Biomedical subjects

Ian E G Morrison

Publications and source records attributed to Ian E G Morrison.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Stochastic modeling of protein motions within cell membranes.

A simple model in which immobilizing events are imposed onto otherwise free Brownian diffusion [R. Metzler and J. Klafter, Phys. Rep. 339, 1 (2000) and a recent adaptation due to S. Khan and A. M. Reynolds, Physica A 350, 183 (2005)] is shown to encapsulate the peculiar transport characteristics of individual cell receptors within plasma membranes observed in single-particle tracking (SPT) experiments. These characteristics include the occurrence of normal diffusion; non-Gaussian subdiffusion; confined diffusion; a superdiffusive mode of transport that is not due to flow of the membrane or molecular motor attachment; and the occurrence of transitions between these transport modes. Model predictions are shown to be in close agreement with a reanalysis of existing SPT data.

Biological Transport↗

PubMed2003

Id proteins negatively regulate basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor function by disrupting subnuclear compartmentalization.

Id helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins act as global regulators of metazoan cell fate, cell growth, and differentiation. They heterodimerize with and inhibit the DNA-binding function of members of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors. Using real time fluorescence microscopy techniques in single living cells, we show here that nuclear pools of chromatin-associated bHLH transcription factor are freely exchangeable and in constant flux. The existence of a dynamic equilibrium between DNA-bound and free bHLH protein is also directly demonstrable in vitro. By contrast, Id protein is not associated with any subcellular, macromolecular structures and displays a more highly mobile, diffuse nuclear-cytoplasmic distribution. When co-expressed with antagonist Id protein, the chromatin-associated sublocalization of bHLH protein is abolished, and there is an accompanying 100-fold increase in its nuclear mobility to a level expected for freely diffusible Id-bHLH heterodimer. These results suggest that nuclear Id protein acts by sequestering pools of transiently diffusing bHLH protein to prevent reassociation with chromatin domains. Such a mechanism would explain how Id proteins are able to overcome the large DNA-binding free energy of bHLH proteins that is necessary to accomplish their inhibitory effect.

Cell Line↗

PubMed2003

Detecting and quantifying colocalization of cell surface molecules by single particle fluorescence imaging.

Single particle fluorescence imaging (SPFI) uses the high sensitivity of fluorescence to visualize individual molecules that have been selectively labeled with small fluorescent particles. The positions of particles are determined by fitting the intensity profile of their images to a 2-D Gaussian function. We have exploited the positional information obtained from SPFI to develop a method for detecting colocalization of cell surface molecules. This involves labeling two different molecules with different colored fluorophores and determining their positions separately by dual wavelength imaging. The images are analyzed to quantify the overlap of the particle images and hence determine the extent of colocalization of the labeled molecules. Simulated images and experiments with a model system are used to investigate the extent to which colocalization occurs from chance proximity of randomly distributed molecules. A method of correcting for positional shifts that result from chromatic aberration is presented. The technique provides quantification of the extent of colocalization and can detect whether colocalized molecules occur singly or in clusters. We have obtained preliminary data for colocalization of molecules on intact cells. Cells often exhibit particulate autofluorescence that can interfere with the measurements; a method for overcoming this problem by triple wavelength imaging is described.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Interaction of HLA-DR with actin microfilaments.

Capping of HLA-DR on the surface of a human lymphoblastoid cell line (RAJI) and a transfectant human fibroblast cell line (M1DR1) was studied by confocal microscopy. Capping was induced at 22 degrees C after treating cells with an HLA-DR specific monoclonal antibody, L243, followed by a secondary antibody conjugated with FITC. Cytoskeletal actin filaments (F-actin) accumulated under the caps were detected by rhodamine-phalloidin fluorescence. Two processes appear to take place: in the round lymphoblastoid cells, actin, initially distributed uniformly at the cell periphery, redistributes and becomes concentrated underneath HLA-DR patches or caps. In the non-round, substrate-attached fibroblasts, actin was organized in tightly packed filaments along the plasma membrane. It was observed that crosslinked HLA-DR receptors were associated with these filaments and were dragged toward the perinuclear area of the cells, where they coalesce to form a cap. The cytoskeleton-disrupting drugs that inhibit actin polymerisation were used to investigate the mechanism of capping of HLA-DR molecules. Sodium nitroprusside, a nitric oxide releasing agent, cytochalasin D both inhibited the percentage of capping in a dose-dependent manner. These data suggest that on antigen presenting cells, such as B cells and fibroblasts, actin microfilaments acts as a regulator of the movement and capping of HLA-DR receptors.

Actins↗