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Biomedical subjects

G Weissmüller

Publications and source records attributed to G Weissmüller.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Sulfated proteoglycans as modulators of neuronal migration and axonal decussation in the developing midbrain.

Proteoglycans are abundant in the developing brain and there is much circumstantial evidence for their roles in directional neuronal movements such as cell body migration and axonal growth. We have developed an in vitro model of astrocyte cultures of the lateral and medial sectors of the embryonic mouse midbrain, that differ in their ability to support neuritic growth of young midbrain neurons, and we have searched for the role of interactive proteins and proteoglycans in this model. Neurite production in co-cultures reveals that, irrespective of the previous location of neurons in the midbrain, medial astrocytes exert an inhibitory or nonpermissive effect on neuritic growth that is correlated to a higher content of both heparan and chondroitin sulfates (HS and CS). Treatment of astrocytes with chondroitinase ABC revealed a growth-promoting effect of CS on lateral glia but treatment with exogenous CS-4 indicated a U-shaped dose-response curve for CS. In contrast, the growth-inhibitory action of medial astrocytes was reversed by exogenous CS-4. Treatment of astrocytes with heparitinase indicated that the growth-inhibitory action of medial astrocytes may depend heavily on HS by an as yet unknown mechanism. The results are discussed in terms of available knowledge on the binding of HS proteoglycans to interactive proteins, with emphasis on the importance of unraveling the physiological functions of glial glycoconjugates for a better understanding of neuron-glial interactions.

Aggrecans↗
PubMed2000

Glial cells with differential neurite growth-modulating properties probed by atomic force microscopy.

Lateral (L) and medial (M) midbrain astrocytes differ in their ability to support neuritic growth (L, permissive; M, non-permissive) with properties of M glia depending on heparan sulfate (HS). Here we show by atomic force microscopy that the surfaces of formaldehyde-fixed astrocytes differ by conspicuous 250 nm protrusions in L and by a HS-dependent fibrillar network in M glia, thus, demonstrating correlations between cell surface morphology and functional properties.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Atomic force microscopy study of tooth surfaces.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to study tooth surfaces in order to compare the pattern of particle distribution in the outermost layer of the tooth surfaces. Human teeth and teeth from a rodent (Golden hamster), from a fish (piranha), and from a grazing mollusk (chiton) with distinct feeding habits were analyzed in terms of particle arrangement, packing, and size distribution. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used for comparison. It was found that AFM gives high-contrast, high-resolution images and is an important tool as a source of complementary and/or new structural information. All teeth were cleaned and some were etched with acidic solutions before analysis. It was observed that human enamel (permanent teeth) presents particles tightly packed in the outer surface, whereas enamel from the hamster (continuously growing teeth) shows particles of less dense packing. The piranha teeth have a thin cuticle covering the long apatite crystals of the underlying enameloid. This cuticle has a rough surface of particles that have a globular appearance after the brief acidic treatment. The similar appearance of the in vivo naturally etched tooth surface suggests that the pattern of globule distribution may be due to the presence of an organic material. Elemental analysis of this cuticle indicated that calcium, phosphorus, and iron are the main components of the structure while electron microdiffraction of pulverized cuticle particles showed a pattern consistent with hydroxyapatite. The chiton mineralized tooth cusp had a smooth surface in an unabraded region and a very rough structure with the magnetite crystals (already known to make part of the structure) protruding from the surface. It was concluded that the structures analyzed are optimized for efficiency in feeding mechanism and life span of the teeth.

Acids↗
PubMed1993

Autocatalytic cooperativity and self-regulation of ATPase pumps in membrane active transport.

We investigate the effect of autocatalysis on the conformational changes of membrane pumps during active transport driven by ATP. The translocation process is described by means of an alternating access model. The usual kinetic scheme is extended by introducing autocatalytic steps and allowing for dynamic formation of enzyme complexes. The usual features of cooperative models are recovered, i.e., sigmoid shapes of flux versus concentration curves. We show also that two autocatalytic steps lead to a mechanism of inhibition by the substrate as experimentally observed for some ATPase pumps. In addition, when the formation of enzyme complexes is allowed, the model exhibits a multiple stationary states regime, which can be related to a self-regulation mechanism of the active transport in biological systems.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗