamp stimulating replicative DNA polymerases. The tight regulation implies that Cdt1 control is especially critical for the regulation of DNA replication in mammalian cells. Indeed, Cdt1 overexpression evokes chromosomal damage even without re-replication. Furthermore, deregulated Cdt1 induces chromosomal instability in normal human cells. Since Cdt1 is overexpressed in cancer cells, this could be a new molecular mechanism leading to carcinogenesis. In this review, recent insights into Cdt1 function and regulation in mammalian cells are discussed.

  7. Optimization of cell line development in the GS-CHO expression system using a high-throughput, single cell-based clone selection system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Tsuyoshi; Omasa, Takeshi

    2015-09-01

    Therapeutic antibodies are commonly produced by high-expressing, clonal and recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. Currently, CHO cells dominate as a commercial production host because of their ease of use, established regulatory track record, and safety profile. CHO-K1SV is a suspension, protein-free-adapted CHO-K1-derived cell line employing the glutamine synthetase (GS) gene expression system (GS-CHO expression system). The selection of high-producing mammalian cell lines is a crucial step in process development for the production of therapeutic antibodies. In general, cloning by the limiting dilution method is used to isolate high-producing monoclonal CHO cells. However, the limiting dilution method is time consuming and has a low probability of monoclonality. To minimize the duration and increase the probability of obtaining high-producing clones with high monoclonality, an automated single cell-based clone selector, the ClonePix FL system, is available. In this study, we applied the high-throughput ClonePix FL system for cell line development using CHO-K1SV cells and investigated efficient conditions for single cell-based clone selection. CHO-K1SV cell growth at the pre-picking stage was improved by optimizing the formulation of semi-solid medium. The efficiency of picking and cell growth at the post-picking stage was improved by optimization of the plating time without decreasing the diversity of clones. The conditions for selection, including the medium formulation, were the most important factors for the single cell-based clone selection system to construct a high-producing CHO cell line. Copyright © 2015 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Non-lethal effects of low- and high-LET radiation on cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, J.T.

    1982-01-01

    In analyzing post-irradiation growth kinetics of cultured mammalian cells, specifically T1-E human cells, this investigation shows that the shift in post-irradiation clone-size distributions toward small colonies is due to both radiation-induced division delay and increased generation times of the irradiated population. Evidence also indicates that the final shape of the final clone-size distribution is influenced by the age density distribution of the parent cells at the time of plating. From computer-generated delay time distributions it was determined that a large percentage of the parent population was found to be in the plateau phase at early growth times and evidence indicates that these cells may contribute heavily to the total population response to radiation

  9. Single cell lineage analysis of mouse embryonic stem cells at the exit from pluripotency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamie Trott

    2013-08-01

    Understanding how interactions between extracellular signalling pathways and transcription factor networks influence cellular decision making will be crucial for understanding mammalian embryogenesis and for generating specialised cell types in vitro. To this end, pluripotent mouse Embryonic Stem (mES cells have proven to be a useful model system. However, understanding how transcription factors and signalling pathways affect decisions made by individual cells is confounded by the fact that measurements are generally made on groups of cells, whilst individual mES cells differentiate at different rates and towards different lineages, even in conditions that favour a particular lineage. Here we have used single-cell measurements of transcription factor expression and Wnt/β-catenin signalling activity to investigate their effects on lineage commitment decisions made by individual cells. We find that pluripotent mES cells exhibit differing degrees of heterogeneity in their expression of important regulators from pluripotency, depending on the signalling environment to which they are exposed. As mES cells differentiate, downregulation of Nanog and Oct4 primes cells for neural commitment, whilst loss of Sox2 expression primes cells for primitive streak commitment. Furthermore, we find that Wnt signalling acts through Nanog to direct cells towards a primitive streak fate, but that transcriptionally active β-catenin is associated with both neural and primitive streak commitment. These observations confirm and extend previous suggestions that pluripotency genes influence lineage commitment and demonstrate how their dynamic expression affects the direction of lineage commitment, whilst illustrating two ways in which the Wnt signalling pathway acts on this network during cell fate assignment.

  10. Single Cell Oncogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Xin

    It is believed that cancer originates from a single cell that has gone through generations of evolution of genetic and epigenetic changes that associate with the hallmarks of cancer. In some cancers such as various types of leukemia, cancer is clonal. Yet in other cancers like glioblastoma (GBM), there is tremendous tumor heterogeneity that is likely to be caused by simultaneous evolution of multiple subclones within the same tissue. It is obvious that understanding how a single cell develops into a clonal tumor upon genetic alterations, at molecular and cellular levels, holds the key to the real appreciation of tumor etiology and ultimate solution for therapeutics. Surprisingly very little is known about the process of spontaneous tumorigenesis from single cells in human or vertebrate animal models. The main reason is the lack of technology to track the natural process of single cell changes from a homeostatic state to a progressively cancerous state. Recently, we developed a patented compound, photoactivatable (''caged'') tamoxifen analogue 4-OHC and associated technique called optochemogenetic switch (OCG switch), which we believe opens the opportunity to address this urgent biological as well as clinical question about cancer. We propose to combine OCG switch with genetically engineered mouse models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and high grade astrocytoma (including GBM) to study how single cells, when transformed through acute loss of tumor suppressor genes PTEN and TP53 and gain of oncogenic KRAS, can develop into tumor colonies with cellular and molecular heterogeneity in these tissues. The abstract is for my invited talk in session ``Beyond Darwin: Evolution in Single Cells'' 3/18/2016 11:15 AM.

  11. Mammalian DNA single-strand break repair: an X-ra(y)ted affair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldecott, K W

    2001-05-01

    The genetic stability of living cells is continuously threatened by the presence of endogenous reactive oxygen species and other genotoxic molecules. Of particular threat are the thousands of DNA single-strand breaks that arise in each cell, each day, both directly from disintegration of damaged sugars and indirectly from the excision repair of damaged bases. If un-repaired, single-strand breaks can be converted into double-strand breaks during DNA replication, potentially resulting in chromosomal rearrangement and genetic deletion. Consequently, cells have adopted multiple pathways to ensure the rapid and efficient removal of single-strand breaks. A general feature of these pathways appears to be the extensive employment of protein-protein interactions to stimulate both the individual component steps and the overall repair reaction. Our current understanding of DNA single-strand break repair is discussed, and testable models for the architectural coordination of this important process are presented. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  12. Structural and functional characterization of the conserved salt bridge in mammalian paneth cell alpha-defensins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rosengren, K Johan; Daly, Norelle L; Fornander, Liselotte M

    2006-01-01

    alpha-Defensins are mediators of mammalian innate immunity, and knowledge of their structure-function relationships is essential for understanding their mechanisms of action. We report here the NMR solution structures of the mouse Paneth cell alpha-defensin cryptdin-4 (Crp4) and a mutant (E15D)-C...

  13. PAF53 is essential in mammalian cells: CRISPR/Cas9 fails to eliminate PAF53 expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rothblum, Lawrence I; Rothblum, Katrina; Chang, Eugenie

    2017-05-15

    When mammalian cells are nutrient and/or growth factor deprived, exposed to inhibitors of protein synthesis, stressed by heat shock or grown to confluence, rDNA transcription is essentially shut off. Various mechanisms are available to accomplish this downshift in ribosome biogenesis. Muramatsu's laboratory (Hanada et al., 1996) first demonstrated that mammalian PAF53 was essential for specific rDNA transcription and that PAF53 levels were regulated in response to growth factors. While S. cerevisae A49, the homologue of vertebrate PAF53, is not essential for viability (Liljelund et al., 1992), deletion of yA49 results in colonies that grow at 6% of the wild type rate at 25°C. Experiments described by Wang et al. (2015) identified PAF53 as a gene "essential for optimal proliferation". However, they did not discriminate genes essential for viability. Hence, in order to resolve this question, we designed a series of experiments to determine if PAF53 was essential for cell survival. We set out to delete the gene product from mammalian cells using CRISPR/CAS9 technology. Human 293 cells were transfected with lentiCRISPR v2 carrying genes for various sgRNA that targeted PAF53. In some experiments, the cells were cotransfected in parallel with plasmids encoding FLAG-tagged mouse PAF53. After treating the transfected cells with puromycin (to select for the lentiCRISPR backbone), cells were cloned and analyzed by western blots for PAF53 expression. Genomic DNA was amplified across the "CRISPRd" exon, cloned and sequenced to identify mutated PAF53 genes. We obtained cell lines in which the endogenous PAF53 gene was "knocked out" only when we rescued with FLAG-PAF53. DNA sequencing demonstrated that in the absence of ectopic PAF53 expression, cells demonstrated unique means of surviving; including recombination or the utilization of alternative reading frames. We never observed a clone in which one PAF53 gene is expressed, unless there was also ectopic expression In the

  14. Application of CFD in Bioprocessing: Separation of mammalian cells using disc stack centrifuge during production of biotherapeutics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shekhawat, Lalita Kanwar; Sarkar, Jayati; Gupta, Rachit; Hadpe, Sandeep; Rathore, Anurag S

    2018-02-10

    Centrifugation continues to be one of the most commonly used unit operations for achieving efficient harvest of the product from the mammalian cell culture broth during production of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Since the mammalian cells are known to be shear sensitive, optimal performance of the centrifuge requires a balance between productivity and shear. In this study, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been successfully used as a tool to facilitate efficient optimization. Multiphase Eulerian-Eulerian model coupled with Gidaspow drag model along with Eulerian-Eulerian k-ε mixture turbulence model have been used to quantify the complex hydrodynamics of the centrifuge and thus evaluate the turbulent stresses generated by the centrifugal forces. An empirical model has been developed by statistical analysis of experimentally observed cell lysis data as a function of turbulent stresses. An operating window that offers the optimal balance between high productivity, high separation efficiency, and low cell damage has been identified by use of CFD modeling. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Improved Performance in Mammalian Cell Perfusion Cultures by Growth Inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Moritz K F; Closet, Aurélie; Bzowska, Monika; Bielser, Jean-Marc; Souquet, Jonathan; Broly, Hervé; Morbidelli, Massimo

    2018-05-21

    Mammalian cell perfusion cultures represent a promising alternative to the current fed-batch technology for the production of various biopharmaceuticals. Long-term operation at a fixed viable cell density (VCD) requires a viable culture and a constant removal of excessive cells. Product loss in the cell removing bleed stream deteriorates the process yield. In this study, the authors investigate the use of chemical and environmental growth inhibition on culture performance by either adding valeric acid (VA) to the production media or by reducing the culture temperature (33.0 °C) with respect to control conditions (36.5 °C, no VA). Low temperature significantly reduces cellular growth, thus, resulting in lower bleed rates accompanied by a reduced product loss of 11% compared to 26% under control conditions. Additionally, the cell specific productivity of the target protein improves and maintained stable leading to media savings per mass of product. VA shows initially an inhibitory effect on cellular growth. However, cells seemed to adapt to the presence of the inhibitor resulting in a recovery of the cellular growth. Cell cycle and Western blot analyses support the observed results. This work underlines the role of temperature as a key operating variable for the optimization of perfusion cultures. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Fish Lymphocytes: An Evolutionary Equivalent of Mammalian Innate-Like Lymphocytes?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giuseppe Scapigliati

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Lymphocytes are the responsible of adaptive responses, as they are classically described, but evidence shows that subpopulations of mammalian lymphocytes may behave as innate-like cells, engaging non-self rapidly and without antigen presentation. The innate-like lymphocytes of mammals have been mainly identified as γδT cells and B1-B cells, exert their activities principally in mucosal tissues, may be involved in human pathologies and their functions and tissue(s of origin are not fully understood. Due to similarities in the morphology and immunobiology of immune system between fish and mammals, and to the uniqueness of having free-living larval stages where the development can be precisely monitored and engineered, teleost fish are proposed as an experimental model to investigate human immunity. However, the homology between fish lymphocytes and mammalian innate-like lymphocytes is an issue poorly considered in comparative immunology. Increasing experimental evidence suggests that fish lymphocytes could have developmental, morphological, and functional features in common with innate-like lymphocytes of mammals. Despite such similarities, information on possible links between conventional fish lymphocytes and mammalian innate-like lymphocytes is missing. The aim of this review is to summarize and describe available findings about the similarities between fish lymphocytes and mammalian innate-like lymphocytes, supporting the hypothesis that mammalian γδT cells and B1-B cells could be evolutionarily related to fish lymphocytes.

  17. Combined effects of hyperthermia and radiation in cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben-Hur, E.; Elkind, M.M.; Riklis, E.

    1977-01-01

    Hyperthermia (temperatures of 39 0 C or higher) enhances the killing of mammalian cells by ionizing radiation (fission-spectrum neutrons and x-rays). The nature and the magnitude of the enhanced radiation killing varies with temperature and for a fixed temperature during irradiation, the enhanced lethality varies inversely with dose rate. For temperatures up to 41 0 C, dose fractionation measurements indicate that hyperthermia inhibits the repair of sublethal damage. At higher temperatures, the expression of potentially lethal damage is enhanced. Since the effect of heat is greatest in cells irradiated during DNA synthesis, the radiation age-response pattern is flattened by hyperthermia. In addition to the enhanced cell killing described above, three other features of the effect of hyperthermia are important in connection with the radiation treatment of cancer. The first is that heat selectively sensitizes S-phase cells to radiation. The second is that it takes radiation survivors 10 to 20 hrs after a modest heat treatment to recover their ability to repair sublethal damage. And the third is that hyperthermia reduces the magnitude of the oxygen enhancement ratio. Thus, heat if applied selectively, could significantly increase the margin of damage between tumors and normal tissues

  18. Saikosaponin d induces cell death through caspase-3-dependent, caspase-3-independent and mitochondrial pathways in mammalian hepatic stellate cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Ming-Feng; Huang, S. Joseph; Huang, Chao-Cheng; Liu, Pei-Shan; Lin, Kun-I; Liu, Ching-Wen; Hsieh, Wen-Chuan; Shiu, Li-Yen; Chen, Chang-Han

    2016-01-01

    Saikosaponin d (SSd) is one of the main active triterpene saponins in Bupleurum falcatum. It has a steroid-like structure, and is reported to have pharmacological activities, including liver protection in rat, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction in several cancer cell lines. However, the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of mammalian cells under SSd treatment are still unclear. The cytotoxicity and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) upon SSd treatment were discovered by MTT assay, colony formation assay and flow cytometry. The collage I/III, caspase activity and apoptotic related genes were examined by quantitative PCR, Western blotting, immunofluorescence and ELISA. The mitochondrial functions were monitored by flow cytometry, MitoTracker staining, ATP production and XF24 bioenergetic assay. This study found that SSd triggers cell death via an apoptosis path. An example of this path might be typical apoptotic morphology, increased sub-G1 phase cell population, inhibition of cell proliferation and activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. However, the apoptotic effects induced by SSd are partially blocked by the caspase-3 inhibitor, Z-DEVD-FMK, suggesting that SSd may trigger both HSC-T6 and LX-2 cell apoptosis through caspase-3-dependent and independent pathways. We also found that SSd can trigger BAX and BAK translocation from the cytosol to the mitochondria, resulting in mitochondrial function inhibition, membrane potential disruption. Finally, SSd also increases the release of apoptotic factors. The overall analytical data indicate that SSd-elicited cell death may occur through caspase-3-dependent, caspase-3-independent and mitochondrial pathways in mammalian HSCs, and thus can delay the formation of liver fibrosis by reducing the level of HSCs

  19. The mammalian neocortical pyramidal cell: a new theory on prenatal development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel eMarín-Padilla

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Mammals’ new cerebral cortex (neocortex and the new type of pyramidal neuron are mammalian innovations that have evolved for operating their increasing motor capabilities using essentially analogous anatomical and neural makeups. The human neocortex starts to develop in the 6-week-old embryo with the establishment of a primordial cortical organization that resembles the primitive cortices of amphibian and reptiles that operated his early motor activities. From the 8th to the 15th week of age, the new pyramidal neurons, of ependymal origin, are progressively incorporated within this primordial cortex forming a cellular plate that divide its components into those above it (neocortex first lamina and those below it (neocortex subplate elements. From the 16th week of age to birth and postnatally, the new pyramidal neurons continue to elongate functionally their apical dendrite by adding synaptic membrane to incorporate the needed sensory information for operating the animal muscular activities. The new pyramidal neuron’ distinguishing feature is the capacity of elongating anatomically and functionally its apical dendrite (its main receptive surface without losing its original attachment to first lamina or the location of its soma retaining its essential nature. The number of pyramidal cell functional strata established in the motor cortex increases and reflects each mammalian species motor capabilities: the hedgehog needs 2 pyramidal cell functional strata to carry out all its motor activities, the mouse three, cat four, primates 5 and humans 6. The presence of six pyramidal cell functional strata distinguish the human motor cortex from that of others primates. Homo sapiens represent a new evolutionary stage that have transformed his primate brain for operating his unique motor capabilities, such as speaking, writing, painting, sculpturing including thinking as a premotor activity.

  20. H2A-DUBbing the mammalian epigenome: expanding frontiers for histone H2A deubiquitinating enzymes in cell biology and physiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belle, Jad I; Nijnik, Anastasia

    2014-05-01

    Posttranslational modifications of histone H2A through the attachment of ubiquitin or poly-ubiquitin conjugates are common in mammalian genomes and play an important role in the regulation of chromatin structure, gene expression, and DNA repair. Histone H2A deubiquitinases (H2A-DUBs) are a group of structurally diverse enzymes that catalyze the removal ubiquitin from histone H2A. In this review we provide a concise summary of the mechanisms that mediate histone H2A ubiquitination in mammalian cells, and review our current knowledge of mammalian H2A-DUBs, their biochemical activities, and recent developments in our understanding of their functions in mammalian physiology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Quality by control: Towards model predictive control of mammalian cell culture bioprocesses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommeregger, Wolfgang; Sissolak, Bernhard; Kandra, Kulwant; von Stosch, Moritz; Mayer, Martin; Striedner, Gerald

    2017-07-01

    The industrial production of complex biopharmaceuticals using recombinant mammalian cell lines is still mainly built on a quality by testing approach, which is represented by fixed process conditions and extensive testing of the end-product. In 2004 the FDA launched the process analytical technology initiative, aiming to guide the industry towards advanced process monitoring and better understanding of how critical process parameters affect the critical quality attributes. Implementation of process analytical technology into the bio-production process enables moving from the quality by testing to a more flexible quality by design approach. The application of advanced sensor systems in combination with mathematical modelling techniques offers enhanced process understanding, allows on-line prediction of critical quality attributes and subsequently real-time product quality control. In this review opportunities and unsolved issues on the road to a successful quality by design and dynamic control implementation are discussed. A major focus is directed on the preconditions for the application of model predictive control for mammalian cell culture bioprocesses. Design of experiments providing information about the process dynamics upon parameter change, dynamic process models, on-line process state predictions and powerful software environments seem to be a prerequisite for quality by control realization. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Single-cell sequencing in stem cell biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Lu; Tang, Fuchou

    2016-04-15

    Cell-to-cell variation and heterogeneity are fundamental and intrinsic characteristics of stem cell populations, but these differences are masked when bulk cells are used for omic analysis. Single-cell sequencing technologies serve as powerful tools to dissect cellular heterogeneity comprehensively and to identify distinct phenotypic cell types, even within a 'homogeneous' stem cell population. These technologies, including single-cell genome, epigenome, and transcriptome sequencing technologies, have been developing rapidly in recent years. The application of these methods to different types of stem cells, including pluripotent stem cells and tissue-specific stem cells, has led to exciting new findings in the stem cell field. In this review, we discuss the recent progress as well as future perspectives in the methodologies and applications of single-cell omic sequencing technologies.

  3. Quantitative live imaging of endogenous DNA replication in mammalian cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Burgess

    Full Text Available Historically, the analysis of DNA replication in mammalian tissue culture cells has been limited to static time points, and the use of nucleoside analogues to pulse-label replicating DNA. Here we characterize for the first time a novel Chromobody cell line that specifically labels endogenous PCNA. By combining this with high-resolution confocal time-lapse microscopy, and with a simplified analysis workflow, we were able to produce highly detailed, reproducible, quantitative 4D data on endogenous DNA replication. The increased resolution allowed accurate classification and segregation of S phase into early-, mid-, and late-stages based on the unique subcellular localization of endogenous PCNA. Surprisingly, this localization was slightly but significantly different from previous studies, which utilized over-expressed GFP tagged forms of PCNA. Finally, low dose exposure to Hydroxyurea caused the loss of mid- and late-S phase localization patterns of endogenous PCNA, despite cells eventually completing S phase. Taken together, these results indicate that this simplified method can be used to accurately identify and quantify DNA replication under multiple and various experimental conditions.

  4. Synthetic Biology Platform for Sensing and Integrating Endogenous Transcriptional Inputs in Mammalian Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angelici, Bartolomeo; Mailand, Erik; Haefliger, Benjamin; Benenson, Yaakov

    2016-08-30

    One of the goals of synthetic biology is to develop programmable artificial gene networks that can transduce multiple endogenous molecular cues to precisely control cell behavior. Realizing this vision requires interfacing natural molecular inputs with synthetic components that generate functional molecular outputs. Interfacing synthetic circuits with endogenous mammalian transcription factors has been particularly difficult. Here, we describe a systematic approach that enables integration and transduction of multiple mammalian transcription factor inputs by a synthetic network. The approach is facilitated by a proportional amplifier sensor based on synergistic positive autoregulation. The circuits efficiently transduce endogenous transcription factor levels into RNAi, transcriptional transactivation, and site-specific recombination. They also enable AND logic between pairs of arbitrary transcription factors. The results establish a framework for developing synthetic gene networks that interface with cellular processes through transcriptional regulators. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Mammalian Synthetic Biology: Engineering Biological Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Joshua B; Perez-Pinera, Pablo; Gersbach, Charles A

    2017-06-21

    The programming of new functions into mammalian cells has tremendous application in research and medicine. Continued improvements in the capacity to sequence and synthesize DNA have rapidly increased our understanding of mechanisms of gene function and regulation on a genome-wide scale and have expanded the set of genetic components available for programming cell biology. The invention of new research tools, including targetable DNA-binding systems such as CRISPR/Cas9 and sensor-actuator devices that can recognize and respond to diverse chemical, mechanical, and optical inputs, has enabled precise control of complex cellular behaviors at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. These tools have been critical for the expansion of synthetic biology techniques from prokaryotic and lower eukaryotic hosts to mammalian systems. Recent progress in the development of genome and epigenome editing tools and in the engineering of designer cells with programmable genetic circuits is expanding approaches to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease and to establish personalized theranostic strategies for next-generation medicines. This review summarizes the development of these enabling technologies and their application to transforming mammalian synthetic biology into a distinct field in research and medicine.

  6. E2F8 is essential for polyploidization in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandit, Shusil K; Westendorp, Bart; Nantasanti, Sathidpak; van Liere, Elsbeth; Tooten, Peter C J; Cornelissen, Peter W A; Toussaint, Mathilda J M; Lamers, Wouter H; de Bruin, Alain

    2012-11-01

    Polyploidization is observed in all mammalian species and is a characteristic feature of hepatocytes, but its molecular mechanism and biological significance are unknown. Hepatocyte polyploidization in rodents occurs through incomplete cytokinesis, starts after weaning and increases with age. Here, we show in mice that atypical E2F8 is induced after weaning and required for hepatocyte binucleation and polyploidization. A deficiency in E2f8 led to an increase in the expression level of E2F target genes promoting cytokinesis and thereby preventing polyploidization. In contrast, loss of E2f1 enhanced polyploidization and suppressed the polyploidization defect of hepatocytes deficient for atypical E2Fs. In addition, E2F8 and E2F1 were found on the same subset of target promoters. Contrary to the long-standing hypothesis that polyploidization indicates terminal differentiation and senescence, we show that prevention of polyploidization through inactivation of atypical E2Fs has, surprisingly, no impact on liver differentiation, zonation, metabolism and regeneration. Together, these results identify E2F8 as a repressor and E2F1 as an activator of a transcriptional network controlling polyploidization in mammalian cells.

  7. Repetitious nature of repaired DNA in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-01-01

    The report consists of three appendices, as follows: summary of preliminary studies of the comparative DNA repair in normal lymphoblastoid and Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines; nonuniform reassociation of human lymphoblastoid cell DNA repair replicated following methyl methane sulfonate treatment; and preliminary DNA single-strand breakage studies in the L5178Y cell line

  8. Determination of Peroxisomal pH in Living Mammalian Cells Using pHRed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godinho, Luis F; Schrader, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Organelle pH homeostasis is crucial for maintaining proper cellular function. The nature of the peroxisomal pH remains somewhat controversial, with several studies reporting conflicting results. Here, we describe in detail a rapid and accurate method for the measurement of peroxisomal pH, using the pHRed sensor protein and confocal microscopy of living mammalian cells. pHRed, a ratiometric sensor of pH, is targeted to the peroxisomes by virtue of a C-terminal targeting sequence. The probe has a maximum fluorescence emission at 610 nm while exhibiting dual excitation peaks at 440 and 585 nm, allowing for ratiometric imaging and determination of intracellular pH in live cell microscopy.

  9. Interaction theory of mammalian mitochondria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakada, K; Inoue, K; Hayashi, J

    2001-11-09

    We generated mice with deletion mutant mtDNA by its introduction from somatic cells into mouse zygotes. Expressions of disease phenotypes are limited to tissues expressing mitochondrial dysfunction. Considering that all these mice share the same nuclear background, these observations suggest that accumulation of the mutant mtDNA and resultant expressions of mitochondrial dysfunction are responsible for expression of disease phenotypes. On the other hand, mitochondrial dysfunction and expression of clinical abnormalities were not observed until the mutant mtDNA accumulated predominantly. This protection is due to the presence of extensive and continuous interaction between exogenous mitochondria from cybrids and recipient mitochondria from embryos. Thus, we would like to propose a new hypothesis on mitochondrial biogenesis, interaction theory of mitochondria: mammalian mitochondria exchange genetic contents, and thus lost the individuality and function as a single dynamic cellular unit. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

  10. Expression and mechanism of mammalian target of rapamycin in age-related renal cell senescence and organ aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhuo, Li; Cai, Guangyan; Liu, Fuyou; Fu, Bo; Liu, Weiping; Hong, Quan; Ma, Qiang; Peng, Youming; Wang, Jianzhong; Chen, Xiangmei

    2009-10-01

    The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is relevant to cell senescence and organismal aging. This study firstly showed that the level of mTOR expression increased with aging in rat kidneys, rat mesangial cells and WI-38 cells (P aging-related phenotypes were all reduced in cells treated with rapamycin (an inhibitor of mTOR) than in control cells (P aging, and that mTOR may promote cellular senescence by regulating the cell cycle through p21(WAF1/CIP1/SDI1), which might provide a new target for preventing renal aging.

  11. 3D single-molecule super-resolution microscopy with a tilted light sheet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gustavsson, Anna-Karin; Petrov, Petar N; Lee, Maurice Y; Shechtman, Yoav; Moerner, W E

    2018-01-09

    Tilted light sheet microscopy with 3D point spread functions (TILT3D) combines a novel, tilted light sheet illumination strategy with long axial range point spread functions (PSFs) for low-background, 3D super-localization of single molecules as well as 3D super-resolution imaging in thick cells. Because the axial positions of the single emitters are encoded in the shape of each single-molecule image rather than in the position or thickness of the light sheet, the light sheet need not be extremely thin. TILT3D is built upon a standard inverted microscope and has minimal custom parts. The result is simple and flexible 3D super-resolution imaging with tens of nm localization precision throughout thick mammalian cells. We validate TILT3D for 3D super-resolution imaging in mammalian cells by imaging mitochondria and the full nuclear lamina using the double-helix PSF for single-molecule detection and the recently developed tetrapod PSFs for fiducial bead tracking and live axial drift correction.

  12. Synchronized mammalian cell culture: part I--a physical strategy for synchronized cultivation under physiological conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barradas, Oscar Platas; Jandt, Uwe; Becker, Max; Bahnemann, Janina; Pörtner, Ralf; Zeng, An-Ping

    2015-01-01

    Conventional analysis and optimization procedures of mammalian cell culture processes mostly treat the culture as a homogeneous population. Hence, the focus is on cell physiology and metabolism, cell line development, and process control strategy. Impact on cultivations caused by potential variations in cellular properties between different subpopulations, however, has not yet been evaluated systematically. One main cause for the formation of such subpopulations is the progress of all cells through the cell cycle. The interaction of potential cell cycle specific variations in the cell behavior with large-scale process conditions can be optimally determined by means of (partially) synchronized cultivations, with subsequent population resolved model analysis. Therefore, it is desirable to synchronize a culture with minimal perturbation, which is possible with different yield and quality using physical selection methods, but not with frequently used chemical or whole-culture methods. Conventional nonsynchronizing methods with subsequent cell-specific, for example, flow cytometric analysis, can only resolve cell-limited effects of the cell cycle. In this work, we demonstrate countercurrent-flow centrifugal elutriation as a useful physical method to enrich mammalian cell populations within different phases of a cell cycle, which can be further cultivated for synchronized growth in bioreactors under physiological conditions. The presented combined approach contrasts with other physical selection methods especially with respect to the achievable yield, which makes it suitable for bioreactor scale cultivations. As shown with two industrial cell lines (CHO-K1 and human AGE1.HN), synchronous inocula can be obtained with overall synchrony degrees of up to 82% in the G1 phase, 53% in the S phase and 60% in the G2/M phase, with enrichment factors (Ysync) of 1.71, 1.79, and 4.24 respectively. Cells are able to grow with synchrony in bioreactors over several cell cycles. This

  13. Synthetic mRNA devices that detect endogenous proteins and distinguish mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawasaki, Shunsuke; Fujita, Yoshihiko; Nagaike, Takashi; Tomita, Kozo; Saito, Hirohide

    2017-07-07

    Synthetic biology has great potential for future therapeutic applications including autonomous cell programming through the detection of protein signals and the production of desired outputs. Synthetic RNA devices are promising for this purpose. However, the number of available devices is limited due to the difficulty in the detection of endogenous proteins within a cell. Here, we show a strategy to construct synthetic mRNA devices that detect endogenous proteins in living cells, control translation and distinguish cell types. We engineered protein-binding aptamers that have increased stability in the secondary structures of their active conformation. The designed devices can efficiently respond to target proteins including human LIN28A and U1A proteins, while the original aptamers failed to do so. Moreover, mRNA delivery of an LIN28A-responsive device into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) revealed that we can distinguish living hiPSCs and differentiated cells by quantifying endogenous LIN28A protein expression level. Thus, our endogenous protein-driven RNA devices determine live-cell states and program mammalian cells based on intracellular protein information. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  14. Recovery of DNA synthesis from inhibition by ultraviolet light in mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ventura, A M; Ortega, J M; Schumacher, R I; Meneghini, R

    1987-01-01

    In general mammalian cells recover from DNA synthesis inhibition by ultraviolet light (u.v.) before most of the pyrimidine dimers have been removed from the genome. Using metabolic inhibitors, it has been shown that (1) even the low repair rate exhibited by V79 cells is important for recovery; although most of the dimers remain in the V79 genome after recovery of DNA synthesis, either the removal of lesions from some important region of chromatin or the activity of the repair process itself is important for the recovery; (2) the recovery mechanism is induced and depends on RNA synthesis and the production of specific factors. Finally, we have observed that cells previously treated with fluorodeoxyuridine become more resistant to inhibition by u.v. Since it has been shown that this drug activates unused origins of replication in Chinese hamster cells, reducing the average replicon size, we assume that the acquired resistance has to do with the operation of a larger number of small replicons.

  15. Viral and Host Factors Required for Avian H5N1 Influenza A Virus Replication in Mammalian Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Zhang

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Following the initial and sporadic emergence into humans of highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza A viruses in Hong Kong in 1997, we have come to realize the potential for avian influenza A viruses to be transmitted directly from birds to humans. Understanding the basic viral and cellular mechanisms that contribute to infection of mammalian species with avian influenza viruses is essential for developing prevention and control measures against possible future human pandemics. Multiple physical and functional cellular barriers can restrict influenza A virus infection in a new host species, including the cell membrane, the nuclear envelope, the nuclear environment, and innate antiviral responses. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on viral and host factors required for avian H5N1 influenza A viruses to successfully establish infections in mammalian cells. We focus on the molecular mechanisms underpinning mammalian host restrictions, as well as the adaptive mutations that are necessary for an avian influenza virus to overcome them. It is likely that many more viral and host determinants remain to be discovered, and future research in this area should provide novel and translational insights into the biology of influenza virus-host interactions.

  16. Microfluidics for single cell analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Marie Pødenphant

    Isolation and manipulation of single cells have gained an increasing interest from researchers because of the heterogeneity of cells from the same cell culture. Single cell analysis can ensure a better understanding of differences between individual cells and potentially solve a variety of clinical...... problems. In this thesis lab on a chip systems for rare single cell analysis are investigated. The focus was to develop a commercial, disposable device for circulating tumour cell (CTC) analysis. Such a device must be able to separate rare cells from blood samples and subsequently capture the specific...... cells, and simultaneously be fabricated and operated at low costs and be user-friendly. These challenges were addressed through development of two microfluidic devices, one for rare cell isolation based on pinched flow fractionation (PFF) and one for single cell capture based on hydrodynamic trapping...

  17. Temporal fluxomics reveals oscillations in TCA cycle flux throughout the mammalian cell cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Eunyong; Kumar, Praveen; Mukha, Dzmitry; Tzur, Amit; Shlomi, Tomer

    2017-11-06

    Cellular metabolic demands change throughout the cell cycle. Nevertheless, a characterization of how metabolic fluxes adapt to the changing demands throughout the cell cycle is lacking. Here, we developed a temporal-fluxomics approach to derive a comprehensive and quantitative view of alterations in metabolic fluxes throughout the mammalian cell cycle. This is achieved by combining pulse-chase LC-MS-based isotope tracing in synchronized cell populations with computational deconvolution and metabolic flux modeling. We find that TCA cycle fluxes are rewired as cells progress through the cell cycle with complementary oscillations of glucose versus glutamine-derived fluxes: Oxidation of glucose-derived flux peaks in late G1 phase, while oxidative and reductive glutamine metabolism dominates S phase. These complementary flux oscillations maintain a constant production rate of reducing equivalents and oxidative phosphorylation flux throughout the cell cycle. The shift from glucose to glutamine oxidation in S phase plays an important role in cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. © 2017 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

  18. Single-cell Transcriptional Analysis Reveals Novel Neuronal Phenotypes and Interaction Networks involved In the Central Circadian Clock

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Park

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Single-cell heterogeneity confounds efforts to understand how a population of cells organizes into cellular networks that underlie tissue-level function. This complexity is prominent in the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN. Here, individual neurons exhibit a remarkable amount of asynchronous behavior and transcriptional heterogeneity. However, SCN neurons are able to generate precisely coordinated synaptic and molecular outputs that synchronize the body to a common circadian cycle by organizing into cellular networks. To understand this emergent cellular network property, it is important to reconcile single-neuron heterogeneity with network organization. In light of recent studies suggesting that transcriptionally heterogeneous cells organize into distinct cellular phenotypes, we characterized the transcriptional, spatial, and functional organization of 352 SCN neurons from mice experiencing phase-shifts in their circadian cycle. Using the community structure detection method and multivariate analytical techniques, we identified previously undescribed neuronal phenotypes that are likely to participate in regulatory networks with known SCN cell types. Based on the newly discovered neuronal phenotypes, we developed a data-driven neuronal network structure in which multiple cell types interact through known synaptic and paracrine signaling mechanisms. These results provide a basis from which to interpret the functional variability of SCN neurons and describe methodologies towards understanding how a population of heterogeneous single cells organizes into cellular networks that underlie tissue-level function.

  19. Detection of Metabolic Fluxes of O and H Atoms into Intracellular Water in Mammalian Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreuzer, Helen W.; Quaroni, Luca; Podlesak, David W.; Zlateva, Theodora; Bollinger, Nikki; McAllister, Aaron; Lott, Michael J.; Hegg, Eric L.

    2012-01-01

    Metabolic processes result in the release and exchange of H and O atoms from organic material as well as some inorganic salts and gases. These fluxes of H and O atoms into intracellular water result in an isotopic gradient that can be measured experimentally. Using isotope ratio mass spectroscopy, we revealed that slightly over 50% of the H and O atoms in the intracellular water of exponentially-growing cultured Rat-1 fibroblasts were isotopically distinct from growth medium water. We then employed infrared spectromicroscopy to detect in real time the flux of H atoms in these same cells. Importantly, both of these techniques indicate that the H and O fluxes are dependent on metabolic processes; cells that are in lag phase or are quiescent exhibit a much smaller flux. In addition, water extracted from the muscle tissue of rats contained a population of H and O atoms that were isotopically distinct from body water, consistent with the results obtained using the cultured Rat-1 fibroblasts. Together these data demonstrate that metabolic processes produce fluxes of H and O atoms into intracellular water, and that these fluxes can be detected and measured in both cultured mammalian cells and in mammalian tissue. PMID:22848359

  20. Measuring single-cell density.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grover, William H; Bryan, Andrea K; Diez-Silva, Monica; Suresh, Subra; Higgins, John M; Manalis, Scott R

    2011-07-05

    We have used a microfluidic mass sensor to measure the density of single living cells. By weighing each cell in two fluids of different densities, our technique measures the single-cell mass, volume, and density of approximately 500 cells per hour with a density precision of 0.001 g mL(-1). We observe that the intrinsic cell-to-cell variation in density is nearly 100-fold smaller than the mass or volume variation. As a result, we can measure changes in cell density indicative of cellular processes that would be otherwise undetectable by mass or volume measurements. Here, we demonstrate this with four examples: identifying Plasmodium falciparum malaria-infected erythrocytes in a culture, distinguishing transfused blood cells from a patient's own blood, identifying irreversibly sickled cells in a sickle cell patient, and identifying leukemia cells in the early stages of responding to a drug treatment. These demonstrations suggest that the ability to measure single-cell density will provide valuable insights into cell state for a wide range of biological processes.

  1. Live-cell topology assessment of URG7, MRP6{sub 102} and SP-C using glycosylatable green fluorescent protein in mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Hunsang [School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of); Lara, Patricia [Center for Biomembrane Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Ostuni, Angela [Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Viale dell’Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza (Italy); Presto, Jenny [Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Novum 5th Floor, 141 86 Stockholm (Sweden); Johansson, Janne [Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Novum 5th Floor, 141 86 Stockholm (Sweden); Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, The Biomedical Centre, 751 23 Uppsala (Sweden); Institute of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Tallinn University, Narva mnt 25, 101 20 Tallinn (Estonia); Nilsson, IngMarie [Center for Biomembrane Research, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); Kim, Hyun, E-mail: joy@snu.ac.kr [School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-08-08

    Highlights: • Glycosylatable GFP (gGFP) is developed for the use in mammalian cells. • gGFP selectively loses its fluorescence upon N-linked glycosylation in the ER lumen. • Differential fluorescence/glycosylation pattern probes membrane protein topology. • Membrane topology of URG7, MRP6{sub 102}, and SP-C was determined by gGFP tagging in vivo. - Abstract: Experimental tools to determine membrane topology of a protein are rather limited in higher eukaryotic organisms. Here, we report the use of glycosylatable GFP (gGFP) as a sensitive and versatile membrane topology reporter in mammalian cells. gGFP selectively loses its fluorescence upon N-linked glycosylation in the ER lumen. Thus, positive fluorescence signal assigns location of gGFP to the cytosol whereas no fluorescence signal and a glycosylated status of gGFP map the location of gGFP to the ER lumen. By using mammalian gGFP, the membrane topology of disease-associated membrane proteins, URG7, MRP6{sub 102}, SP-C(Val) and SP-C(Leu) was confirmed. URG7 is partially targeted to the ER, and inserted in C{sub in} form. MRP6{sub 102} and SP-C(Leu/Val) are inserted into the membrane in C{sub out} form. A minor population of untargeted SP-C is removed by proteasome dependent quality control system.

  2. Tuning the Density of Poly(ethylene glycol Chains to Control Mammalian Cell and Bacterial Attachment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Al-Ani

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Surface modification of biomaterials with polymer chains has attracted great attention because of their ability to control biointerfacial interactions such as protein adsorption, cell attachment and bacterial biofilm formation. The aim of this study was to control the immobilisation of biomolecules on silicon wafers using poly(ethylene glycol(PEG chains by a “grafting to” technique. In particular, to control the polymer chain graft density in order to capture proteins and preserve their activity in cell culture as well as find the optimal density that would totally prevent bacterial attachment. The PEG graft density was varied by changing the polymer solubility using an increasing salt concentration. The silicon substrates were initially modified with aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES, where the surface density of amine groups was optimised using different concentrations. The results showed under specific conditions, the PEG density was highest with grafting under “cloud point” conditions. The modified surfaces were characterised with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM and water contact angle measurements. In addition, all modified surfaces were tested with protein solutions and in cell (mesenchymal stem cells and MG63 osteoblast-like cells and bacterial (Pseudomonas aeruginosa attachment assays. Overall, the lowest protein adsorption was observed on the highest polymer graft density, bacterial adhesion was very low on all modified surfaces, and it can be seen that the attachment of mammalian cells gradually increased as the PEG grafting density decreased, reaching the maximum attachment at medium PEG densities. The results demonstrate that, at certain PEG surface coverages, mammalian cell attachment can be tuned with the potential to optimise their behaviour with controlled serum protein adsorption.

  3. Single Cell Isolation and Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Hu

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Increasing evidence shows that the heterogeneity of individual cells within a genetically identical population can be critical to their peculiar function and fate. Conventional cell based assays mainly analysis the average responses from a population cells, while the difference within individual cells may often be masked. The cell size, RNA transcripts and protein expression level are quite different within individual cells and these variations are key point to answer the problems in cancer, neurobiology, stem cell biology, immunology and developmental biology. To better understand the cell-to-cell variations, the single cell analysis can provide much more detailed information which may be helpful for therapeutic decisions in an increasingly personalized medicine. In this review, we will focus on the recent development in single cell analysis, including methods used in single cell isolation, analysis and some application examples. The review provides the historical background to single cell analysis, discusses limitations, and current and future possibilities in this exciting field of research.

  4. The Unfolded Protein Response in Homeostasis and Modulation of Mammalian Immune Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins, Ana Sofia; Alves, Inês; Helguero, Luisa; Domingues, Maria Rosário; Neves, Bruno Miguel

    2016-11-01

    The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays important roles in eukaryotic protein folding and lipid biosynthesis. Several exogenous and endogenous cellular sources of stress can perturb ER homeostasis leading to the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the lumen. Unfolded protein accumulation triggers a signal-transduction cascade known as the unfolded protein response (UPR), an adaptive mechanism which aims to protect cells from protein aggregates and to restore ER functions. Further to this protective mechanism, in immune cells, UPR molecular effectors have been shown to participate in a wide range of biological processes such as cell differentiation, survival and immunoglobulin and cytokine production. Recent findings also highlight the involvement of the UPR machinery in the maturational program and antigen presentation capacities of dendritic cells. UPR is therefore a key element in immune system homeostasis with direct implications on both adaptive and innate immune responses. The present review summarizes the knowledge on the emerging roles of UPR signaling cascades in mammalian immune cells as well as the consequences of their dysregulation in relation to the pathogenesis of several diseases.

  5. RNAi screening for characterisation of ER-associated degradation pathways in mammalian cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Månsson, Mats David Joakim

    in a process termed ER-associated degradation (ERAD). This mechanism proceeds through four steps involving recognition, dislocation, ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. This report describes a high-throughput screening method for identification of hitherto unknown pathways for degradation. We present...... fluorescence-based RNAi screens in mammalian cells on TCR-α-GFP and HANSκLC, for identification of ERAD pathways. By validating the obtained screening hits we concluded that UBE2J2 is involved in TCR-α-GFP degradation, possibly by ubiquitination of C-terminal serine residues in TCR-α-GFP. Additionally, we also...

  6. Studies on the repair of damaged DNA in bacteriophage, bacterial and mammalian systems. Comprehensive report, 1 February 1981-15 September 1983

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedberg, E.C.

    1983-01-01

    We have explored the molecular mechanism of the repair of DNA at a number of different levels of biological organization, by investigating bacteriophage, bacterial, yeast and mammalian (including human) cells. We have demonstrated that uv endonuclease of phage T4 not only possesses pyrimidine dimer (PD)-DNA glycosylase activity but also apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease activity. The demonstration of both activities provided an explanation for the specific endonucleosytic cleavage of DNA at sites of pyrimidine dimers catalyzed by this small protein. A new apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease, specific for sites of of base loss in single stranded DNA has been isolated from E. celi and presumably recognizes these lesions in single stranded regions of duplex DNA. We have partially purified this enzyme and have carried out a preliminary characterization of the activity. We treated xeroderma pigmentosum and normal cells with sodium butyrate in the hope of restoring normal levels of excision repair to the former. Although this result was not obtained, we established that all cells treated with sodium butyrate show enhanced levels of repair synthesis, thus providing a means for increasing the sensitivity of this commonly used technique for measuring DNA repair in mammalian cells in culture

  7. Replication labeling patterns and chromosome territories typical of mammalian nuclei are conserved in the early metazoan Hydra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandrova, Olga; Solovei, Irina; Cremer, Thomas; David, Charles N

    2003-12-01

    To investigate the evolutionary conservation of higher order nuclear architecture previously described for mammalian cells we have analyzed the nuclear architecture of the simple polyp Hydra. These diploblastic organisms have large nuclei (8-10 microm) containing about 3x10(9) bp of DNA organized in 15 chromosome pairs. They belong to the earliest metazoan phylum and are separated from mammals by at least 600 million years. Single and double pulse labeling with halogenated nucleotides (bromodeoxyuridine, iododeoxyuridine and chlorodeoxyuridine) revealed striking similarities to the known sequence of replication labeling patterns in mammalian nuclei. These patterns reflect a persistent nuclear arrangement of early, mid-, and late replicating chromatin foci that could be identified during all stages of interphase over at least 5-10 cell generations. Segregation of labeled chromatids led after several cell divisions to nuclei with single or a few labeled chromosome territories. In such nuclei distinct clusters of labeled chromatin foci were separated by extended nuclear areas with non-labeled chromatin, which is typical of a territorial arrangement of interphase chromosomes. Our results indicate the conservation of fundamental features of higher order chromatin arrangements throughout the evolution of metazoan animals and suggest the existence of conserved mechanism(s) controlling this architecture.

  8. Manipulating mammalian cell morphologies using chemical-mechanical polished integrated circuit chips

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moussa, Hassan I.; Logan, Megan; Siow, Geoffrey C.; Phann, Darron L.; Rao, Zheng; Aucoin, Marc G.; Tsui, Ting Y.

    2017-12-01

    Tungsten chemical-mechanical polished integrated circuits were used to study the alignment and immobilization of mammalian (Vero) cells. These devices consist of blanket silicon oxide thin films embedded with micro- and nano-meter scale tungsten metal line structures on the surface. The final surfaces are extremely flat and smooth across the entire substrate, with a roughness in the order of nanometers. Vero cells were deposited on the surface and allowed to adhere. Microscopy examinations revealed that cells have a strong preference to adhere to tungsten over silicon oxide surfaces with up to 99% of cells adhering to the tungsten portion of the surface. Cells self-aligned and elongated into long threads to maximize contact with isolated tungsten lines as thin as 180 nm. The orientation of the Vero cells showed sensitivity to the tungsten line geometric parameters, such as line width and spacing. Up to 93% of cells on 10 μm wide comb structures were aligned within ± 20° of the metal line axis. In contrast, only 22% of cells incubated on 0.18 μm comb patterned tungsten lines were oriented within the same angular interval. This phenomenon is explained using a simple model describing cellular geometry as a function of pattern width and spacing, which showed that cells will rearrange their morphology to maximize their contact to the embedded tungsten. Finally, it was discovered that the materials could be reused after cleaning the surfaces, while maintaining cell alignment capability.

  9. Cell cycle dependent changes in the plasma membrane organization of mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denz, Manuela; Chiantia, Salvatore; Herrmann, Andreas; Mueller, Peter; Korte, Thomas; Schwarzer, Roland

    2017-03-01

    Lipid membranes are major structural elements of all eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Although many aspects of their biology have been studied extensively, their dynamics and lateral heterogeneity are still not fully understood. Recently, we observed a cell-to-cell variability in the plasma membrane organization of CHO-K1 cells (Schwarzer et al., 2014). We surmised that cell cycle dependent changes of the individual cells from our unsynchronized cell population account for this phenomenon. In the present study, this hypothesis was tested. To this aim, CHO-K1 cells were arrested in different cell cycle phases by chemical treatments, and the order of their plasma membranes was determined by various fluorescent lipid analogues using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. Our experiments exhibit significant differences in the membrane order of cells arrested in the G2/M or S phase compared to control cells. Our single-cell analysis also enabled the specific selection of mitotic cells, which displayed a significant increase of the membrane order compared to the control. In addition, the lipid raft marker GPImYFP was used to study the lateral organization of cell cycle arrested cells as well as mitotic cells and freely cycling samples. Again, significant differences were found between control and arrested cells and even more pronounced between control and mitotic cells. Our data demonstrate a direct correlation between cell cycle progression and plasma membrane organization, underlining that cell-to-cell heterogeneities of membrane properties have to be taken into account in cellular studies especially at the single-cell level. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Screening and large-scale expression of membrane proteins in mammalian cells for structural studies

    OpenAIRE

    Goehring, April; Lee, Chia-Hsueh; Wang, Kevin H.; Michel, Jennifer Carlisle; Claxton, Derek P.; Baconguis, Isabelle; Althoff, Thorsten; Fischer, Suzanne; Garcia, K. Christopher; Gouaux, Eric

    2014-01-01

    Structural, biochemical and biophysical studies of eukaryotic membrane proteins are often hampered by difficulties in over-expression of the candidate molecule. Baculovirus transduction of mammalian cells (BacMam), although a powerful method to heterologously express membrane proteins, can be cumbersome for screening and expression of multiple constructs. We therefore developed plasmid Eric Gouaux (pEG) BacMam, a vector optimized for use in screening assays, as well as for efficient productio...

  11. Ectopic expression of human mTOR increases viability, robustness, cell size, proliferation, and antibody production of chinese hamster ovary cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dreesen, Imke A J; Fussenegger, Martin

    2011-04-01

    Engineering of mammalian production cell lines to improve titer and quality of biopharmaceuticals is a top priority of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry providing protein therapeutics to patients worldwide. While many engineering strategies have been successful in the past decade they were often based on the over-expression of a single transgene and therefore limited to addressing a single bottleneck in the cell's production capacity. We provide evidence that ectopic expression of the global metabolic sensor and processing protein mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), simultaneously improves key bioprocess-relevant characteristics of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell-derived production cell lines such as cell growth (increased cell size and protein content), proliferation (increased cell-cycle progression), viability (decreased apoptosis), robustness (decreased sensitivity to sub-optimal growth factor and oxygen supplies) and specific productivity of secreted human glycoproteins. Cultivation of mTOR-transgenic CHO-derived cell lines engineered for secretion of a therapeutic IgG resulted in antibody titers of up to 50 pg/cell/day, which represents a four-fold increase compared to the parental production cell line. mTOR-based engineering of mammalian production cell lines may therefore have a promising future in biopharmaceutical manufacturing of human therapeutic proteins. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. The Mammalian Cell Cycle Regulates Parvovirus Nuclear Capsid Assembly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riolobos, Laura; Domínguez, Carlos; Kann, Michael; Almendral, José M.

    2015-01-01

    It is unknown whether the mammalian cell cycle could impact the assembly of viruses maturing in the nucleus. We addressed this question using MVM, a reference member of the icosahedral ssDNA nuclear parvoviruses, which requires cell proliferation to infect by mechanisms partly understood. Constitutively expressed MVM capsid subunits (VPs) accumulated in the cytoplasm of mouse and human fibroblasts synchronized at G0, G1, and G1/S transition. Upon arrest release, VPs translocated to the nucleus as cells entered S phase, at efficiencies relying on cell origin and arrest method, and immediately assembled into capsids. In synchronously infected cells, the consecutive virus life cycle steps (gene expression, proteins nuclear translocation, capsid assembly, genome replication and encapsidation) proceeded tightly coupled to cell cycle progression from G0/G1 through S into G2 phase. However, a DNA synthesis stress caused by thymidine irreversibly disrupted virus life cycle, as VPs became increasingly retained in the cytoplasm hours post-stress, forming empty capsids in mouse fibroblasts, thereby impairing encapsidation of the nuclear viral DNA replicative intermediates. Synchronously infected cells subjected to density-arrest signals while traversing early S phase also blocked VPs transport, resulting in a similar misplaced cytoplasmic capsid assembly in mouse fibroblasts. In contrast, thymidine and density arrest signals deregulating virus assembly neither perturbed nuclear translocation of the NS1 protein nor viral genome replication occurring under S/G2 cycle arrest. An underlying mechanism of cell cycle control was identified in the nuclear translocation of phosphorylated VPs trimeric assembly intermediates, which accessed a non-conserved route distinct from the importin α2/β1 and transportin pathways. The exquisite cell cycle-dependence of parvovirus nuclear capsid assembly conforms a novel paradigm of time and functional coupling between cellular and virus life

  13. Development of a model system to study leukotriene-induced modification of radiation sensitivity in mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walden, Jr, T L; Holahan, Jr, E V; Catravas, G N

    1986-01-01

    Leukotrienes (LT) are an important class of biological mediators for which no information exists concerning their synthesis following a radiation insult or on their ability to modify cellular response to a subsequent radiation exposure. Results are presented which illustrate that the Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line, V79A03, is useful as a model system to study the metabolic fate of leukotrienes and the effect of LT on radiation sensitivity of mammalian cells in vitro. (U.K.).

  14. The fungicide mancozeb induces toxic effects on mammalian granulosa cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paro, Rita; Tiboni, Gian Mario; Buccione, Roberto; Rossi, Gianna; Cellini, Valerio; Canipari, Rita; Cecconi, Sandra

    2012-01-01

    The ethylene-bis-dithiocarbamate mancozeb is a widely used fungicide with low reported toxicity in mammals. In mice, mancozeb induces embryo apoptosis, affects oocyte meiotic spindle morphology and impairs fertilization rate even when used at very low concentrations. We evaluated the toxic effects of mancozeb on the mouse and human ovarian somatic granulosa cells. We examined parameters such as cell morphology, induction of apoptosis, and p53 expression levels. Mouse granulosa cells exposed to mancozeb underwent a time- and dose-dependent modification of their morphology, and acquired the ability to migrate but not to proliferate. The expression level of p53, in terms of mRNA and protein content, decreased significantly in comparison with unexposed cells, but no change in apoptosis was recorded. Toxic effects could be attributed, at least in part, to the presence of ethylenthiourea (ETU), the main mancozeb catabolite, which was found in culture medium. Human granulosa cells also showed dose-dependent morphological changes and reduced p53 expression levels after exposure to mancozeb. Altogether, these results indicate that mancozeb affects the somatic cells of the mammalian ovarian follicles by inducing a premalignant-like status, and that such damage occurs to the same extent in both mouse and human GC. These results further substantiate the concept that mancozeb should be regarded as a reproductive toxicant. Highlights: ► The fungicide mancozeb affects oocyte spindle morphology and fertilization rate. ► We investigated the toxic effects of mancozeb on mouse and human granulosa cells. ► Granulosa cells modify their morphology and expression level of p53. ► Mancozeb induces a premalignant-like status in exposed cells.

  15. The fungicide mancozeb induces toxic effects on mammalian granulosa cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paro, Rita [Department of Health Sciences, University of L' Aquila, Via Vetoio, L' Aquila (Italy); Tiboni, Gian Mario [Department of Medicine and Aging, Section of Reproductive Sciences, University “G. D' Annunzio”, Chieti-Pescara (Italy); Buccione, Roberto [Tumor Cell Invasion Laboratory, Consorzio Mario Negri Sud, Santa Maria Imbaro, Chieti (Italy); Rossi, Gianna; Cellini, Valerio [Department of Health Sciences, University of L' Aquila, Via Vetoio, L' Aquila (Italy); Canipari, Rita [Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Section of Histology and Embryology, School of Pharmacy and Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome (Italy); Cecconi, Sandra, E-mail: sandra.cecconi@cc.univaq.it [Department of Health Sciences, University of L' Aquila, Via Vetoio, L' Aquila (Italy)

    2012-04-15

    The ethylene-bis-dithiocarbamate mancozeb is a widely used fungicide with low reported toxicity in mammals. In mice, mancozeb induces embryo apoptosis, affects oocyte meiotic spindle morphology and impairs fertilization rate even when used at very low concentrations. We evaluated the toxic effects of mancozeb on the mouse and human ovarian somatic granulosa cells. We examined parameters such as cell morphology, induction of apoptosis, and p53 expression levels. Mouse granulosa cells exposed to mancozeb underwent a time- and dose-dependent modification of their morphology, and acquired the ability to migrate but not to proliferate. The expression level of p53, in terms of mRNA and protein content, decreased significantly in comparison with unexposed cells, but no change in apoptosis was recorded. Toxic effects could be attributed, at least in part, to the presence of ethylenthiourea (ETU), the main mancozeb catabolite, which was found in culture medium. Human granulosa cells also showed dose-dependent morphological changes and reduced p53 expression levels after exposure to mancozeb. Altogether, these results indicate that mancozeb affects the somatic cells of the mammalian ovarian follicles by inducing a premalignant-like status, and that such damage occurs to the same extent in both mouse and human GC. These results further substantiate the concept that mancozeb should be regarded as a reproductive toxicant. Highlights: ► The fungicide mancozeb affects oocyte spindle morphology and fertilization rate. ► We investigated the toxic effects of mancozeb on mouse and human granulosa cells. ► Granulosa cells modify their morphology and expression level of p53. ► Mancozeb induces a premalignant-like status in exposed cells.

  16. Recent topics on the effect of high LET radiation on microorganisms and cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Tan; Nakano, Kazushiro; Yatagai, Fumio; Kaneko, Ichiro; Kosaka, Toshifumi; Kasai, Kiyomi.

    1989-01-01

    Interpretation of inactivation cross sections of E. coli K-12 JC 1553 and AB 1157 by track structure of heavy ions and recent topics on the effect of heavy ions on mammalian cells are described. Calculation of the dose around the trajectory of an ion has also been made and the radial dose distribution has been compared with a recent experiment. (author)

  17. The influence of high intensity terahertz radiation on mammalian cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Rachel; Schofield, Amy; Holder, Gareth; Downes, Joan; Edgar, David; Harrison, Paul; Siggel-King, Michele; Surman, Mark; Dunning, David; Hill, Stephen; Holder, David; Jackson, Frank; Jones, James; McKenzie, Julian; Saveliev, Yuri; Thomsen, Neil; Williams, Peter; Weightman, Peter

    2013-01-21

    Understanding the influence of exposure of biological systems to THz radiation is becoming increasingly important. There is some evidence to suggest that THz radiation can influence important activities within mammalian cells. This study evaluated the influence of the high peak power, low average power THz radiation produced by the ALICE (Daresbury Laboratory, UK) synchrotron source on human epithelial and embryonic stem cells. The cells were maintained under standard tissue culture conditions, during which the THz radiation was delivered directly into the incubator for various exposure times. The influence of the THz radiation on cell morphology, attachment, proliferation and differentiation was evaluated. The study demonstrated that there was no difference in any of these parameters between irradiated and control cell cultures. It is suggested that under these conditions the cells are capable of compensating for any effects caused by exposure to THz radiation with the peak powers levels employed in these studies.

  18. Ultrafast nanolaser device for detecting cancer in a single live cell.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gourley, Paul Lee; McDonald, Anthony Eugene

    2007-11-01

    Emerging BioMicroNanotechnologies have the potential to provide accurate, realtime, high throughput screening of live tumor cells without invasive chemical reagents when coupled with ultrafast laser methods. These optically based methods are critical to advancing early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. The first year goals of this project are to develop a laser-based imaging system integrated with an in- vitro, live-cell, micro-culture to study mammalian cells under controlled conditions. In the second year, the system will be used to elucidate the morphology and distribution of mitochondria in the normal cell respiration state and in the disease state for normal and disease states of the cell. In this work we designed and built an in-vitro, live-cell culture microsystem to study mammalian cells under controlled conditions of pH, temp, CO2, Ox, humidity, on engineered material surfaces. We demonstrated viability of cell culture in the microsystem by showing that cells retain healthy growth rates, exhibit normal morphology, and grow to confluence without blebbing or other adverse influences of the material surfaces. We also demonstrated the feasibility of integrating the culture microsystem with laser-imaging and performed nanolaser flow spectrocytometry to carry out analysis of the cells isolated mitochondria.

  19. Enhanced photo-transfection efficiency of mammalian cells on graphene coated substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mthunzi, Patience; He, Kuang; Ngcobo, Sandile; Warner, Jamie W.

    2014-03-01

    Literature reports graphene, an atomic-thick sheet of carbon atoms as one of the promising biocompatible scaffolds that promotes cellular proliferation in human mesenchymal stem cells. On the other hand, different mammalian cell lines including the induced pluripotent stem cells exhibited an accelerated proliferation rate when cultured on graphene or graphene oxide coated substrates. These findings provide strong motivation to explore the full capability of graphene in further pluripotent stem cell research activities as there exists an urgent requirement to preserve their therapeutic potential. This therefore calls for non-invasive procedures for handling stem cells in-vitro. For example, resent literature has shown successful laser light driven transfection in both multipotent and pluripotent stem cells. In order to explore the non-invasive nature of optical transfection alongside biocompatible qualities of graphene, in this work we investigated the impact of optically transfecting mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells plated on graphene coated sample chambers. Using Chinese Hamster Ovary cells (CHO-K1), we further studied the influence of graphene on cell viability as well as cell cytotoxicity through assessing changes in levels of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) activity and the release of cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase (LHD) respectively. Our results showed that compared to those treated on plain glass, CHO-K1 cells optically treated while plated on graphene coated substrates exhibited a higher production of ATP and a milder release of LDH. In addition there was enhanced photo-transfection efficiency in both CHO-K1 and mES cells irradiated on graphene sample chambers.

  20. Escherichia coli producing colibactin triggers premature and transmissible senescence in mammalian cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Secher

    Full Text Available Cellular senescence is an irreversible state of proliferation arrest evoked by a myriad of stresses including oncogene activation, telomere shortening/dysfunction and genotoxic insults. It has been associated with tumor activation, immune suppression and aging, owing to the secretion of proinflammatory mediators. The bacterial genotoxin colibactin, encoded by the pks genomic island is frequently harboured by Escherichia coli strains of the B2 phylogenetic group. Mammalian cells exposed to live pks+ bacteria exhibit DNA-double strand breaks (DSB and undergo cell-cycle arrest and death. Here we show that cells that survive the acute bacterial infection with pks+ E. coli display hallmarks of cellular senescence: chronic DSB, prolonged cell-cycle arrest, enhanced senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal activity, expansion of promyelocytic leukemia nuclear foci and senescence-associated heterochromatin foci. This was accompanied by reactive oxygen species production and pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and proteases secretion. These mediators were able to trigger DSB and enhanced SA-β-Gal activity in bystander recipient cells treated with conditioned medium from senescent cells. Furthermore, these senescent cells promoted the growth of human tumor cells. In conclusion, the present data demonstrated that the E. coli genotoxin colibactin induces cellular senescence and subsequently propel bystander genotoxic and oncogenic effects.

  1. Effects of 3-Deoxyadenosine (Cordycepin) on the repair of X-ray-induced DNA single- and double-strand breaks in chinese hamster V79 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiraoka, Wakako; Kuwabara, Mikinori; Sato, Fumiaki

    1990-01-01

    The ability of cordycepin to inhibit the repair of DNA strand breaks was examined with X-irradiated Chinese hamster V79 cells in log-phase culture. A filter elution technique revealed that 70 μM cordycepin did not inhibit the repair of single-strand breaks but inhibited the repair of double-strand breaks. These findings confirmed the fact that the increase in the lethality of cordycepin in X-irradiated cultured mammalian cells was attributable to unrepaired DNA double-strand breaks. (author)

  2. Chemical protection of bacteria and cultured mammalian cells by sulfur--containing compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antoku, S [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). Research Inst. for Nuclear Medicine and Biology

    1975-03-01

    Protection by sulfur-containing compounds was studied using bacteria E. coli Bsub(H) and cultured mouse leukemic cells, L 5178 Y. The protective mechanisms are discussed. The dose reduction factors of non-sulfhydryl compounds observed in the bacteria were the same as those observed in mammalian cells, and the protective activity of these compounds was proportional to their reaction rates with hydroxyl radicals. On the other hand, sulfhydryl compounds, with the exception of glutathione, offered a much greater protection than was anticipated from their radical scavenging activity. From studies under anoxia, the protection of cysteine was explained by its OH scavenging and competition with oxygen. In addition, for MEA, protection against the direct action of radiation was suggested. This was supported by the significant protection in the frozen state.

  3. Metabolite extraction from adherently growing mammalian cells for metabolomics studies: optimization of harvesting and extraction protocols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dettmer, Katja; Nürnberger, Nadine; Kaspar, Hannelore; Gruber, Michael A; Almstetter, Martin F; Oefner, Peter J

    2011-01-01

    Trypsin/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) treatment and cell scraping in a buffer solution were compared for harvesting adherently growing mammalian SW480 cells for metabolomics studies. In addition, direct scraping with a solvent was tested. Trypsinated and scraped cell pellets were extracted using seven different extraction protocols including pure methanol, methanol/water, pure acetone, acetone/water, methanol/chloroform/water, methanol/isopropanol/water, and acid-base methanol. The extracts were analyzed by GC-MS after methoximation/silylation and derivatization with propyl chloroformate, respectively. The metabolic fingerprints were compared and 25 selected metabolites including amino acids and intermediates of energy metabolism were quantitatively determined. Moreover, the influence of freeze/thaw cycles, ultrasonication and homogenization using ceramic beads on extraction yield was tested. Pure acetone yielded the lowest extraction efficiency while methanol, methanol/water, methanol/isopropanol/water, and acid-base methanol recovered similar metabolite amounts with good reproducibility. Based on overall performance, methanol/water was chosen as a suitable extraction solvent. Repeated freeze/thaw cycles, ultrasonication and homogenization did not improve overall metabolite yield of the methanol/water extraction. Trypsin/EDTA treatment caused substantial metabolite leakage proving it inadequate for metabolomics studies. Gentle scraping of the cells in a buffer solution and subsequent extraction with methanol/water resulted on average in a sevenfold lower recovery of quantified metabolites compared with direct scraping using methanol/water, making the latter one the method of choice to harvest and extract metabolites from adherently growing mammalian SW480 cells.

  4. Mammalian-enabled (MENA) protein enhances oncogenic potential and cancer stem cell-like phenotype in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Kunpeng; Huang, Pinzhu; Luo, Hui; Yao, Zhicheng; Wang, Qingliang; Xiong, Zhiyong; Lin, Jizong; Huang, He; Xu, Shilei; Zhang, Peng; Liu, Bo

    2017-08-01

    Mammalian-enabled (MENA) protein is an actin-regulatory protein that influences cell motility and adhesion. It is known to play a role in tumorigenicity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the oncogenic potential of MENA and its capacity to regulate cancer stem cell (CSC)-like phenotypes in HCC cells. Real-time-PCR and western blot were used to assess mRNA and protein levels of target genes in human HCC tissue specimens and HCC cell lines, respectively. Stable MENA-overexpressing HCC cells were generated from HCC cell lines. Transwell cell migration and colony formation assays were employed to evaluate tumorigenicity. Ectopic expression of MENA significantly enhanced cell migration and colony-forming ability in HCC cells. Overexpression of MENA upregulated several hepatic progenitor/stem cell markers in HCC cells. A high MENA protein level was associated with high mRNA levels of MENA, CD133, cytokeratin 19 (CK19), and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in human HCC tissues. Overexpression of MENA enhanced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) phosphorylation, and the level of β-catenin in HCC cells. This study demonstrated that overexpression of MENA in HCC cells promoted stem cell markers, EMT markers, and tumorigenicity. These effects may involve, at least partially, the ERK and β-catenin signaling pathways.

  5. Induction of heat-labile sites in DNA of mammalian cells by the antitumor alkylating drug CC-1065

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zsido, T.J.; Woynarowski, J.M.; Baker, R.M.; Gawron, L.S.; Beerman, T.A.

    1991-01-01

    CC-1065 is a very potent antitumor antibiotic capable of covalent and noncovalent binding to the minor groove of naked DNA. Upon thermal treatment, covalent adducts formed between CC-1065 and DNA generate strand break. The authors have shown that this molecular damage can be detected following CC-1065 treatment of mammalian whole cells. Using alkaline sucrose gradient analysis, They observe thermally induced breakage of [ 14 C]thymidine-prelabeled DNA from drug-treated African green monkey kidney BSC-1 cells. Very little damage to cellular DNA by CC-1065 can be detected without first heating the drug-treated samples. CC-1065 can also generate heat-labile sites within DNA during cell lysis and heating, subsequent to the exposure of cells to drug, suggesting that a pool of free and noncovalently bound drug is available for posttreatment adduct formation. This effect was controlled for by mixing [ 3 H]thymidine-labeled untreated cells with the [ 14 C]thymidine-labeled drug-treated samples. The lowest drug dose at which heat-labile sites were detected was 3 nM CC-1065 (3 single-stranded breaks/10 6 base pairs). This concentration reduced survival of BSC-1 cells to 0.1% in cytotoxicity assays. The generation of CC-1065-induced lesions in cellular DNA is time dependent (the frequency of lesions caused by a 60 nM treatment reaching a plateau at 2 h) and is not readily reversible. The results of this study demonstrate that CC-1065 does generate heat-labile sites with the cellular DNA of intact cells and suggest that a mechanism of cytotoxic action of CC-1065 involves formation of covalent adducts to DNA

  6. Chlorpromazine reduces the intercellular communication via gap junctions in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orellana, Juan A.; Palacios-Prado, Nicolas; Saez, Juan C.

    2006-01-01

    In the work presented herein, we evaluated the effect of chlorpromazine (CPZ) on gap junctions expressed by two mammalian cell types; Gn-11 cells (cell line derived from mouse LHRH neurons) and rat cortical astrocytes maintained in culture. We also attempted to elucidate possible mechanisms of action of CPZ effects on gap junctions. CPZ, in concentrations comparable with doses used to treat human diseases, was found to reduce the intercellular communication via gap junctions as evaluated with measurements of dye coupling (Lucifer yellow). In both cell types, maximal inhibition of functional gap junctions was reached within about 1 h of treatment with CPZ, an recovery was almost complete at about 5 h after CPZ wash out. In both cell types, CPZ treatment increased the phosphorylation state of connexin43 (Cx43), a gap junction protein subunit. Moreover, CPZ reduced the reactivity of Cx43 (immunofluorescence) at cell interfaces and concomitantly increased its reactivity in intracellular vesicles, suggesting an increased retrieval from and/or reduced insertion into the plasma membrane. CPZ also caused cellular retraction reducing cell-cell contacts in a reversible manner. The reduction in contact area might destabilize existing gap junctions and abrogate formation of new ones. Moreover, the CPZ-induced reduction in gap junctional communication may depend on the connexins (Cxs) forming the junctions. If Cx43 were the only connexin expressed, MAPK-dependent phosphorylation of this connexin would induce closure of gap junction channels

  7. Screening of potential lactobacilli antigenotoxicity by microbial and mammalian cell-based tests.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldini, G; Trotta, F; Villarini, M; Moretti, M; Pasquini, R; Scassellati-Sforzolini, G; Cenci, G

    2005-06-25

    Antigenotoxicity is considered an important property for probiotic lactobacilli. The ability of non probiotic lactobacilli from dairy products and starters to inhibit two reference genotoxins: 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide and N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine was evaluated. The study was carried out using short-term assays with different targets, such as procaryotic cells (SOS-Chromotest for genotoxicity in Escherichia coli and Ames test for mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium) and eucaryotic cells (Comet assay for genotoxicity in Caco-2 enterocytes). A high proportion of strains inhibiting 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide activity was found in Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Lactobacillus plantarum. Inhibition of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine activity occurred in only one L. acidophilus strain. All the strains with antigenotoxic properties also demonstrated antimutagenic activity and produced modifications in genotoxin spectroscopic profiles. Strain viability during and after genotoxin exposure was confirmed. Concordance of the results obtained with microbial and mammalian cell-based tests is underlined.

  8. Silver nanoparticle-enriched diamond-like carbon implant modification as a mammalian cell compatible surface with antimicrobial properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorzelanny, Christian; Kmeth, Ralf; Obermeier, Andreas; Bauer, Alexander T.; Halter, Natalia; Kümpel, Katharina; Schneider, Matthias F.; Wixforth, Achim; Gollwitzer, Hans; Burgkart, Rainer; Stritzker, Bernd; Schneider, Stefan W.

    2016-01-01

    The implant-bone interface is the scene of competition between microorganisms and distinct types of tissue cells. In the past, various strategies have been followed to support bony integration and to prevent bacterial implant-associated infections. In the present study we investigated the biological properties of diamond-like carbon (DLC) surfaces containing silver nanoparticles. DLC is a promising material for the modification of medical implants providing high mechanical and chemical stability and a high degree of biocompatibility. DLC surface modifications with varying silver concentrations were generated on medical-grade titanium discs, using plasma immersion ion implantation-induced densification of silver nanoparticle-containing polyvinylpyrrolidone polymer solutions. Immersion of implants in aqueous liquids resulted in a rapid silver release reducing the growth of surface-bound and planktonic Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Due to the fast and transient release of silver ions from the modified implants, the surfaces became biocompatible, ensuring growth of mammalian cells. Human endothelial cells retained their cellular differentiation as indicated by the intracellular formation of Weibel-Palade bodies and a high responsiveness towards histamine. Our findings indicate that the integration of silver nanoparticles into DLC prevents bacterial colonization due to a fast initial release of silver ions, facilitating the growth of silver susceptible mammalian cells subsequently. PMID:26955791

  9. Heavy ion induced genetic effects in mammalian cells. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiefer, J.; Brend'amour, M.; Casares, A.; Egenolf, R.; Gutermuth, F.; Ikpeme, S.E.; Koch, S.; Kost, M.; Loebrich, M.; Pross, H.D.; Russmann, C.; Schmidt, P.; Schneider, E.; Stoll, U.; Weber, K.J.

    2001-01-01

    DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are generally assumed to be the most relevant initial event producing radiation-induced cellular lethality, as well as mutations and transformations. The dependence of their formation on radiation quality has been recently reviewed. Contrary to earlier observations there seems to be now agreement that the RBE does not increase above unity with increasing LET in mammalian cells when conventional techniques are applied which are not able to resolve smaller fragments. If they are, however, included in the analysis maximum RBE values around 2 are obtained. The situation is different with yeast: An increased effectiveness for DSB induction has been reported with alpha particles, as well as for heavy ions. This may be due to differences in methods or to chromosomal structure, as discussed in more detail in this paper. DSB induction was measured for a LET range of 100 to 11500 keV/? m in yeast cells using pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Under the conditions applied the chromosomes of the yeast cells could be separated according to size allowing the direct quantification of the DSB yield by measuring the intensity of the largest chromosomes. The results demonstrate clearly that DSB induction in yeast depends on radiation quality. The derived cross-sections for DSB induction were also compared to those for cell inactivation determined in parallel experiments under identical irradiation conditions. (orig.)

  10. Technologies for Single-Cell Isolation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Andre; Schoendube, Jonas; Zimmermann, Stefan; Steeb, Maximilian; Zengerle, Roland; Koltay, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The handling of single cells is of great importance in applications such as cell line development or single-cell analysis, e.g., for cancer research or for emerging diagnostic methods. This review provides an overview of technologies that are currently used or in development to isolate single cells for subsequent single-cell analysis. Data from a dedicated online market survey conducted to identify the most relevant technologies, presented here for the first time, shows that FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting) respectively Flow cytometry (33% usage), laser microdissection (17%), manual cell picking (17%), random seeding/dilution (15%), and microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip devices (12%) are currently the most frequently used technologies. These most prominent technologies are described in detail and key performance factors are discussed. The survey data indicates a further increasing interest in single-cell isolation tools for the coming years. Additionally, a worldwide patent search was performed to screen for emerging technologies that might become relevant in the future. In total 179 patents were found, out of which 25 were evaluated by screening the title and abstract to be relevant to the field. PMID:26213926

  11. Technologies for Single-Cell Isolation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andre Gross

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The handling of single cells is of great importance in applications such as cell line development or single-cell analysis, e.g., for cancer research or for emerging diagnostic methods. This review provides an overview of technologies that are currently used or in development to isolate single cells for subsequent single-cell analysis. Data from a dedicated online market survey conducted to identify the most relevant technologies, presented here for the first time, shows that FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting respectively Flow cytometry (33% usage, laser microdissection (17%, manual cell picking (17%, random seeding/dilution (15%, and microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip devices (12% are currently the most frequently used technologies. These most prominent technologies are described in detail and key performance factors are discussed. The survey data indicates a further increasing interest in single-cell isolation tools for the coming years. Additionally, a worldwide patent search was performed to screen for emerging technologies that might become relevant in the future. In total 179 patents were found, out of which 25 were evaluated by screening the title and abstract to be relevant to the field.

  12. Technologies for Single-Cell Isolation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Andre; Schoendube, Jonas; Zimmermann, Stefan; Steeb, Maximilian; Zengerle, Roland; Koltay, Peter

    2015-07-24

    The handling of single cells is of great importance in applications such as cell line development or single-cell analysis, e.g., for cancer research or for emerging diagnostic methods. This review provides an overview of technologies that are currently used or in development to isolate single cells for subsequent single-cell analysis. Data from a dedicated online market survey conducted to identify the most relevant technologies, presented here for the first time, shows that FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorting) respectively Flow cytometry (33% usage), laser microdissection (17%), manual cell picking (17%), random seeding/dilution (15%), and microfluidics/lab-on-a-chip devices (12%) are currently the most frequently used technologies. These most prominent technologies are described in detail and key performance factors are discussed. The survey data indicates a further increasing interest in single-cell isolation tools for the coming years. Additionally, a worldwide patent search was performed to screen for emerging technologies that might become relevant in the future. In total 179 patents were found, out of which 25 were evaluated by screening the title and abstract to be relevant to the field.

  13. Direct Capture of Functional Proteins from Mammalian Plasma Membranes into Nanodiscs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Jahnabi; Pondenis, Holly; Fan, Timothy M; Das, Aditi

    2015-10-20

    Mammalian plasma membrane proteins make up the largest class of drug targets yet are difficult to study in a cell free system because of their intransigent nature. Herein, we perform direct encapsulation of plasma membrane proteins derived from mammalian cells into a functional nanodisc library. Peptide fingerprinting was used to analyze the proteome of the incorporated proteins in nanodiscs and to further demonstrate that the lipid composition of the nanodiscs directly affects the class of protein that is incorporated. Furthermore, the functionality of the incorporated membrane proteome was evaluated by measuring the activity of membrane proteins: Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase and receptor tyrosine kinases. This work is the first report of the successful establishment and characterization of a cell free functional library of mammalian membrane proteins into nanodiscs.

  14. Singlet Oxygen Sensor Green: Photochemical Behavior in Solution and in a Mammalian Cell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gollmer, Anita; Arnbjerg, Jacob; Blaikie, Frances Helen

    2011-01-01

    The development of efficient and selective luminescent probes for reactive oxygen species, particularly for singlet molecular oxygen, is currently of great importance. In this study, the photochemical behavior of Singlet Oxygen Sensor Green® (SOSG), a commercially available fluorescent probe...... for singlet oxygen, was examined. Despite published claims to the contrary, the data presented herein indicate that SOSG can, in fact, be incorporated into a living mammalian cell. However, for a number of reasons, caution must be exercised when using SOSG. First, it is shown that the immediate product...... of the reaction between SOSG and singlet oxygen is, itself, an efficient singlet oxygen photosensitizer. Second, SOSG appears to efficiently bind to proteins which, in turn, can influence uptake by a cell as well as behavior in the cell. As such, incorrect use of SOSG can yield misleading data on yields...

  15. Hierarchical micro/nanostructured titanium with balanced actions to bacterial and mammalian cells for dental implants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhu Y

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Yu Zhu,1,* Huiliang Cao,2,* Shichong Qiao,1,* Manle Wang,2,3 Yingxin Gu,1 Huiwen Luo,1 Fanhao Meng,2 Xuanyong Liu,2 Hongchang Lai1 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Implantology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 3School of Materials Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: A versatile strategy to endow dental implants with long-term antibacterial ability without compromising the cytocompatibility is highly desirable to combat implant-related infection. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs have been utilized as a highly effective and broad-spectrum antibacterial agent for surface modification of biomedical devices. However, the high mobility and subsequent hazardous effects of the particles on mammalian cells may limit its practical applications. Thus, Ag NPs were immobilized on the surface of sand-blasted, large grit, and acid-etched (SLA titanium by manipulating the atomic-scale heating effect of silver plasma immersion ion implantation. The silver plasma immersion ion implantation-treated SLA surface gave rise to both good antibacterial activity and excellent compatibility with mammalian cells. The antibacterial activity rendered by the immobilized Ag NPs was assessed using Fusobacterium nucleatum and Staphylococcus aureus, commonly suspected pathogens for peri-implant disease. The immobilized Ag NPs offered a good defense against multiple cycles of bacteria attack in both F. nucleatum and S. aureus, and the mechanism was independent of silver release. F. nucleatum showed a higher susceptibility to Ag NPs than S. aureus, which might be explained by the presence of different wall structures. Moreover, the

  16. Microfluidic Platform for the Long-Term On-Chip Cultivation of Mammalian Cells for Lab-On-A-Chip Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunge, Frank; Driesche, Sander van den; Vellekoop, Michael J

    2017-07-10

    Lab-on-a-Chip (LoC) applications for the long-term analysis of mammalian cells are still very rare due to the lack of convenient cell cultivation devices. The difficulties are the integration of suitable supply structures, the need of expensive equipment like an incubator and sophisticated pumps as well as the choice of material. The presented device is made out of hard, but non-cytotoxic materials (silicon and glass) and contains two vertical arranged membranes out of hydrogel. The porous membranes are used to separate the culture chamber from two supply channels for gases and nutrients. The cells are fed continuously by diffusion through the membranes without the need of an incubator and low requirements on the supply of medium to the assembly. The diffusion of oxygen is modelled in order to find the optimal dimensions of the chamber. The chip is connected via 3D-printed holders to the macroscopic world. The holders are coated with Parlyene C to ensure that only biocompatible materials are in contact with the culture medium. The experiments with MDCK-cells show the successful seeding inside the chip, culturing and passaging. Consequently, the presented platform is a step towards Lab-on-a-Chip applications that require long-term cultivation of mammalian cells.

  17. Dedifferentiation and proliferation of mammalian cardiomyocytes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiqiang Zhang

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available It has long been thought that mammalian cardiomyocytes are terminally-differentiated and unable to proliferate. However, myocytes in more primitive animals such as zebrafish are able to dedifferentiate and proliferate to regenerate amputated cardiac muscle.Here we test the hypothesis that mature mammalian cardiomyocytes retain substantial cellular plasticity, including the ability to dedifferentiate, proliferate, and acquire progenitor cell phenotypes. Two complementary methods were used: 1 cardiomyocyte purification from rat hearts, and 2 genetic fate mapping in cardiac explants from bi-transgenic mice. Cardiomyocytes isolated from rodent hearts were purified by multiple centrifugation and Percoll gradient separation steps, and the purity verified by immunostaining and RT-PCR. Within days in culture, purified cardiomyocytes lost their characteristic electrophysiological properties and striations, flattened and began to divide, as confirmed by proliferation markers and BrdU incorporation. Many dedifferentiated cardiomyocytes went on to express the stem cell antigen c-kit, and the early cardiac transcription factors GATA4 and Nkx2.5. Underlying these changes, inhibitory cell cycle molecules were suppressed in myocyte-derived cells (MDCs, while microRNAs known to orchestrate proliferation and pluripotency increased dramatically. Some, but not all, MDCs self-organized into spheres and re-differentiated into myocytes and endothelial cells in vitro. Cell fate tracking of cardiomyocytes from 4-OH-Tamoxifen-treated double-transgenic MerCreMer/ZEG mouse hearts revealed that green fluorescent protein (GFP continues to be expressed in dedifferentiated cardiomyocytes, two-thirds of which were also c-kit(+.Contradicting the prevailing view that they are terminally-differentiated, postnatal mammalian cardiomyocytes are instead capable of substantial plasticity. Dedifferentiation of myocytes facilitates proliferation and confers a degree of stemness

  18. Autoradiographic assay of mutants resistant to diphtheria toxin in mammalian cells in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ronen, A.; Gingerich, J.D.; Duncan, A.M.V.; Heddle, J.A.

    1984-01-01

    Diptheria toxin kills mammalian cells by ribosylating elongation factor 2, a protein factor necessary for protein synthesis. The frequency of cells able to form colonies in the presence of the toxin can be used as an assay for mutation to diphtheria toxin resistance. Resistance to diphtheria toxin can also be detected autoradiographically in cells exposed to [ 3 H]leucine after treatment with the toxin. In cultures of Chinese hamster ovary cells, the frequency of such resistant cells is increased by exposure of the cells to γ-rays, ultraviolet light, ethylnitrosourea, mitomycin c, ethidium bromide, and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The resistant cells form discrete microcolonies if they are allowed to divide several times before intoxication which indicates that they are genuine mutants. The assay is potentially adaptable to any cell population that can be intoxicated with diphtheria toxin and labeled with [ 3 H]leucine, whether or not the cells can form colonies. It may be useful, therefore, for measuring mutation rates in slowly growing or nondividing cell populations such as breast, brain, and liver, as well as in cells that do divide but cannot be readily cloned, such as the colonic epithelium. 23 references, 6 figures

  19. Evidence for nuclear internalization of exogenous DNA into mammalian sperm cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Francolini, M.; Lavitrano, M.; Lamia, C.L.; French, D.; Frati, L.; Cotelli, F.; Spadafora, C.

    1993-01-01

    Mature sperm cells have the spontaneous capacity to take up exogenous DNA. Such DNA specifically interacts with the subacrosomal segment of the sperm head corresponding to the nuclear area. Part of the sperm-bound foreign DNA is further internalized into nuclei. Using end-labelled plasmid DNA we have found that 15-22% of the total sperm bound DNA is associated with nuclei as determined on isolated nuclei. On the basis of autoradiographic analysis, nuclear permeability to exogenous DNA seems to be a wide phenomenon involving the majority of the sperm nuclei. In fact, the foreign DNA, incubated with sperm cells for different lengths of time, is found in 45% (10 min) to 65% (2 hr) of the sperm nuclei. Ultrastructural autoradiography on thin sections of mammalian spermatozoa, preincubated with end-labelled plasmid DNA, shows that the exogenous DNA is internalized into the nucleus. This conclusion is further supported by ultrastructural autoradiographic analysis on thin sections of nuclei isolated from spermatozoa preincubated with end-labelled DNA

  20. Understanding and modeling retention of mammalian cells in fluidized bed centrifuges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, William; Rubin, Jonathan; Scully, Jennifer; Kamaraju, Hari; Wnukowski, Piotr; Bhatia, Ravinder

    2016-11-01

    Within the last decade, fully disposable centrifuge technologies, fluidized-bed centrifuges (FBC), have been introduced to the biologics industry. The FBC has found a niche in cell therapy where it is used to collect, concentrate, and then wash mammalian cell product while continuously discarding centrate. The goal of this research was to determine optimum FBC conditions for recovery of live cells, and to develop a mathematical model that can assist with process scaleup. Cell losses can occur during bed formation via flow channels within the bed. Experimental results with the kSep400 centrifuge indicate that, for a given volume processed: the bed height (a bed compactness indicator) is affected by RPM and flowrate, and dead cells are selectively removed during operation. To explain these results, two modeling approaches were used: (i) equating the centrifugal and inertial forces on the cells (i.e., a force balance model or FBM) and (ii) a two-phase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to predict liquid flow patterns and cell retention in the bowl. Both models predicted bed height vs. time reasonably well, though the CFD model proved more accurate. The flow patterns predicted by CFD indicate a Coriolis-driven flow that enhances uniformity of cells in the bed and may lead to cell losses in the outflow over time. The CFD-predicted loss of viable cells and selective removal of the dead cells generally agreed with experimental trends, but did over-predict dead cell loss by up to 3-fold for some of the conditions. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1520-1530, 2016. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  1. Microencapsulation for the Therapeutic Delivery of Drugs, Live Mammalian and Bacterial Cells, and Other Biopharmaceutics: Current Status and Future Directions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine Tomaro-Duchesneau

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Microencapsulation is a technology that has shown significant promise in biotherapeutics, and other applications. It has been proven useful in the immobilization of drugs, live mammalian and bacterial cells and other cells, and other biopharmaceutics molecules, as it can provide material structuration, protection of the enclosed product, and controlled release of the encapsulated contents, all of which can ensure efficient and safe therapeutic effects. This paper is a comprehensive review of microencapsulation and its latest developments in the field. It provides a comprehensive overview of the technology and primary goals of microencapsulation and discusses various processes and techniques involved in microencapsulation including physical, chemical, physicochemical, and other methods involved. It also summarizes the state-of-the-art successes of microencapsulation, specifically with regard to the encapsulation of microorganisms, mammalian cells, drugs, and other biopharmaceutics in various diseases. The limitations and future directions of microencapsulation technologies are also discussed.

  2. Microencapsulation for the Therapeutic Delivery of Drugs, Live Mammalian and Bacterial Cells, and Other Biopharmaceutics: Current Status and Future Directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saha, Shyamali; Malhotra, Meenakshi; Kahouli, Imen; Prakash, Satya

    2013-01-01

    Microencapsulation is a technology that has shown significant promise in biotherapeutics, and other applications. It has been proven useful in the immobilization of drugs, live mammalian and bacterial cells and other cells, and other biopharmaceutics molecules, as it can provide material structuration, protection of the enclosed product, and controlled release of the encapsulated contents, all of which can ensure efficient and safe therapeutic effects. This paper is a comprehensive review of microencapsulation and its latest developments in the field. It provides a comprehensive overview of the technology and primary goals of microencapsulation and discusses various processes and techniques involved in microencapsulation including physical, chemical, physicochemical, and other methods involved. It also summarizes the state-of-the-art successes of microencapsulation, specifically with regard to the encapsulation of microorganisms, mammalian cells, drugs, and other biopharmaceutics in various diseases. The limitations and future directions of microencapsulation technologies are also discussed. PMID:26555963

  3. Polymeric nanosensors for measuring the full dynamic pH range of endosomes and lysosomes in mammalian cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sun, Honghao; Andresen, Thomas Lars; Benjaminsen, Rikke Vicki

    2009-01-01

    Polymer nanoparticle sensors have been constructed for studying pH in the endocytic pathway in mammalian cells. The pH sensors for fluorescence ratiometric measurements were prepared using inverse microemulsion polymerization with rhodamine as reference fluorophor and fluorescein and oregon green...... was used to introduce a net positive charge in the cationic particles. It was found that the positively charged particle sensors were internalized spontaneously by HepG2 cancer cells. These new pH nanosensors are potential tools in time resolved quantification of pH in the endocytic pathway of living cells....

  4. Cytosolic iron chaperones: Proteins delivering iron cofactors in the cytosol of mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philpott, Caroline C; Ryu, Moon-Suhn; Frey, Avery; Patel, Sarju

    2017-08-04

    Eukaryotic cells contain hundreds of metalloproteins that are supported by intracellular systems coordinating the uptake and distribution of metal cofactors. Iron cofactors include heme, iron-sulfur clusters, and simple iron ions. Poly(rC)-binding proteins are multifunctional adaptors that serve as iron ion chaperones in the cytosolic/nuclear compartment, binding iron at import and delivering it to enzymes, for storage (ferritin) and export (ferroportin). Ferritin iron is mobilized by autophagy through the cargo receptor, nuclear co-activator 4. The monothiol glutaredoxin Glrx3 and BolA2 function as a [2Fe-2S] chaperone complex. These proteins form a core system of cytosolic iron cofactor chaperones in mammalian cells. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  5. Toxicity of ricin A chain is reduced in mammalian cells by inhibiting its interaction with the ribosome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jetzt, Amanda E. [Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8520 (United States); Li, Xiao-Ping; Tumer, Nilgun E. [Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8520 (United States); Cohick, Wendie S., E-mail: cohick@aesop.rutgers.edu [Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8520 (United States)

    2016-11-01

    Ricin is a potent ribotoxin that is considered a bioterror threat due to its ease of isolation and possibility of aerosolization. In yeast, mutation of arginine residues away from the active site results in a ricin toxin A chain (RTA) variant that is unable to bind the ribosome and exhibits reduced cytotoxicity. The goal of the present work was to determine if these residues contribute to ribosome binding and cytotoxicity of RTA in mammalian cells. The RTA mutant R193A/R235A did not interact with mammalian ribosomes, while a G212E variant with a point mutation near its active site bound ribosomes similarly to wild-type (WT) RTA. R193A/R235A retained full catalytic activity on naked RNA but had reduced activity on mammalian ribosomes. To determine the effect of this mutant in intact cells, pre R193A/R235A containing a signal sequence directing it to the endoplasmic reticulum and mature R193A/R235A that directly targeted cytosolic ribosomes were each expressed. Depurination and protein synthesis inhibition were reduced by both pre- and mature R193A/R235A relative to WT. Protein synthesis inhibition was reduced to a greater extent by R193A/R235A than by G212E. Pre R193A/R235A caused a greater reduction in caspase activation and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential than G212E relative to WT RTA. These findings indicate that an RTA variant with reduced ribosome binding is less toxic than a variant with less catalytic activity but normal ribosome binding activity. The toxin-ribosome interaction represents a novel target for the development of therapeutics to prevent or treat ricin intoxication. - Highlights: • Arginines 193 and 235 of RTA are critical for binding to the mammalian ribosome. • R193A/R235A has full catalytic activity on RNA but not on mammalian ribosomes. • R193A/R235A is less toxic than a mutant that targets the active site. • The toxin-ribosome interaction is a therapeutic target for ricin intoxication.

  6. The effect of isochoric freezing on mammalian cells in an extracellular phosphate buffered solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preciado, J; Rubinsky, B

    2018-04-20

    Isochoric (constant volume) freezing has been recently suggested as a new method for cell and organ preservation. As a first step in studying the effect of isochoric freezing on mammalian cells, Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells (MDCK), were frozen in an isochoric system, in a simple extracellular phosphate buffered solution to -10 °C (96.5 MPa), - 15 °C (162 MPa) and -20 °C (205 MPa) for 60 and 120 min. Cell membrane integrity and cell metabolism were studied with a Live/Dead cell vitality assay and flow cytometry. We found that cell survival decreases with an increase in pressure (lower temperatures) and time of exposure. For example, 60% of cells survived 60 min at - 10 °C and only 18% survived 120 min at this temperature. Negligible survival was measured at - 20 °C. This study may serve as the baseline towards further research on techniques to optimize the effects of isochoric freezing on living biological matter. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  7. Mammalian cell invasion and intracellular trafficking by Trypanosoma cruzi infective forms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renato A. Mortara

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas’ disease, occurs as different strains or isolates that may be grouped in two major phylogenetic lineages: T. cruzi I, associated with the sylvatic cycle and T. cruzi II, linked to the human disease. In the mammalian host the parasite has to invade cells and many studies implicated the flagellated trypomastigotes in this process. Several parasite surface components and some of host cell receptors with which they interact have been identified. Our work focused on how amastigotes, usually found growing in the cytoplasm, can invade mammalian cells with infectivities comparable to that of trypomastigotes. We found differences in cellular responses induced by amastigotes and trypomastigotes regarding cytoskeletal components and actin-rich projections. Extracellularly generated amastigotes of T. cruzi I strains may display greater infectivity than metacyclic trypomastigotes towards cultured cell lines as well as target cells that have modified expression of different classes of cellular components. Cultured host cells harboring the bacterium Coxiella burnetii allowed us to gain new insights into the trafficking properties of the different infective forms of T. cruzi, disclosing unexpected requirements for the parasite to transit between the parasitophorous vacuole to its final destination in the host cell cytoplasm.O agente etiológico da doença de Chagas, Trypanosoma cruzi, ocorre como cepas ou isolados que podem ser agrupados em duas grandes linhagens filogenéticas: T. cruzi I associada ao ciclo silvestre e T. cruzi II ligada à doençahumana. No hospedeiro mamífero o parasita tem que invadir células, e vários estudos relacionam as formas flageladas tripomastigotas neste processo. Diferentes componentes de superfície dos parasitas e alguns dos respectivos receptores foram identificados. Em nosso trabalho temos procurado compreender como amastigotas, que normalmente são encontrados crescendo

  8. Cell cycle analysis of cultured mammalian cells after exposure to 4,5',8-trimethylpsoralen and long-wave ultraviolet light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, S.R.; Burkholder, D.E.; Varga, J.M.; Carter, D.M.; Bartholomew, J.C.

    1981-01-01

    Cell cycle analysis was used to study the the effect of 4,5'8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP) and long-wave ultraviolet light (UV-A) on cultured mammalian cells. DNA distribution patterns were measured for murine melanoma cells (a cloned line of Cloudman S91) and a strain of diploid human skin fibroblasts (CRL 1295) using both a microfluorimetry procedure and flow cytometry. The untreated cells and those receiving TMP along and UV-A alone had identical DNA content as assessed at several posttreatment intervals (0-72 hr). The majority of cells in control groups contained a G1 DNA content, whereas exposure to TMP (2 x 10(-7) M) plus UV-A (1 Joule/cm2) led to the accumulation of cells in the G2 phase. These observations were similar for each cell type and both analytical techniques were in excellent agreement. The finding that psoralen plus UV-A induces a phase-specific G2 blockade in cultured cells has important implications for understanding the mechanisms which account for enhanced pigmentation and suppression of cellular proliferation following exposure to these agents in vivo

  9. Measurement of DNA-protein crosslinks in mammalian cells without X-irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gantt, R.; Stephens, E.V.; Davis, S.R.

    1985-01-01

    To study the mechanisms of formation and repair of DNA-protein crosslinks in mammalian cells, the best general method to assay these lesions is the Kohn membrane alkaline elution procedure. Use of this sensitive technique requires the introduction of random strand breaks in the DNA by X-irradiation to reduce the very high molecular weight so that it elutes off the filter at an appropriate rate. This report describes an alternative method for fragmenting the DNA in the absence of X-irradiation equipment. Convenient reproducible elution rates of DNA from various mouse and human cells in culture without X-irradiation result from elution through polyvinyl chloride filters with 75 mM sodium hydroxide (0.33 ml/min) instead of the standard 20 mM EDTA-tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, pH 12.2 (0.03 to 0.04 ml/min). Dose-dependent retardation of the DNA elution was observed over the range 0 to 30 microM trans-platinum(II)diamminedichloride, and proteinase K treatment during cell lysis restored the elution rate to that of the untreated control cell DNA. In the absence of X-irradiation, this elution method measures DNA-protein crosslinks with higher sensitivity and equivalent reproducibility as the air-burst procedure

  10. Edible Scaffolds Based on Non-Mammalian Biopolymers for Myoblast Growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier Enrione

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In vitro meat has recently emerged as a new concept in food biotechnology. Methods to produce in vitro meat generally involve the growth of muscle cells that are cultured on scaffolds using bioreactors. Suitable scaffold design and manufacture are critical to downstream culture and meat production. Most current scaffolds are based on mammalian-derived biomaterials, the use of which is counter to the desire to obviate mammal slaughter in artificial meat production. Consequently, most of the knowledge is related to the design and control of scaffold properties based on these mammalian-sourced materials. To address this, four different scaffold materials were formulated using non-mammalian sources, namely, salmon gelatin, alginate, and additives including gelling agents and plasticizers. The scaffolds were produced using a freeze-drying process, and the physical, mechanical, and biological properties of the scaffolds were evaluated. The most promising scaffolds were produced from salmon gelatin, alginate, agarose, and glycerol, which exhibited relatively large pore sizes (~200 μm diameter and biocompatibility, permitting myoblast cell adhesion (~40% and growth (~24 h duplication time. The biodegradation profiles of the scaffolds were followed, and were observed to be less than 25% after 4 weeks. The scaffolds enabled suitable myogenic response, with high cell proliferation, viability, and adequate cell distribution throughout. This system composed of non-mammalian edible scaffold material and muscle-cells is promising for the production of in vitro meat.

  11. EGA Protects Mammalian Cells from Clostridium difficile CDT, Clostridium perfringens Iota Toxin and Clostridium botulinum C2 Toxin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnell, Leonie; Mittler, Ann-Katrin; Sadi, Mirko; Popoff, Michel R; Schwan, Carsten; Aktories, Klaus; Mattarei, Andrea; Azarnia Tehran, Domenico; Montecucco, Cesare; Barth, Holger

    2016-04-01

    The pathogenic bacteria Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium botulinum produce the binary actin ADP-ribosylating toxins CDT, iota and C2, respectively. These toxins are composed of a transport component (B) and a separate enzyme component (A). When both components assemble on the surface of mammalian target cells, the B components mediate the entry of the A components via endosomes into the cytosol. Here, the A components ADP-ribosylate G-actin, resulting in depolymerization of F-actin, cell-rounding and eventually death. In the present study, we demonstrate that 4-bromobenzaldehyde N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)semicarbazone (EGA), a compound that protects cells from multiple toxins and viruses, also protects different mammalian epithelial cells from all three binary actin ADP-ribosylating toxins. In contrast, EGA did not inhibit the intoxication of cells with Clostridium difficile toxins A and B, indicating a possible different entry route for this toxin. EGA does not affect either the binding of the C2 toxin to the cells surface or the enzyme activity of the A components of CDT, iota and C2, suggesting that this compound interferes with cellular uptake of the toxins. Moreover, for C2 toxin, we demonstrated that EGA inhibits the pH-dependent transport of the A component across cell membranes. EGA is not cytotoxic, and therefore, we propose it as a lead compound for the development of novel pharmacological inhibitors against clostridial binary actin ADP-ribosylating toxins.

  12. EGA Protects Mammalian Cells from Clostridium difficile CDT, Clostridium perfringens Iota Toxin and Clostridium botulinum C2 Toxin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnell, Leonie; Mittler, Ann-Katrin; Sadi, Mirko; Popoff, Michel R.; Schwan, Carsten; Aktories, Klaus; Mattarei, Andrea; Tehran, Domenico Azarnia; Montecucco, Cesare; Barth, Holger

    2016-01-01

    The pathogenic bacteria Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium botulinum produce the binary actin ADP-ribosylating toxins CDT, iota and C2, respectively. These toxins are composed of a transport component (B) and a separate enzyme component (A). When both components assemble on the surface of mammalian target cells, the B components mediate the entry of the A components via endosomes into the cytosol. Here, the A components ADP-ribosylate G-actin, resulting in depolymerization of F-actin, cell-rounding and eventually death. In the present study, we demonstrate that 4-bromobenzaldehyde N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)semicarbazone (EGA), a compound that protects cells from multiple toxins and viruses, also protects different mammalian epithelial cells from all three binary actin ADP-ribosylating toxins. In contrast, EGA did not inhibit the intoxication of cells with Clostridium difficile toxins A and B, indicating a possible different entry route for this toxin. EGA does not affect either the binding of the C2 toxin to the cells surface or the enzyme activity of the A components of CDT, iota and C2, suggesting that this compound interferes with cellular uptake of the toxins. Moreover, for C2 toxin, we demonstrated that EGA inhibits the pH-dependent transport of the A component across cell membranes. EGA is not cytotoxic, and therefore, we propose it as a lead compound for the development of novel pharmacological inhibitors against clostridial binary actin ADP-ribosylating toxins. PMID:27043629

  13. In Vivo Clonal Analysis Reveals Lineage-Restricted Progenitor Characteristics in Mammalian Kidney Development, Maintenance, and Regeneration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuval Rinkevich

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The mechanism and magnitude by which the mammalian kidney generates and maintains its proximal tubules, distal tubules, and collecting ducts remain controversial. Here, we use long-term in vivo genetic lineage tracing and clonal analysis of individual cells from kidneys undergoing development, maintenance, and regeneration. We show that the adult mammalian kidney undergoes continuous tubulogenesis via expansions of fate-restricted clones. Kidneys recovering from damage undergo tubulogenesis through expansions of clones with segment-specific borders, and renal spheres developing in vitro from individual cells maintain distinct, segment-specific fates. Analysis of mice derived by transfer of color-marked embryonic stem cells (ESCs into uncolored blastocysts demonstrates that nephrons are polyclonal, developing from expansions of singly fated clones. Finally, we show that adult renal clones are derived from Wnt-responsive precursors, and their tracing in vivo generates tubules that are segment specific. Collectively, these analyses demonstrate that fate-restricted precursors functioning as unipotent progenitors continuously maintain and self-preserve the mouse kidney throughout life.

  14. Electron microscopy using the genetically encoded APEX2 tag in cultured mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martell, Jeffrey D; Deerinck, Thomas J; Lam, Stephanie S; Ellisman, Mark H; Ting, Alice Y

    2018-01-01

    Electron microscopy (EM) is the premiere technique for high-resolution imaging of cellular ultrastructure. Unambiguous identification of specific proteins or cellular compartments in electron micrographs, however, remains challenging because of difficulties in delivering electron-dense contrast agents to specific subcellular targets within intact cells. We recently reported enhanced ascorbate peroxidase 2 (APEX2) as a broadly applicable genetic tag that generates EM contrast on a specific protein or subcellular compartment of interest. This protocol provides guidelines for designing and validating APEX2 fusion constructs, along with detailed instructions for cell culture, transfection, fixation, heavy-metal staining, embedding in resin, and EM imaging. Although this protocol focuses on EM in cultured mammalian cells, APEX2 is applicable to many cell types and contexts, including intact tissues and organisms, and is useful for numerous applications beyond EM, including live-cell proteomic mapping. This protocol, which describes procedures for sample preparation from cell monolayers and cell pellets, can be completed in 10 d, including time for APEX2 fusion construct validation, cell growth, and solidification of embedding resins. Notably, the only additional steps required relative to a standard EM sample preparation are cell transfection and a 2- to 45-min staining period with 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). PMID:28796234

  15. Rescue the failed half-ZFN by a sensitive mammalian cell-based luciferase reporter system.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weifeng Zhang

    Full Text Available ZFN technology is a powerful research tool and has been used for genome editing in cells lines, animals and plants. The generation of functional ZFNs for particular targets in mammalian genome is still challenging for an average research group. The modular-assembly method is relatively fast, easy-to-practice but has a high failure rate. Some recent studies suggested that a ZFP with low binding activity might be able to form a working ZFN pair with another binding active half-ZFP. In order to unveil the potential ZFP candidates among those with low binding activities, this paper established a highly sensitive mammalian cell-based transcriptional reporter system to assess the DNA binding activities of ZFPs by inserting multiple copies of ZFN target sequence fragment (TSF of an interested gene (e. g., hPGRN or hVEGF. Our results showed that this system increased the screening sensitivity up to 50-fold and markedly amplified the differences in the binding activities between different ZFPs. We also found that the targeted chromosomal gene repair efficiency of each hPGRN or hVEGF ZFN pair was in proportion with the combination of the binding activities of the ZFL (Left zinc finger and ZFR (Right zinc finger. A hPGRN ZFR with low binding ability was able to form a biological active ZFN if combined with a hPGRN ZFL with relatively high binding ability. Lastly, site-specific genome editing by hPGRN ZFNs generated by this system was confirmed by sequencing, and the PGRN knock-out cell line showed significantly decreased cell growth compared with the control. Our system will provide a valuable tool for further optimizing the nucleases with regard to specificity and cytotoxicity.

  16. Construction of a new shuttle vector for DNA delivery into mammalian cells using non-invasive Lactococcus lactis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yagnik, Bhrugu; Padh, Harish; Desai, Priti

    2016-04-01

    Use of food grade Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis) is fast emerging as a safe alternative for delivery of DNA vaccine. To attain efficient DNA delivery, L. lactis, a non-invasive bacterium is converted to invasive strain either by expressing proteins like Internalin A (InlA) or Fibronectin binding protein A (FnBPA) or through chemical treatments. However the safety status of invasive L. lactis is questionable. In the present report, we have shown that non-invasive L. lactis efficiently delivered the newly constructed reporter plasmid pPERDBY to mammalian cells without any chemical enhancers. The salient features of the vector are; I) Ability to replicate in two different hosts; Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), II) One of the smallest reporter plasmid for DNA vaccine, III) Enhanced Green Fluorescence Protein (EGFP) linked to Multiple Cloning Site (MCS), IV) Immunostimulatory CpG motifs functioning as an adjuvant. Expression of EGFP in pPERDBY transfected CHO-K1 and Caco-2 cells demonstrates its functionality. Non-invasive r-L. lactis was found efficient in delivering pPERDBY to Caco-2 cells. The in vitro data presented in this article supports the hypothesis that in the absence of invasive proteins or relevant chemical treatment, L. lactis was found efficient in delivering DNA to mammalian cells. Copyright © 2015 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  17. Large scale purification and characterization of recombinant human autotaxin/lysophospholipase D from mammalian cells

    OpenAIRE

    Song, Yuanda; Dilger, Emily; Bell, Jessica; Barton, William A; Fang, Xianjun

    2010-01-01

    We utilized a mammalian expression system to purify and characterize autotaxin (ATX)/lysophospholipase D, an enzyme present in the blood responsible for biosynthesis of lysophosphatidic acid. The human ATX cDNA encoding amino acids 29–915 was cloned downstream of a secretion signal of CD5. At the carboxyl terminus was a thrombin cleavage site followed by the constant domain (Fc) of IgG to facilitate protein purification. The ATX-Fc fusion protein was expressed in HEK293 cells and isolated fro...

  18. Mammalian Sperm Motility: Observation and Theory

    KAUST Repository

    Gaffney, E.A.; Gadê lha, H.; Smith, D.J.; Blake, J.R.; Kirkman-Brown, J.C.

    2011-01-01

    the mechanics of these specialized cells, especially during their remarkable journey to the egg. The biological structure of the motile sperm appendage, the flagellum, is described and placed in the context of the mechanics underlying the migration of mammalian

  19. Patterned layers of adsorbed extracellular matrix proteins: influence on mammalian cell adhesion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dupont-Gillain, C C; Alaerts, J A; Dewez, J L; Rouxhet, P G

    2004-01-01

    Three patterned systems aiming at the control of mammalian cell behavior are presented. The determinant feature common to these systems is the spatial distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (mainly collagen) on polymer substrates. This distribution differs from one system to another with respect to the scale at which it is affected, from the supracellular to the supramolecular scale, and with respect to the way it is produced. In the first system, the surface of polystyrene was oxidized selectively to form micrometer-scale patterns, using photolithography. Adsorption of ECM proteins in presence of a competitor was enhanced on the oxidized domains, allowing selective cell adhesion to be achieved. In the second system, electron beam lithography was used to engrave grooves (depth and width approximately 1 microm) on a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substratum. No modification of the surface chemistry associated to the created topography could be detected. Cell orientation along the grooves was only observed when collagen was preadsorbed on the substratum. In the third system, collagen adsorbed on PMMA was dried in conditions ensuring the formation of a nanometer-scale pattern. Cell adhesion was enhanced on such patterned collagen layers compared to smooth collagen layers.

  20. Lessons from single-cell transcriptome analysis of oxygen-sensing cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Ting; Matsunami, Hiroaki

    2018-05-01

    The advent of single-cell RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology has enabled transcriptome profiling of individual cells. Comprehensive gene expression analysis at the single-cell level has proven to be effective in characterizing the most fundamental aspects of cellular function and identity. This unbiased approach is revolutionary for small and/or heterogeneous tissues like oxygen-sensing cells in identifying key molecules. Here, we review the major methods of current single-cell RNA-Seq technology. We discuss how this technology has advanced the understanding of oxygen-sensing glomus cells in the carotid body and helped uncover novel oxygen-sensing cells and mechanisms in the mice olfactory system. We conclude by providing our perspective on future single-cell RNA-Seq research directed at oxygen-sensing cells.

  1. Designable DNA-binding domains enable construction of logic circuits in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaber, Rok; Lebar, Tina; Majerle, Andreja; Šter, Branko; Dobnikar, Andrej; Benčina, Mojca; Jerala, Roman

    2014-03-01

    Electronic computer circuits consisting of a large number of connected logic gates of the same type, such as NOR, can be easily fabricated and can implement any logic function. In contrast, designed genetic circuits must employ orthogonal information mediators owing to free diffusion within the cell. Combinatorial diversity and orthogonality can be provided by designable DNA- binding domains. Here, we employed the transcription activator-like repressors to optimize the construction of orthogonal functionally complete NOR gates to construct logic circuits. We used transient transfection to implement all 16 two-input logic functions from combinations of the same type of NOR gates within mammalian cells. Additionally, we present a genetic logic circuit where one input is used to select between an AND and OR function to process the data input using the same circuit. This demonstrates the potential of designable modular transcription factors for the construction of complex biological information-processing devices.

  2. The relationships between RBE and LET for different types of lethal damage in mammalian cells: biophysical and molecular mechanisms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Barendsen, G. W.

    1994-01-01

    The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of radiations as a function of linear energy transfer (LET) is analyzed for different types of damage causing reproductive death of mammalian cells. Survival curves are evaluated assuming a linear-quadratic dose dependence of the induction of reproductive

  3. An interaction study in mammalian cells demonstrates weak binding of HSPB2 to BAG3, which is regulated by HSPB3 and abrogated by HSPB8.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morelli, Federica F; Mediani, Laura; Heldens, Lonneke; Bertacchini, Jessika; Bigi, Ilaria; Carrà, Arianna Dorotea; Vinet, Jonathan; Carra, Serena

    2017-07-01

    The ten mammalian small heat shock proteins (sHSPs/HSPBs) show a different expression profile, although the majority of them are abundant in skeletal and cardiac muscles. HSPBs form hetero-oligomers and homo-oligomers by interacting together and complexes containing, e.g., HSPB2/HSPB3 or HSPB1/HSPB5 have been documented in mammalian cells and muscles. Moreover, HSPB8 associates with the Hsc70/Hsp70 co-chaperone BAG3, in mammalian, skeletal, and cardiac muscle cells. Interaction of HSPB8 with BAG3 regulates its stability and function. Weak association of HSPB5 and HSPB6 with BAG3 has been also reported upon overexpression in cells, supporting the idea that BAG3 might indirectly modulate the function of several HSPBs. However, it is yet unknown whether other HSPBs highly expressed in muscles such as HSPB2 and HSPB3 also bind to BAG3. Here, we report that in mammalian cells, upon overexpression, HSPB2 binds to BAG3 with an affinity weaker than HSPB8. HSPB2 competes with HSPB8 for binding to BAG3. In contrast, HSPB3 negatively regulates HSPB2 association with BAG3. In human myoblasts that express HSPB2, HSPB3, HSPB8, and BAG3, the latter interacts selectively with HSPB8. Combining these data, it supports the interpretation that HSPB8-BAG3 is the preferred interaction.

  4. Characterization of the RNA silencing suppression activity of the Ebola virus VP35 protein in plants and mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yali; Cherukuri, Nil Celebi; Jackel, Jamie N; Wu, Zetang; Crary, Monica; Buckley, Kenneth J; Bisaro, David M; Parris, Deborah S

    2012-03-01

    Ebola virus (EBOV) causes a lethal hemorrhagic fever for which there is no approved effective treatment or prevention strategy. EBOV VP35 is a virulence factor that blocks innate antiviral host responses, including the induction of and response to alpha/beta interferon. VP35 is also an RNA silencing suppressor (RSS). By inhibiting microRNA-directed silencing, mammalian virus RSSs have the capacity to alter the cellular environment to benefit replication. A reporter gene containing specific microRNA target sequences was used to demonstrate that prior expression of wild-type VP35 was able to block establishment of microRNA silencing in mammalian cells. In addition, wild-type VP35 C-terminal domain (CTD) protein fusions were shown to bind small interfering RNA (siRNA). Analysis of mutant proteins demonstrated that reporter activity in RSS assays did not correlate with their ability to antagonize double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase R (PKR) or bind siRNA. The results suggest that enhanced reporter activity in the presence of VP35 is a composite of nonspecific translational enhancement and silencing suppression. Moreover, most of the specific RSS activity in mammalian cells is RNA binding independent, consistent with VP35's proposed role in sequestering one or more silencing complex proteins. To examine RSS activity in a system without interferon, VP35 was tested in well-characterized plant silencing suppression assays. VP35 was shown to possess potent plant RSS activity, and the activities of mutant proteins correlated strongly, but not exclusively, with RNA binding ability. The results suggest the importance of VP35-protein interactions in blocking silencing in a system (mammalian) that cannot amplify dsRNA.

  5. Surgical manipulation of mammalian embryos in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naruse, I; Keino, H; Taniguchi, M

    1997-04-01

    Whole-embryo culture systems are useful in the fields of not only embryology but also teratology, toxicology, pharmacology, and physiology. Of the many advantages of whole-embryo culture, we focus here on the surgical manipulation of mammalian embryos. Whole-embryo culture allows us to manipulate mammalian embryos, similarly to fish, amphibian and avian embryos. Many surgical experiments have been performed in mammalian embryos in vitro. Such surgical manipulation alters the destiny of morphogenesis of the embryos and can answer many questions concerning developmental issues. As an example of surgical manipulation using whole-embryo culture systems, one of our experiments is described. Microsurgical electrocauterization of the deep preaxial mesodermal programmed cell death zone (fpp) in the footplate prevented the manifestation of polydactyly in genetic polydactyly mouse embryos (Pdn/Pdn), in which fpp was abolished.

  6. DNA repair capacity and rate of excision repair in UV-irradiated mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Masao; Takebe, Hiraku.

    1978-01-01

    Repair capacities of five mammalian cell strains were measured by colony-forming ability, HCR of UV-irradiated virus, UDS, pyrimidine dimer excision, and semi-conservative DNA replication. Colony-forming ability of UV-irradiated cells was high for human amnion FL cells and mouse L cells, slightly low for African green monkey CV-1 cells, and extremely low for xeroderma pigmentosum cells. HCR of UV-irradiated Herpes simplex virus was high in CV-1 cells, FL and normal human fibroblast cells, low in both XP and L cells. The amount of UDS was high in FL and normal human fibroblast cells, considerably low in CV-1 cells, and essentially no UDS was observed in XP cells. Rate of UDS after UV-irradiation was slower for CV-1 cells than FL and human fibroblast cells. Rate of the excision of thymine-containing dimers from the acid-insoluble fraction during post-irradiation incubation of the cells was rapid in FL and normal human cells and slow in CV-1 cells, and no excision took place in XP cells. Semi-conservative DNA synthesis was reduced after UV-irradiation in all cell lines, but subsequently recovered in FL, normal human and CV-1 cells. The onset of recovery was 4 h after UV-irradiation for FL and normal human cells, but about 6 h for CV-1 cells. The apparent intermediate repair of CV-1 cells except for HCR may be related to the slow rate of excision repair. ''Patch and cut'' model is more favorable than ''cut and patch'' model to elucidate these results. (auth.)

  7. Detection of DNA strand breaks in mammalian cells using the radioresistant bacterium PprA protein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satoh, Katsuya; Wada, Seiichi; Narumi, Issay; Kikuchi, Masahiro; Funayama, Tomoo; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko

    2003-01-01

    We have previously found that the PprA protein from Deinococcus radiodurans possesses ability to recognize DNA carrying strand breaks. In the present study, we attempted to visualize radiation-induced DNA strand breaks with PprA protein using immunofluorescence technique to elucidate the DNA damage response mechanism in mammalian cultured cells. As a result, colocalization of Cy2 and DAPI fluorescent signals was observed. This observation suggests that DNA strand breaks in the nucleus of CHO-K1 cells were effectively detected using the PprA protein. The amount of DNA strand breaks (integrated density of Cy2 fluorescent signals) was increased with the increase in the radiation dose. (author)

  8. Mitochondrial fission proteins regulate programmed cell death in yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fannjiang, Yihru; Cheng, Wen-Chih; Lee, Sarah J; Qi, Bing; Pevsner, Jonathan; McCaffery, J Michael; Hill, R Blake; Basañez, Gorka; Hardwick, J Marie

    2004-11-15

    The possibility that single-cell organisms undergo programmed cell death has been questioned in part because they lack several key components of the mammalian cell death machinery. However, yeast encode a homolog of human Drp1, a mitochondrial fission protein that was shown previously to promote mammalian cell death and the excessive mitochondrial fragmentation characteristic of apoptotic mammalian cells. In support of a primordial origin of programmed cell death involving mitochondria, we found that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homolog of human Drp1, Dnm1, promotes mitochondrial fragmentation/degradation and cell death following treatment with several death stimuli. Two Dnm1-interacting factors also regulate yeast cell death. The WD40 repeat protein Mdv1/Net2 promotes cell death, consistent with its role in mitochondrial fission. In contrast to its fission function in healthy cells, Fis1 unexpectedly inhibits Dnm1-mediated mitochondrial fission and cysteine protease-dependent cell death in yeast. Furthermore, the ability of yeast Fis1 to inhibit mitochondrial fission and cell death can be functionally replaced by human Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Together, these findings indicate that yeast and mammalian cells have a conserved programmed death pathway regulated by a common molecular component, Drp1/Dnm1, that is inhibited by a Bcl-2-like function.

  9. Single-cell measurement of red blood cell oxygen affinity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Caprio, Giuseppe; Stokes, Chris; Higgins, John M; Schonbrun, Ethan

    2015-08-11

    Oxygen is transported throughout the body by hemoglobin (Hb) in red blood cells (RBCs). Although the oxygen affinity of blood is well-understood and routinely assessed in patients by pulse oximetry, variability at the single-cell level has not been previously measured. In contrast, single-cell measurements of RBC volume and Hb concentration are taken millions of times per day by clinical hematology analyzers, and they are important factors in determining the health of the hematologic system. To better understand the variability and determinants of oxygen affinity on a cellular level, we have developed a system that quantifies the oxygen saturation, cell volume, and Hb concentration for individual RBCs in high throughput. We find that the variability in single-cell saturation peaks at an oxygen partial pressure of 2.9%, which corresponds to the maximum slope of the oxygen-Hb dissociation curve. In addition, single-cell oxygen affinity is positively correlated with Hb concentration but independent of osmolarity, which suggests variation in the Hb to 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2-3 DPG) ratio on a cellular level. By quantifying the functional behavior of a cellular population, our system adds a dimension to blood cell analysis and other measurements of single-cell variability.

  10. The influence of oxygen on the induction of radiation damage in DNA in mammalian cells after sensitization by intracellular glutathione depletion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schans, G.P. van der; Vos, O.; Roos-Verheij, W.S.D.; Lohman, P.H.M.

    1986-05-01

    Treatment of mammalian cells with buthionine sulphoximine (BSO) or diethyl maleate (DEM) results in a decrease in the intracellular GSH (glutathione) and NPSH (non-protein-bound SH) levels. The effect of depletion of GSH and NPSH on radiosensitivity was studied in relation to the concentration of oxygen during irradiation. Single- and double-strand DNA breaks (ssb and dsb) and cell killing were used as criteria for radiation damage. Under aerobic conditions, BSO and DEM treatment gave a small sensitization of 10-20% for the 3 types of radiation damage. Also under severely hypoxic conditions (0.01 μM oxygen in the medium) the sensitizing effect of both compounds on the induction of ssb and dsb and on cell killing was small (0-30%). At somewhat higher concentrations of oxygen (0.5-10 μM) however, the sensitization amounted to about 90% for the induction of ssb and dsb and about 50% for cell killing. These results strengthen the widely accepted idea that intracellular SH-compounds compete with oxygen and other electron-affinic radiosensitizers with respect to reaction with radiation-induced damage, thus preventing the fixation of DNA damages by oxygen. These results imply that the extent to which SH-compounds affect the radiosensitivity of cells in vivo depends strongly on the local concentration of oxygen. (Auth.)

  11. Efficient and reproducible mammalian cell bioprocesses without probes and controllers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tissot, Stéphanie; Oberbek, Agata; Reclari, Martino; Dreyer, Matthieu; Hacker, David L; Baldi, Lucia; Farhat, Mohamed; Wurm, Florian M

    2011-07-01

    Bioprocesses for recombinant protein production with mammalian cells are typically controlled for several physicochemical parameters including the pH and dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) of the culture medium. Here we studied whether these controls are necessary for efficient and reproducible bioprocesses in an orbitally shaken bioreactor (OSR). Mixing, gas transfer, and volumetric power consumption (P(V)) were determined in both a 5-L OSR and a 3-L stirred-tank bioreactor (STR). The two cultivation systems had a similar mixing intensity, but the STR had a lower volumetric mass transfer coefficient of oxygen (k(L)a) and a higher P(V) than the OSR. Recombinant CHO cell lines expressing either tumor necrosis factor receptor as an Fc fusion protein (TNFR:Fc) or an anti-RhesusD monoclonal antibody were cultivated in the two systems. The 5-L OSR was operated in an incubator shaker with 5% CO(2) in the gas environment but without pH and DO control whereas the STR was operated with or without pH and DO control. Higher cell densities and recombinant protein titers were obtained in the OSR as compared to both the controlled and the non-controlled STRs. To test the reproducibility of a bioprocess in a non-controlled OSR, the two CHO cell lines were each cultivated in parallel in six 5-L OSRs. Similar cell densities, cell viabilities, and recombinant protein titers along with similar pH and DO profiles were achieved in each group of replicates. Our study demonstrated that bioprocesses can be performed in OSRs without pH or DO control in a highly reproducible manner, at least at the scale of operation studied here. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Irradiation of cells by single and double pulses of high intensity radiation: oxygen sensitization and diffusion kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Epp, E.R.; Ling, C.C.; Weiss, H.

    1976-01-01

    This paper discusses advances made on both experimental and theoretical approaches involving single and double pulses of high intensity ionizing radiation delivered to cultured bacterial and mammalian cells where the effect of oxygen is concerned. Information gained on the lifetime of oxygen-sensitive species suspected to be produced in critical molecules in irradiated cells and perhaps intimately related to the still unknown mechanisms of oxygen sensitization is described. The diffusion characteristics of oxygen at the cellular level obtained from experimental data are discussed. Current knowledge on intracellular radiolytic oxygen depletion is also presented. Future work on the use of high intensity pulsed radiation as a tool in cellular radiobiological research is outlined. It is expected that obtaining knowledge of the time available for damaged molecules to enter into chemical reactions may lead to insights into the mechanisms of radiation injury in cells, such as those involved in the oxygen effect. (Auth.)

  13. The effect of optical substrates on micro-FTIR analysis of single mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wehbe, Katia; Filik, Jacob; Frogley, Mark D; Cinque, Gianfelice

    2013-02-01

    The study of individual cells with infrared (IR) microspectroscopy often requires living cells to be cultured directly onto a suitable substrate. The surface effect of the specific substrates on the cell growth-viability and associated biochemistry-as well as on the IR analysis-spectral interference and optical artifacts-is all too often ignored. Using the IR beamline, MIRIAM (Diamond Light Source, UK), we show the importance of the substrate used for IR absorption spectroscopy by analyzing two different cell lines cultured on a range of seven optical substrates in both transmission and reflection modes. First, cell viability measurements are made to determine the preferable substrates for normal cell growth. Successively, synchrotron radiation IR microspectroscopy is performed on the two cell lines to determine any genuine biochemically induced changes or optical effect in the spectra due to the different substrates. Multivariate analysis of spectral data is applied on each cell line to visualize the spectral changes. The results confirm the advantage of transmission measurements over reflection due to the absence of a strong optical standing wave artifact which amplifies the absorbance spectrum in the high wavenumber regions with respect to low wavenumbers in the mid-IR range. The transmission spectra reveal interference from a more subtle but significant optical artifact related to the reflection losses of the different substrate materials. This means that, for comparative studies of cell biochemistry by IR microspectroscopy, it is crucial that all samples are measured on the same substrate type.

  14. Sacrificial-layer free transfer of mammalian cells using near infrared femtosecond laser pulses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jun; Hartmann, Bastian; Siegel, Julian; Marchi, Gabriele; Clausen-Schaumann, Hauke; Sudhop, Stefanie; Huber, Heinz P.

    2018-01-01

    Laser-induced cell transfer has been developed in recent years for the flexible and gentle printing of cells. Because of the high transfer rates and the superior cell survival rates, this technique has great potential for tissue engineering applications. However, the fact that material from an inorganic sacrificial layer, which is required for laser energy absorption, is usually transferred to the printed target structure, constitutes a major drawback of laser based cell printing. Therefore alternative approaches using deep UV laser sources and protein based acceptor films for energy absorption, have been introduced. Nevertheless, deep UV radiation can introduce DNA double strand breaks, thereby imposing the risk of carcinogenesis. Here we present a method for the laser-induced transfer of hydrogels and mammalian cells, which neither requires any sacrificial material for energy absorption, nor the use of UV lasers. Instead, we focus a near infrared femtosecond (fs) laser pulse (λ = 1030 nm, 450 fs) directly underneath a thin cell layer, suspended on top of a hydrogel reservoir, to induce a rapidly expanding cavitation bubble in the gel, which generates a jet of material, transferring cells and hydrogel from the gel/cell reservoir to an acceptor stage. By controlling laser pulse energy, well-defined cell-laden droplets can be transferred with high spatial resolution. The transferred human (SCP1) and murine (B16F1) cells show high survival rates, and good cell viability. Time laps microscopy reveals unaffected cell behavior including normal cell proliferation. PMID:29718923

  15. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Glioblastoma Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sen, Rajeev; Dolgalev, Igor; Bayin, N Sumru; Heguy, Adriana; Tsirigos, Aris; Placantonakis, Dimitris G

    2018-01-01

    Single-cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNASeq) is a recently developed technique used to evaluate the transcriptome of individual cells. As opposed to conventional RNASeq in which entire populations are sequenced in bulk, sc-RNASeq can be beneficial when trying to better understand gene expression patterns in markedly heterogeneous populations of cells or when trying to identify transcriptional signatures of rare cells that may be underrepresented when using conventional bulk RNASeq. In this method, we describe the generation and analysis of cDNA libraries from single patient-derived glioblastoma cells using the C1 Fluidigm system. The protocol details the use of the C1 integrated fluidics circuit (IFC) for capturing, imaging and lysing cells; performing reverse transcription; and generating cDNA libraries that are ready for sequencing and analysis.

  16. Non-homologous end joining is the responsible pathway for the repair of fludarabine-induced DNA double strand breaks in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campos-Nebel, Marcelo de; Larripa, Irene; Gonzalez-Cid, Marcela

    2008-01-01

    Fludarabine (FLU), an analogue of adenosine, interferes with DNA synthesis and inhibits the chain elongation leading to replication arrest and DNA double strand break (DSB) formation. Mammalian cells use two main pathways of DSB repair to maintain genomic stability: homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The aim of the present work was to evaluate the repair pathways employed in the restoration of DSB formed following replication arrest induced by FLU in mammalian cells. Replication inhibition was induced in human lymphocytes and fibroblasts by FLU. DSB occurred in a dose-dependent manner on early/middle S-phase cells, as detected by γH2AX foci formation. To test whether conservative HR participates in FLU-induced DSB repair, we measured the kinetics of Rad51 nuclear foci formation in human fibroblasts. There was no significant induction of Rad51 foci after FLU treatment. To further confirm these results, we analyzed the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in both human cells. We did not find increased frequencies of SCE after FLU treatment. To assess the participation of NHEJ pathway in the repair of FLU-induced damage, we used two chemical inhibitors of the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs), vanillin and wortmannin. Human fibroblasts pretreated with DNA-PKcs inhibitors showed increased levels of chromosome breakages and became more sensitive to cell death. An active role of NHEJ pathway was also suggested from the analysis of Chinese hamster cell lines. XR-C1 (DNA-PKcs-deficient) and XR-V15B (Ku80-deficient) cells showed hypersensitivity to FLU as evidenced by the increased frequency of chromosome aberrations, decreased mitotic index and impaired survival rates. In contrast, CL-V4B (Rad51C-deficient) and V-C8 (Brca2-deficient) cell lines displayed a FLU-resistant phenotype. Together, our results suggest a major role for NHEJ repair in the preservation of genome integrity against FLU-induced DSB

  17. Non-homologous end joining is the responsible pathway for the repair of fludarabine-induced DNA double strand breaks in mammalian cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Campos-Nebel, Marcelo de [Departamento de Genetica, Instituto de Investigaciones Hematologicas Mariano R. Castex, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Buenos Aires (Argentina)], E-mail: mnebel@hematologia.anm.edu.ar; Larripa, Irene; Gonzalez-Cid, Marcela [Departamento de Genetica, Instituto de Investigaciones Hematologicas Mariano R. Castex, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

    2008-11-10

    Fludarabine (FLU), an analogue of adenosine, interferes with DNA synthesis and inhibits the chain elongation leading to replication arrest and DNA double strand break (DSB) formation. Mammalian cells use two main pathways of DSB repair to maintain genomic stability: homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The aim of the present work was to evaluate the repair pathways employed in the restoration of DSB formed following replication arrest induced by FLU in mammalian cells. Replication inhibition was induced in human lymphocytes and fibroblasts by FLU. DSB occurred in a dose-dependent manner on early/middle S-phase cells, as detected by {gamma}H2AX foci formation. To test whether conservative HR participates in FLU-induced DSB repair, we measured the kinetics of Rad51 nuclear foci formation in human fibroblasts. There was no significant induction of Rad51 foci after FLU treatment. To further confirm these results, we analyzed the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in both human cells. We did not find increased frequencies of SCE after FLU treatment. To assess the participation of NHEJ pathway in the repair of FLU-induced damage, we used two chemical inhibitors of the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs), vanillin and wortmannin. Human fibroblasts pretreated with DNA-PKcs inhibitors showed increased levels of chromosome breakages and became more sensitive to cell death. An active role of NHEJ pathway was also suggested from the analysis of Chinese hamster cell lines. XR-C1 (DNA-PKcs-deficient) and XR-V15B (Ku80-deficient) cells showed hypersensitivity to FLU as evidenced by the increased frequency of chromosome aberrations, decreased mitotic index and impaired survival rates. In contrast, CL-V4B (Rad51C-deficient) and V-C8 (Brca2-deficient) cell lines displayed a FLU-resistant phenotype. Together, our results suggest a major role for NHEJ repair in the preservation of genome integrity against FLU

  18. Single-cell analysis of targeted transcriptome predicts drug sensitivity of single cells within human myeloma tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitra, A K; Mukherjee, U K; Harding, T; Jang, J S; Stessman, H; Li, Y; Abyzov, A; Jen, J; Kumar, S; Rajkumar, V; Van Ness, B

    2016-05-01

    Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by significant genetic diversity at subclonal levels that have a defining role in the heterogeneity of tumor progression, clinical aggressiveness and drug sensitivity. Although genome profiling studies have demonstrated heterogeneity in subclonal architecture that may ultimately lead to relapse, a gene expression-based prediction program that can identify, distinguish and quantify drug response in sub-populations within a bulk population of myeloma cells is lacking. In this study, we performed targeted transcriptome analysis on 528 pre-treatment single cells from 11 myeloma cell lines and 418 single cells from 8 drug-naïve MM patients, followed by intensive bioinformatics and statistical analysis for prediction of proteasome inhibitor sensitivity in individual cells. Using our previously reported drug response gene expression profile signature at the single-cell level, we developed an R Statistical analysis package available at https://github.com/bvnlabSCATTome, SCATTome (single-cell analysis of targeted transcriptome), that restructures the data obtained from Fluidigm single-cell quantitative real-time-PCR analysis run, filters missing data, performs scaling of filtered data, builds classification models and predicts drug response of individual cells based on targeted transcriptome using an assortment of machine learning methods. Application of SCATT should contribute to clinically relevant analysis of intratumor heterogeneity, and better inform drug choices based on subclonal cellular responses.

  19. Epigenetics reloaded: the single-cell revolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bheda, Poonam; Schneider, Robert

    2014-11-01

    Mechanistically, how epigenetic states are inherited through cellular divisions remains an important open question in the chromatin field and beyond. Defining the heritability of epigenetic states and the underlying chromatin-based mechanisms within a population of cells is complicated due to cell heterogeneity combined with varying levels of stability of these states; thus, efforts must be focused toward single-cell analyses. The approaches presented here constitute the forefront of epigenetics research at the single-cell level using classic and innovative methods to dissect epigenetics mechanisms from the limited material available in a single cell. This review further outlines exciting future avenues of research to address the significance of epigenetic heterogeneity and the contributions of microfluidics technologies to single-cell isolation and analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Mammalian Gut Immunity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chassaing, Benoit; Kumar, Manish; Baker, Mark T.; Singh, Vishal; Vijay-Kumar, Matam

    2016-01-01

    The mammalian intestinal tract is the largest immune organ in the body and comprises cells from non-hemopoietic (epithelia, Paneth cells, goblet cells) and hemopoietic (macrophages, dendritic cells, T-cells) origin, and is also a dwelling for trillions of microbes collectively known as the microbiota. The homeostasis of this large microbial biomass is prerequisite to maintain host health by maximizing beneficial symbiotic relationships and minimizing the risks of living in such close proximity. Both microbiota and host immune system communicate with each other to mutually maintain homeostasis in what could be called a “love–hate relationship.” Further, the host innate and adaptive immune arms of the immune system cooperate and compensate each other to maintain the equilibrium of a highly complex gut ecosystem in a stable and stringent fashion. Any imbalance due to innate or adaptive immune deficiency or aberrant immune response may lead to dysbiosis and low-grade to robust gut inflammation, finally resulting in metabolic diseases. PMID:25163502

  1. Comparative anatomy of the mammalian hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassone, V M; Speh, J C; Card, J P; Moore, R Y

    1988-01-01

    A detailed analysis of the cytoarchitecture, retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) projections, and immunohistochemical localization of major cell and fiber types within the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) was conducted in five mammalian species: two species of opossum, the domestic cat, the guinea pig, and the house mouse. Cytoarchitectural and immunohistochemical studies were conducted in three additional species of marsupial mammals and in the domestic pig. The SCN in this diverse transect of mammalian taxonomy bear striking similarities. First, the SCN are similar in location, lying close to the third ventricle (3V) dorsal to the optic chiasm (OC), with a cytoarchitecture characterized by small, tightly packed neurons. Second, in all groups studied, the SCN receive bilateral retinal input. Third, the SCN contain immunohistochemically similar elements. These similarities suggest that the SCN developed characteristic features early in mammalian phylogeny. Some details of SCN organization vary among the species studied. In marsupials, vasopressin-like immunoreactive (VP-LI) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-like immunoreactive (VIP-LI) cells codistribute primarily in the dorsomedial aspects of the SCN, while in eutherians, VP-LI and VIP-LI cells are separated into SCN subnuclei. Furthermore, the marsupial RHT projects to the periventricular dorsomedial region, whereas the eutherian RHT projects more ventrally in the SCN into the zone that typically contains VIP-LI perikarya.

  2. NRK1 controls nicotinamide mononucleotide and nicotinamide riboside metabolism in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratajczak, Joanna; Joffraud, Magali; Trammell, Samuel A J; Ras, Rosa; Canela, Núria; Boutant, Marie; Kulkarni, Sameer S; Rodrigues, Marcelo; Redpath, Philip; Migaud, Marie E; Auwerx, Johan; Yanes, Oscar; Brenner, Charles; Cantó, Carles

    2016-10-11

    NAD + is a vital redox cofactor and a substrate required for activity of various enzyme families, including sirtuins and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases. Supplementation with NAD + precursors, such as nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) or nicotinamide riboside (NR), protects against metabolic disease, neurodegenerative disorders and age-related physiological decline in mammals. Here we show that nicotinamide riboside kinase 1 (NRK1) is necessary and rate-limiting for the use of exogenous NR and NMN for NAD + synthesis. Using genetic gain- and loss-of-function models, we further demonstrate that the role of NRK1 in driving NAD + synthesis from other NAD + precursors, such as nicotinamide or nicotinic acid, is dispensable. Using stable isotope-labelled compounds, we confirm NMN is metabolized extracellularly to NR that is then taken up by the cell and converted into NAD + . Our results indicate that mammalian cells require conversion of extracellular NMN to NR for cellular uptake and NAD + synthesis, explaining the overlapping metabolic effects observed with the two compounds.

  3. Poly (ADP-ribose) catabolism in mammalian cells exposed to DNA-damaging agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarez-Gonzalez, R.; Althaus, F.R.

    1989-01-01

    DNA damage inflicted by the alkylating agens N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoquanidine, or by UV stimulated the catabolism of protein-bound poly (ADP-ribose) in the chromatin of cultured hepatocytes. The stimulation was highest at the largest doses of DNA-damaging treatment. As a consequence, the half-life of ADP-ribosyl polymers may drop to less than 41 s. This rapid turnover contrasts with the slow catabolism of a constitutive fraction of polymers exhibiting a half-life of 7.7 h. These data suggest that post-incisional stimulation of poly (ADP-ribose) biosynthesis in DNA-excision repair is coupled with an adaptation of poly (ADP-ribose) catabolism in mammalian cells. (Author). 37 refs.; 3 figs

  4. Brain scaling in mammalian evolution as a consequence of concerted and mosaic changes in numbers of neurons and average neuronal cell size

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzana eHerculano-Houzel

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Enough species have now been subject to systematic quantitative analysis of the relationship between the morphology and cellular composition of their brain that patterns begin to emerge and shed light on the evolutionary path that led to mammalian brain diversity. Based on an analysis of the shared and clade-specific characteristics of 41 modern mammalian species in 6 clades, and in light of the phylogenetic relationships among them, here we propose that ancestral mammal brains were composed and scaled in their cellular composition like modern afrotherian and glire brains: with an addition of neurons that is accompanied by a decrease in neuronal density and very little modification in glial cell density, implying a significant increase in average neuronal cell size in larger brains, and the allocation of approximately 2 neurons in the cerebral cortex and 8 neurons in the cerebellum for every neuron allocated to the rest of brain. We also propose that in some clades the scaling of different brain structures has diverged away from the common ancestral layout through clade-specific (or clade-defining changes in how average neuronal cell mass relates to numbers of neurons in each structure, and how numbers of neurons are differentially allocated to each structure relative to the number of neurons in the rest of brain. Thus, the evolutionary expansion of mammalian brains has involved both concerted and mosaic patterns of scaling across structures. This is, to our knowledge, the first mechanistic model that explains the generation of brains large and small in mammalian evolution, and it opens up new horizons for seeking the cellular pathways and genes involved in brain evolution.

  5. Production of knock-in mice in a single generation from embryonic stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ukai, Hideki; Kiyonari, Hiroshi; Ueda, Hiroki R

    2017-12-01

    The system-level identification and analysis of molecular networks in mammals can be accelerated by 'next-generation' genetics, defined as genetics that does not require crossing of multiple generations of animals in order to achieve the desired genetic makeup. We have established a highly efficient procedure for producing knock-in (KI) mice within a single generation, by optimizing the genome-editing protocol for KI embryonic stem (ES) cells and the protocol for the generation of fully ES-cell-derived mice (ES mice). Using this protocol, the production of chimeric mice is eliminated, and, therefore, there is no requirement for the crossing of chimeric mice to produce mice that carry the KI gene in all cells of the body. Our procedure thus shortens the time required to produce KI ES mice from about a year to ∼3 months. Various kinds of KI ES mice can be produced with a minimized amount of work, facilitating the elucidation of organism-level phenomena using a systems biology approach. In this report, we describe the basic technologies and protocols for this procedure, and discuss the current challenges for next-generation mammalian genetics in organism-level systems biology studies.

  6. Cytokinesis is blocked in mammalian cells transfected with Chlamydia trachomatis gene CT223

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weeks Sara K

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The chlamydiae alter many aspects of host cell biology, including the division process, but the molecular biology of these alterations remains poorly characterized. Chlamydial inclusion membrane proteins (Incs are likely candidates for direct interactions with host cell cytosolic proteins, as they are secreted to the inclusion membrane and exposed to the cytosol. The inc gene CT223 is one of a sequential set of orfs that encode or are predicted to encode Inc proteins. CT223p is localized to the inclusion membrane in all tested C. trachomatis serovars. Results A plasmid transfection approach was used to examine the function of the product of CT223 and other Inc proteins within uninfected mammalian cells. Fluorescence microscopy was used to demonstrate that CT223, and, to a lesser extent, adjacent inc genes, are capable of blocking host cell cytokinesis and facilitating centromere supranumeracy defects seen by others in chlamydiae-infected cells. Both phenotypes were associated with transfection of plasmids encoding the carboxy-terminal tail of CT223p, a region of the protein that is likely exposed to the cytosol in infected cells. Conclusion These studies suggest that certain Inc proteins block cytokinesis in C. trachomatis-infected cells. These results are consistent with the work of others showing chlamydial inhibition of host cell cytokinesis.

  7. Effect of substrate storage conditions on the stability of “Smart” films used for mammalian cell applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bluestein, Blake M.; Reed, Jamie A.; Canavan, Heather E., E-mail: Canavan@unm.edu

    2017-01-15

    Highlights: • pNIPAM can be deposited onto a surface using plasma polymerization or spin coating. • Storage conditions can affect both surfaces although thermoresponse is maintained. • spNIPAM surfaces delaminate over time, regardless of storage conditions. • Delamination will affect cell attachment/detachment, resulting in limited attachment. • ppNIPAM surfaces are more stable, regardless of storage conditions. - Abstract: When poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (pNIPAM) is tethered to a surface, it can induce the spontaneous release of a sheet of mammalian cells. The release of cells is a result of the reversible phase transition the polymer undergoes at its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Many techniques are used for the deposition of pNIPAM onto cell culture substrates. Previously, we compared two methods of deposition (plasma polymerization, and co-deposition with a sol-gel). We proved that although both were technically appropriate for obtaining thermoresponsive pNIPAM films, the surfaces that were co-deposited with a sol-gel caused some disruption in cell activity. The variation of cell behavior could be due to the delamination of pNIPAM films leaching toxic chemicals into solution. In this work, we assessed the stability of these pNIPAM films by manipulating the storage conditions and analyzing the surface chemistry using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements over the amount of time required to obtain confluent cell sheets. From XPS, we demonstrated that ppNIPAM (plasma polymerized NIPAM) films remains stable across all storage conditions while sol-gel deposition show large deviations after 48 h of storage. Cell response of the deposited films was assessed by investigating the cytotoxicity and biocompatibility. The 37 °C and high humidity storage affects sol-gel deposited films, inhibiting normal cell growth and proper thermoresponse of the film. Surface chemistry, thermoresponse and cell growth remained

  8. Influence of Polyplex Formation on the Performance of Star-Shaped Polycationic Transfection Agents for Mammalian Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Raup

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Genetic modification (“transfection” of mammalian cells using non-viral, synthetic agents such as polycations, is still a challenge. Polyplex formation between the DNA and the polycation is a decisive step in such experiments. Star-shaped polycations have been proposed as superior transfection agents, yet have never before been compared side-by-side, e.g., in view of structural effects. Herein four star-shaped polycationic structures, all based on (2-dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA building blocks, were investigated for their potential to deliver DNA to adherent (CHO, L929, HEK-293 and non-adherent (Jurkat, primary human T lymphocytes mammalian cells. The investigated vectors included three structures where the PDMAEMA arms (different arm length and grafting densities had been grown from a center silsesquioxane or silica-coated γ-Fe2O3-core and one micellar structure self-assembled from poly(1,2-butadiene-block PDMAEMA polymers. All nano-stars combined high transfection potential with excellent biocompatibility. The micelles slightly outperformed the covalently linked agents. For method development and optimization, the absolute amount of polycation added to the cells was more important than the N/P-ratio (ratio between polycation nitrogen and DNA phosphate, provided a lower limit was passed and enough polycation was present to overcompensate the negative charge of the plasmid DNA. Finally, the matrix (NaCl vs. HEPES-buffered glucose solution, but also the concentrations adjusted during polyplex formation, affected the results.

  9. Distinctive features of single nucleotide alterations in induced pluripotent stem cells with different types of DNA repair deficiency disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okamura, Kohji; Sakaguchi, Hironari; Sakamoto-Abutani, Rie; Nakanishi, Mahito; Nishimura, Ken; Yamazaki-Inoue, Mayu; Ohtaka, Manami; Periasamy, Vaiyapuri Subbarayan; Alshatwi, Ali Abdullah; Higuchi, Akon; Hanaoka, Kazunori; Nakabayashi, Kazuhiko; Takada, Shuji; Hata, Kenichiro; Toyoda, Masashi; Umezawa, Akihiro

    2016-01-01

    Disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have been used as a model to analyze pathogenesis of disease. In this study, we generated iPSCs derived from a fibroblastic cell line of xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) group A (XPA-iPSCs), a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disease in which patients develop skin cancer in the areas of skin exposed to sunlight. XPA-iPSCs exhibited hypersensitivity to ultraviolet exposure and accumulation of single-nucleotide substitutions when compared with ataxia telangiectasia-derived iPSCs that were established in a previous study. However, XPA-iPSCs did not show any chromosomal instability in vitro, i.e. intact chromosomes were maintained. The results were mutually compensating for examining two major sources of mutations, nucleotide excision repair deficiency and double-strand break repair deficiency. Like XP patients, XPA-iPSCs accumulated single-nucleotide substitutions that are associated with malignant melanoma, a manifestation of XP. These results indicate that XPA-iPSCs may serve a monitoring tool (analogous to the Ames test but using mammalian cells) to measure single-nucleotide alterations, and may be a good model to clarify pathogenesis of XP. In addition, XPA-iPSCs may allow us to facilitate development of drugs that delay genetic alteration and decrease hypersensitivity to ultraviolet for therapeutic applications. PMID:27197874

  10. [Methods of substances and organelles introduction in living cell for cell engineering technologies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikitin, V A

    2007-01-01

    We have presented the classification of more than 40 methods of genetic material, substances and organelles introduction into a living cell. Each of them has its characteristic advantages, disadvantages and limitations with respect to cell viability, transfer efficiency, general applicability, and technical requirements. It this article we have enlarged on the description of our developments of several new and improved approaches, methods and devices of the direct microinjection into a single cell and cell microsurgery with the help of glass micropipettes. The problem of low efficiency of mammalian cloning is discussed with emphasis on the necessity of expertizing of each step of single cell reconstruction to begin with microsurgical manipulations and necessity of the development of such methods of single cell resonstruction that could minimize the possible damage of the cell.

  11. Regulation of DNA repair processes in mammalian cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bil'din, V.N.; Sergina, T.B.; Zhestyanikov, V.D.

    1992-01-01

    A study was made of the repair of ionizing radiation-induced DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) in proliferating and quiescent mouse Swiss 3T6 cells and in those stimulated from the quiet status by epidermal growth factor in combination with insulin, in the presence of specific inhibitors of DNA polymerase α and β (aphidicolin) and DNA polymerase β (2', 3'-dideoxythjymidine-5'-triphosphate). The repair of DNA SSB induced by X-ray-irradiation (10 Gy) or by γ-ray irradiation (150 Gy) is more sensitive to aphidicolin and mitogen-simulated cells three times stronger than in proliferating cells. The influence of 2', 3'-dideoxythymidine-5'-triphosphate on the rate of DNA SSB repair in cells of all the three types does not differ. Thus, the decrease in DNA repair efficiency in quiescent cells is connected with a decrease in the activity of aphidicolin-sensitive DNA polymerase, apparently DNA polymerase α

  12. High-dimensional single-cell cancer biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irish, Jonathan M; Doxie, Deon B

    2014-01-01

    Cancer cells are distinguished from each other and from healthy cells by features that drive clonal evolution and therapy resistance. New advances in high-dimensional flow cytometry make it possible to systematically measure mechanisms of tumor initiation, progression, and therapy resistance on millions of cells from human tumors. Here we describe flow cytometry techniques that enable a "single-cell " view of cancer. High-dimensional techniques like mass cytometry enable multiplexed single-cell analysis of cell identity, clinical biomarkers, signaling network phospho-proteins, transcription factors, and functional readouts of proliferation, cell cycle status, and apoptosis. This capability pairs well with a signaling profiles approach that dissects mechanism by systematically perturbing and measuring many nodes in a signaling network. Single-cell approaches enable study of cellular heterogeneity of primary tissues and turn cell subsets into experimental controls or opportunities for new discovery. Rare populations of stem cells or therapy-resistant cancer cells can be identified and compared to other types of cells within the same sample. In the long term, these techniques will enable tracking of minimal residual disease (MRD) and disease progression. By better understanding biological systems that control development and cell-cell interactions in healthy and diseased contexts, we can learn to program cells to become therapeutic agents or target malignant signaling events to specifically kill cancer cells. Single-cell approaches that provide deep insight into cell signaling and fate decisions will be critical to optimizing the next generation of cancer treatments combining targeted approaches and immunotherapy.

  13. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ku can bind to nuclear DNA damage and sensitize mammalian cells to bleomycin sulfate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castore, Reneau; Hughes, Cameron; Debeaux, Austin; Sun, Jingxin; Zeng, Cailing; Wang, Shih-Ya; Tatchell, Kelly; Shi, Runhua; Lee, Kyung-Jong; Chen, David J; Harrison, Lynn

    2011-11-01

    Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are effective cancer treatments due to their ability to generate DNA damage. The major lethal lesion is the DNA double-strand break (DSB). Human cells predominantly repair DSBs by non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), which requires Ku70, Ku80, DNA-PKcs, DNA ligase IV and accessory proteins. Repair is initiated by the binding of the Ku heterodimer at the ends of the DSB and this recruits DNA-PKcs, which initiates damage signaling and functions in repair. NHEJ also exists in certain types of bacteria that have dormant phases in their life cycle. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ku (Mt-Ku) resembles the DNA-binding domain of human Ku but does not have the N- and C-terminal domains of Ku70/80 that have been implicated in binding mammalian NHEJ repair proteins. The aim of this work was to determine whether Mt-Ku could be used as a tool to bind DSBs in mammalian cells and sensitize cells to DNA damage. We generated a fusion protein (KuEnls) of Mt-Ku, EGFP and a nuclear localization signal that is able to perform bacterial NHEJ and hence bind DSBs. Using transient transfection, we demonstrated that KuEnls is able to bind laser damage in the nucleus of Ku80-deficient cells within 10 sec and remains bound for up to 2 h. The Mt-Ku fusion protein was over-expressed in U2OS cells and this increased the sensitivity of the cells to bleomycin sulfate. Hydrogen peroxide and UV radiation do not predominantly produce DSBs and there was little or no change in sensitivity to these agents. Since in vitro studies were unable to detect binding of Mt-Ku to DNA-PKcs or human Ku70/80, this work suggests that KuEnls sensitizes cells by binding DSBs, preventing human NHEJ. This study indicates that blocking or decreasing the binding of human Ku to DSBs could be a method for enhancing existing cancer treatments.

  14. Dynamic gene expression for metabolic engineering of mammalian cells in culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Huong; Vishwanathan, Nandita; Kantardjieff, Anne; Doo, Inseok; Srienc, Michael; Zheng, Xiaolu; Somia, Nikunj; Hu, Wei-Shou

    2013-11-01

    Recombinant mammalian cells are the major hosts for the production of protein therapeutics. In addition to high expression of the product gene, a hyper-producer must also harbor superior phenotypic traits related to metabolism, protein secretion, and growth control. Introduction of genes endowing the relevant hyper-productivity traits is a strategy frequently used to enhance the productivity. Most of such cell engineering efforts have been performed using constitutive expression systems. However, cells respond to various environmental cues and cellular events dynamically according to cellular needs. The use of inducible systems allows for time dependent expression, but requires external manipulation. Ideally, a transgene's expression should be synchronous to the host cell's own rhythm, and at levels appropriate for the objective. To that end, we identified genes with different expression dynamics and intensity ranges using pooled transcriptome data. Their promoters may be used to drive the expression of the transgenes following the desired dynamics. We isolated the promoter of the Thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) gene and demonstrated its capability to drive transgene expression in concert with cell growth. We further employed this Chinese hamster promoter to engineer dynamic expression of the mouse GLUT5 fructose transporter in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, enabling them to utilize sugar according to cellular needs rather than in excess as typically seen in culture. Thus, less lactate was produced, resulting in a better growth rate, prolonged culture duration, and higher product titer. This approach illustrates a novel concept in metabolic engineering which can potentially be used to achieve dynamic control of cellular behaviors for enhanced process characteristics. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

  15. Alpha radiation-induced alterations of the proliferation kinetics, chromatin structure and gene expression in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hieber, L.

    1983-01-01

    Exponentially growing mammalian cells were exposed to 3.4 MeV alpha particles. The chromatin of cells arrested in G2 by alpha irradiation was severely damaged, though all cells were still capable to condensate their chromatin after fusion with mitotic cells. In addition to the common types of aberrations (breaks, gaps, dicentrics and exchanges) cells were found possessing one or more chromosomes with long stretches of undercondensed chromatin. Repair of these lesions was indicated by site specific unscheduled DNA synthesis and by the observation that condensation of these regions improved during G2 arrest. Furthermore, during G2 arrest the synthesis of two cellular proteins was stimulated. This was studied by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of 35 S-methionine labeled cellular proteins. All these findings provided evidence that radiation-induced G2 arrest is caused by chromatin damage, which prevents regular chromosome condensation for mitosis. (orig./MG) [de

  16. Hydrogen peroxide production is affected by oxygen levels in mammalian cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maddalena, Lucas A; Selim, Shehab M; Fonseca, Joao; Messner, Holt; McGowan, Shannon; Stuart, Jeffrey A

    2017-11-04

    Although oxygen levels in the extracellular space of most mammalian tissues are just a few percent, under standard cell culture conditions they are not regulated and are often substantially higher. Some cellular sources of reactive oxygen species, like NADPH oxidase 4, are sensitive to oxygen levels in the range between 'normal' physiological (typically 1-5%) and standard cell culture (up to 18%). Hydrogen peroxide in particular participates in signal transduction pathways via protein redox modifications, so the potential increase in its production under standard cell culture conditions is important to understand. We measured the rates of cellular hydrogen peroxide production in some common cell lines, including C2C12, PC-3, HeLa, SH-SY5Y, MCF-7, and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) maintained at 18% or 5% oxygen. In all instances the rate of hydrogen peroxide production by these cells was significantly greater at 18% oxygen than at 5%. The increase in hydrogen peroxide production at higher oxygen levels was either abolished or substantially reduced by treatment with GKT 137831, a selective inhibitor of NADPH oxidase subunits 1 and 4. These data indicate that oxygen levels experienced by cells in culture influence hydrogen peroxide production via NADPH oxidase 1/4, highlighting the importance of regulating oxygen levels in culture near physiological values. However, we measured pericellular oxygen levels adjacent to cell monolayers under a variety of conditions and with different cell lines and found that, particularly when growing at 5% incubator oxygen levels, pericellular oxygen was often lower and variable. Together, these observations indicate the importance, and difficulty, of regulating oxygen levels experienced by cells in culture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Damage and repair in mammalian cells after ultraviolet and/or visible light treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harm, H.

    1976-01-01

    Ultraviolet (uv) light (254 nm or 302 nm) was used to induce lesions in DNA of cultured mammalian cells in vivo, particularly in fibroblasts from potoroo cornea, mouse skin (3T3), cat cornea, human skin (healthy and diseased), and in freshly obtained ox cornea tissue. In addition, white light (WL) from daylight fluorescent lamps, filtered through a plexiglass plate cutting off virtually all photons less than 380 nm and being fully transparent for greater than 400 nm, was applied in vivo either as photoreactivating light after uv irradiation, or as damaging radiation by itself. Completely unirradiated samples under otherwise identical conditions served as controls. DNA from cells exposed to these different radiations was extracted and tested for its capability of competitively inhibiting photoenzymatic repair of uv-irradiated Haemophilus influenzae transforming DNA in vitro in the presence of yeast photoreactivating enzyme (PRE) and photoreactivating light. In several (but not all) of the cases, DNA from cells treated with uv + WL displayed considerably less competitive inhibition than DNA from cells treated with uv alone, even though under certain conditions WL itself caused damage serving as substrate from the PRE in vitro. Cell cultures differing in their origin or in their number of passages varied substantially in this respect

  18. A general framework for modeling growth and division of mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauthier, John H; Pohl, Phillip I

    2011-01-06

    Modeling the cell-division cycle has been practiced for many years. As time has progressed, this work has gone from understanding the basic principles to addressing distinct biological problems, e.g., the nature of the restriction point, how checkpoints operate, the nonlinear dynamics of the cell cycle, the effect of localization, etc. Most models consist of coupled ordinary differential equations developed by the researchers, restricted to deal with the interactions of a limited number of molecules. In the future, cell-cycle modeling--and indeed all modeling of complex biologic processes--will increase in scope and detail. A framework for modeling complex cell-biologic processes is proposed here. The framework is based on two constructs: one describing the entire lifecycle of a molecule and the second describing the basic cellular machinery. Use of these constructs allows complex models to be built in a straightforward manner that fosters rigor and completeness. To demonstrate the framework, an example model of the mammalian cell cycle is presented that consists of several hundred differential equations of simple mass action kinetics. The model calculates energy usage, amino acid and nucleotide usage, membrane transport, RNA synthesis and destruction, and protein synthesis and destruction for 33 proteins to give an in-depth look at the cell cycle. The framework presented here addresses how to develop increasingly descriptive models of complex cell-biologic processes. The example model of cellular growth and division constructed with the framework demonstrates that large structured models can be created with the framework, and these models can generate non-trivial descriptions of cellular processes. Predictions from the example model include those at both the molecular level--e.g., Wee1 spontaneously reactivates--and at the system level--e.g., pathways for timing-critical processes must shut down redundant pathways. A future effort is to automatically estimate

  19. Mutagenesis in mammalian cells can be modulated by radiation-induced voltage-dependent potassium channels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saad, A.H.; Zhou, L.Y.; Lambe, E.K.; Hahn, G.M.

    1994-01-01

    In mammalian cells, little is known about the initial events whose ultimate consequence is mutagenesis or DNA repair. The role the plasma membrane may play as an initiator of such a pathway is not understood. We show, for the first time, that membrane voltage-dependent potassium (K + ) currents, activated by ionizing radiation play a significant role in radiation mutagenesis. Specifically, we show that the frequency of mutation at the HGPRT locus is increased as expected to 37.6±4.0 mutations per 100,000 survivors by 800 cGy of ionizing radiation from a spontaneous frequency of 1.5±1.5. This increase, however, is abolished if either K + channel blocker, CsCl or BaCl 2 , is present for 2h following irradiation of the cells. RbCl, chemically similar to CsCl but known not to block K + channels, is ineffective in reducing the mutation frequency. Treatment of cells with CsCl or BaCl 2 had no effect on radiation-induced cell killing

  20. Single-cell regulome data analysis by SCRAT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Zhicheng; Zhou, Weiqiang; Ji, Hongkai

    2017-09-15

    Emerging single-cell technologies (e.g. single-cell ATAC-seq, DNase-seq or ChIP-seq) have made it possible to assay regulome of individual cells. Single-cell regulome data are highly sparse and discrete. Analyzing such data is challenging. User-friendly software tools are still lacking. We present SCRAT, a Single-Cell Regulome Analysis Toolbox with a graphical user interface, for studying cell heterogeneity using single-cell regulome data. SCRAT can be used to conveniently summarize regulatory activities according to different features (e.g. gene sets, transcription factor binding motif sites, etc.). Using these features, users can identify cell subpopulations in a heterogeneous biological sample, infer cell identities of each subpopulation, and discover distinguishing features such as gene sets and transcription factors that show different activities among subpopulations. SCRAT is freely available at https://zhiji.shinyapps.io/scrat as an online web service and at https://github.com/zji90/SCRAT as an R package. hji@jhu.edu. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  1. Single-cell Hi-C for genome-wide detection of chromatin interactions that occur simultaneously in a single cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagano, Takashi; Lubling, Yaniv; Yaffe, Eitan; Wingett, Steven W; Dean, Wendy; Tanay, Amos; Fraser, Peter

    2015-12-01

    Hi-C is a powerful method that provides pairwise information on genomic regions in spatial proximity in the nucleus. Hi-C requires millions of cells as input and, as genome organization varies from cell to cell, a limitation of Hi-C is that it only provides a population average of genome conformations. We developed single-cell Hi-C to create snapshots of thousands of chromatin interactions that occur simultaneously in a single cell. To adapt Hi-C to single-cell analysis, we modified the protocol to include in-nucleus ligation. This enables the isolation of single nuclei carrying Hi-C-ligated DNA into separate tubes, followed by reversal of cross-links, capture of biotinylated ligation junctions on streptavidin-coated magnetic beads and PCR amplification of single-cell Hi-C libraries. The entire laboratory protocol can be carried out in 1 week, and although we have demonstrated its use in mouse T helper (TH1) cells, it should be applicable to any cell type or species for which standard Hi-C has been successful. We also developed an analysis pipeline to filter noise and assess the quality of data sets in a few hours. Although the interactome maps produced by single-cell Hi-C are sparse, the data provide useful information to understand cellular variability in nuclear genome organization and chromosome structure. Standard wet and dry laboratory skills in molecular biology and computational analysis are required.

  2. Imaging mammalian cells with soft x rays: The importance of specimen preparation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, J.T.; Meyer-Ilse, W. [Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (United States)

    1997-04-01

    Studies of mammalian cell structure and spatial organization are a very prominent part of modern cell biology. The interest in them as well as their size make them very accommodating subject specimens for imaging with soft x-rays using the XM-1 transmission microscope built and operated by The Center for X-ray Optics on Beam Line 6.1 at the Advanced Light Source. The purpose of these experiments was to determine if the fixative protocols normally used in electron or visible light microscopy were adequate to allow imaging cells, either fibroblasts or neurons, with minimal visible radiation damage due to imaging with soft x-rays at 2.4 nm. Two cell types were selected. Fibroblasts are easily cultured but fragile cells which are commonly used as models for the detailed study of cell physiology. Neurons are complex and sensitive cells which are difficult to prepare and to culture for study in isolation from their connections with surrounding cells. These cell types pose problems in their preparation for any microscopy. To improve the contrast and to prevent postmortem alteration of the chemistry and hence the structure of cells extracted from culture or from living organisms, fixation and staining techniques are employed in electron and visible light microscopy. It has been accepted by biologists for years that these treatments create artifacts and false structure. The authors have begun to develop protocols for specimens of each of these two cell types for soft x-ray microscopy which will preserve them in as near normal state as possible using minimal fixation, and make it possible to image them in either a hydrated or dried state free of secondary addition of stains or other labels.

  3. Imaging mammalian cells with soft x rays: The importance of specimen preparation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, J.T.; Meyer-Ilse, W.

    1997-01-01

    Studies of mammalian cell structure and spatial organization are a very prominent part of modern cell biology. The interest in them as well as their size make them very accommodating subject specimens for imaging with soft x-rays using the XM-1 transmission microscope built and operated by The Center for X-ray Optics on Beam Line 6.1 at the Advanced Light Source. The purpose of these experiments was to determine if the fixative protocols normally used in electron or visible light microscopy were adequate to allow imaging cells, either fibroblasts or neurons, with minimal visible radiation damage due to imaging with soft x-rays at 2.4 nm. Two cell types were selected. Fibroblasts are easily cultured but fragile cells which are commonly used as models for the detailed study of cell physiology. Neurons are complex and sensitive cells which are difficult to prepare and to culture for study in isolation from their connections with surrounding cells. These cell types pose problems in their preparation for any microscopy. To improve the contrast and to prevent postmortem alteration of the chemistry and hence the structure of cells extracted from culture or from living organisms, fixation and staining techniques are employed in electron and visible light microscopy. It has been accepted by biologists for years that these treatments create artifacts and false structure. The authors have begun to develop protocols for specimens of each of these two cell types for soft x-ray microscopy which will preserve them in as near normal state as possible using minimal fixation, and make it possible to image them in either a hydrated or dried state free of secondary addition of stains or other labels

  4. Incorporation of functionalized gold nanoparticles into nanofibers for enhanced attachment and differentiation of mammalian cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jung Dongju

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Electrospun nanofibers have been widely used as substrata for mammalian cell culture owing to their structural similarity to natural extracellular matrices. Structurally consistent electrospun nanofibers can be produced with synthetic polymers but require chemical modification to graft cell-adhesive molecules to make the nanofibers functional. Development of a facile method of grafting functional molecules on the nanofibers will contribute to the production of diverse cell type-specific nanofiber substrata. Results Small molecules, peptides, and functionalized gold nanoparticles were successfully incorporated with polymethylglutarimide (PMGI nanofibers through electrospinning. The PMGI nanofibers functionalized by the grafted AuNPs, which were labeled with cell-adhesive peptides, enhanced HeLa cell attachment and potentiated cardiomyocyte differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells. Conclusions PMGI nanofibers can be functionalized simply by co-electrospinning with the grafting materials. In addition, grafting functionalized AuNPs enable high-density localization of the cell-adhesive peptides on the nanofiber. The results of the present study suggest that more cell type-specific synthetic substrata can be fabricated with molecule-doped nanofibers, in which diverse functional molecules are grafted alone or in combination with other molecules at different concentrations.

  5. Degradation of bioabsorbable Mg-based alloys: Assessment of the effects of insoluble corrosion products and joint effects of alloying components on mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grillo, Claudia A.; Alvarez, Florencia; Fernández Lorenzo de Mele, Mónica A.

    2016-01-01

    This work is focused on the processes occurring at the bioabsorbable metallic biomaterial/cell interfaces that may lead to toxicity. A critical analysis of the results obtained when degradable metal disks (pure Mg and rare earth-containing alloys (ZEK100 alloys)) are in direct contact with cell culture and those obtained with indirect methods such as the use of metal salts and extracts was made. Viability was assessed by Acridine Orange dye, neutral red and clonogenic assays. The effects of concentration of corrosion products and possible joint effects of the binary and ternary combinations of La, Zn and Mg ions, as constituents of ZEK alloys, were evaluated on a mammalian cell culture. In all cases more detrimental effects were found for pure Mg than for the alloys. Experiments with disks showed that gradual alterations in pH and in the amount of corrosion products were better tolerated by cells and resulted in higher viability than abrupt changes. In addition, viability was dependent on the distance from the source of ions. Experiments with extracts showed that the effect of insoluble degradation products was highly detrimental. Indirect tests with Zn ions revealed that harmful effects may be found at concentrations ≥ 150 μM and at ≥ 100 μM in mixtures with Mg. These mixtures lead to more deleterious effects than single ions. Results highlight the need to develop a battery of tests to evaluate the biocompatibility of bioabsorbable biomaterials. - Highlights: • A metal disk setup is better in simulating in vivo situations than extracts and salts. • The biodegradation process and cell metabolism were interdependent. • Zn (100 μM) and Mg (8.2 × 10"3 μM) mixtures are more toxic than single Zn or Mg. • Insoluble degradation products of Mg showed high negative effect on cell viability.

  6. Quantifying the Traction Force of a Single Cell by Aligned Silicon Nanowire Array

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Zhou; Song, Jinhui; Mantini, Giulia; Lu, Ming-Yen; Fang, Hao; Falconi, Christian; Chen, Lih-Juann; Wang, Zhong Lin

    2009-01-01

    The physical behaviors of stationary cells, such as the morphology, motility, adhesion, anchorage, invasion and metastasis, are likely to be important for governing their biological characteristics. A change in the physical properties of mammalian

  7. Effects of ionizing radiations on DNA replication in cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makino, F.; Okada, S.

    1975-01-01

    The dose-response curve of [ 3 H] thymidine incorporation into the acid-insoluble fraction of cultured mammalian cells, grown in the presence of 10 -4 M cold thymidine, is different from that of incorporation in the absence of cold thymidine. For quantitative estimation of net DNA synthesis in nonirradiated and irradiated cells, two methods were used: isolation of newly synthesized BUdR-labeled DNA by CsCl gradient centrifugation and a fluorometric estimation of DNA content in the synchronized population. Both methods showed that the depression of [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation in the presence of cold thymidine reflected a depression of net DNA synthesis. Radiosensitive steps in DNA synthesis were examined by the use of alkaline sucrose gradient centrifugation. The rate of replication along the DNA strands was inhibited to a lesser extent than that of over-all DNA synthesis. The labeling patterns of DNA exposed to [ 3 H]thymidine for 20 min indicated that ionizing radiation preferentially interfered with the formation of small-size 3 H-labeled DNA pieces. These results suggest that the initiation of DNA replication is more radiosensitive than the elongation of DNA strands whose replication has already been initiated. (U.S.)

  8. Elabela-apelin receptor signaling pathway is functional in mammalian systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhi; Yu, Daozhan; Wang, Mengqiao; Wang, Qilong; Kouznetsova, Jennifer; Yang, Rongze; Qian, Kun; Wu, Wenjun; Shuldiner, Alan; Sztalryd, Carole; Zou, Minghui; Zheng, Wei; Gong, Da-Wei

    2015-02-02

    Elabela (ELA) or Toddler is a recently discovered hormone which is required for normal development of heart and vasculature through activation of apelin receptor (APJ), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), in zebrafish. The present study explores whether the ELA-APJ signaling pathway is functional in the mammalian system. Using reverse-transcription PCR, we found that ELA is restrictedly expressed in human pluripotent stem cells and adult kidney whereas APJ is more widely expressed. We next studied ELA-APJ signaling pathway in reconstituted mammalian cell systems. Addition of ELA to HEK293 cells over-expressing GFP-AJP fusion protein resulted in rapid internalization of the fusion receptor. In Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells over-expressing human APJ, ELA suppresses cAMP production with EC50 of 11.1 nM, stimulates ERK1/2 phosphorylation with EC50 of 14.3 nM and weakly induces intracellular calcium mobilization. Finally, we tested ELA biological function in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells and showed that ELA induces angiogenesis and relaxes mouse aortic blood vessel in a dose-dependent manner through a mechanism different from apelin. Collectively, we demonstrate that the ELA-AJP signaling pathways are functional in mammalian systems, indicating that ELA likely serves as a hormone regulating the circulation system in adulthood as well as in embryonic development.

  9. Single-cell technologies in environmental omics

    KAUST Repository

    Kodzius, Rimantas

    2015-10-22

    Environmental studies are primarily done by culturing isolated microorganisms or by amplifying and sequencing conserved genes. Difficulties understanding the complexity of large numbers of various microorganisms in an environment led to the development of techniques to enrich specific microorganisms for upstream analysis, ultimately leading to single-cell isolation and analyses. We discuss the significance of single-cell technologies in omics studies with focus on metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. We propose that by reducing sample heterogeneity using single-cell genomics, metaomic studies can be simplified.

  10. Single-cell technologies in environmental omics

    KAUST Repository

    Kodzius, Rimantas; Gojobori, Takashi

    2015-01-01

    Environmental studies are primarily done by culturing isolated microorganisms or by amplifying and sequencing conserved genes. Difficulties understanding the complexity of large numbers of various microorganisms in an environment led to the development of techniques to enrich specific microorganisms for upstream analysis, ultimately leading to single-cell isolation and analyses. We discuss the significance of single-cell technologies in omics studies with focus on metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. We propose that by reducing sample heterogeneity using single-cell genomics, metaomic studies can be simplified.

  11. Relative ion yields in mammalian cell components using C60 SIMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keskin, Selda; Piwowar, Alan; Hue, Jonathan; Shen, Kan; Winograd, Nicholas

    2013-01-01

    Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry has been used to better understand the influence of molecular environment on the relative ion yields of membrane lipid molecules found in high abundance in a model mammalian cell line, RAW264.7. Control lipid mixtures were prepared to simulate lipid–lipid interactions in the inner and outer leaflet of cell membranes. Compared with its pure film, the molecular ion yields of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine are suppressed when mixed with 2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. In the mixture, proton competition between 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and 2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine led to lower ionization efficiency. The possible mechanism for ion suppression was also investigated with 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The formation of a hydroxyl bond in lipid mixtures confirms the mechanism involving proton exchange with the surrounding environment. Similar effects were observed for lipid mixtures mimicking the composition of the inner leaflet of cell membranes. The secondary molecular ion yield of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine was observed to be enhanced in the presence of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine. PMID:25140069

  12. Single-cell measurement of red blood cell oxygen affinity

    OpenAIRE

    Caprio, Di; Stokes, Chris; Higgins, John M.; Schonbrun, Ethan

    2015-01-01

    Oxygen is transported throughout the body by hemoglobin in red blood cells. While the oxygen affinity of blood is well understood and is routinely assessed in patients by pulse oximetry, variability at the single-cell level has not been previously measured. In contrast, single-cell measurements of red blood cell volume and hemoglobin concentration are taken millions of times per day by clinical hematology analyzers and are important factors in determining the health of the hematologic system....

  13. Evolution of mammalian endothermic metabolism: leaky membranes as a source of heat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Else, P.L.; Hulbert, A.J.

    1987-01-01

    O 2 consumption was measured at 37/degrees/C in tissue slices of liver, kidney, and brain from Amphilbolurus vitticeps and Rattus norvegicus (a reptile and mammal with same weight and body temperature) both in the presence and absence of ouabain. O 2 consumption of the mammalian tissues was two to four times that of the reptilian tissues and the mammalian tissues used three to six times the energy for Na + -K + transport than the reptilian tissues. Passive permeability to 42 K + was measured at 37/degrees/C in liver and kidney slices, and passive permeability to 22 Na + was measured at 37/degrees/C in isolated and cultured liver cells from each species. The mammalian cell membrane was severalfold leakier to both these ions than was the reptilian cell membrane, and thus the membrane pumps must use more energy to maintain the transmembrane ion gradients. It is postulated that this is a general difference between the cells of ectotherms and endotherms and thus partly explains the much higher levels of metabolism found in endothermic mammals

  14. Monitoring Intracellular pH Change with a Genetically Encoded and Ratiometric Luminescence Sensor in Yeast and Mammalian Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yunfei; Robertson, J Brian; Xie, Qiguang; Johnson, Carl Hirschie

    2016-01-01

    "pHlash" is a novel bioluminescence-based pH sensor for measuring intracellular pH, which is developed based on Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET). pHlash is a fusion protein between a mutant of Renilla luciferase (RLuc) and a Venus fluorophore. The spectral emission of purified pHlash protein exhibits pH dependence in vitro. When expressed in either yeast or mammalian cells, pHlash reports basal pH and cytosolic acidification. In this chapter, we describe an in vitro characterization of pHlash, and also in vivo assays including in yeast cells and in HeLa cells using pHlash as a cytoplasmic pH indicator.

  15. The cancer paradigms of mammalian regeneration: can mammals regenerate as amphibians?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarig, Rachel; Tzahor, Eldad

    2017-04-01

    Regeneration in mammals is restricted to distinct tissues and occurs mainly by expansion and maturation of resident stem cells. During regeneration, even subtle mutations in the proliferating cells may cause a detrimental effect by eliciting abnormal differentiation or malignant transformation. Indeed, cancer in mammals has been shown to arise through deregulation of stem cells maturation, which often leads to a differentiation block and cell transformation. In contrast, lower organisms such as amphibians retain a remarkable regenerative capacity in various organs, which occurs via de- and re-differentiation of mature cells. Interestingly, regenerating amphibian cells are highly resistant to oncogenic transformation. Therapeutic approaches to improve mammalian regeneration mainly include stem-cell transplantations; but, these have proved unsuccessful in non-regenerating organs such as the heart. A recently developed approach is to induce de-differentiation of mature cardiomyocytes using factors that trigger their re-entry into the cell cycle. This novel approach raises numerous questions regarding the balance between transformation and regeneration induced by de-differentiation of mature mammalian somatic cells. Can this balance be controlled artificially? Do de-differentiated cells acquire the protection mechanisms seen in regenerating cells of lower organisms? Is this model unique to the cardiac tissue, which rarely develops tumors? This review describes regeneration processes in both mammals and lower organisms and, particularly, the ability of regenerating cells to avoid transformation. By comparing the characteristics of mammalian embryonic and somatic cells, we discuss therapeutic strategies of using various cell populations for regeneration. Finally, we describe a novel cardiac regeneration approach and its implications for regenerative medicine. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email

  16. Experimental design and reporting standards for metabolomics studies of mammalian cell lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayton, Sarah; Maker, Garth L; Mullaney, Ian; Trengove, Robert D

    2017-12-01

    Metabolomics is an analytical technique that investigates the small biochemical molecules present within a biological sample isolated from a plant, animal, or cultured cells. It can be an extremely powerful tool in elucidating the specific metabolic changes within a biological system in response to an environmental challenge such as disease, infection, drugs, or toxins. A historically difficult step in the metabolomics pipeline is in data interpretation to a meaningful biological context, for such high-variability biological samples and in untargeted metabolomics studies that are hypothesis-generating by design. One way to achieve stronger biological context of metabolomic data is via the use of cultured cell models, particularly for mammalian biological systems. The benefits of in vitro metabolomics include a much greater control of external variables and no ethical concerns. The current concerns are with inconsistencies in experimental procedures and level of reporting standards between different studies. This review discusses some of these discrepancies between recent studies, such as metabolite extraction and data normalisation. The aim of this review is to highlight the importance of a standardised experimental approach to any cultured cell metabolomics study and suggests an example procedure fully inclusive of information that should be disclosed in regard to the cell type/s used and their culture conditions. Metabolomics of cultured cells has the potential to uncover previously unknown information about cell biology, functions and response mechanisms, and so the accurate biological interpretation of the data produced and its ability to be compared to other studies should be considered vitally important.

  17. Moving epithelia: Tracking the fate of mammalian limbal epithelial stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Girolamo, Nick

    2015-09-01

    Lineage tracing allows the destiny of a stem cell (SC) and its progeny to be followed through time. In order to track their long-term fate, SC must be permanently marked to discern their distribution, division, displacement and differentiation. This information is essential for unravelling the mysteries that govern their replenishing activity while they remain anchored within their niche microenvironment. Modern-day lineage tracing uses inducible genetic recombination to illuminate cells within embryonic, newborn and adult tissues, and the advent of powerful high-resolution microscopy has enabled the behaviour of labelled cells to be monitored in real-time in a living organism. The simple structural organization of the mammalian cornea, including its accessibility and transparency, renders it the ideal tissue to study SC fate using lineage tracing assisted by non-invasive intravital microscopy. Despite more than a century of research devoted to understanding how this tissue is maintained and repaired, many limitations and controversies continue to plague the field, including uncertainties about the specificity of current SC markers, the number of SC within the cornea, their mode of division, their location, and importantly the signals that dictate cell migration. This communication will highlight historical discoveries as well as recent developments in the corneal SC field; more specifically how the progeny of these cells are mobilised to replenish this dynamic tissue during steady-state, disease and transplantation. Also discussed is how insights gleaned from animal studies can be used to advance our knowledge of the fundamental mechanisms that govern modelling and remodelling of the human cornea in health and disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Mel-18, a mammalian Polycomb gene, regulates angiogenic gene expression of endothelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Ji-Hye; Choi, Hyun-Jung; Maeng, Yong-Sun; Choi, Jung-Yeon; Kim, Minhyung; Kwon, Ja-Young; Park, Yong-Won; Kim, Young-Myeong; Hwang, Daehee; Kwon, Young-Guen

    2010-10-01

    Mel-18 is a mammalian homolog of Polycomb group (PcG) genes. Microarray analysis revealed that Mel-18 expression was induced during endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) differentiation and correlates with the expression of EC-specific protein markers. Overexpression of Mel-18 promoted EPC differentiation and angiogenic activity of ECs. Accordingly, silencing Mel-18 inhibited EC migration and tube formation in vitro. Gene expression profiling showed that Mel-18 regulates angiogenic genes including kinase insert domain receptor (KDR), claudin 5, and angiopoietin-like 2. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that Mel-18 plays a significant role in the angiogenic function of ECs by regulating endothelial gene expression. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Probing bacterial adhesion at the single-cell level

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zeng, Guanghong; Müller, Torsten; Meyer, Rikke Louise

    be considered. We have developed a simple and versatile method to make single-cell bacterial probes for measuring single cell adhesion by force spectroscopy using atomic force microscopy (AFM). A single-cell probe was readily made by picking up a bacterial cell from a glass surface by approaching a tipless AFM...... cantilever coated with the commercial cell adhesive CellTakTM. We applied the method to study adhesion of living cells to abiotic surfaces at the single-cell level. Immobilisation of single bacterial cells to the cantilever was stable for several hours, and viability was confirmed by Live/Dead staining...... on the adhesion force, we explored the bond formation and adhesive strength of four different bacterial strains towards three abiotic substrates with variable hydrophobicity and surface roughness. The adhesion force and final rupture length were dependent on bacterial strains, surfaces properties, and time...

  20. Interspecific comparison of the effects of continuous ionizing radiation on the primitive mammalian stem germ cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erickson, B.H.

    1978-01-01

    The response of the mammalian oocyte to radiation is characterized by wide interspecific differences, and results of preliminary assays suggest that this may be the case with the primitive stem germ cell. To test the validity of this observation and to define probable causes for the differences, prenatal mice, rats, and guinea pigs were irradiated continuously throughout gestation at rates of 1 and 3 rads per 23-hr day. Prenatal pigs were irradiated continuously for 108 days at a dose rate of 0.25 rad per 23-hr day. In all cases germ cells were enumerated in gonads excised either at birth or 6 days after birth. A dose rate of 0.25 rad/day reduced the germ-cell number in the male and female pig to 38 and 60% of control, respectively, and only 1 and 5% of the germ cells in the respective sexes survived a dose rate of 1 rad/day. Application of the single-hit multitarget model to all pig data yielded values for D 0 and n of 28 and 0.8, respectively, for the male and 27 and 3.2, respectively, for the female. Corresponding values for the male and female rat were 275 (D 0 ) and 0.3 (n) and 159 (D 0 ) and 0.8 (n), respectively. Both sexes of the pig were either sterilized or brought near sterility by a dose rate of 1 rad/day. In the case of the male rodent, however, this dose rate reduced germ-cell number to only 71% of control in the mouse, 50% of control in the rat, and 41% of control in the guinea pig. Ninety percent of the germ cells in the female rat survived a dose rate of 1 rad/day, as did 87% in the mouse and 71% in the guinea pig. When total dose was used as the basis of comparison, the pig remained the most sensitive species. Thus the differences among rodent species are not great when compared to the tremendous difference between the rodent and pig. When rodents are compared with pigs, the difference in the magnitude of the effect of continuous irradiation on the primitive stem cells of both sexes appears to be dependent on length of time at risk

  1. Single cell enzyme diagnosis on the chip

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Sissel Juul; Harmsen, Charlotte; Nielsen, Mette Juul

    2013-01-01

    Conventional diagnosis based on ensemble measurements often overlooks the variation among cells. Here, we present a droplet-microfluidics based platform to investigate single cell activities. Adopting a previously developed isothermal rolling circle amplification-based assay, we demonstrate...... detection of enzymatic activities down to the single cell level with small quantities of biological samples, which outcompetes existing techniques. Such a system, capable of resolving single cell activities, will ultimately have clinical applications in diagnosis, prediction of drug response and treatment...

  2. Modelling a tethered mammalian sperm cell undergoing hyperactivation

    KAUST Repository

    Curtis, M.P.

    2012-09-01

    The beat patterns of mammalian sperm flagella can be categorised into two different types. The first involves symmetric waves propagating down the flagellum with a net linear propulsion of the sperm cell. The second, hyperactive, waveform is classified by vigorous asymmetric waves of higher amplitude, lower wavenumber and frequency propagating down the flagellum resulting in highly curved trajectories. The latter beat pattern is part of the capacitation process whereby sperm prepare for the prospective penetration of the zona pellucida and fusion with the egg. Hyperactivation is often observed to initiate as sperm escape from epithelial and ciliary bindings formed within the isthmic regions of the female oviducts, leading to a conjecture in the literature that this waveform is mechanically important for sperm escape. Hence, we explore the mechanical effects of hyperactivation on a tethered sperm, focussing on a Newtonian fluid. Using a resistive force theory model we demonstrate that hyperactivation can indeed generate forces that pull the sperm away from a tethering point and consequently a hyperactivated sperm cell bound to an epithelial surface need not always be pushed by its flagellum. More generally, directions of the forces generated by tethered flagella are insensitive to reductions in beat frequency and the detailed flagellar responses depend on the nature of the binding at the tethering point. Furthermore, waveform asymmetry and amplitude increases enhance the tendency for a tethered flagellum to start tugging on its binding. The same is generally predicted to be true for reductions in the wavenumber of the flagellum beat, but not universally so, emphasising the dynamical complexity of flagellar force generation. Finally, qualitative observations drawn from experimental data of human sperm bound to excised female reproductive tract are also presented and are found to be consistent with the theoretical predictions. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

  3. Modelling a tethered mammalian sperm cell undergoing hyperactivation

    KAUST Repository

    Curtis, M.P.; Kirkman-Brown, J.C.; Connolly, T.J.; Gaffney, E.A.

    2012-01-01

    The beat patterns of mammalian sperm flagella can be categorised into two different types. The first involves symmetric waves propagating down the flagellum with a net linear propulsion of the sperm cell. The second, hyperactive, waveform is classified by vigorous asymmetric waves of higher amplitude, lower wavenumber and frequency propagating down the flagellum resulting in highly curved trajectories. The latter beat pattern is part of the capacitation process whereby sperm prepare for the prospective penetration of the zona pellucida and fusion with the egg. Hyperactivation is often observed to initiate as sperm escape from epithelial and ciliary bindings formed within the isthmic regions of the female oviducts, leading to a conjecture in the literature that this waveform is mechanically important for sperm escape. Hence, we explore the mechanical effects of hyperactivation on a tethered sperm, focussing on a Newtonian fluid. Using a resistive force theory model we demonstrate that hyperactivation can indeed generate forces that pull the sperm away from a tethering point and consequently a hyperactivated sperm cell bound to an epithelial surface need not always be pushed by its flagellum. More generally, directions of the forces generated by tethered flagella are insensitive to reductions in beat frequency and the detailed flagellar responses depend on the nature of the binding at the tethering point. Furthermore, waveform asymmetry and amplitude increases enhance the tendency for a tethered flagellum to start tugging on its binding. The same is generally predicted to be true for reductions in the wavenumber of the flagellum beat, but not universally so, emphasising the dynamical complexity of flagellar force generation. Finally, qualitative observations drawn from experimental data of human sperm bound to excised female reproductive tract are also presented and are found to be consistent with the theoretical predictions. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

  4. Color reduction of melanin by lysosomal and peroxisomal enzymes isolated from mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Dong Jun; Sekhon, Simranjeet Singh; Yoon, Jihee; Kim, Yang-Hoon; Min, Jiho

    2016-02-01

    Lysosomes and peroxisomes are organelles with many functions in all eukaryotic cells. Lysosomes contain hydrolytic enzymes (lysozyme) that degrade molecules, whereas peroxisomes contain enzymes such as catalase that convert hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to water and oxygen and neutralize toxicity. In contrast, melanin is known as a helpful element to protect the skin against harmful ultraviolet rays. However, a high quantity of melanin leads to hyperpigmentation or skin cancer in human. New materials have already been discovered to inhibit tyrosinase in melanogenesis; however, melanin reduction does not suggest their preparation. In this study, we report that the color intensity because of melanin decreased by the cellular activation of lysosomes and peroxisomes. An increase in the superficial intensity of lysosome and peroxisome activities of HeLa cells was observed. In addition, a decrease in the amount of melanin has also been observed in mammalian cells without using any other chemical, showing that the process can work in vivo for treating melanin. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that the amount of melanin decreases by the lysosome and peroxisome activity after entering the cells, and functional organelles are effective in color reduction. This mechanism can be used in vivo for treating melanin.

  5. Differentiation of mammalian skeletal muscle cells cultured on microcarrier beads in a rotating cell culture system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torgan, C. E.; Burge, S. S.; Collinsworth, A. M.; Truskey, G. A.; Kraus, W. E.

    2000-01-01

    The growth and repair of adult skeletal muscle are due in part to activation of muscle precursor cells, commonly known as satellite cells or myoblasts. These cells are responsive to a variety of environmental cues, including mechanical stimuli. The overall goal of the research is to examine the role of mechanical signalling mechanisms in muscle growth and plasticity through utilisation of cell culture systems where other potential signalling pathways (i.e. chemical and electrical stimuli) are controlled. To explore the effects of decreased mechanical loading on muscle differentiation, mammalian myoblasts are cultured in a bioreactor (rotating cell culture system), a model that has been utilised to simulate microgravity. C2C12 murine myoblasts are cultured on microcarrier beads in a bioreactor and followed throughout differentiation as they form a network of multinucleated myotubes. In comparison with three-dimensional control cultures that consist of myoblasts cultured on microcarrier beads in teflon bags, myoblasts cultured in the bioreactor exhibit an attenuation in differentiation. This is demonstrated by reduced immunohistochemical staining for myogenin and alpha-actinin. Western analysis shows a decrease, in bioreactor cultures compared with control cultures, in levels of the contractile proteins myosin (47% decrease, p < 0.01) and tropomyosin (63% decrease, p < 0.01). Hydrodynamic measurements indicate that the decrease in differentiation may be due, at least in part, to fluid stresses acting on the myotubes. In addition, constraints on aggregate size imposed by the action of fluid forces in the bioreactor affect differentiation. These results may have implications for muscle growth and repair during spaceflight.

  6. Single and double strand breaks induced by 3H incorporated in DNA of cultured human kidney cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tisljar-Lentulis, G.; Henneberg, P.; Mielke, T.; Feinendegen, L.E.

    1978-01-01

    In the course of the investigations of the biological effects of radionuclides incorporated in DNA single (SSB) and double strand breaks (DSB) caused tritium-decay were measured and compared with respective data resulting from 125 I. Tritium bound to thymidine and iododeoxyuridine seems to be more effective than tritium bound to other DNA-precursors. On the basis of decay, methyl- 3 H thymidine appears to be more effective with regard to the production of strand breaks than 3 H in position 6 of the pyrimidine ring. Based on the numbers of strand-breaks per rad, position 6 is more effective in accordance with data obtained by F. Krasin et al. The ratio of SSBs to DSBs per tritium decay appears to be approximately 8 in mammlian cells. Not only SSBs but also DSBs induced by 3 H in mammalian cells are reapairable. (orig./AJ) [de

  7. Platforms for Single-Cell Collection and Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lukas Valihrach

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Single-cell analysis has become an established method to study cell heterogeneity and for rare cell characterization. Despite the high cost and technical constraints, applications are increasing every year in all fields of biology. Following the trend, there is a tremendous development of tools for single-cell analysis, especially in the RNA sequencing field. Every improvement increases sensitivity and throughput. Collecting a large amount of data also stimulates the development of new approaches for bioinformatic analysis and interpretation. However, the essential requirement for any analysis is the collection of single cells of high quality. The single-cell isolation must be fast, effective, and gentle to maintain the native expression profiles. Classical methods for single-cell isolation are micromanipulation, microdissection, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS. In the last decade several new and highly efficient approaches have been developed, which not just supplement but may fully replace the traditional ones. These new techniques are based on microfluidic chips, droplets, micro-well plates, and automatic collection of cells using capillaries, magnets, an electric field, or a punching probe. In this review we summarize the current methods and developments in this field. We discuss the advantages of the different commercially available platforms and their applicability, and also provide remarks on future developments.

  8. Platforms for Single-Cell Collection and Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valihrach, Lukas; Androvic, Peter; Kubista, Mikael

    2018-03-11

    Single-cell analysis has become an established method to study cell heterogeneity and for rare cell characterization. Despite the high cost and technical constraints, applications are increasing every year in all fields of biology. Following the trend, there is a tremendous development of tools for single-cell analysis, especially in the RNA sequencing field. Every improvement increases sensitivity and throughput. Collecting a large amount of data also stimulates the development of new approaches for bioinformatic analysis and interpretation. However, the essential requirement for any analysis is the collection of single cells of high quality. The single-cell isolation must be fast, effective, and gentle to maintain the native expression profiles. Classical methods for single-cell isolation are micromanipulation, microdissection, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). In the last decade several new and highly efficient approaches have been developed, which not just supplement but may fully replace the traditional ones. These new techniques are based on microfluidic chips, droplets, micro-well plates, and automatic collection of cells using capillaries, magnets, an electric field, or a punching probe. In this review we summarize the current methods and developments in this field. We discuss the advantages of the different commercially available platforms and their applicability, and also provide remarks on future developments.

  9. Single cell analysis of normal and leukemic hematopoiesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Povinelli, Benjamin J; Rodriguez-Meira, Alba; Mead, Adam J

    2018-02-01

    The hematopoietic system is well established as a paradigm for the study of cellular hierarchies, their disruption in disease and therapeutic use in regenerative medicine. Traditional approaches to study hematopoiesis involve purification of cell populations based on a small number of surface markers. However, such population-based analysis obscures underlying heterogeneity contained within any phenotypically defined cell population. This heterogeneity can only be resolved through single cell analysis. Recent advances in single cell techniques allow analysis of the genome, transcriptome, epigenome and proteome in single cells at an unprecedented scale. The application of these new single cell methods to investigate the hematopoietic system has led to paradigm shifts in our understanding of cellular heterogeneity in hematopoiesis and how this is disrupted in disease. In this review, we summarize how single cell techniques have been applied to the analysis of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in normal and malignant hematopoiesis, with a particular focus on recent advances in single-cell genomics, including how these might be utilized for clinical application. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Analysis of Mammalian Cell Proliferation and Macromolecule Synthesis Using Deuterated Water and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria C. Foletta

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Deuterated water (2H2O, a stable isotopic tracer, provides a convenient and reliable way to label multiple cellular biomass components (macromolecules, thus permitting the calculation of their synthesis rates. Here, we have combined 2H2O labelling, GC-MS analysis and a novel cell fractionation method to extract multiple biomass components (DNA, protein and lipids from the one biological sample, thus permitting the simultaneous measurement of DNA (cell proliferation, protein and lipid synthesis rates. We have used this approach to characterize the turnover rates and metabolism of a panel of mammalian cells in vitro (muscle C2C12 and colon cancer cell lines. Our data show that in actively-proliferating cells, biomass synthesis rates are strongly linked to the rate of cell division. Furthermore, in both proliferating and non-proliferating cells, it is the lipid pool that undergoes the most rapid turnover when compared to DNA and protein. Finally, our data in human colon cancer cell lines reveal a marked heterogeneity in the reliance on the de novo lipogenic pathway, with the cells being dependent on both ‘self-made’ and exogenously-derived fatty acid.

  11. Single-step laser-based fabrication and patterning of cell-encapsulated alginate microbeads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kingsley, D M; Dias, A D; Corr, D T; Chrisey, D B

    2013-01-01

    Alginate can be used to encapsulate mammalian cells and for the slow release of small molecules. Packaging alginate as microbead structures allows customizable delivery for tissue engineering, drug release, or contrast agents for imaging. However, state-of-the-art microbead fabrication has a limited range in achievable bead sizes, and poor control over bead placement, which may be desired to localize cellular signaling or delivery. Herein, we present a novel, laser-based method for single-step fabrication and precise planar placement of alginate microbeads. Our results show that bead size is controllable within 8%, and fabricated microbeads can remain immobilized within 2% of their target placement. Demonstration of this technique using human breast cancer cells shows that cells encapsulated within these microbeads survive at a rate of 89.6%, decreasing to 84.3% after five days in culture. Infusing rhodamine dye into microbeads prior to fluorescent microscopy shows their 3D spheroidal geometry and the ability to sequester small molecules. Microbead fabrication and patterning is compatible with conventional cellular transfer and patterning by laser direct-write, allowing location-based cellular studies. While this method can also be used to fabricate microbeads en masse for collection, the greatest value to tissue engineering and drug delivery studies and applications lies in the pattern registry of printed microbeads. (paper)

  12. A particle-based model to simulate the micromechanics of single-plant parenchyma cells and aggregates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Liedekerke, P; Tijskens, E; Smeedts, B; Ramon, H; Ghysels, P; Samaey, G; Roose, D

    2010-01-01

    This paper is concerned with addressing how plant tissue mechanics is related to the micromechanics of cells. To this end, we propose a mesh-free particle method to simulate the mechanics of both individual plant cells (parenchyma) and cell aggregates in response to external stresses. The model considers two important features in the plant cell: (1) the cell protoplasm, the interior liquid phase inducing hydrodynamic phenomena, and (2) the cell wall material, a viscoelastic solid material that contains the protoplasm. In this particle framework, the cell fluid is modeled by smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), a mesh-free method typically used to address problems with gas and fluid dynamics. In the solid phase (cell wall) on the other hand, the particles are connected by pairwise interactions holding them together and preventing the fluid to penetrate the cell wall. The cell wall hydraulic conductivity (permeability) is built in as well through the SPH formulation. Although this model is also meant to be able to deal with dynamic and even violent situations (leading to cell wall rupture or cell–cell debonding), we have concentrated on quasi-static conditions. The results of single-cell compression simulations show that the conclusions found by analytical models and experiments can be reproduced at least qualitatively. Relaxation tests revealed that plant cells have short relaxation times (1 µs–10 µs) compared to mammalian cells. Simulations performed on cell aggregates indicated an influence of the cellular organization to the tissue response, as was also observed in experiments done on tissues with a similar structure

  13. Role of Notch signaling in the mammalian heart

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, X.L.; Liu, J.C. [Department of Cardiac Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University, Donghu District, Nanchang, Jiangxi (China)

    2013-12-12

    Notch signaling is an evolutionarily ancient, highly conserved pathway important for deciding cell fate, cellular development, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Notch signaling is also critical in mammalian cardiogenesis, as mutations in this signaling pathway are linked to human congenital heart disease. Furthermore, Notch signaling can repair myocardial injury by promoting myocardial regeneration, protecting ischemic myocardium, inducing angiogenesis, and negatively regulating cardiac fibroblast-myofibroblast transformation. This review provides an update on the known roles of Notch signaling in the mammalian heart. The goal is to assist in developing strategies to influence Notch signaling and optimize myocardial injury repair.

  14. Characterization of mammalian selenoprotein o: a redox-active mitochondrial protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Seong-Jeong; Lee, Byung Cheon; Yim, Sun Hee; Gladyshev, Vadim N; Lee, Seung-Rock

    2014-01-01

    Selenoproteins exhibit diverse biological functions, most of which are associated with redox control. However, the functions of approximately half of mammalian selenoproteins are not known. One such protein is Selenoprotein O (SelO), the largest mammalian selenoprotein with orthologs found in a wide range of organisms, including bacteria and yeast. Here, we report characterization of mammalian SelO. Expression of this protein could be verified in HEK 293T cells by metabolic labeling of cells with 75Se, and it was abolished when selenocysteine was replaced with serine. A CxxU motif was identified in the C-terminal region of SelO. This protein was reversibly oxidized in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in HEK 293T cells when cells were treated with hydrogen peroxide. This treatment led to the formation of a transient 88 kDa SelO-containing complex. The formation of this complex was enhanced by replacing the CxxU motif with SxxC, but abolished when it was replaced with SxxS, suggesting a redox interaction of SelO with another protein through its Sec residue. SelO was localized to mitochondria and expressed across mouse tissues. Its expression was little affected by selenium deficiency, suggesting it has a high priority for selenium supply. Taken together, these results show that SelO is a redox-active mitochondrial selenoprotein.

  15. Characterization of mammalian selenoprotein o: a redox-active mitochondrial protein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seong-Jeong Han

    Full Text Available Selenoproteins exhibit diverse biological functions, most of which are associated with redox control. However, the functions of approximately half of mammalian selenoproteins are not known. One such protein is Selenoprotein O (SelO, the largest mammalian selenoprotein with orthologs found in a wide range of organisms, including bacteria and yeast. Here, we report characterization of mammalian SelO. Expression of this protein could be verified in HEK 293T cells by metabolic labeling of cells with 75Se, and it was abolished when selenocysteine was replaced with serine. A CxxU motif was identified in the C-terminal region of SelO. This protein was reversibly oxidized in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in HEK 293T cells when cells were treated with hydrogen peroxide. This treatment led to the formation of a transient 88 kDa SelO-containing complex. The formation of this complex was enhanced by replacing the CxxU motif with SxxC, but abolished when it was replaced with SxxS, suggesting a redox interaction of SelO with another protein through its Sec residue. SelO was localized to mitochondria and expressed across mouse tissues. Its expression was little affected by selenium deficiency, suggesting it has a high priority for selenium supply. Taken together, these results show that SelO is a redox-active mitochondrial selenoprotein.

  16. Non-linear leak currents affect mammalian neuron physiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiwei eHuang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In their seminal works on squid giant axons, Hodgkin and Huxley approximated the membrane leak current as Ohmic, i.e. linear, since in their preparation, sub-threshold current rectification due to the influence of ionic concentration is negligible. Most studies on mammalian neurons have made the same, largely untested, assumption. Here we show that the membrane time constant and input resistance of mammalian neurons (when other major voltage-sensitive and ligand-gated ionic currents are discounted varies non-linearly with membrane voltage, following the prediction of a Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz-based passive membrane model. The model predicts that under such conditions, the time constant/input resistance-voltage relationship will linearize if the concentration differences across the cell membrane are reduced. These properties were observed in patch-clamp recordings of cerebellar Purkinje neurons (in the presence of pharmacological blockers of other background ionic currents and were more prominent in the sub-threshold region of the membrane potential. Model simulations showed that the non-linear leak affects voltage-clamp recordings and reduces temporal summation of excitatory synaptic input. Together, our results demonstrate the importance of trans-membrane ionic concentration in defining the functional properties of the passive membrane in mammalian neurons as well as other excitable cells.

  17. Differential nuclear remodeling of mammalian somatic cells by Xenopus laevis oocyte and egg cytoplasm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alberio, Ramiro; Johnson, Andrew D.; Stick, Reimer; Campbell, Keith H.S.

    2005-01-01

    The mechanisms governing nuclear reprogramming have not been fully elucidated yet; however, recent studies show a universally conserved ability of both oocyte and egg components to reprogram gene expression in somatic cells. The activation of genes associated with pluripotency by oocyte/egg components may require the remodeling of nuclear structures, such that they can acquire the features of early embryos and pluripotent cells. Here, we report on the remodeling of the nuclear lamina of mammalian cells by Xenopus oocyte and egg extracts. Lamin A/C is removed from somatic cells incubated in oocyte and egg extracts in an active process that requires permeable nuclear pores. Removal of lamin A/C is specific, since B-type lamins are not changed, and it is not dependent on the incorporation Xenopus egg specific lamin III. Moreover, transcriptional activity is differentially regulated in somatic cells incubated in the extracts. Pol I and II transcriptions are maintained in cells in oocyte extracts; however, both activities are abolished in egg extracts. Our study shows that components of oocyte and egg extracts can modify the nuclear lamina of somatic cells and that this nuclear remodeling induces a structural change in the nucleus which may have implications for transcriptional activity. These experiments suggest that modifications in the nuclear lamina structure by the removal of somatic proteins and the incorporation of oocyte/egg components may contribute to the reprogramming of somatic cell nuclei and may define a characteristic configuration of pluripotent cells

  18. The B7-1 cytoplasmic tail enhances intracellular transport and mammalian cell surface display of chimeric proteins in the absence of a linear ER export motif.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi-Chieh Lin

    Full Text Available Membrane-tethered proteins (mammalian surface display are increasingly being used for novel therapeutic and biotechnology applications. Maximizing surface expression of chimeric proteins on mammalian cells is important for these applications. We show that the cytoplasmic domain from the B7-1 antigen, a commonly used element for mammalian surface display, can enhance the intracellular transport and surface display of chimeric proteins in a Sar1 and Rab1 dependent fashion. However, mutational, alanine scanning and deletion analysis demonstrate the absence of linear ER export motifs in the B7 cytoplasmic domain. Rather, efficient intracellular transport correlated with the presence of predicted secondary structure in the cytoplasmic tail. Examination of the cytoplasmic domains of 984 human and 782 mouse type I transmembrane proteins revealed that many previously identified ER export motifs are rarely found in the cytoplasmic tail of type I transmembrane proteins. Our results suggest that efficient intracellular transport of B7 chimeric proteins is associated with the structure rather than to the presence of a linear ER export motif in the cytoplasmic tail, and indicate that short (less than ~ 10-20 amino acids and unstructured cytoplasmic tails should be avoided to express high levels of chimeric proteins on mammalian cells.

  19. Pressureless mechanical induction of stem cell differentiation is dose and frequency dependent

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fuhrer, R.; Hofmann, S.; Vetsch, J.R.; Hild, N.; Herrmann, I.K.; Grass, R.N.; Stark, W.J.

    2013-01-01

    Movement is a key characteristic of higher organisms. During mammalian embryogenesis fetal movements have been found critical to normal tissue development. On the single cell level, however, our current understanding of stem cell differentiation concentrates on inducing factors through cytokine

  20. Radiation enhanced reactivation of nuclear replicating mammalian viruses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bockstahler, L.E.; Lytle, C.D.

    1977-01-01

    When CV-1 monkey kidney cells were UV-irradiated (0 to 18 J/m 2 ) or X-irradiated (0 to 10 krads) before infection with UV-irradiated simian adenovirus 7 (SA7) or simian virus 40 (SV40), increases in the infectivity of these nuclear replicating viruses as measured by plaque formation were observed. These radiation enhanced reactivations, UV enhanced reactivation (UVER) and X-ray enhanced reactivation (X-ray ER), occurred both when virus infection immediately followed irradiation of the cells (except for X-ray ER with SA7) and when virus infection was delayed until 3 to 5 days after cell irradiation. While there was little difference in the levels of reactivation of UV-irradiated SV40 between immediate and delayed infection, delayed infection resulted in higher levels of reactivation of SA7. X-ray enhanced reactivation of UV-irradiated Herpes simplex virus persisted for several days but did not increase. Thus, X-ray enhanced and UV enhanced reactivations of these mammalian viruses were relatively long-lived effects. Essentially no UVER or X-ray ER was found in CV-1 cells for either immediate or delayed infection with UV-irradiated vaccinia virus or poliovirus, both of which replicate in the cell cytoplasm. These results suggest UVER and X-ray ER in mammalian cells may be restricted to viruses which are replicated in the cell nucleus. (author)

  1. Cellular track model of biological damage to mammalian cell cultures from galactic cosmic rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cucinotta, F.A.; Katz, R.; Wilson, J.W.; Townsend, L.W.; Nealy, J.E.; Shinn, J.L.

    1991-02-01

    The assessment of biological damage from the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) is a current interest for exploratory class space missions where the highly ionizing, high-energy, high-charge ions (HZE) particles are the major concern. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values determined by ground-based experiments with HZE particles are well described by a parametric track theory of cell inactivation. Using the track model and a deterministic GCR transport code, the biological damage to mammalian cell cultures is considered for 1 year in free space at solar minimum for typical spacecraft shielding. Included are the effects of projectile and target fragmentation. The RBE values for the GCR spectrum which are fluence-dependent in the track model are found to be more severe than the quality factors identified by the International Commission on Radiological Protection publication 26 and seem to obey a simple scaling law with the duration period in free space

  2. Cellular track model of biological damage to mammalian cell cultures from galactic cosmic rays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cucinotta, Francis A.; Katz, Robert; Wilson, John W.; Townsend, Lawrence W.; Nealy, John E.; Shinn, Judy L.

    1991-01-01

    The assessment of biological damage from the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) is a current interest for exploratory class space missions where the highly ionizing, high-energy, high-charge ions (HZE) particles are the major concern. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values determined by ground-based experiments with HZE particles are well described by a parametric track theory of cell inactivation. Using the track model and a deterministic GCR transport code, the biological damage to mammalian cell cultures is considered for 1 year in free space at solar minimum for typical spacecraft shielding. Included are the effects of projectile and target fragmentation. The RBE values for the GCR spectrum which are fluence-dependent in the track model are found to be more severe than the quality factors identified by the International Commission on Radiological Protection publication 26 and seem to obey a simple scaling law with the duration period in free space.

  3. Application of single-cell technology in cancer research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Shao-Bo; Fu, Li-Wu

    2017-07-01

    In this review, we have outlined the application of single-cell technology in cancer research. Single-cell technology has made encouraging progress in recent years and now provides the means to detect rare cancer cells such as circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells. We reveal how this technology has advanced the analysis of intratumor heterogeneity and tumor epigenetics, and guided individualized treatment strategies. The future prospects now are to bring single-cell technology into the clinical arena. We believe that the clinical application of single-cell technology will be beneficial in cancer diagnostics and treatment, and ultimately improve survival in cancer patients. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Activation of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling promotes cell cycle progression and protects cells from apoptosis in mantle cell lymphoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peponi, Evangelia; Drakos, Elias; Reyes, Guadalupe; Leventaki, Vasiliki; Rassidakis, George Z; Medeiros, L Jeffrey

    2006-12-01

    Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is characterized by the t(11;14) and cyclin D1 overexpression. However, additional molecular events are most likely required for oncogenesis, possibly through cell cycle and apoptosis deregulation. We hypothesized that mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is activated in MCL and contributes to tumor proliferation and survival. In MCL cell lines, pharmacological inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT pathway was associated with decreased phosphorylation (activation) of mTOR and its downstream targets phosphorylated (p)-4E-BP1, p-p70S6 kinase, and p-ribosomal protein S6, resulting in apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. These changes were associated with down-regulation of cyclin D1 and the anti-apoptotic proteins cFLIP, BCL-XL, and MCL-1. Furthermore, silencing of mTOR expression using mTOR-specific short interfering RNA decreased phosphorylation of mTOR signaling proteins and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Silencing of eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF4E), a downstream effector of mTOR, recapitulated these results. We also assessed mTOR signaling in MCL tumors using immunohistochemical methods and a tissue microarray: 10 of 30 (33%) expressed Ser473p-AKT, 13 of 21 (62%) Ser2448p-mTOR, 22 of 22 (100%) p-p70S6K, and 5 of 20 (25%) p-ribosomal protein S6. Total eIF4E binding protein 1 and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E were expressed in 13 of 14 (93%) and 16 of 29 (55%) MCL tumors, respectively. These findings suggest that the mTOR signaling pathway is activated and may contribute to cell cycle progression and tumor cell survival in MCL.

  5. Fluorescent genetic barcoding in mammalian cells for enhanced multiplexing capabilities in flow cytometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smurthwaite, Cameron A; Hilton, Brett J; O'Hanlon, Ryan; Stolp, Zachary D; Hancock, Bryan M; Abbadessa, Darin; Stotland, Aleksandr; Sklar, Larry A; Wolkowicz, Roland

    2014-01-01

    The discovery of the green fluorescent protein from Aequorea victoria has revolutionized the field of cell and molecular biology. Since its discovery a growing panel of fluorescent proteins, fluorophores and fluorescent-coupled staining methodologies, have expanded the analytical capabilities of flow cytometry. Here, we exploit the power of genetic engineering to barcode individual cells with genes encoding fluorescent proteins. For genetic engineering, we utilize retroviral technology, which allows for the expression of ectopic genetic information in a stable manner in mammalian cells. We have genetically barcoded both adherent and nonadherent cells with different fluorescent proteins. Multiplexing power was increased by combining both the number of distinct fluorescent proteins, and the fluorescence intensity in each channel. Moreover, retroviral expression has proven to be stable for at least a 6-month period, which is critical for applications such as biological screens. We have shown the applicability of fluorescent barcoded multiplexing to cell-based assays that rely themselves on genetic barcoding, or on classical staining protocols. Fluorescent genetic barcoding gives the cell an inherited characteristic that distinguishes it from its counterpart. Once cell lines are developed, no further manipulation or staining is required, decreasing time, nonspecific background associated with staining protocols, and cost. The increasing number of discovered and/or engineered fluorescent proteins with unique absorbance/emission spectra, combined with the growing number of detection devices and lasers, increases multiplexing versatility, making fluorescent genetic barcoding a powerful tool for flow cytometry-based analysis. © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

  6. Fast Filtration of Bacterial or Mammalian Suspension Cell Cultures for Optimal Metabolomics Results.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalie Bordag

    Full Text Available The metabolome offers real time detection of the adaptive, multi-parametric response of the organisms to environmental changes, pathophysiological stimuli or genetic modifications and thus rationalizes the optimization of cell cultures in bioprocessing. In bioprocessing the measurement of physiological intracellular metabolite levels is imperative for successful applications. However, a sampling method applicable to all cell types with little to no validation effort which simultaneously offers high recovery rates, high metabolite coverage and sufficient removal of extracellular contaminations is still missing. Here, quenching, centrifugation and fast filtration were compared and fast filtration in combination with a stabilizing washing solution was identified as the most promising sampling method. Different influencing factors such as filter type, vacuum pressure, washing solutions were comprehensively tested. The improved fast filtration method (MxP® FastQuench followed by routine lipid/polar extraction delivers a broad metabolite coverage and recovery reflecting well physiological intracellular metabolite levels for different cell types, such as bacteria (Escherichia coli as well as mammalian cells chinese hamster ovary (CHO and mouse myeloma cells (NS0.The proposed MxP® FastQuench allows sampling, i.e. separation of cells from medium with washing and quenching, in less than 30 seconds and is robustly designed to be applicable to all cell types. The washing solution contains the carbon source respectively the 13C-labeled carbon source to avoid nutritional stress during sampling. This method is also compatible with automation which would further reduce sampling times and the variability of metabolite profiling data.

  7. Theoretical modeling of mechanical homeostasis of a mammalian cell under gravity-directed vector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Lüwen; Zhang, Chen; Zhang, Fan; Lü, Shouqin; Sun, Shujin; Lü, Dongyuan; Long, Mian

    2018-02-01

    Translocation of dense nucleus along gravity vector initiates mechanical remodeling of a eukaryotic cell. In our previous experiments, we quantified the impact of gravity vector on cell remodeling by placing an MC3T3-E1 cell onto upward (U)-, downward (D)-, or edge-on (E)- orientated substrate. Our experimental data demonstrate that orientation dependence of nucleus longitudinal translocation is positively correlated with cytoskeletal (CSK) remodeling of their expressions and structures and also is associated with rearrangement of focal adhesion complex (FAC). However, the underlying mechanism how CSK network and FACs are reorganized in a mammalian cell remains unclear. In this paper, we developed a theoretical biomechanical model to integrate the mechanosensing of nucleus translocation with CSK remodeling and FAC reorganization induced by a gravity vector. The cell was simplified as a nucleated tensegrity structure in the model. The cell and CSK filaments were considered to be symmetrical. All elements of CSK filaments and cytomembrane that support the nucleus were simplified as springs. FACs were simplified as an adhesion cluster of parallel bonds with shared force. Our model proposed that gravity vector-directed translocation of the cell nucleus is mechanically balanced by CSK remodeling and FAC reorganization induced by a gravitational force. Under gravity, dense nucleus tends to translocate and exert additional compressive or stretching force on the cytoskeleton. Finally, changes of the tension force acting on talin by microfilament alter the size of FACs. Results from our model are in qualitative agreement with those from experiments.

  8. Automated Single Cell Data Decontamination Pipeline

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tennessen, Kristin [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Walnut Creek, CA (United States). Dept. of Energy Joint Genome Inst.; Pati, Amrita [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Walnut Creek, CA (United States). Dept. of Energy Joint Genome Inst.

    2014-03-21

    Recent technological advancements in single-cell genomics have encouraged the classification and functional assessment of microorganisms from a wide span of the biospheres phylogeny.1,2 Environmental processes of interest to the DOE, such as bioremediation and carbon cycling, can be elucidated through the genomic lens of these unculturable microbes. However, contamination can occur at various stages of the single-cell sequencing process. Contaminated data can lead to wasted time and effort on meaningless analyses, inaccurate or erroneous conclusions, and pollution of public databases. A fully automated decontamination tool is necessary to prevent these instances and increase the throughput of the single-cell sequencing process

  9. Targeted nanodiamonds for identification of subcellular protein assemblies in mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lake, Michael P.; Bouchard, Louis-S.

    2017-01-01

    Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to successfully determine the structures of proteins. However, such studies are typically done ex situ after extraction of the protein from the cellular environment. Here we describe an application for nanodiamonds as targeted intensity contrast labels in biological TEM, using the nuclear pore complex (NPC) as a model macroassembly. We demonstrate that delivery of antibody-conjugated nanodiamonds to live mammalian cells using maltotriose-conjugated polypropylenimine dendrimers results in efficient localization of nanodiamonds to the intended cellular target. We further identify signatures of nanodiamonds under TEM that allow for unambiguous identification of individual nanodiamonds from a resin-embedded, OsO4-stained environment. This is the first demonstration of nanodiamonds as labels for nanoscale TEM-based identification of subcellular protein assemblies. These results, combined with the unique fluorescence properties and biocompatibility of nanodiamonds, represent an important step toward the use of nanodiamonds as markers for correlated optical/electron bioimaging. PMID:28636640

  10. Targeted nanodiamonds for identification of subcellular protein assemblies in mammalian cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael P Lake

    Full Text Available Transmission electron microscopy (TEM can be used to successfully determine the structures of proteins. However, such studies are typically done ex situ after extraction of the protein from the cellular environment. Here we describe an application for nanodiamonds as targeted intensity contrast labels in biological TEM, using the nuclear pore complex (NPC as a model macroassembly. We demonstrate that delivery of antibody-conjugated nanodiamonds to live mammalian cells using maltotriose-conjugated polypropylenimine dendrimers results in efficient localization of nanodiamonds to the intended cellular target. We further identify signatures of nanodiamonds under TEM that allow for unambiguous identification of individual nanodiamonds from a resin-embedded, OsO4-stained environment. This is the first demonstration of nanodiamonds as labels for nanoscale TEM-based identification of subcellular protein assemblies. These results, combined with the unique fluorescence properties and biocompatibility of nanodiamonds, represent an important step toward the use of nanodiamonds as markers for correlated optical/electron bioimaging.

  11. Targeted nanodiamonds for identification of subcellular protein assemblies in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lake, Michael P; Bouchard, Louis-S

    2017-01-01

    Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to successfully determine the structures of proteins. However, such studies are typically done ex situ after extraction of the protein from the cellular environment. Here we describe an application for nanodiamonds as targeted intensity contrast labels in biological TEM, using the nuclear pore complex (NPC) as a model macroassembly. We demonstrate that delivery of antibody-conjugated nanodiamonds to live mammalian cells using maltotriose-conjugated polypropylenimine dendrimers results in efficient localization of nanodiamonds to the intended cellular target. We further identify signatures of nanodiamonds under TEM that allow for unambiguous identification of individual nanodiamonds from a resin-embedded, OsO4-stained environment. This is the first demonstration of nanodiamonds as labels for nanoscale TEM-based identification of subcellular protein assemblies. These results, combined with the unique fluorescence properties and biocompatibility of nanodiamonds, represent an important step toward the use of nanodiamonds as markers for correlated optical/electron bioimaging.

  12. Measurement of the Extracellular pH of Adherently Growing Mammalian Cells with High Spatial Resolution Using a Voltammetric pH Microsensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munteanu, Raluca-Elena; Stǎnicǎ, Luciana; Gheorghiu, Mihaela; Gáspár, Szilveszter

    2018-05-15

    There are only a few tools suitable for measuring the extracellular pH of adherently growing mammalian cells with high spatial resolution, and none of them is widely used in laboratories around the world. Cell biologists very often limit themselves to measuring the intracellular pH with commercially available fluorescent probes. Therefore, we built a voltammetric pH microsensor and investigated its suitability for monitoring the extracellular pH of adherently growing mammalian cells. The voltammetric pH microsensor consisted of a 37 μm diameter carbon fiber microelectrode modified with reduced graphene oxide and syringaldazine. While graphene oxide was used to increase the electrochemically active surface area of our sensor, syringaldazine facilitated pH sensing through its pH-dependent electrochemical oxidation and reduction. The good sensitivity (60 ± 2.5 mV/pH unit), reproducibility (coefficient of variation ≤3% for the same pH measured with 5 different microsensors), and stability (pH drift around 0.05 units in 3 h) of the built voltammetric pH sensors were successfully used to investigate the acidification of the extracellular space of both cancer cells and normal cells. The results indicate that the developed pH microsensor and the perfected experimental protocol based on scanning electrochemical microscopy can reveal details of the pH regulation of cells not attainable with pH sensors lacking spatial resolution or which cannot be reproducibly positioned in the extracellular space.

  13. Fluorescent light irradiation and its mutagenic potential in cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pant, K.; Thilager, A.

    1994-01-01

    The photobiological effect of light is characterized by its energy emission at different wave lengths. Therefore by studying the energy emission spectra at different light sources and their photobiological activities, one can relate wavelength range(s) of the spectrum to a particular photobiological effect. We studied the potential of light irradiation from standard fluorescent bulbs (Sylvania 34WT-12) used in offices and laboratories to induce unscheduled DNA Synthesis (UDS) and mutations in cultured mammalian cells. The energy emission spectrum of the bulbs was determined at every 10 nanometers from 300nM to 700nM. The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were used to study the induction of mutations at the Hypoxanthine Guanine Phosphoribosyl Transferase (HGPRT) locus. Primary rat hepatocyte cultures were used to study the effect of light irradiation on UDS. The CHO cells were cultured in tissue culture flasks in minimum light conditions (.02mw/cm 2 ) and exposed to light irradiations with durations from 0 to 40 minutes. The cultures were maintained in darkness during the expression period and evaluated for HGPRT mutant frequencies. Similarly, the primary rat hepatocyte cultures were cultured on cover slips under minimal light conditions except for light irradiation and evaluated for UDS using 3H-thymidine labelled auto-radiography. The results of the study indicate that irradiation from fluorescent lights caused a slight elevation in the HGPRT mutant frequency in CHO cells. However a significant increase in UDS was not observed even at the maximum light irradiation dose. These results were compared to data obtained from similar experiments conducted with fluorescent bulbs with different energy emission spectra

  14. Respiratory syncytial virus subunit vaccine based on a recombinant fusion protein expressed transiently in mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nallet, Sophie; Amacker, Mario; Westerfeld, Nicole; Baldi, Lucia; König, Iwo; Hacker, David L; Zaborosch, Christiane; Zurbriggen, Rinaldo; Wurm, Florian M

    2009-10-30

    Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe lower respiratory tract infection in infants and adults at risk, no RSV vaccine is currently available. In this report, efforts toward the generation of an RSV subunit vaccine using recombinant RSV fusion protein (rRSV-F) are described. The recombinant protein was produced by transient gene expression (TGE) in suspension-adapted human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293E) in 4 L orbitally shaken bioreactors. It was then purified and formulated in immunostimulating reconstituted influenza virosomes (IRIVs). The candidate vaccine induced anti-RSV-F neutralizing antibodies in mice, and challenge studies in cotton rats are ongoing. If successful in preclinical and clinical trials, this will be the first recombinant subunit vaccine produced by large-scale TGE in mammalian cells.

  15. Replicon sizes in mammalian cells as estimated by an x-ray plus bromodeoxyuridine photolysis method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kapp, L.N.; Painter, R.B.

    1978-01-01

    A new method is described for estimating replicon sizes in mammalian cells. Cultures were pulse labeled with [ 3 H]thymidine ([ 3 H]TdR) and bromodeoxyuridine (BrDUrd) for up to 1 h. The lengths of the resulting labeled regions of DNA, L/sub obs/, were estimated by a technique wherein the change in molecular weight of nascent DNA strands, induced by 313 nm light, is measured by velocity sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradients. If cells are exposed to 1,000 rads of x rays immediately before pulse labeling, initiation of replicon operation is blocked, although chain elongation proceeds almost normally. Under these conditions L/sub obs/ continues to increase only until operating replicons have completed their replication. This value for L/sub obs/ then remains constant as long as the block to initiation remains and represents an estimate for the average size of replicons operating in the cells before x irradiation. For human diploid fibroblasts and human HeLa cells this estimated average size is approximately 17 μM, whereas for Chinese hamster ovary cells, the average replicon size is about 42 μM

  16. Single cell metabolomics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heinemann, Matthias; Zenobi, Renato

    Recent discoveries suggest that cells of a clonal population often display multiple metabolic phenotypes at the same time. Motivated by the success of mass spectrometry (MS) in the investigation of population-level metabolomics, the analytical community has initiated efforts towards MS-based single

  17. Thin-film culturing technique allowing rapid gas-liquid equilibration (6 sec) with no toxicity to mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koch, C.J.

    1984-01-01

    A method is described for inoculating mammalian cells onto the central area of glass petri dishes. The medium depth above the cells is only 100 μm for an added medium volume of 1 ml and increases linearly and rapidly with additional medium. The theoretical time constant for equilibration of the medium with the gas is related to the square of the medium depth. The experimental time constant was measured in two different ways for large and small medium depths, giving excellent agreement with the theoretical values. Although the time constant is only 6 sec for the case of 1 ml of added medium, there is no drying out of the medium or toxicity to the cells because of a large reservoir of medium in the meniscus at the periphery of the dish

  18. Single-cell intracellular nano-pH probes†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özel, Rıfat Emrah; Lohith, Akshar; Mak, Wai Han; Pourmand, Nader

    2016-01-01

    Within a large clonal population, such as cancerous tumor entities, cells are not identical, and the differences between intracellular pH levels of individual cells may be important indicators of heterogeneity that could be relevant in clinical practice, especially in personalized medicine. Therefore, the detection of the intracellular pH at the single-cell level is of great importance to identify and study outlier cells. However, quantitative and real-time measurements of the intracellular pH of individual cells within a cell population is challenging with existing technologies, and there is a need to engineer new methodologies. In this paper, we discuss the use of nanopipette technology to overcome the limitations of intracellular pH measurements at the single-cell level. We have developed a nano-pH probe through physisorption of chitosan onto hydroxylated quartz nanopipettes with extremely small pore sizes (~100 nm). The dynamic pH range of the nano-pH probe was from 2.6 to 10.7 with a sensitivity of 0.09 units. We have performed single-cell intracellular pH measurements using non-cancerous and cancerous cell lines, including human fibroblasts, HeLa, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, with the pH nanoprobe. We have further demonstrated the real-time continuous single-cell pH measurement capability of the sensor, showing the cellular pH response to pharmaceutical manipulations. These findings suggest that the chitosan-functionalized nanopore is a powerful nano-tool for pH sensing at the single-cell level with high temporal and spatial resolution. PMID:27708772

  19. Single-cell intracellular nano-pH probes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özel, Rıfat Emrah; Lohith, Akshar; Mak, Wai Han; Pourmand, Nader

    2015-01-01

    Within a large clonal population, such as cancerous tumor entities, cells are not identical, and the differences between intracellular pH levels of individual cells may be important indicators of heterogeneity that could be relevant in clinical practice, especially in personalized medicine. Therefore, the detection of the intracellular pH at the single-cell level is of great importance to identify and study outlier cells. However, quantitative and real-time measurements of the intracellular pH of individual cells within a cell population is challenging with existing technologies, and there is a need to engineer new methodologies. In this paper, we discuss the use of nanopipette technology to overcome the limitations of intracellular pH measurements at the single-cell level. We have developed a nano-pH probe through physisorption of chitosan onto hydroxylated quartz nanopipettes with extremely small pore sizes (~100 nm). The dynamic pH range of the nano-pH probe was from 2.6 to 10.7 with a sensitivity of 0.09 units. We have performed single-cell intracellular pH measurements using non-cancerous and cancerous cell lines, including human fibroblasts, HeLa, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, with the pH nanoprobe. We have further demonstrated the real-time continuous single-cell pH measurement capability of the sensor, showing the cellular pH response to pharmaceutical manipulations. These findings suggest that the chitosan-functionalized nanopore is a powerful nano-tool for pH sensing at the single-cell level with high temporal and spatial resolution.

  20. Mutagenesis in mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burki, H.J.

    1981-01-01

    Mutagenic processes in synchronous cultures of Chinese hamster ovary cells have been studied. There is a difference in the induction of mutants by ultraviolet light during the cell cycle. There appears to be a sensitive period in the middle of the G1 stage of the cell cycle suggesting some mutagenic mechanism is present at that time. Studies indicate that mutation induction during the cell cycle is also mutagen specific since exposure to ethyl nitrosourea in the same system produces different results. Two clones have been isolated which are ultrasensitive to ultraviolet light. These cells are being used to determine if this hypermutability is cell-cycle dependent, related to cell cycle biochemistry, or to repair processes independent of cell cycle. Tritium and bromodeoxyuridine induced damage to synchronously dividing cell cultures are also being studied in relation to DNA replication. Cell killing by ionizing radiation is also related to the cell cycle. Sensitive times in the cell cycle for mutation induction by ionization radiation are identified