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A M Duprat

Publications and source records attributed to A M Duprat.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Astroglial differentiation from neuroepithelial precursor cells of amphibian embryos: an in vivo and in vitro analysis.

Initial development of astroglial phenotype has been studied in vitro in an amphibian embryo (Pleurodeles waltI), to document the differentiation potentialities acquired by neural precursor cells isolated at the early neurula stage. In particular, we sought to determine whether interactions between neuroepithelial cells and the inducing tissue, the chordamesoderm, are required beyond this stage to specify precursor cells along glial lineages. Glial cell differentiation was documented by examining the appearance of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAp), a specific marker of astroglial lineages. Cells expressing GFAp-immunoreactivity differentiated rapidly, after 48 hours of culture, from cultivated neural plate cells, irrespective of the presence or absence of the inducing tissue. The widespread expression of Pleurodeles GFAp protein in neural plate cultures, in which CNS precursor cells develop alone in a simple saline medium, showed that prolonged contact with chordamesodermal cells was not necessary for the emergence of the astroglial phenotype. In addition, the initial development of astroglial phenotype has been defined in vivo. The first detectable GFAp-immunoreactivity was visualized in the neural tube of stage-24 embryos, a stage corresponding to 2-3 days in culture, defining radial glial cell end-feet. Thus, dissociation and culture of neural precursor cells did not appear to modify the onset of astroglial differentiation. At stage 32, GFAp-immunoreactivity was observed over the entire length of radial glial fibers and was also evidenced in mitotic cells located in the ventricular zone, suggesting that radial glial cells were not all post-mitotic.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Electric-field-induced permeabilization and fusion of embryonic amphibian cells.

The technique of electropulsation has been shown to be highly efficient in promoting penetration of exogenous molecules into living cells, transfection, and cell fusion in different animal, vegetal, and bacterial cell systems. Introduction of such exogenous compounds, i.e., plasmids, into living cells is of great interest for embryological studies. Embryonic amphibian ectodermal cells from Pleurodeles waltl gastrulae, either freshly dissociated or cultured for 5 days, can be permeabilized when submitted to an external electric field of sufficient intensity: 500 V/cm for isolated spherical cells and 150-200 V/cm for plated cultured cells. Permeabilization was indicated by both the leakage of metabolites (ATP) from the cells and the uptake of exogenous compounds (pyranin) into the cells. With the use of higher field intensities (600 V/cm for freshly dissociated cells and 300 V/cm for cultured cells) cell fusion and syncytial structures could also be obtained. Isolated spherical cells had 100% viability immediately after being pulsed at intensities up to 600 V/cm. Cell lysis was observed above this value, although the nonlysed cells were observed to spread on a substrate and differentiate normally. For the cultured plated cells, cell viability fell with increasing electric-field strength, and for a given electric field value, cell viability decreased with the age of the culture after pulsing. Nevertheless, for electric-field intensities less than or equal to 300 V/cm, 100% of the cells remained attached to the substrate and differentiated normally over the following 5 days.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1989

Peptidergic properties expressed in vitro by embryonic neuroblasts after neural induction.

As an immediate consequence of neural induction, some neuroectodermal cells acquire the ability to develop a number of characteristic neuronal features, without requiring any subsequent embryonic cues (Duprat et al. 1987). Thus, adrenergic, cholinergic and gabaergic traits are expressed in cultures of neural fold and neural plate isolated from amphibian embryos immediately after induction and grown in a defined medium. The aim of the present study was to determine, using the same in vitro model, their abilities to develop peptidergic phenotypes. Using immunocytochemical techniques, we show that substance P-, enkephalin- (leu-enkephalin, metenkephalin), and somatostatin- like immunoreactivities are expressed in subpopulations of neurones grown in vitro, whereas VIP (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide) is not detected under the same conditions. The appearance and development of the somatostatinergic phenotype has been quantified by RIA both in cell extracts and in the culture medium. Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) undetectable at the late gastrula stage, can be measured in cells after 4 days of culture and continues to increase over the next 10 days. In culture medium, SLI is present at a constant level from day 4 up to day 14. These data reveal that some neuronal precursor cells acquire, during neural induction, the potentiality to biosynthesize, store and release neuropeptides. Furthermore, the expression of these peptidergic phenotypes in distinct subpopulations of neurones suggests that certain neuronal precursors become committed to different metabolic pathways at the earliest steps of neurogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Expression of N-CAM precedes neural induction in Pleurodeles waltl (urodele, amphibian).

The appearance and localization of N-CAM during neural induction were studied in Pleurodeles waltl embryos and compared with recent contradictory results reported in Xenopus laevis. A monoclonal antibody raised against mouse N-CAM was used. In the nervous system of Pleurodeles, it recognized two glycoproteins of 180 and 140x10(3) M(r) which are the Pleurodeles equivalent of N-CAM-180 and -140. Using this probe for immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry, we showed that N-CAM was already expressed in presumptive ectoderm at the early gastrula stage. In late gastrula embryos, a slight increase in staining was observed in the neurectoderm, whereas the labelling persisted in the noninduced ectoderm. When induced ectodermal cells were isolated at the late gastrula stage and cultured in vitro up to 14 days, a faint polarized labelling of cells was observed initially. During differentiation, the staining increased and became progressively restricted to differentiating neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Initial GABAergic expression in embryonic amphibian neuroblasts after neural induction.

At the late gastrula-early neurula stage some embryonic neuroblasts from neural plate and neural fold present apparently as a consequence of neural induction, the capability to develop in vitro into different neuronal subpopulations (cholinergic, dopaminergic, noradrenergic, somatostatinergic and some other peptidergic subpopulations without ongoing influences from the chordamesoderm (Duprat et al., 1987). Using the same in vitro model system, the aim of the present work was to delineate the abilities of these neuroblasts to develop GABAergic traits. The initial appearance and development of GABAergic phenotype has been quantitated by assaying the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). GAD activity was undetectable at the early gastrula stage (stage 8a) and was slightly measurable at the early neurula stage (stage 14- onset of the culture). It increased subsequently over the next 14 days in vitro. The temporal pattern of appearance and development of GAD activity in culture was in agreement with that observed in vivo. Immunocytochemical studies showed that GABA-like immunoreactivity was expressed in vitro in a subpopulation of neurons. Thus the developmental program for GAD expression and GABA phenotype maturation is acquired at least in some neuronal precursors. These data together with previously reported results on the expression of cholinergic, catecholaminergic and peptidergic phenotypes demonstrate that different neuronal subpopulations emerge near the end of gastrulation i.e. immediately after neural induction. The embryonic origin of this neuroblast heterogeneity remains to be determined.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Alterations in lateral lipid mobility in the plasma membrane of urodelean ectodermal cells during gastrulation.

The mobility characteristics of lipids were studied in the plasmalemma of dissociated presumptive ectodermal cells from embryos of Pleurodeles Waltl at different stages of development, from early blastula to early neurula, using a Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching technique (FRAP), after incorporation of the lipophilic fluorescent probe 5N-(hexadecanoyl)-aminofluoresceine (HEDAF) into the cell plasma membrane. At all stages of development, fluorescence recovery was found to extrapolate to 100%, which suggested that the lipid phase in these plasma membranes can be regarded as dynamically homogeneous (no immobilized fraction). It appears as a continuum over a wide cell surface area, in which lipids are free to move laterally. The lateral diffusion coefficient of the probe, obtained from statistical analysis of the fluorescence recovery data, was found to decrease significantly from blastula to gastrula, slightly increasing at the neurula stage. These changes in the dynamic properties of the lipid probe HEDAF during gastrulation suggest that the lipid phase of the plasma membrane of these ectodermal cells undergo structural changes. The results lend support to the idea that the plasma membrane of these cells is actively involved in the morphogenetic movements which characterize the development of the embryo.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Cross-linking of membrane glycoconjugates is not a sufficient condition for neural induction by concanavalin A.

Tetravalent native concanavalin A (Con A) has a neural inducing effect on amphibian presumptive ectoderm. The divalent dimeric form of this lectin, succinylated Con A (Succ-Con A), is devoid of neuralizing action on this target tissue in Pleurodeles waltlii. These results suggested that cross-linking of Con A receptors on the cell membrane (which is not provoked by the divalent lectin) might be required for neural induction. To test this possibility, Succ-Con A binding sites were experimentally cross-linked after binding of Succ-Con A to the target cell surface, using anti-Con A antibodies. The combination of these two agents mimics the cross-linking of Con A. The results showed that cross-linking alone, either by treatment with Succ-Con A and anti-Con A antibodies, or with the lectins WGA and PHA, which also cross-link cell surface binding sites, was not able to induce neuralization. This suggested that the inductive action of Con A cannot be explained in terms of receptor cross-linking.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Structural alteration of the target plasma membrane affects reception but not expression of the neural inductive signal.

We have previously reported that incubation of presumptive neuroectoderm in a solution of lectin (soybean agglutinin or garden pea agglutinin at 50 micrograms ml-1, 30 min) prior to its association with blastoporal lip inhibits neural induction (Duprat et al., 1982). We have also shown that incubation of presumptive ectoderm immediately after its association with blastoporal lip does not prevent neural induction. The same pattern of fluorescence on the ectodermal surface was observed when incubation with lectin was carried out before or after association of ectoderm with blastoporal lip. Although a particular molecular organization of the plasma membrane of the target ectoderm appears to be essential for reception or initiation of neural induction, the subsequent transmission and expression of this neural information does not appear to be affected by structural modifications of the target membrane. Similar studies performed using the inducer Con A indicated that the experimentally induced signal differed from the natural one.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Neural induction and in vitro initial expression of neurofilament and tetanus toxin binding site molecules in amphibians.

Tetanus toxin (Tt) binding site and neurofilament (NIF), the intermediate-sized filaments, are neuronal markers essentially described in mammals and birds; are these molecular markers present in urodela neuronal cells and are they expressed immediately after neural induction? Our findings are based on immunofluorescent localization of NIF and Tt proteins using three previously characterized antisera against 200 kDa and 70 kDa neurofilament components and against fragment IIc derived from purified tetanus toxin. Embryonic undifferentiated neuronal cells from Pleurodeles waltlii neural plate and/or neural fold (early neurula stage) are cultured isolated in vitro without further chordamesodermal influence. At the beginning of the culture none of the undifferentiated neuronal precursors bind antibodies against NIF or Tt components. The binding is detected when phenotypical differentiation takes place (2/3-day cultures). Both the cell bodies and the cell processes are stained. After 2-3 weeks, immunostaining of the neurones is very distinctive and bright; the non-neuronal cultured cells do not exhibit any labelling. These observations indicate the early acquisition of NIF and Tt binding site expression by neuronal precursor cells (late gastrula stage).

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Cloning and sequencing of mRNAs coding for two adult alpha globin chains of the salamander Pleurodeles waltlii.

A cDNA library of erythrocyte mRNAs was established from immature red blood cells of the adult amphibian, Pleurodeles waltlii (urodele; salamander). The cDNA clones corresponding to the four adult globin chains were first identified and characterized by positive selection and the cDNAs derived from the two (major and minor) alpha-globin chains sequenced. The sequences presented contain both the complete 3'-noncoding region and the coding region of both chains, with the exception of the first nine codons of the minor alpha-chain, and a portion of the 5'-noncoding region of the major chain. The amino acid sequences of the encoded alpha-globin polypeptides have been deduced and compared with those of Xenopus laevis and of man. These comparative studies suggest that the alpha-globins of Pleurodeles waltlii and Xenopus laevis may have diverged from a common ancestral gene at the time when mammalian and amphibian lines diverged, and that they then evolved separately. Duplication of the alpha-gene, which is responsible for the polypeptide heterogeneity, appears to have occurred earlier in Pleurodeles waltlii than in Xenopus laevis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1985

In vitro differentiation of neuronal precursor cells from amphibian late gastrulae; morphological, immunocytochemical studies, biosynthesis, accumulation and uptake of neurotransmitters.

Neuronal differentiation has been studied in dissociated cell cultures from early neurulae of Pleurodeles waltl and Ambystoma mexicanum. Cocultures were prepared from the neural primordium and underlying chordamesoderm. NP and NF cultures were prepared from isolated neural plate and neural folds, respectively. Neuronal precursors in NP and NF cultures had distinctive aggregation properties already evident after 1-2 days in culture. After 10-15 days, mature neurones and synapses were observed by electron microscopy in the three culture types. The expression of neurofilament polypeptides and tetanus-toxin-binding sites was also present in these cultures. A small percentage of neurones contained cytochemically detectable catecholamine. Many neurones took up tritiated dopamine with a high affinity. Quantitative measurement of [3H]acetylcholine synthesis and storage from [3H]choline were negative at the early neurula stage and in 5 to 15-day-old NF cultures, and remained low in 5 to 15-day-old NP cultures. Acetylcholine production in cocultures increased linearly with time and was always much higher than in NP cultures. These results suggest that, at the early neurula stage, some neuronal precursors have acquired the capacity to express a high degree of morphological and biochemical differentiation even in the absence of further chordamesoderm influence. However, the chordamesodermal cells in the cultures increased acetylcholine synthesis.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1985

Neural induction: embryonic determination elicits full expression of specific neuronal traits.

In Pleurodeles waltl, the early neuronal differentiation of precursor cells from late gastrula stage has been studied by culture in vitro from either isolated neural plate (NP) or isolated neural fold (NF). The aim of this study was to delineate the information acquired by ectodermal target cells during neural induction. By culturing these cells in vitro either with or without the underlying chordamesoderm, we showed that in the absence of chordamesodermal influence such NP or NF cells exhibited a high degree of biochemical and morphological differentiation as revealed by the synthesis and the storage of neurotransmitters, the activity of specific enzymes, as well as by the expression of neuronal markers: specific changes in cell surface carbohydrates, tetanus toxin binding sites and neurofilament polypeptides. Remarkable changes in the cell adhesive properties were the first events observed in the different central (NP) and peripheral (NF) types. In cocultures the chordamesodermal cells exert a beneficial influence on this differentiation, specially increasing acetylcholine synthesis. There are some differences between central (NP) or peripheral (NF) neuroblast response to this further notochord or mesodermal influence.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1984

Extracellular matrix and neural determination during amphibian gastrulation.

Previous studies have shown the presence of a network of extracellular matrix on the inner surface of the ectoderm of the early gastrulae Pleurodeles waltlii. Similar dense networks have been described by other authors in another Urodele species and in Anurans. It now seems well established that this extracellular material (ECM) has important functions in the mechanisms of morphogenetic cell movements during gastrulation. The results reported here provide evidence that this ECM is not implicated in the transmission of the neuralizing signal at the gastrula stage, and therefore is not involved in the process of neural determination.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Membrane changes in neural target cells studied with fluorescent lectin probes.

The competent ectoderm of Pleurodeles waltl comprises two cell layers with characteristic differences in their morphology, their composition and the molecular arrangement of the various constituents. The use of labelled lectin probes for observations of ectoderm tissue in vitro with u.v. microscopy (epi-illumination) and the quantification of the results show the following: Differences in labelling according to the nature of the lectins (SBA, PSA, LCA and Con A). These differences provide information on the nature of the carbohydrates which are present at this stage and on the number of receptors. Differences in fluorescence intensity of the surfaces studied. The internal surface of the ectoderm is labelled more densely than the external surface. Rearrangement of the lectin receptors with a new molecular configuration, stressing the fluidity of the membrane (by the mobility of the receptors throughout the membrane) and its importance for the occurrence of neural induction. Existence of membrane glycoconjugate turnover. A difference in behavioural characteristics between the internal and the external surfaces with respect to the lectins and the formation of an extracellular matrix on the internal surface alone. The extracellular matrix seems to have a role in morphogenetic movements.

Acetylgalactosamine↗
PubMed1982

Effect of thyroid hormones on the switch from larval to adult hemoglobin synthesis in the salamander Pleurodeles waltlii.

The evolution of globin chain synthesis was studied in larvae treated either with thyroxine or with an anti-thyroid substance. Thyroxine treatment accelerated the rate of Hb switching; it induced a preferential synthesis of adult globins while the synthesis of larval globins decreased rapidly. Treatment with thiourea did not prevent the Hb transition, which occurred even at concentrations of thyroid hormones that did not permit induction of anatomical metamorphosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Neural induction and the structure of the target cell surface.

Lectins (SBA and PSA) were used to provoke crowding and structural modifications of the presumptive ectoderm cell surface in order to investigate the role of the membrane organization of the competent target cells in neural induction. Are specific characteristics of the cell surface essential for this phenomenon to occur? From amphibian gastrulae, it is possible to obtain neural induction in vitro by association of presumptive ectoderm (target cells) with chordamesoderm (inductor tissue): 4 h of contact is sufficient in Pleurodeles waltl for transmission of the inductive signal. Very quickly, the treatment of the normal ectoderm by lectins (SBA-FITC or PSA-FITC) provoked surface modifications. Lectin-treatment (50 microgram ml-1, 30 min) of presumptive ectoderm did not result in any neural induction. Lectin-treatment (50 microgram ml-1, 30 min) of presumptive ectoderm previous to its association with the natural inductor for 4 h, disturbed the phenomenon: no induction. Similar treatment followed by association with the inductor for 24 h: induction. Treatment of SBA or PSA with their respective hapten inhibitors prior to addition to ectodermal cells completely blocked the suppressive effects on induction. The structural integrity of the membrane of competent target cells is necessary for neural induction to occur. The cell membrane could thus play, directly or indirectly, an active role in the specificity of this process.

Animals↗