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Investigations on the cell volumes of Azotobacter vinelandii by scanning electron microscopy.

Previous experiments by other investigators on the DNA content of Azotobacter vinelandii have demonstrated that the DNA content in these cells is several folds higher than that of E. coli. On the basis of this observation, it was hypothesized that A. vinelandii has at least 40 to 80 identical chromosomes per cell. However, the gene dosage analysis in A. vinelandii cells suggested that many genetic operations can be performed in these cells without the constraints expected in a polyploid bacterium. In an attempt to explain this apparent discrepancy, we have done systematic analysis of the relationship between the DNA content and the cell volume of this bacterium. Since a linear correlation is observed between the DNA content and the cell size in many other cell types, we hypothesized that if A. vinelandii is polyploid in nature, it should have a much larger cell volume to accommodate such a large amount of DNA. Our scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed that the cell volume of the vegetative cells of A. vinelandii is about 16 times larger than the cell volume of E. coli. This result is apparently consistent with the concept that the A. vinelandii is a polyploid bacterium. It was also reported that the encysted cells of A. vinelandii contain about 25% of the DNA content of the vegetative cells. This would mean that an encysted cell of A. vinelandii could contain about 10 copies of its chromosome. Since the estimated molecular weight of A. vinelandii chromosome is very similar to that of E. coli chromosome, the DNA content of the encysted cells also should be about 10 times higher than that of E. coli cells. If we assume that the relationship between the DNA content and the cell size is linear, then the encysted cells should have a cell volume larger than that of E. coli and smaller than that of the vegetative cells of A. vinelandii. However our scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that the cell volume of the encysted cells of A. vinelandii is in fact very similar to the cell volume of E. coli.

Azotobacter vinelandii↗

Carcinogen-induced diploid hepatocytes: sensitive target cells for transformation by mutated c-Ha-ras oncogene.

Sequential treatment of partially (two-thirds) hepatectomized rats with diethylnitrosamine and 2-acetylaminofluorene induces the emergence of diploid hepatocytes in rat liver. These carcinogen-induced diploid cell populations are thought to contain the progenitors of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), i.e., initiated, cells. In the study presented here, we addressed the question of whether putative mutations in carcinogen-induced diploid hepatocytes can cooperate with activated oncogenes in the process of transformation in vitro. Both carcinogenesis in vivo and transformation in vitro have been shown to be multistep processes requiring at least two independent transforming events. Diploid and polyploid rat hepatocytes were isolated by centrifugal elutriation. The purity of the elutriated fractions was 88 +/- 3% in the diploid fraction and 84 +/- 3% in the polyploid fraction. Hepatocytes from both the elutriated cell fractions and, for comparison, hepatocytes from untreated rats were transfected by electroporation with oncogene expression vectors containing the mutated human T24 c-Ha-ras gene and of the N-myc gene. Transient expression of transfected DNA was similar in both hepatocyte populations. No cell lines could be established by using the N-myc vector. In contrast, the carcinogen-induced diploid hepatocytes, but not polyploid hepatocytes, could be converted by transfection with the ras vector into permanent anchorage-independent growing cell lines with hepatocyte-like morphology and differentiation. These cell lines expressed the myc proto-oncogene and transforming growth factor-alpha constitutively. Thus, carcinogen-induced diploid hepatocytes are sensitive to transformation by the ras oncogene, suggesting cooperation between putative preexisting mutations in the diploid cells and the ras oncogene product in hepatocellular transformation.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗

Polyploidy in differentiation and evolution.

Somatic and generative (germ-line) polyploidy are more widely spread phenomena among living organisms than generally thought. The occurrence of polyploidization and related events in normal and pathological differentiation, their recognized main functions, as well as the structural specificities of polyploid nuclei are reviewed, and the relationship between ontogenetic and phylogenetic events is discussed. The mechanisms leading to the polyploid state, as well as other processes resulting in a genomic condition different from the diploid one (such as DNA under-replication, gene amplification, and chromatin elimination), are briefly sketched. The various changes in chromosomal DNA described are, in conclusion, seen as evidence supporting the paradigm of a "fluid" or dynamic organization of the eukaryotic genome, as being part of a cybernetic feedback regulation system of gene expression. A model is proposed that unifies the aspects of DNA variation, chromatin structure, and diversification in ontogenesis and phylogenesis.

Animals↗

The determination of megakaryocyte ploidy.

Methods which have been used to determine megakaryocyte ploidy in animals and humans are reviewed. Although the number of megakaryocyte nuclear units counted in bone marrow squashes is roughly proportional to ploidy, accurate determinations of DNA content require the use of microphotometry or flow cytometry. New techniques should make it possible to distinguish polyploidizing megakaryoblasts from promegakaryocytes and mature megakaryocytes which have arrested polyploidization. Only the latter should be included in histograms of the number of endoduplications, since only those have expressed their full polyploidization potential. Statistical techniques are available for analysis and comparison of both raw ploidy distributions or histograms of endoduplication numbers.

Animals↗

Release of mitotic descendants by giant cells from irradiated Burkitt's lymphoma cell line..

Polyploid giant cells are produced as part of the response of p53 mutant Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines to high doses of irradiation. Polyploid giant cells arise by endo-reduplication in the first week after a single 10 Gray dose of irradiation. Within the giant cells a sub-nuclear structure is apparent and within this, sub-nuclear autonomy is evident, as displayed by independent nuclear structure and DNA replication in different parts of the nucleus. The majority of these cells soon die as apoptotic polykaryons. However, approximately 10-20% of giant cells remain viable into the second week after irradiation and begin vigorous extrusion of large degraded chromatin masses. During the second week, the giant cells begin to reconstruct their nuclei into polyploid 'bouquets', where chromosome double-loops are formed. Subsequently, the bouquets return to an interphase state and separate into several secondary nuclei. The individual sub-nuclei then resume DNA synthesis with mitotic divisions and sequester cytoplasmic territories around themselves, giving rise to the secondary cells, which continue mitotic propagation. This process of giant cell formation, reorganization and breakdown appears to provide an additional mechanism for repairing double-strand DNA breaks within tumour cells.

Apoptosis↗

Methodological aspects of flow cytometric analysis of DNA polyploidy in human heart tissue.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the possibilities of flow cytometry (FCM) for the analysis of DNA polyploidy in human heart tissue. Suspensions of single nuclei were prepared with the detergent-trypsin procedure and stained with propidium iodide. A mathematical correction procedure was developed to correct for background and clumping. For diploid model populations of chicken and trout red blood cells this correction reduced artifactual fractions in the FCM DNA profile to less than 0.5%, indicating that interference by background and clumping was almost completely overcome by this correction procedure. FCM DNA profiles were obtained from 12 hypertrophic and 7 normal human adult hearts. Clear differences were found between DNA profiles from the normal and the hypertrophic hearts, the latter showing a higher degree of polyploidization. From the corrected DNA profiles, six different polyploidization parameters were computed, all of which showed a significant correlation with at least three out of four different parameters for heart hypertrophy. FCM appears to be a reliable method for the measurement of polyploidization in heart tissue, provided background and clumping are corrected for.

Adult↗

Life forms protectable as subjects of US patents--microbes to animals (perhaps).

Scientists, businessmen, universities, and industries with fundamental or peripheral interests in technology as applied to life processes will be keenly interested in recent US Patent Office decisions. These decisions indicate that new higher life forms, animal or plant, are proper subjects of patents if they are not naturally occurring (and are not human, in the case of animals). In contrast to plants and other organisms, genetically modified animals have had no mode of protection as intellectual property except possibly as trade secrets or utility patents. The Ex parte Allen decision, reached by the Patent Office Board of Appeals and Interferences, directly addressed the issue of animal patentability in view of the broad reading of 35 U.S.C. section 101 by the US Supreme Court in the Chakrabarty decision. The subject invention concerned polyploid oysters. Claims directed toward polyploid oysters produced by a particular process were rejected under 35 U.S.C. section 103 and section 101. The Board, reversing the 35 U.S.C. section 101-based rejection in view of the Chakrabarty decision, indicated that the claimed polyploid oysters were non-naturally occurring manufactures or compositions of matter within the confines of patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. section 101. A similar decision affecting the patentable status of plants or segments thereof had previously been reached by the Patent and Trademark Office in the case of Ex parte Hibberd, 227 U.S.P.Q. 443 (Bd. Pat. App. 1985). The Hibberd utility patent application concerned "genetically engineered" maize which had high levels of the tryptophan.

Animals↗

Facultative polyploidy in endocrine tissues.

Adrenal tissue from 44 autopsies and 30 biopsies of thyroid gland were analyzed by flow--and scanning-cytophotometry. Most nuclei were diploid and the 4C fraction ranged from 1.9 to 6.1% according to the technique, but with no significant difference between controls and adenomas, hyperplasias, adenomatous goiters, or two carcinomas of the thyroid gland. The only significant increase of 4C fraction was found in normal adrenals of patients above 50 years of age (P less than 0,025). Similarly constant was the proportion of 8C nuclei which ranged from 0.5 to 1.3 per thousand. However, in one of 23 adenomatous goiters a total polyploidization was was observed. Comparable results in the literature show that the thyroid gland like the epithelium of seminal vesicles can facultatively become polyploidized, in contrast to the obligatory polyploid orgnas namely the liver and heart. This is not related to malignancy.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Comparative cytofluorometric DNA analysis of pleomorphic adenoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary glands.

The nuclear DNA content in the tumor cells of 17 pleomorphic adenomas (PA) and 26 adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) was assayed by cytofluorometry to clarify the etiology of the differences in their biological nature. Aneuploidy was found in only two solid-pattern ACC samples; all the other samples had diploid stemlines. With respect to the polyploid cell rate and the S + G2M fraction, the differences between the four histological patterns of PA were not significant. In the ACC, the S + G2M fraction was significantly higher in solid pattern than in cribriform or trabecular pattern tumors, which may indicate that proliferative activity is higher in the solid pattern than in the other two. The polyploid cell rate in ACC was significantly higher in the solid pattern than in the cribriform pattern carcinomas. There was no significant difference in the mean polyploid cell rate between PAs and ACCs. The mean S + G2M fraction was significantly higher in all histological patterns of ACCs than in PAs. These results suggest that proliferative activity is greater in any one of the histological patterns of ACC than in PA. These findings may largely explain the biological differences between the two tumors.

Adenoma, Pleomorphic↗

Genetic mapping of a cross between Gossypium hirsutum (cotton) and the Hawaiian endemic, Gossypium tomentosum.

The existence of five tetraploid species that derive from a common polyploidization event about 1 million years ago makes Gossypium (cotton) an attractive genus in which to study polyploid evolution and offers opportunities for crop improvement through introgression. To date, only crosses (HB) between the cultivated tetraploid cottons Gossypium hirsutum and G. barbadense have been genetically mapped. Genetic analysis of a cross (HT) between G. hirsutum and the Hawaiian endemic G. tomentosum is reported here. Overall, chromosomal lengths are closely correlated between the HB and HT maps, although there is generally more recombination in HT, consistent with a closer relationship between the two species. Interspecific differences in local recombination rates are observed, perhaps involving a number of possible factors. Our data corroborate cytogenetic evidence that chromosome arm translocations have not played a role in the divergence of polyploid cottons. However, one terminal inversion on chromosome (chr.) 3 does appear to differentiate G. tomentosum from G. barbadense; a few other apparent differences in marker order fall near gaps in the HT map and/or lack the suppression of recombination expected of inversions, and thus remain uncertain. Genetic analysis of a discrete trait that is characteristic of G. tomentosum, nectarilessness, mapped not to the classically reported location on chr. 12 but to the homoeologous location on chr. 26. We propose some hypotheses for further study to explore this incongruity. Preliminary quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of this small population, albeit with a high probability of false negatives, suggests a different genetic control of leaf morphology in HT than in HB, which also warrants further investigation.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Transferable bread wheat EST-SSRs can be useful for phylogenetic studies among the Triticeae species.

The genetic similarity between 150 accessions, representing 14 diploidand polyploid species of the Triticeae tribe, was investigated following the UPGMA clustering method. Seventy-three common wheat EST-derived SSR markers (EST-SSRs) that were demonstrated to be transferable across several wheat-related species were used. When diploid species only are concerned, all the accessions bearing the same genome were clustered together without ambiguity while the separation between the different sub-species of tetraploid as well as hexaploid wheats was less clear. Dendrograms reconstructed based on data of 16 EST-SSRs mapped on the A genome confirmed that Triticum aestivum and Triticum durum had closer relationships with Triticum urartu than with Triticum monococcum and Triticum boeoticum, supporting the evidence that T. urartu is the A-genome ancestor of polyploid wheats. Similarly, another tree reconstructed based on data of ten EST-SSRs mapped on the B genome showed that Aegilops speltoides had the closest relationship with T. aestivum and T. durum, suggesting that it was the main contributor of the B genome of polyploid wheats. All these results were expected and demonstrate thus that EST-SSR markers are powerful enough for phylogenetic analysis among the Triticeae tribe.

Cluster Analysis↗

Allelic configuration and polysomic inheritance of highly variable microsatellites in tetraploid gynodioecious Thymus praecox agg.

Polyploidy plays a pivotal role in plant evolution. However, polyploids with polysomic inheritance have hitherto been severely underrepresented in plant population genetic studies, mainly due to a lack of appropriate molecular genetic markers. Here we report the establishment and experimental validation of six fully informative microsatellite markers in tetraploid gynodioecious Thymus praecox agg. Sequence data of 150 microsatellite alleles and their flanking regions revealed high variation, which may be characteristic for polyploids with a reticulate evolutionary history. Understanding the patterns of mutation (indels and substitutions) in microsatellite flanking-sequences was a prerequisite for the development of co-dominant markers for fragment analyses. Allelic segregation patterns among progeny arrays from ten test crosses revealed tetrasomic inheritance in T. praecox agg. No evidence of frequent double reduction was detected. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based dosage effects allowed for precise assignment of allelic configuration at all six microsatellite loci. The quantification of allele copy numbers in PCR was verified by comparisons of observed and expected gametic allele frequencies and heterozygosities in test crosses. Our study illustrates how PCR based markers can provide reliable estimates of heterozygosity and, thus, powerful tools for breeding system and population genetic analyses in polyploid organisms.

Alleles↗

Cell cycle effects of vinflunine, the most recent promising Vinca alkaloid, and its interaction with radiation, in vitro.

PURPOSE: Vinflunine (VFL) is a novel third generation Vinca alkaloid with superior antitumour activity in preclinical models and an anticipated more favourable toxicity profile compared to the other Vinca alkaloids. METHOD: We investigate the radiosensitising properties of VFL and its cell cycle effects in four human tumour cell lines (ECV304, MCF-7, H292, and CAL-27). The sulforhodamine B test was used to determine cell survival, and cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry. Radiosensitisation (RS) was represented by dose enhancement factors (DEFs). RESULTS: Twenty-four hours treatment with VFL before radiation caused dose-dependent RS in all cell lines. This was most pronounced in ECV304 cells with RS already at VFL concentrations that reduced cell survival by 10% (IC10). DEFs ranged from 1.57 to 2.29 in the different cell lines. A concentration-dependent G2/M block was observed (starting at 4 h of incubation). After maximal G2/M blockade cells started cycling again, mainly by mitosis, while a small portion of cells started a polyploid cell cycle. Also drug removal immediately caused recycling of cells and induction of a polyploid cell population. The polyploid cell population was most impressively noticeable after prolonged incubation with VFL (48 h), in particular in CAL-27 and ECV304. This was never observed in a tested normal fibroblast cell line (Fi 360). The fate of these cells is of particular interest, but yet uncertain. CONCLUSION: VFL has radiosensitising potential. The exact role of the cell cycle effects of VFL in its radiosensitising mechanism is still not fully elucidated and requires further study.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

Different cell cycle responses of wound healing protagonists to transient in vitro hypoxia.

Polyploidization is a process present in cells of many different human tissues. Since it is also prominent in human wound healing in vivo and in vitro, we focused on the influence of hypoxia on the cells' proliferation and polyploidization response. The proliferation response of two major cell types, involved in human wound healing, human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC) and normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) was quite similar in the in vitro setup: proliferation significantly decreased under the influence of 18 h of hypoxia and was reinitiated after 72 h of reoxygenation. The cells' response concerning their tendency towards the development of polyploidy was different: NHDF did not generate any polyploid cells, which stands in contrast to former in vitro studies with human wound-derived fibroblasts, but HDMEC were characterized by the presence of both mononuclear and binuclear tetraploid cells. The number of tetraploids was downregulated during hypoxia and increased during reoxygenation, accompanied by proliferation onset. The immunomicroscopic survey of HDMEC opened up a cell cycle model, which might be useful in the future to evaluate cell cycle modulations leading to polyploidy without the need to apply any additional cell cycle inhibitors.

Cell Cycle↗

Cytogeography of Ixeris nakazonei (Asteraceae, Lactuceae) in the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan and Taiwan.

The cytogeographical structures of Ixeris nakazonei, a putative hybrid between I. debilis (6x) and I. repens (2x), were investigated in the Ryukyu Archipelago and Taiwan. In the Ryukyus, I. debilis occurs on Miyakojima Island of the southern Ryukyus and northward, while I. repens occurs on all islands except for Iriomotejima and Yonagunijima Islands. I. nakazonei, comprises six polyploid cytotypes, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x and 8x, based on x=8. Four cytotypes from 3x to 6x occur in the central Ryukyus, while four cytotypes from 5x to 8x occur in the southern Ryukyus. The higher polyploids of I. nakazonei tend to be distributed in the more southerly area. Tetraploids of I. nakazonei always co-occur with I. debilis and I. repens, supporting the hybrid origin of this cytotype. Considering the chromosome number, octoploids, which predominate in the southern Ryukyus and Taiwan, may have derived directly from hybridization between I. debilis and I. repens. Odd-numbered polyploids of I. nakazonei, 3x, 5x and 7x, are relatively rare. Their chromosome numbers indicate that triploids and heptaploids are hybrids between the tetraploid of I. nakazonei and I. repens, and between the octoploid of I. nakazonei and I. debilis, respectively. Pentaploids of I. nakazonei in the central and southern Ryukyus are, respectively, hybrids between the tetraploid of I. nakazonei and I. debilis and between the octoploid of I. nakazonei and I. repens, indicating that pentaploids of I. nakazonei have at least two independent origins.

Asteraceae↗

Karyomorphology of Taiwanese Begonia (Begoniaceae): taxonomic implications.

The karyomorphology of all 14 species of Taiwanese Begonia was investigated to elucidate their chromosome features and chromosomal evolution. Among all species investigated, differences in chromosome features are found in: (1) chromosome number 2 n = 22, 26, 36, 38, 52, 60, 64, 82, and (2) frequencies of chromosomes with secondary, tertiary, and/or small constrictions of polyploids, ranging from 23% to 63%, which is higher than the expected value of about 9%. It is suggested that after polyploidization from the diploid species (i.e., 2 n = 22 and frequencies of chromosomes with secondary, tertiary, and/or small constrictions of polyploids of about 9%), chromosome translocations occurred, followed by a decrease in chromosome number, and subsequently stabilized genomes were formed in various species in Taiwan. The karyomorphological evidence also suggested that the chromosome morphology has evolved in parallel in the begonias belonging to different sections in Taiwan. The variation in chromosomal features is more complex than the variation in floral and fruit morphologies. Karyomorphological data also supports the recognition of five new species in Taiwan: Begonia bouffordii, B. chuyunshanensis, B. pinglinensis, B. tengchiana, and B. wutaiana. Based on detailed karyomorphological analyses, the taxonomic implications, speciation, and chromosomal evolution in Taiwanese Begoniaare discussed.

Journal Article↗

Phylogenetic conservation of chromosome numbers in Actinopterygiian fishes.

The genomes of ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) are well known for their evolutionary dynamism as reflected by drastic alterations in DNA content often via regional and whole-genome duplications, differential patterns of gene silencing or loss, shifts in the insertion-to-deletion ratios of genomic segments, and major re-patternings of chromosomes via non-homologous recombination. In sharp contrast, chromosome numbers in somatic karyotypes have been highly conserved over vast evolutionary timescales - a histogram of available counts is strongly leptokurtic with more than 50% of surveyed species displaying either 48 or 50 chromosomes. Here we employ comparative phylogenetic analyses to examine the evolutionary history of alterations in fish chromosome numbers. The most parsimonious ancestral state for major actinopterygiian clades is 48 chromosomes. When interpreted in a phylogenetic context, chromosome numbers evidence many recent instances of polyploidization in various lineages but there is no clear indication of a singular polyploidization event that has been hypothesized to have immediately preceded the teleost radiation. After factoring out evident polyploidizations, a correlation between chromosome numbers and genome sizes across the Actinopterygii is marginally statistically significant (p = 0.012) but exceedingly weak (R (2) = 0.0096). Overall, our phylogenetic analysis indicates a mosaic evolutionary pattern in which the forces that govern labile features of fish genomes must operate largely independently of those that operate to conserve chromosome numbers.

Amphibians↗

Polyploidy induction as a consequence of topoisomerase inhibition. A flow cytometric assessment.

Following recovery from a 4-hr exposure to clinically achievable concentrations of the topoisomerase II inhibitors Adriamycin, teniposide, or amsacrine or the putative topoisomerase II inhibitor crisnatol, murine erythroleukemic cells remained viable for up to 48 hr, but did not proliferate. Cell cycle analysis after a 24-hr recovery revealed blocks in G2 (4N DNA) or greater than G2 (up to 8N DNA) polyploid stages. The relative percentages of cells in either stage was a function of drug concentration and cell cycle stage at time of exposure: typically, cells exposed during S phase became blocked in G2, whereas those exposed during G2/M progressed into greater than G2 polyploid stages. G2-blocked cells exhibited a 2- to 3-fold increase in nuclear protein content and cellular/nuclear volume (i.e. unbalanced growth) and approximately 5% more DNA stainability (as a consequence of nuclear conformational changes rather than redundant DNA synthesis). In all cases, at the drug concentrations studied, mitotic figures were absent and G2 and greater than G2 blocks were irreversible, indicating that the mechanism of polyploidy induction differs from that of microtubule inhibitors. These findings suggest that although topoisomerase inhibitors interfere with DNA synthesis in the S phase, their induction of greater than G2 polyploid blocks may involve direct or indirect inhibition of chromosome condensation.

Amsacrine↗