Differential vitellin polypeptide processing in insect embryos

This review focuses on the current status of knowledge regarding the process of vitellogenin (Vg) uptake and vitellin (Vt) storage in insect oocytes. We also consider the overall morphology of the yolk sac as an embryonic organ allowing for both temporal and spatial differentiation of yolk degradation to provide the primary food supply for the embryo. In this context we describe the evidence that demonstrates the occurrence of Vt polypeptide processing and how it may be affected by maternally derived proteases stored in the yolk granules and by the ubiquitin–proteasome system in the cytosol. The extent of Vt polypeptide processing induced by these proteases will be correlated with the structural modifications affecting yolk granules and vitellophages in developing insect embryos. To accomplish these goals the ultrastructural and cytochemical composition of yolk granules during vitellogenesis and embryogenesis will be reviewed. Last but not the least, our current understanding of the role played by acidification of yolk granules in the activation of maternally derived proteases will also be examined.     

Atomic force microscopy of living and fixed Xenopus laevis embryos

Xenopus laevis embryos are a rather simple and at the same time a very interesting animal model, which is widely used for research in developmental biology. Intensive coordinated cell movements take place during the multi-cellular organism development. Little is known of the cellular, molecular and biomechanical mechanisms of these movements. The conceptual framework for analysis of cell interactions within integrated populations is poorly developed. We have used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to observe the surface of fixed X. laevis embryos at different stages of their development. We have developed a new sample preparation protocol for these observations. The obtained images were compared with scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) data. Cell rearrangement during morphogenesis in vivo was also visualized by AFM. In the current paper we discuss facilities and challenges of using this technique for further embryo researching.     

Sex-dependent gene expression in early brain development of chicken embryos

Background  

Differentiation of the brain during development leads to sexually dimorphic adult reproductive behavior and other neural sex dimorphisms. Genetic mechanisms independent of steroid hormones produced by the gonads have recently been suggested to partly explain these dimorphisms.     

A change in boundary conditions induces a discontinuity of tissue flow in chicken embryos and the formation of the cephalic fold

The morphogenesis of vertebrate body parts remains an open question. It is not clear whether the existence of different structures, such as a head, can be addressed by fundamental laws of tissue movement and deformation, or whether they are only a sequence of stop-and-go genetic instructions. I have filmed by time-lapse microscopy the formation of the presumptive head territory in chicken embryos. I show that the early lateral evagination of the eye cups and of the mesencephalic plate is a consequence of a sudden change in boundary conditions of the initial cell flow occurring in these embryos. Due to tissue flow, and collision of the two halves of the embryo, the tissue sheet movement is first dipolar, and next quadrupolar. In vivo air puff tonometry reveals a simple visco-elastic behaviour of the living material. The jump from a dipolar to a quadrupolar flow changes the topology of the early morphogenetic field which is observed towards a complex vortex winding with a trail (the eye cups and brain folds). The hydrodynamical model accounts for the discontinuity of the vector field at the moment of collision of the left and right halves of the embryo, at a quantitative level. This suggests a possible mechanism for the morphogenesis of the head of amniotes, as compared to cephalochordates and anamniotes.     

Differential expression of Cathepsin S and X in the spinal cord of a rat neuropathic pain model

Background

Proteoglycan (PG) in the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the central nervous system (CNS) may act as a barrier for neurite elongation in a growth tract, and regulate other characteristics collectively defined as structural neural plasticity. Proteolytic cleavage of PGs appears to alter the environment to one favoring plasticity and growth. Brevican belongs to the lectican family of aggregating, chondroitin sulfate (CS)-bearing PGs, and it modulates neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis. Several ADAMTSs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs) are glutamyl-endopeptidases that proteolytically cleave brevican. The purpose of this study was to localize regions of adult CNS that contain a proteolytic-derived fragment of brevican which bears the ADAMTS-cleaved neoepitope sequence. These regions were compared to areas of Wisteria floribunda agglutin (WFA) reactivity, a common reagent used to detect "perineuronal nets" (PNNs) of intact matrix and a marker which is thought to label regions of relative neural stability.

Results

WFA reactivity was found primarily as PNNs, whereas brevican and the ADAMTS-cleaved fragment of brevican were more broadly distributed in neuropil, and in particular regions localized to PNNs. One example is hippocampus where the ADAMTS-cleaved brevican fragment is found surrounding pyramidal neurons, in neuropil of stratum oriens/radiatum and the lacunosum moleculare. The fragment was less abundant in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. Mostly PNNs of scattered interneurons along the pyramidal layer were identified by WFA. In lateral thalamus, the reticular thalamic nucleus stained abundantly with WFA whereas ventral posterior nuclei were markedly immunopositive for ADAMTS-cleaved brevican. Using Western blotting techniques, no common species were reactive for brevican and WFA.

Conclusion

In general, a marked discordance was observed in the regional localization between WFA and brevican or the ADAMTS-derived N-terminal fragment of brevican. Functionally, this difference may correspond to regions with varied prevalence for neural stability/plasticity.     

Ontogeny of ATP hydrolysis and isoform expression of the Plasma Membrane Ca2+-ATPase in mouse brain

Background  

Plasma membrane Ca²⁺-ATPases (PMCAs) are high affinity Ca²⁺ transporters actively involved in intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis. Considering the critical role of Ca²⁺ signalling in neuronal development and plasticity, we have analyzed PMCA-mediated Ca²⁺-ATPase activity and PMCA-isoform content in membranes from mouse cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum during postnatal development.     

Differential expression of a BMP4 reporter allele in anterior fungiform versus posterior circumvallate taste buds of mice

Background  

Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 (BMP4) is a diffusible factor which regulates embryonic taste organ development. However, the role of BMP4 in taste buds of adult mice is unknown. We utilized transgenic mice with LacZ under the control of the BMP4 promoter to reveal the expression of BMP4 in the tongues of adult mice. Further we evaluate the pattern of BMP4 expression with that of markers of specific taste bud cell types and cell proliferation to define and compare the cell populations expressing BMP4 in anterior (fungiform papillae) and posterior (circumvallate papilla) tongue.     

Differential expression of cancer pathway-related genes in low-versus high-dose-rate-irradiated AKR/J mice

To understand the biological effects of ionizing radiation on lymphomagenesis, we reared AKR/J mice for 130 days with exposure to either high-dose-rate (HDR, 0.8 Gy/min, a single dose of 4.5 Gy) or low-dose-rate (LDR, 0.7 mGy/h, a cumulative dose of 2.1 Gy) irradiation. After 130 days, we compared the mean thymus weight, analyzed the histological changes, and measured apoptotic cell numbers using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. We also used microarrays and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis (qPCR) to analyze the expression profiles of cancer pathway-related genes in the thymuses of the mice. The mean thymus weight of the LDR-irradiated mice decreased relative to Sham- and HDR-irradiated mice. Histopathological examination revealed that the neoplastic cells in the thymuses of the Sham- and HDR-irradiated mice were pleomorphic, with marked anisocytosis and anisokaryosis, whereas the cells and their nuclei were relatively small and uniform in size in the LDR-irradiated mice. Furthermore, TUNEL assays showed that the number of apoptotic cells was higher in the LDR-irradiated mice than in the Sham- and HDR-irradiated mice. Microarray analysis showed differentially expressed genes according to carcinogenic stage (DNA repair/genomic instability, DNA damage signaling pathway, cell cycle, cancer pathway, p53 signaling pathway, apoptosis, and T- and B-cell activation). qPCR data for cancer pathway-related genes showed that Cds1 gene expression was upregulated in the LDR-irradiated mice, whereas expression of the Itga4, Myc, and Itgb1 genes was upregulated in the irradiated mice. However, the functions of cancer pathway-related genes require further study and validation.     

Differential effects of AdOx on gene expression in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells

Background  

Pluripotent cells maintain a unique gene expression pattern and specific chromatin signature. In this study, we explored the effect of the methyltransferase inhibitor adenosine dialdehyde (AdOx) on pluripotency maintenance and gene expression in P19 embryonal carcinoma cells.     

Differential thermopower of a superlattice in a strong electric field

The effect of an electric field on the differential thermopower α(E) of a one-dimensional superlattice is investigated in the semiclassical approximation. A nonmonotonic temperature dependence of α(0) is established for a degenerate electron gas. It is shown that, in principle, an electric field can be used to control the thermoelectric properties of superlattices. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1314–1316 (July 1999)     

NMR observation of Tau in Xenopus oocytes

The observation by NMR spectroscopy of microinjected 15N-labelled proteins into Xenopus laevis oocytes might open the way to link structural and cellular biology. We show here that embedding the oocytes into a 20% Ficoll solution maintains their structural integrity over extended periods of time, allowing for the detection of nearly physiological protein concentrations. We use these novel conditions to study the neuronal Tau protein inside the oocytes. Spectral reproducibility and careful comparison of the spectra of Tau before and after cell homogenization is presented. When injecting Tau protein into immature oocytes, we show that both its microtubule association and different phosphorylation events can be detected.     

Differential criterion of a bubble collapse in viscous liquids

The present work is devoted to a model of bubble collapse in a Newtonian viscous liquid caused by an initial bubble wall motion. The obtained bubble dynamics described by an analytic solution significantly depends on the liquid and bubble parameters. The theory gives two types of bubble behavior: collapse and viscous damping. This results in a general collapse condition proposed as the sufficient differential criterion. The suggested criterion is discussed and successfully applied to the analysis of the void and gas bubble collapse.     

Application of a Double－Wollaston－prism Laser Differential Interferometer in Plasma Focus

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Differential light-shift cancellation in a magnetic-field-insensitive transition of 87rb

The precise measurement of transition frequencies of trapped atomic samples is susceptible to inaccuracy arising from the inhomogeneous differential shift of the relevant energy levels in the presence of the trapping fields. We demonstrate near-complete cancellation of the differential ac Stark shift ("light shift") of a two-photon magnetic-field-insensitive microwave hyperfine (clock) transition in ^{87}Rb atoms trapped in an optical lattice. Up to 95(2)% of the differential light shift is cancelled while maintaining magnetic-field insensitivity. This technique should have applications in quantum information and frequency metrology.     

Versal Deformations of a Dirac Type Differential Operator

Abstract

If we are given a smooth differential operator in the variable x ∈ R/2πZ, its normal form, as is well known, is the simplest form obtainable by means of the Diff(S ¹)-group action on the space of all such operators. A versal deformation of this operator is a normal form for some parametric infinitesimal family including the operator. Our study is devoted to analysis of versal deformations of a Dirac type differential operator using the theory of induced Diff(S ¹)-actions endowed with centrally extended Lie-Poisson brackets. After constructing a general expression for tranversal deformations of a Dirac type differential operator, we interpret it via the Lie-algebraic theory of induced Diff(S ¹)-actions on a special Poisson manifold and determine its generic moment mapping. Using a Marsden-Weinstein reduction with respect to certain Casimir generated distributions, we describe a wide class of versally deformed Dirac type differential operators depending on complex parameters.     

Light transport model in a n-layered mismatched tissue

The steady-state and time-domain analytical solutions of the diffusion equation for photon migration through a highly scattering n-layered mismatched medium have been obtained. The effect of the refractive-index mismatch is taken into account, and the extrapolated boundary condition has been considered. A Monte Carlo code for photon migration through an n-layered mismatched medium has also been developed. Comparisons with the results of Monte Carlo simulations showed that the analytical solutions correctly describe the photon migration, while reflectance is observed.     

Differential operators and immersions of a Riemann surface into a Grassmannian

We consider equivariant holomorphic immersions of a universal cover of a compact Riemann surface X into a Grassmannian satisfying a nondegeneracy condition. The equivariance condition says that there is a homomorphism ρ of the Galois group to that takes the natural action of the Galois group on to the action of the Galois group on defined using ρ. We prove that the space of such embeddings are in bijective correspondence with the space of all holomorphic differential operators of order two on a rank n vector bundle over X with the property that the symbol of the operator is an isomorphism.     

Acquisition of cryotolerance in maize embryos during seed development

A desiccation-based cryopreservation protocol was employed to study the development of cryotolerance and desiccation tolerance in maize embryos from 23 to 50 days after pollination (DAP). Tolerances were acquired gradually and concomitantly. Maize embryos had low desiccation tolerance at 23 DAP when assessed by survival (embryo elongation) and emergence (root and shoot growth) after dehydration. Desiccation tolerance increased progressively, reached its maximum at 38 DAP, and remained constant afterwards. Cryotolerance, assessed by survival and emergence of post-thaw embryos, however, was nil until 26 DAP. Embryos at 29 DAP withstood cryoexposure within a very narrow moisture range only. Throughout development cryotolerance increased gradually, reached a maximum at 44 DAP and then remained at this level. The correlation between moisture content and cryopreservation success was notably influenced by the maize embryo's development stage. As seeds developed, the moisture content allowing 90% dehydrated embryos to survive and to emerge decreased, while the upper moisture content allowing 50% post-thaw embryos to survive and to emerge increased. Moisture contents of c. 14% allowed no less than 50% post-thaw embryos to emerge at the later development stages (e.g. c. 44 DAP); but no embryos within the same moisture range survived cryoexposure at 29 DAP, although they could withstand desiccation to this moisture level without impairment of survival and emergence. The relationship between cryotolerance and desiccation tolerance during maize seed development is discussed.     

Differential characteristic of the flow behind a shock wave

Relationships between the derivatives on both sides of a discontinuity in a nonstationary shock wave moving with acceleration in a one-dimensional vortex flow of perfect gas are deduced. The problem of interaction between the shock wave and a weak discontinuity is solved based on these relationships.