Archives of histology and cytology最新文献

Transferrin binding protein (TfBP) is a cytoplasmic glycoprotein that was originally isolated from the chick oviduct. As we previously demonstrated the constitutive expression of TfBP in the avian nervous system, in this study we examined whether TfBP is expressed in the reptilian nervous system. In accordance with previous findings in the chicken, oligodendrocytes were most prominently labeled by antiserum to TfBP. Great variability was observed between different regions of the central nervous system (CNS) in terms of TfBP-labeled oligodendrocyte numbers. In the retina, TfBP was localized specifically in the cells that are morphologically oligodendrocytes and present in the optic nerve and the ganglion cell layer. TfBP staining was also seen in the Schwann cells of peripheral nerves. Furthermore, choroid plexus cells and capillary endothelial cells similarly exhibited strong reactions. These results may reflect the fact that the homology of nervous system genes is conserved between close phylogenetic lines, and proove the potential of TfBP as a marker for oligodendrocytes in avian as well as reptile.

The general sugar expression pattern was studied in 9 normal full-term human placentas by the use of 21 individual lectins in combination with immunohistochemistry for various markers to understand the function of the placenta as the site of feto-maternal interactions. In mature intermediate and terminal villi, the brush border of the syncytiotrophoblast layer strongly expressed GlcNAc (as stained by WGA, S-WGA, DSL lectins) but weakly expressed sialic acid (Mal II, SNA). The cytoplasm of the syncytiotrophoblast layer showed weak expressions of GlcNAc and Gal/GalNAc with granular patterns. The cytotrophoblast layer, as also recognized by PCNA and HAI-1, typically expressed GlcNAc (LEL etc.) and Gal/GalNAc (MAL I). We found that the cytotrophoblast layer became very thin but largely maintained its continuity in the mature villi. The basement membranes of both the trophoblast layer and the endothelial layer strongly and continuously expressed mannose (Con A, LCA) and galactose (ECL, RCA I). Although endothelial cells almost exclusively expressed sialic acid and fucose, UEA I showed a heterogeneous reactivity with endothelial cells within the same vessels. No uniform expression pattern of any sugar was seen in stromal components except for Hofbauer cells, which usually expressed GlcNAc (LEL and DSL etc.). Thus, the sugar expression analysis by lectin histochemistry combined with immunohistochemistry proved helpful to understand the sugar chain related functions of the placenta under both normal and pathological conditions.

The microstructure of lingual papillae on the dorsal surface of the tongue of adult Egyptian fruit bats was examined by light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This elongated tongue with a rounded apex is approximately 3 cm long -- including the 1.7cm length of the anterior free part of the tongue -- which facilitates considerable freedom of movement. The surface of the tongue has four types of lingual papillae: two types of mechanical papillae -- filiform and conical papillae, and two types of gustatory papillae -- fungiform and vallate papillae. Most numerous are filiform papillae with well developed keratinized processes represented by four morphological subtypes -- small, giant, elongated, and bifid papillae. Our observations showed the small and giant filiform papillae to be present in the anterior part of the tongue and tilted to the back of the tongue. In the posterior part of the tongue, the filiform papillae with elongated processes were arranged on each side of the tongue and oriented perpendicularly to the median line of tongue. This arrangement of filiform papillae is considered to be useful for the efficient uptake of semiliquid food as it can be collected toward the median line of the tongue. Gustatory fungiform papillae were distributed among filiform papillae on the border of the apex and the anterior part of the body of the tongue and also on the posterior part of the tongue, while three vallate papillae surrounded by conical papillae were found on the root of the tongue. There were also taste buds along the ducts of the posterior lingual glands in the posterior-lateral part of the tongue. These morphological features are discussed in relation to adaptation to food uptake in the Egyptian fruit bat.

We isolated adherent fibroblastic cells after collagenase and dispase treatment of human dental pulp. When human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) were cultured in the presence of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), the ratio of hDPCs in the S-phase was significantly higher in comparison with incubation without bFGF. The ratio of hDPCs expressing STRO-1 as a marker of stem cell populations increased approximately eightfold in the presence of bFGF as opposed to that in the absence of bFGF. We demonstrated the characterization and distinctiveness of the hDPCs and showed that, when cultured with the medium containing serum and bFGF, they were highly proliferative and capable of differentiating in vitro into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. Furthermore, the in vitro differentiation was confirmed at both the protein and gene expression levels. Transplantation of hDPCs -- expanded ex vivo in the presence of bFGF into immunocompromised mice -- revealed the formation of bone, cartilage, and adipose tissue. The donor hDPC-derived cells were labeled in the bone tissues located near the PLGA in the subcutaneous tissues of recipient mice using a human-specific Alu probe. When cultured with a serum-free medium containing bFGF, the hDPCs strongly expressed STRO-1 immunoreactive products and sustained self-renewal, and thus were almost identical in differentiation potential and proliferation activity to hDPCs cultured with the medium containing serum and bFGF. The present results suggest that the hDPCs cultured in the presence of bFGF irrespective of the presence or absence of the bovine serum are rich in mesenchymal stem cells or progenitor cells and useful for cell-based therapies to treat dental diseases.

Meckel's chondrocytes, derived from the ectomesenchyme, have the potential to transform into other phenotypes. In this study, we transplanted cell pellets of Meckel's chondrocytes into isogenic mouse spleens and analyzed their phenotypic transformation into osteogenic cells using histological and immunohistochemical methods. With the increasing duration of transplantation, chondrocytes were incorporated into splenic tissues and formed a von Kossa-positive calcified matrix containing calcium and phosphoric acid, similar to that of intact bone. Type I, II, and X collagens, and the bone-marker proteins osteocalcin, osteopontin, osteonectin, and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) were immunolocalized in the matrix formed by the transplanted chondrocytes. Osteopontin and osteonectin were detected in the calcified matrix at earlier stages than osteocalcin and BMP-2. Type II collagen was expressed during the first week of transplantation, and type X collagen-positive cells appeared scattered during the initial stage of calcification, these collagens being later replaced by type I collagen formed by osteocyte-like cells. Electron microscopic observations revealed that chondrocytes surrounded by the calcified matrix transformed into spindle-shaped osteocytic cells accompanying the formation of bone-type thick-banded collagen fibrils. These results suggest that phenotypic switching of Meckel's chondrocytes can occur under in vivo conditions at a cellular morphological level.

The nerve growth factor-induced gene B-beta (NGFI-Bbeta, Nurr1) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily that is expressed predominantly in the central nervous system. We used an antibody against the human NGFI-Bbeta to observe the protein expression in neuronal cells in the retina, cerebral neocortex, and midbrain of humans and rats. To provide further insight into the role of NGFI-Bbeta in the differentiation of neuronal cells, we also examined the expression of NGFI-Bbeta in rat ontogeny. A few cells in the midbrain showed the expression of NGFIBbeta from 12 days of gestation, and NGFI-Bbeta positive cells increased in the neocortex, claustrum, thalamus and hypothalamus in the subsequent fetal days. NGFI-Bbeta-positive cells appeared in the inner nuclear layer of the retina at 18 days of gestation and also in the ganglion cell layer after birth. An immunohistochemical study on the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) demonstrated that NGFI-Bbeta-positive cells were not proliferating cells. These findings suggest that NGFI-Bbeta plays an important role during the postmitotic differentiation of neuronal cells in the brain and retina.

The enamel organ engaged in enamel matrix formation in tooth germs comprises four different cell types: the ameloblasts, the cells of the stratum intermedium, stellate reticulum, and the outer enamel epithelium, each characterized by distinct structural features. In ordinary primary cultures of tooth-derived cells, these cells generally become flat in profile and hardly regain their original profiles comparable to those in vivo, even under conditions that can induce the expression of functional markers from these cells. To overcome this limitation inherent to the cell culture of tooth-derived cells, we introduced a novel co-culture method, a "three-dimensional and layered (TDL) culture", a three-dimensional (3D) culture of dental pulp-derived cells dispersed in type I collagen gel combined with a layered culture of enamel epithelial cells seeded on top of the gel to establish thereby a culture condition where the functional tooth-derived cells regain their original structures and spatial arrangements. We subjected the TDL gels thus prepared to floating cultures and found that, in the layered epithelial cells, those facing the 3D gel became cuboidal/short columnar in shape, showed cell polarity and well-developed intercellular junctions, had PAS positive material in their cytoplasm, and expressed a distinct immunoreactivity for cyotokeratin 14 and amelogenins. Pulpal cells in the gel displayed a strong ALP activity throughout the 3D gel. The current observations have clearly shown that the structural and functional features reminiscent of early secretory ameloblasts could be restored in the enamel organ-derived cells in a TDL culture.

We have been developing a low invasive cell manipulation technology based on inserting an ultra-thin needle--"nanoneedle"--into a living cell by using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The nanoneedle, made from a silicon AFM tip by focused-ion-beam etching, has a diameter of several hundred nanometers and a length of about 10 microns. Successful insertion of the nanoneedle into the cell can be confirmed by the appearance of a steep relaxation of repulsive force in the force-distance curve as monitored by the AFM system. This technology, termed "cell surgery", can be applied for the detection of intracellular proteins in a living cell or for highly efficient gene transfer. The present study shows that the durability of a tapered nanoneedle is superior to that of a cylindrical nanoneedle, and that a proper aspect ratio for the tapered nanoneedle must be chosen to maintain sufficient insertion efficiency for a particular target cell: tapered nanoneedles of an aspect ratio over 20 showed high insertion efficiency for various kinds of mammalian cells. We then used diamond for the material of the nanoneedle because its specific properties, such as high stiffness, heat conductivity, and electrical conductivity capacitated by boron doping, were deemed useful for the analysis and manipulation of intracellular phenomena. We compared the capability of the diamond nanoneedle in cell manipulation with that of the silicon nanoneedle. Evaluation of the effect of the former on transcription efficiency and localization analysis of p53 expression revealed the low invasiveness for cell manipulation as was also the case for the silicon nanoneedle. We also succeeded in achieving highly efficient plasmid DNA delivery into a mouse fibroblast C3H10T1/2 using the diamond nanoneedle. The diamond nanoneedle is expected to contribute to the versatility of "cell surgery" technology.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been a useful technique to visualize cellular and molecular structures at single-molecule resolution. The combination of imaging and force modes has also allowed the characterization of physical properties of biological macromolecules in relation to their structures. Furthermore, recognition imaging, which is obtained under the TREC(TM) (Topography and RECognition) mode of AFM, can map a specific protein of interest within an AFM image. In this study, we first demonstrated structural properties of purified α Actinin-4 by conventional AFM. Since this molecule is an actin binding protein that cross-bridges actin filaments and anchors it to integrin via tailin-vinculin-α actinin adaptor-interaction, we investigated their structural properties using the recognition mode of AFM. For this purpose, we attached an anti-α Actinin-4 monoclonal antibody to the AFM cantilever and performed recognition imaging against α Actinin-4. We finally succeeded in mapping the epitopic region within the α Actinin-4 molecule. Thus, recognition imaging using an antibody coupled AFM cantilever will be useful for single-molecule anatomy of biological macromolecules and structures.

The unique cytoarchitecture of glomerular podocytes is conserved in vertebrate evolution. Actin filaments play a crucial role in the formation of the conserved cytoarchitecture, though several isoforms of cytoplasmic actin have been found in vertebrates. The present study examined the expression and subcellular distribution of the beta-cytoplasmic actin (beta-actin) isoform in the podocytes of six vertebrate species by means of immunohistochemical techniques to reveal whether the beta-actin isoform is involved in the formation of podocyte cytoarchitecture throughout vertebrates. beta-actin was predominantly localized at the foot processes in carp, turtle, quail, and rat podocytes in addition to actin filament condensations, which were found only in carp and rat podocytes. The actin filament condensations in rats were in direct contact with the basal plasma membrane, but those in carp were found at the cell body and separated from the basal plasma membrane. In contrast with the above four species, beta-actin was not detected in podocytes in two amphibians-newt and frog, although podocyte foot processes are actin-filament based cytoplasmic protrusions in these species as well as in other vertebrates. In conclusion, the beta-actin isoform is involved in the formation of the podocyte actin cytoskeleton in vertebrates except for amphibians. Several kinds of unconventional cytoplasmic actins other than beta- and gamma-cytoplasmic actins are known to be expressed in amphibians, making it highly likely that one of these isoforms, instead of beta-actin, constructs actin filaments in the foot processes of newt and frog podocytes.