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At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

The tumor suppressor gene, lethal(2)giant larvae (1(2)g1), is required for cell shape change of epithelial cells during Drosophila development.

Inactivation of the lethal(2)giant larvae (l(2)gl) gene results in malignant transformation of imaginal disc cells and neuroblasts of the larval brain in Drosophila. Subcellular localization of the l(2)gl gene product, P127, and its biochemical characterization have indicated that it participates in the formation of the cytoskeletal network. In this paper, genetic and phenotypic analyses of a temperature-sensitive mutation (l(2)glts3) that behaves as a hypomorphic allele at restrictive temperature are presented. In experimentally overaged larvae obtained by using mutants in the production of ecdysone, the l(2)glts3 mutation displays a tumorous potential. This temperature-sensitive allele of the l(2)gl gene has been used to describe the primary function of the gene before tumor progression. A reduced contribution of both maternal and zygotic activities in l(2)glts3 homozygous mutant embryos blocks embryogenesis at the end of germ-band retraction. The mutant embryos are consequently affected in dorsal closure and head involution and show a hypertrophy of the midgut. These phenotypes are accompanied by an arrest of the cell shape changes normally occurring in lateral epidermis and in epithelial midgut cells. l(2)gl activity is also necessary for larval fife and the critical period falls within the third instar larval stage. Finally, l(2)gl activity is required during oogenesis and mutations in the gene disorganize egg chambers and cause abnormalities in the shape of follicle cells, which are eventually internalized within the egg chamber. These results together with the tumoral phenotype of epithelial imaginal disc cells strongly suggest that the l(2)gl product is required in vivo in different types of epithelial cells to control their shape during development.

Alleles↗
PubMed1978

Immunological characterization of a major transformation-sensitive fibroblast cell surface glycoprotein. Localization, redistribution, and role in cell shape.

The major cell surface glycoprotein of chick embryo fibroblasts, cellular fibronectin (formerly known as CSP or LETS protein), was purified and used to produce monospecific antisera. After affinity purification, the anti-fibronectin was used to investigate fibronectin's localization, its transfer from intracellular to extracellular pools, its antibody-induced redistribution on the cell surface, and its role in cell shape. Anti-fibronectin localizes to extracellular fibrils located under and between sparse cells, and to a dense matrix that surrounds confluent cells. Cellular fibronectin is also present in granular intracytoplasmic structures containing newly synthesized fibronectin before secretion. This intracellular staining disappears 2 h after treatment with cycloheximide or puromycin, and returns after removal of these protein synthesis inhibitors. In pulse-chase experiments using cycloheximide, fibronectin was sequentially transferred from the intracellular to the fibrillar extracellular forms. Transformation of chick fibroblasts results in decreases in both extracellular and intracellular fibronectin, and in altered cell shape. Treatment of untransformed chick fibroblasts with anti-fibronectin results in rapid (30 min) alteration to a rounder cell shape resembling that of many transformed cells. These rapid shape changes are followed by a slow, antibody-induced redistribution of fibronectin to supranuclear caplike structures. This "capping" is inhibited by metabolic inhibitors. Reconstitution of cell surface fibronectin onto transformed cells restores a more normal fibroblastic phenotype. The reconstituted fibronectin on these cells organizes into fibrillar patterns similar to those of untransformed cells. As with untransformed cells, treatment of these reconstituted cells with anti-fibronectin also results in cell rounding and "capping" of fibronectin.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Inhibition of patterned cell shape change and cell invasion by Discs large during Drosophila oogenesis.

Drosophila Discs large (Dlg) is a tumor suppressor gene whose loss in epithelial tissues causes disrupted cell polarity and increased cell proliferation. A human Dlg homolog, hDlg, has been implicated in tumorigenic processes via its association with the product of the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) gene. We show for the first time that Drosophila Dlg is required to block cell invasion. Loss of dlg activity during oogenesis causes follicle cells to change shape and invade in a pattern similar to border cells, a small population of cells that break from the post-mitotic follicular epithelium during wild-type oogenesis, yet dlg mutant cells have not adopted a border cell fate. Both functional and morphological evidence indicates that cooperation between germ cell and follicle cell Dlg, probably mediated by Dlg PDZ domains, is crucial for regulating cell mixing, suggesting a novel developmental mechanism and mode of action for the Dlg family of molecules. These findings suggest that Dlg does not simply inhibit individual cell behaviors during oogenesis, but rather acts in a developmental pathway essential for blocking cell proliferation and migration in a spatio-temporally defined manner. A model for Dlg action in blocking cell invasion is presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Regulation of C-myc and C-Ha-ras oncogene expression by cell shape.

The influence of cell shape on the expression of proto-oncogenes was examined in normal and malignant human cells that varied in their sensitivities to contact-inhibition of proliferation. Cells were constrained into varying degrees of roundness by plating onto culture surfaces coated with different concentrations of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (poly[HEMA]) and assayed for proliferation capacity and levels of c-myc, c-ras, c-fos, and c-fes mRNAs. Proliferation of contact-inhibited normal CUA-1 fibroblasts and the variant HT-IFNr cells was highly coupled to cell shape. As these cells became more rounded, a critical degree of roundness was reached at which proliferation ceased. In contrast, proliferation of non-contact-inhibited malignant HT-1080 cells was independent of cell shape. Northern analysis revealed that expression of c-myc and c-ras was highly sensitive to cell shape in the normal CUA-1 cells but not in the malignant HT-1080 or variant HT-IFNr cells. Levels of c-myc and c-ras mRNAs declined to nearly undetectable levels in CUA-1 cells at degrees of roundness that correlated with loss of proliferative ability. Expression of c-fos and c-fes oncogenes were independent of cell shape in all cells tested. Quantification of transcription rates by the nuclear run-off assay showed that shape modulation of c-myc and c-ras oncogene expression occurred at the transcriptional level. These data suggest that changes in cell shape can modulate expression of certain oncogenes and that these changes correlate with the cell's ability to proliferate. Moreover, inability to regulate c-myc and c-ras oncogene expression is associated with loss of shape-dependent growth controls and contact inhibition but that loss of this regulation alone is not sufficient to release cells from contact-inhibited controls.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1983

Interaction between vascular endothelial cells and vascular intimal spindle-shaped cells in vitro.

The interactions between human or bovine vascular endothelial cells and fibroblast-like vascular intimal spindle-shaped cells have been studied in vitro, using species-specific antibodies to identify the different components in mixed cultures. Pure cultures of endothelial cells grow as uniform, nonoverlapping monolayers, but this growth pattern is lost after the addition of spindle cells, probably because the extracellular matrix secreted by the latter causes the endothelial cells to modify the way they are attached to the substrate. The result is a network of tubular aggregates of endothelial cells in a three-dimensional 'polylayer' of spindle-shaped cells. On the other hand, endothelial cells added to growth-inhibited cultures of spindle-shaped cells will grow in sheets over the surface of the culture. Human endothelial cells grown in contact with spindle-shaped cells have a reduced requirement for a brain-derived endothelial growth factor. The interactions of endothelial cells and other connective tissue cells in vitro may be relevant to the mechanisms of endothelial growth and blood vessel formation in vivo, and emphasize the potential importance of extracellular matrix in controlling endothelial cell behaviour.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The human erythrocyte membrane skeleton may be an ionic gel. II. Numerical analyses of cell shapes and shape transformations.

In the first paper in this series (Stokke et al. Eur Biophys J 1986, 13:203-218) we developed the general theory of the mechanochemical properties and the elastic free energy of the protein gel--lipid bilayer membrane model. Here we report on an extensive numerical analysis of the human erythrocyte shapes and shape transformations predicted by this new cell membrane model. We have calculated the total elastic free energy of deformation of four different cell shape classes: disc-shaped cells, cup-shaped cells, crenated cells, and cells with membrane invaginations. We find that which of these shape classes is favoured depends strongly on the spectrin gel osmotic tension, IIGu, and the surface tensions, IIEu and IIPu, of the extracellular and protoplasmic halves of the membrane lipid bilayer, respectively. For constant ratio IIEu/IIPu greater than O large negative or positive values of IIGu favour respectively the crenated and invaginated cell shape classes. For small absolute values of IIGu, IIEu, and IIPu, biconcave or cup-shaped cells are the stable ones. Our numerical analysis shows that the higher the membrane skeleton compressibility is, the smaller are the values of IIGu needed to induce cell shape transformation. We find that the stable and metastable shapes of discocytes and stomatocytes generally depend both on the shape of the stressfree membrane skeleton and the membrane skeleton compressibility.

Elasticity↗
PubMed1991

Serum, trypsin, and cell shape but not cell-to-cell contact influence the X-ray sensitivity of Chinese hamster V79 cells in monolayers and in spheroids.

Nutrient concentration in the growth medium and trypsin affect cellular radiosensitivity in a manner that is related to cell shape (Reddy, Stevenson, and Lange, Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 55, 105-117 (1989); Reddy and Lange, Radiat. Res. 119, 338-347 (1989]. Hence we hypothesized that the concentration of serum in the medium could influence the X-ray sensitivity of cells and that the spread cells in monolayers and round cells in spheroids may differ in their response to the radiosensitizing effect of trypsin. We compared the X-ray sensitivity of monolayer and spheroid cells grown for 19 +/- 1 h in MEM supplemented with 5 or 15% serum. Cells were trypsinized and plated either immediately before, or 2.5 +/- 0.5 h after, irradiation and incubation for repair in situ. Survival of cells in monolayers and in spheroids was higher in MEM with 5% serum than with 15% serum. Trypsin treatment affected the shape and radiosensitivity of cells in monolayers but not in spheroids. When all cells were grown in the same serum concentration and a 2.5-h postirradiation incubation was allowed prior to trypsinization, the X-ray sensitivity of cells in spheroids was greater than that of cells in monolayers. The survival of cells in spheroids became equal to that of monolayer cells when cells in spheroids were converted to monolayers by placing them in 25-cm2 flasks and allowing them 3 h to attach and spread. Cell cycle distributions were nearly the same in monolayers and spheroids cultured in MEM with 5 or 15% serum. We conclude that: (1) serum concentration in the growth medium and trypsin do appear to contribute to the differences in the radiosensitivity of spheroids and monolayer V79 cells; (2) these differences are associated with changes in cell morphology.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

A cytoskeletal spring for the control of cell shape in outer hair cells isolated from the guinea pig cochlea.

A two-dimensional cortical cytoskeletal lattice associated with the lateral plasma membranes of mammalian outer hair cells maintains cell shape and provides a restoring force to oppose active changes in cell length. The lattice is composed of two morphologically distinct filaments which are arranged to reinforce the cell circumferentially whilst allowing limited changes in cell length and diameter. This function can only be fulfilled if intracellular pressure is high enough to put the lattice under tension.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Sickle cell shape and structure: images and concepts (1840-1980).

I. First observations of "crescentic particles" in animals. II. The first five descriptions of sickle shaped red cells in man. III. Relationship of sickling to the state of oxygenation of the hemoglobin. a) Forerunners: the sickling is reversible. b) Discoverers: sickling as result of asphyxia. IV. Sickle cell trait ("latent sickling"). V. Presence of hemoglobin rod-like structures in sickle cells. a) Indirect evidence. b) Observation of the surface of the cells by electron-microscope shadow casting technique. c) Electron microscopy of the interior of the cells. VI. Irreversible sickle cells. VII. Heterogeneity of sickling disorders. a) Association with other hemolytic anemias. b) Non-Hb S sickling. c) Factitious sickle cell shapes. VIII. Myelin forms and agglutination of sickle-cells. IX. Sickle cell shapes. a) Drepanocytes: mechanism of formation. b) Discodrepanocytes (holly-leaf forms). c) Echino-drepanocytes. d) Stomato-drepanocytes. e) Sphero-drepanocytes.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMed1988

Development of spindle-shaped cells and chondroid cells from androgen-dependent Shionogi carcinoma 115. A light and electron microscopic study.

Androgen-dependent Shionogi carcinoma 115 (SC115) is an undifferentiated medullary carcinoma consisting of compact round cells. However, when host male DS mice were castrated 2 weeks after tumor transplantation, tumors composed of compact round cells, spindle-shaped cells and chondroid cells grew 4 weeks after castration. Compact round cells with desmosomes were arranged in solid nests and exhibited immunoreactivity for keratin protein. Spindle-shaped cells had prominent rough endoplasmic reticulum, and appeared to secrete collagen. Chondroid cells had the characteristics of chondrocytes. The light and electron microscopic features were highly suggestive of a transition from compact round cells to spindle-shaped cells, and from spindle-shaped cells to chondroid cells. The histology of this tumor thus suggests that SC115 cells are able to change into chondroid cells via spindle-shaped cells.

Androgens↗
PubMed1996

Localization of human herpes-like virus type 8 in vascular endothelial cells and perivascular spindle-shaped cells of Kaposi's sarcoma lesions by in situ hybridization.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a neoplasm that develops as multifocal lesions characterized by a histological picture that includes irregularly shaped vascular spaces surrounded by perivascular and interstitial spindle-shaped cells, extravasated erythrocytes, and an inflammatory mononuclear cell infiltrate. Recently, the DNA sequences of a novel human gamma-herpesvirus-like (HHV-8) agent have been detected by polymerase chain reaction in KS associated with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS-KS), classical KS, and African endemic KS. The present study was done to identify the specific cells within KS tumors that contain the viral DNA. Fourteen skin biopsy specimens, including three classical KSs, six AIDS-KSs, three normal skin specimens, and two common warts from healthy individuals, were examined by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of the HHV-8 DNA sequences. HHV-8 DNA were present in all nine KS specimens but not detectable in the five non-KS tissue samples. Using in situ hybridization, we found the HHV-8 DNA sequences to be predominantly localized to the nuclei of endothelial cells lining the vascular slits and some perivascular spindle-shaped cells, in two of three KS and four of six AIDS-KS tissue sections examined. The HHV-8-positive cells of KS specimens were concurrently shown to also be positive for factor-VIII-related antigen by immunohistochemical staining. The presence of the DNA of HHV-8 in the nuclei of KS cells further supports the possibility that this agent may play a role in the pathogenesis of this tumor.

Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed1988

Changes in cell shapes and cytokeratins of epithelial cells during the infiltration of lymphocytes in the human palatine tonsils.

By the immunohistochemical method using anti-keratin antibodies (KL1-antigen, 56 KD keratin; PKK1-antigen, 40-52.5 KD keratin) and electron microscopy, the changes in cell shapes and the cytokeratin components of the epithelial cells during the infiltration of lymphocytes were studied. In the surface epithelium, PKK1 reacts with only the keratinocytes in the basal layer, while KL1 stains in the spinous layer. In the neck portion of the crypt, transformed keratinocytes scattered in the spinous layer react intensely with PKK1. These cells issue prolonged cytoplasmic processes which surround the cavities filled with infiltrating lymphocytes. In the deep portion of the crypt, PKK1-positive cells interconnect with one another constituting the network of the star-shaped reticular cells. The enlarged intercellular spaces of the reticular cells are filled with many lymphocytes. Our observations suggest that the infiltration of lymphocytes into the crypt epithelium induces the change in keratin expression of the epithelial cells in the human palatine tonsils, and the change of keratin molecules makes the stratified flattened epithelium to transform into the network of star-shaped reticular cells.

Child↗
PubMed1986

Fourier analysis of the cell shape of paired human urothelial cell lines of the same origin but of different grades of transformation.

The rationale of the present investigation is the observations made by many authors of changes in the molecular structure of the cell surface during the multistep process of malignant transformation. These changes may influence cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions and thereby cause changes in cell adhesiveness and cell shape. The aim of the present work was to investigate whether the development of various grades of transformation in vivo and in vitro of human urothelial cells is accompanied by significant changes in cell shape as measured by Fourier analysis. The following transformation grades (TGr) have been defined (Christensen et al. 1984; Kieler 1984): TGr I = nonmalignant, mortal cell lines that grow independently of fibroblasts and have a prolonged life span. TGr II = nonmalignant cell lines with an infinite life span. TGr III = malignant and immortal cell lines that grow invasively in co-cultures with embryonic chick heart fragments and possess tumorigenic properties after s.c. injection into nude mice. Comparisons of 4 pairs of cell lines were performed; each pair was of the same origin. Two pairs--each including a TGr I cell line (Hu 961b and Hu 1703S) compared to a TGr III cell line (Hu 961a or Hu 1703He)--were derived from two transitional cell carcinomas (TCC) containing a heterogeneous cell population. Two additional cell lines classified as TGr II (HCV-29 and Hu 609) were compared to two TGr III sublines (HCV-29T and Hu 609T, respectively) which arose by "spontaneous" transformation during propagation in vitro of the respective maternal TGr II-cell lines.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Carcinoma, Transitional Cell↗
PubMed1988

Glutaraldehyde induces cell shape changes in isolated outer hair cells from the inner ear.

Individual isolated outer hair cells (OHCs) from the cochlea were maintained in a collagen gel and viewed in the light microscope. They were observed during fixation and processing for transmission electron microscopy and individual cells were selected for observation in the electron microscope. Application of glutaraldehyde at several concentrations caused OHCs to become shorter. Shrinkage occurred during dehydration but there was no further change during infiltration with the epoxy resin. Ultrastructural analysis of isolated cells fixed with glutaraldehyde and postfixed with osmium tetroxide showed that these cells were similar to cells fixed in the intact cochlea. The glutaraldehyde-induced cell shape change is similar to the shortening seen in intact OHCs in response to the application of solutions containing high potassium or caffeine. Application of glutaraldehyde to cells pretreated with potassium or caffeine caused further shortening. Glutaraldehyde-induced cell shape change was not blocked by the application of tetracaine, which did prevent potassium-induced and caffeine-induced shortening. Glutaraldehyde-induced cell shape change was not stopped by short treatment with N-ethylmaleimide, which did inhibit potassium-induced shortening. Results from these experiments suggest that the glutaraldehyde-induced OHC shape change is not caused by an effect on the membrane or by calcium activation of a contractile response. Shortening may be caused by shrinkage due to cross-linking of proteins.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed2000

Spindle-shaped cells derived from giant-cell tumor of bone support differentiation of blood monocytes to osteoclast-like cells.

Spindle-shaped cells were established from four giant-cell tumors of bone. When human blood monocytes were co-cultured with these cells, multinucleated giant-cell formation of monocytes was induced. Intriguingly, even when a filter (pore size: 0.45 microm) was interposed between monocytes and the spindle-shaped cells, polykaryocytes also appeared. These multinucleated giant cells were positive for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, expressed calcitonin receptor, and showed bone-resorption activity, characteristics of osteoclast-like cells. These findings indicate that soluble factors secreted from these cells play an important role in osteoclast-like cell formation from blood monocytes. These data additionally suggest that these cells support osteoclast-like cell formation in giant-cell tumors of bone. The cells also expressed mannose receptor, fibronectin, receptor activator of nuclear factorkappaB, and several cytokine mRNAs, including interleukin-6, receptor activator of nuclear factorkappaB ligand/osteoclast differentiation factor/osteoprotegerin ligand, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor. However, all of these molecules except receptor activator of nuclear factorkappaB ligand mRNA could also be detected in control HeLa and CV-1 cells. Although the soluble receptor activator of nuclear factorkappaB ligand has not been found under physiological conditions, it is possible that it is cleaved by cellular proteases and the truncated receptor activator of nuclear factorkappaB is released from cells. Identification of the soluble factors capable of inducing osteoclast formation from blood monocytes is a pressing problem to be solved.

Bone Neoplasms↗
PubMed1994

Regulation of alveolar epithelial cell ICAM-1 expression by cell shape and cell-cell interactions.

In normal lung, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) is expressed at high levels on thin type I alveolar epithelial cells, but is minimally expressed on cuboidal type II cells. ICAM-1 is induced in primary culture on tissue culture-treated plastic as type II cells undergo transition toward a type I cell-like phenotype. We hypothesized that alveolar epithelial cell expression of ICAM-1 might be regulated in part by signals that influence the state of differentiation of these cells. We found that rat type II cells that were cultured as aggregates of cuboidal cells on a hydrated basement membrane gel (Matrigel) or on floating type I collagen gels, expressed markedly less ICAM-1 protein and mRNA compared with cells that had spread on plastic. In contrast, type II cells that had spread as monolayers on dishes coated with basement membrane proteins in planar configuration demonstrated ICAM-1 expression comparable to that of cells on plastic alone. Thus regulation of alveolar epithelial cell expression of this immunologically important adhesion molecule involves complex spatial interactions of the cells with the basement membrane and other epithelial cells.

Animals↗