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1	A Centrin Homologue Is a Component of the Multilayered Structure in Bryophytes and Pteridophytes Vaughn, K. C., Sherman, T. D., Renzaglia, Karen S. 01 March 1993 (has links) The multilayered structure (MLS), a component of the locomotory complex of plant sperm, has been utilized extensively by taxonomists in establishing phylogenetic relationships between the lower plants and algae. Unfortunately, there has been almost no biochemical characterization of the MLS and, in those studies that did attempt a characterization, conflicting results were obtained. We utilized antisera to the calcium-binding protein centrin to probe thin sections of the mid-stage spermatids of the anthocerote Phaeoceros laevis, the hepatic Sphaerocarpos texanus, and the pteridophyte Ceratopteris richardii embedded in L. R. White resin. The lamellar strip (LS; layers S2-S4) of the MLS in each of these species is labelled strongly with anti-centrin, but the S1 layer, composed of microtubules, is not. In Ceratopteris, centrin is also detected in the amorphous electron opaque material that connects the basal bodies of the flagella. Both the MLS and the amorphous zones are putative microtubule organizing centers. Extracts from axenic cultures of Ceratopteris subjected for electrophoresis and Western blotting revealed a reactive band at 19.3 kDa, a protein similar in molecular mass to algal centrin. These data indicate that the MLS is composed at least partially of the protein centrin or a protein antigenically-related to centrin. This report is the first electron microscopic immunocytochemical demonstration that a centrin homologue is found in land plants and that it occurs at putative microtubule organizing centers. bryophyte spermatid centrin microtubule organizing center multilayered structure pteridophyte spermatid
2	The role of the Golgi apparatus in neuronal polarity Ash, Tyler Dale 08 April 2016 (has links) ABSTRACT The Golgi apparatus has always been an interesting organelle of study because of its unique morphology as well as the critical roles it plays in cell biology. It is situated next to the endoplasmic reticulum and secreted proteins must pass through the Golgi vesicular pathway for modifications and targeting. In addition, the Golgi apparatus plays an essential role in establishing cellular polarity. Cell polarity refers to difference in orientation of cell structures spatially, and is involved in establishing functionality. The Golgi apparatus establishes cell polarity in various ways including orienting itself spatially, biasing vesicular trafficking within the cell, and most importantly through its role as a microtubule organizing center. The cytoskeleton provides the structural framework for cells. Microtubules nucleated from the Golgi-dependent microtubule organizing center result in an asymmetric cytoskeleton. An asymmetric cytoskeleton is essential to establishing cell polarity. Neurons require cell polarity to establish the essential structures such as the axon and dendrites. The Golgi apparatus establishes neuronal polarity through its extensive network of associated proteins. In this review, we will discuss the growing evidence supporting the role of the Golgi apparatus in establishing neuronal polarity. Neurosciences CLASP2 GCC185 Neurodevelopment Golgi apparatus Microtubule organizing center Neuronal polarity
3	Defining the Role of Rubella Virus Nonstructural Proteins in Replication Complex Assembly and Fiber Formation Matthews, Jason D 30 March 2010 (has links) Rubella virus (RUBV) is a positive-strand RNA virus and the causative agent of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome in humans. To replicate its RNA, RUBV forms membrane-associated spherules, called replication complexes (RCs), the induction of which requires the two virus nonstructural proteins (NSPs), P150 and P90. Interestingly, late in infection the NSPs form a unique cytoplasmic fiber network, similar in appearance to microtubules, the function of which is unknown. Little is known about the roles of the RUBV NSPs in forming these structures and, to this end, we scrutinized the behavior and biochemical properties of the NSPs, both after expression from plasmids and during RUBV infection, using mutagenic, biochemical and pharmacological approaches. The following findings were made: First, the precursor from which P150 and P90 are produced via an embedded protease at the C-terminus of P150, called P200, was required for initial targeting to cytoplasmic foci. P150 was the determinant of fiber formation and while P90 had no specific targeting sequences on its own, P90 sequences within P200 were required for correct targeting of P200. An alpha-helix at the N-terminus of P150 was also important for correct targeting of P200, putatively by mediating the interaction between P150 and P90 within the precursor. Second, the membrane binding domain within the NSPs was within the N-terminal ~450 amino acids of P150. P150 is in an exceptionally tight association with membranes. Third, both the N- and C-terminal regions of P150, and specifically long alpha-helices within these regions, are necessary for fiber formation. Fiber formation relied on an intact microtubule network, but neither microtubule repositioning nor dynamic movement along microtubules was required. Additionally, it was shown that microtubules were not necessary in RUBV replication. Finally, P150 fibers were not required for RUBV replication; however, it was shown that the fibers are likely important in formation of cytoplasmic extensions through which a novel system of cell-to-cell transport of viral RNA in the absence of virus particles appears to occur. Microtubule organizing center Protease Polyprotein Microtubules Rubella virus Nonstructural protein localization Membrane-association Replication complex Biology, general
4	Building a Tensegrity-Based Computational Model to Understand Endothelial Alignment Under Flow Al-Muhtaseb, Tamara 12 1900 (has links) Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Endothelial cells form the lining of the walls of blood vessels and are continuously subjected to mechanical stimuli from the blood flow. Microtubule-organizing center (MTOC), also known as centrosome is a structure found in eukaryotic cells close to the nucleus. MTOC relocates relative to the nucleus when endothelial cells are exposed to shear stress which determines their polarization, thus it plays a critical role in cell migration and wound healing. The nuclear lamina, a mesh-like network that lies underneath the nuclear membrane, is composed of lamins, type V intermediate filament proteins. Mutations in LMNA gene that encodes A-type lamins cause the production of a mutant form of lamin A called progerin and leads to a rare premature aging disease known as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS). The goal of this study is to investigate how fluid flow affects the cytoskeleton of endothelial cells. This thesis consists of two main sections; computational mechanical modeling and laboratory experimental work. The mechanical model was implemented using Ansys Workbench software as a tensegrity-based cellular model in order to simulate the state of an endothelial cell under the effects of induced shear stress from the blood fluid flow. This tensegrity-based cellular model - composed of a plasma membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, microtubules, and actin filaments - aims to understand the effects of the fluid flow on the mechanics of the cytoskeleton. In addition, the laboratory experiments conducted in this study examined the MTOC-nuclear orientation of endothelial cells under shear stress with the presence of wound healing. Wild-type lamin A and progerin-expressing BAECs were studied under static and sheared conditions. Moreover, a custom MATLAB code was utilized to measure the MTOC-nuclear orientation angle and classification. Results demonstrate that shear stress leads to different responses of the MTOC orientation between the wild-type and progerin-expressing cells around the vertical wound edge. Future directions for this study involve additional experimental work together with the improved simulation results to confirm the MTOC orientation relative to the nucleus under shear stress. Tensegrity-based computational model Endothelial cells Shear stress Microtubule-organizing center (MTOC)
5	Mechanisms of non-centrosomal MTOC formation at the nucleus in muscle cells / Mécanismes non-centrosomaux impliqués dans la formation du centre organisateur des microtubules au noyaux des cellules musculaires Gimpel, Petra 04 September 2017 (has links) Le juste positionnement du noyau durant la formation musculaire semble important pour la fonction musculaire et des défauts ont été associés à plusieurs maladies musculaires. Le positionnement nucléaire dépend des microtubules (MTs), qui sont réorganisés depuis le centrosome, dans les myoblastes proliférants, vers l’enveloppe nucléaire (EN), dans les myotubes différenciés. Cette réorganisation s'accompagne de la redistribution des protéines centrosomales vers l’EN qui adopte le rôle de centre organisateur des microtubules (MTOC) lors de la différenciation myogénique. Néanmoins, les mécanismes sous-jacents restent inconnus. Ici, nous avons identifié les protéines Nesprin-1 et Sun1/2, localisées respectivement à la membrane nucléaire externe et interne, comme impliquées dans le recrutement de la fonction MTOC à l’EN. Les cellules déficientes en Nesprin-1 ou Sun1/2 ont montré une localisation altérée des protéines centrosomales dans le cytoplasme et l’absence des MTs depuis l’EN. De plus, Nesprin-1alpha, une myo-isoforme de Nesprin-1, s’associait aux protéines centrosomales Akap450, Pericentrin et Pcm1 dans les myotubes C2C12 et était suffisante pour corriger les défauts observés dans des cellules déplétées en Nesprin-1. Parmi les protéines centrosomales recrutées par Nesprin-1alpha, seule Akap450 semble nécessaire à la nucléation des MTs à l’EN. Ce processus, médié par Akap450 et Nesprin-1alpha, s’est avéré important pour le positionnement nucléaire lors du développement des myotubes. Ces résultats renforcent notre compréhension sur le lien causal entre des défauts lors de la formation du MTOC à l’EN et des défauts de positionnement nucléaire dans les dystrophies musculaires. / The accurate position of the nucleus during skeletal muscle formation seems to be important for muscle function, and defects have been associated with numerous muscle diseases. Nuclear positioning requires microtubules (MTs) which are reorganized from the centrosome in proliferating myoblasts to the nuclear envelope (NE) in differentiated myotubes. This dramatic MT reorganization is accompanied by a redistribution of proteins from the centrosome to the NE which thus takes over the function as a microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) during myogenic differentiation. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. Here, we identified Nesprin-1 and Sun1/2, outer and inner nuclear membrane proteins, respectively, to be involved in the recruitment of MTOC function to the NE. Nesprin-1 or Sun1/2 deficient cells displayed mislocalization of centrosomal proteins to the cytoplasm and failed to regrow MTs from the NE. Moreover, the muscle-specific isoform of Nesprin-1, namely Nesprin-1alpha, was shown to be highly associated with the centrosomal proteins Akap450, Pericentrin and Pcm1 in C2C12 myotubes and to be sufficient to rescue the observed defects in Nesprin-1 depleted cells. Among the centrosomal proteins localizing at the NE during myogenic differentiation, solely Akap450 seemed to be required for MT nucleation. Akap450-Nesprin-1alpha-mediated MT nucleation from the NE was demonstrated to play an important role in nuclear positioning during myotube formation. These findings strengthen our understanding on how defects in MTOC formation at the NE can link to nuclear positioning defects in muscular dystrophies. Muscle squelettique Nesprin-1alpha Akap450 Centrosome L'enveloppe Nucléaire Centre organisateur des microtubules Possitionnement du noyau Nuclear envelope Centrosome 571.6
6	Roles of the Mother Centriole Appendage Protein Cenexin in Microtubule Organization during Cell Migration and Cell Division: A Dissertation Hung, Hui-Fang 03 August 2016 (has links) Epithelial cells are necessary building blocks of the organs they line. Their apicalbasolateral polarity, characterized by an asymmetric distribution of cell components along their apical-basal axis, is a requirement for normal organ function. Although the centrosome, also known as the microtubule organizing center, is important in establishing cell polarity the mechanisms through which it achieves this remain unclear. It has been suggested that the centrosome influences cell polarity through microtubule cytoskeleton organization and endosome trafficking. In the first chapter of this thesis, I summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms regulating cell polarity and review evidence for the role of centrosomes in this process. In the second chapter, I examine the roles of the mother centriole appendages in cell polarity during cell migration and cell division. Interestingly, the subdistal appendages, but not the distal appendages, are essential in both processes, a role they achieve through organizing centrosomal microtubules. Depletion of subdistal appendages disrupts microtubule organization at the centrosome and hence, affects microtubule stability. These microtubule defects affect centrosome reorientation and spindle orientation during cell migration and division, respectively. In addition, depletion of subdistal appendages affects the localization and dynamics of apical polarity proteins in relation to microtubule stability and endosome recycling. Taken together, our results suggest the mother centriole subdistal appendages play an essential role in regulating cell polarity. A discussion of the significance of these results is included in chapter three. Heat-Shock Proteins Cell Division Cell Movement Cell Polarity Centrioles Centrosome Endosomes Epithelial Cells Microtubule-Organizing Center Microtubules Cenexin Dissertations, UMMS Cell Biology Cellular and Molecular Physiology
7	Spindle-Localized CPE-Mediated Translation Controls Mediotic Chromosome Segregation Eliscovich, Carolina 11 June 2008 (has links) La progresión meiótica y el desarrollo embrionario temprano están programados, en parte, por la activación tradcuccional de mRNAs maternos como lo son los que codifican para las proteinas de ciclina B1 o mos. Estos mRNAs no son traducidos al mismo tiempo ni en el mismo lugar. Por lo contrario, su traducción está especificamente regulada por elementos de poliadenilación citoplasmática (CPEs) presentes en sus 3'UTRs. Los elementos CPEs reclutan a la proteina de unión a CPE (CPE-binding protein CPEB (Colegrove-Otero et al., 2005; de Moor et al., 2005; Mendez and Richter, 2001; Richter, 2007)). Esta proteina de unión al RNA no sólo determina cuándo y en qué medida un mRNA será activado traduccionalmente por poliadenilación citoplasmática (Mendez et al., 2000a; Mendez et al., 2000b; Mendez et al., 2002) sino que también participa, junto con el represor de la traducción Maskin, en el transporte y la localización de sus mRNAs diana hacia los sitios de localización subcelular donde su traducción ocurrirá (Huang et al., 2003; Huang and Richter, 2004). Durante el desarrollo embrionario de Xenopus, CPEB se encuentra localizada en el polo animal de los oocitos y más tarde, sobre el huso mitótico y centrosomas en el embrión (Groisman et al., 2000). Se ha demostrado que embriones de Xenopus inyectados con agentes que interrumpen la traducción dependiente de poliadenilación citoplasmática, detienen la división celular y presentan estructuras mitóticas anormales (Groisman et al., 2000). En este trabajo que derivó en mi tesis doctoral, hemos demostrado que la activación traduccional localizada en el huso mitótico de mRNAs regulados por CPEB que codifican para proteinas con una conocida función en aspectos estructurales del ciclo celular como la formación del huso mitótico y la segregación cromosómica, es esencial para completar la primera división meiótica y para la correcta segregación cromosómica en oocitos de Xenopus. interkinesis microtubule organizing center microtubule-cytoskeleton chromosome segregation centrosomes spindle assembly germinal vesicle breakdown prophase-I arrest meiotic cell cycle progression Poly(A) tail lengthening animal and vegetal hemispheres xenopus oocytes and development RNA-binding proteins translational activation untranslated regions (UTRs) translational repression mRNA Localization Cytoplasmic polyadenylation translation CPEB vesícula Germinal profase-I formación del huso mitótico progresión del ciclo meiótico elongamiento de la cola de poli(A) polo animal y vegetal oocitos de Xenopus al RNA proteínas de unión regiones no traducidas (UTRs) activación traduccional citoesqueleto de microtúbulos localización de mRNAs represión traduccional poliadenilación citoplasmática traducción centro organizador de microtúbulos centrosomas segregación cromosómica Xkid TPX2 interquinesis CPEB Xkid TPX2 57

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