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M Maurice

Publications and source records attributed to M Maurice.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Relationship between microtubules and Golgi apparatus in hepatocytes: a quantitative study during experimental nephrosis.

In many cell types, microtubules are preferentially associated with the Golgi apparatus. However, the existence of a functional link between these two organelles is still hypothetical. To gain insight into this question, the relationships between microtubules and the Golgi apparatus were studied in rat hepatocytes during experimental nephrosis induced by the aminonucleoside of puromycin. This condition is known to cause prolonged stimulation of plasma protein production by the hepatocytes. Rats were studied 2, 4, 5, 10 and 20 days after aminonucleoside injection. The amount of albumin was measured in serum and hepatic microsomes by laser immunonephelometry. The volume densities of microtubules around the Golgi apparatus and in the remaining cytoplasm were measured by ultrastructural morphometry. Changes of the Golgi apparatus were analysed by measuring the volume density of the whole organelle and the respective proportion of saccules and vesicles. Proteinuria began 5 days after aminonucleoside injection and was accompanied by a decrease in serum albumin and a rise in microsomal albumin. These changes were still more striking after 10 days, but protein and albumin levels were almost back to normal after 20 days. Concomitantly, the volume density of the microtubules increased significantly around the Golgi apparatus (32% after 10 days), and not in the remaining cytoplasm. The Golgi apparatus was enlarged (80% after 10 days) with a higher ratio of secretory vesicle to saccule volume densities. These results show that additional microtubules are present around the Golgi apparatus during the enhanced production of plasma proteins which occurs in nephrosis. They suggest that in hepatocytes, microtubules play a part in the Golgi apparatus function of plasma protein processing.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

[Humoral factors of immunity in maternal milk. Comparison of their levels in the breast milk of mothers with premature and at-term delivery].

Eight proteins (Immunoglobulin A, G, M, C3 and C4 fractions of complement, alpha 1-glycoprotein, lactoferrin and alpha 1- antitrypsin) were measured by immuno-diffusion or laser nephelometry in 50 milk samples. Thirty nine were heated thrice at 62 degrees C for 20 minutes. Twenty six came from mothers who delivered prematurely (less than 37 weeks) and 13 from mothers who delivered at term. Eleven samples were, used to determine the effect of the heating process. There was no significative difference of the concentrations of the eight proteins between the breast milk obtained at term or prematurely, even when the comparisons were made between colostral milks or transitional milks. The heating process reduced the concentration by 47 % for IgA, more than 88 % for IgG and IgM, 41 to 74 % for the other proteins; only orosomucoid seemed little affected (-16 %). These data suggest that the heating process impairs the immunologic effect of breast milk. This effect must be particularly considered in regard to the absence of any significant difference between the milks obtained at term or prematurely.

Blood Proteins↗
PubMed1982

Immunoperoxidase localization of albumin and fibrinogen in rat liver fixed by perfusion or immersion: effect of saponin on the intracellular penetration of labeled antibodies.

Immunoperoxidase localization of albumin and fibrinogen in rat liver was tested with perfusion or immersion fixation and saponin as a membrane permeabilizing agent. The distribution of albumin- or fibrinogen-containing hepatocytes was examined by light microscopy. Labeled antibody penetration was assessed by electron microscopy on transversely cut cryostat sections. Paraformaldehyde liver fixation by perfusion, followed by incubation of the sections with labeled antibodies together with saponin, demonstrated that albumin and fibrinogen were present in all hepatocytes; mainly in the Golgi apparatus and rarely in the endoplasmic reticulum, the ultrathin sections being labeled throughout their entire thickness. A constant labeling of the endoplasmic reticulum was obtained when saponin was added from the beginning of fixation. In the absence of saponin, albumin was seen in most of the hepatocytes but only at the periphery of the transverse sections, in a few Golgi apparatus, and in some parts of the endoplasmic reticulum; under this condition, fibrinogen was not visualized in the hepatocytes. Paraformaldehyde liver fixation by immersion showed the presence of albumin or fibrinogen in a few hepatocytes only, with irregular labeled antibody penetration. The use of saponin did not improve albumin and fibrinogen localization, except when the liver was poorly fixed. These results show that liver fixation by perfusion gives a homogeneous labeling of all the hepatocytes, whereas fixation by immersion leads to a heterogeneous labeling. Satisfactory results are obtained with saponin, which must be used to improve the penetration of labeled antibodies when the liver is fixed by perfusion. Saponin does not work when immersion is employed, at least under the conditions tested.

Albumins↗
PubMed1981

Pathogenesis of juvenile nasopharyngeal fibroma. (A new concept).

Fifteen cases of juvenile nasopharyngeal fibromata have been studied clinically and histologically, and their structure has been compared to that of genital erectile tissue obtained from autopsies of foetuses and children. A similarity in the structure of these two tissue could be observed. A concept of juvenile nasopharyngeal fibroma as arising from misplaced sequestrated genital erectile tissue during foetal development, is discussed; and support is given to this view by anatomical, clinical and histological data.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Influence of colchicine and phalloidin on bile secretion and hepatic ultrastructure in the rat. Possible interaction between microtubules and microfilaments.

The studies were carried out to examine the role of microtubules and microfilaments on bile secretion in the rat in vivo. Phalloidin (which causes irreversible polymerization of actin into microfilaments), administered at the dose of 50 microgram/100 g body wt during 3 days, caused an increase in the microfilamentous network around bile canaliculi; it induced a significant decrease both in basal bile flow, and in bile flow stimulated by sodium taurocholate, the major bile acid in the rat. Colchicine (which inhibits the polymerization of tubulin into microtubules), 3 hr after an injection of 0.2 mg/100 g body wt, caused the almost complete disappearance of microtubules in the hepatocytes; it did not modify basal bile secretion, but did induce a significant decrease in taurocholate secretion and taurocholate-stimulated bile flow after a bile-acid load, as well as a delayed plasma disappearance of the bile acid. Lumicolchicine, which is known to have no effect on tubulin, had no effect on bile secretion. The combined administration of phalloidin and colchicine caused both the increase of the pericanalicular microfilamentous network and the disappearance of microtubules; it induced a decrease in basal bile flow that was more marked than that observed with phalloidin alone, suggesting that the effects of the two drugs were not simply additive, but synergic. Although a toxic effect of colchicine could not be totally excluded, the results are compatible with the hypothesis that microtubules as well as microfilaments play a role in the excretion of a bile-acid load.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1980

In vivo and in vitro effects of colchicine and vinblastine on the secretory process of antibody-producing cells.

The sensitivity of the secretory process of antibody-synthesizing cells to microtubule-binding drugs, colchicine and vinblastine sulfate, was studied. Rats were immunized by footpad injections of horseradish peroxidase, and the popliteal lymph nodes were removed at various times after injection. Both in vivo effects of colchicine and in vitro effects of colchicine and vinblastine were studied. Quantitative data were obtained with in vitro drug-treated cells by labeling with L-3H-leucine and by measuring the secreted and the cytoplasmic immunoglobulins. It was found that inhibition of immunoglobulin secretion was about 78% and 93% by colchicine and vinblastine, respectively. the results obtained with the latter drug were more difficult to interpret because it also inhibited the biosynthesis of total proteins, and particularly that of immunoglobulins. Immunocytochemical studies of the in vivo and in vitro drug-treated cells performed by light and electron microscopy showed that in antibody-containing cells the Golgi area was often occupied by dilated antibody-containing vesicles, probably derived from the Golgi apparatus. In a few of these cells it was observed that antibody-containing rough endoplasmic reticulum was markedly dilated. the above results demonstrate that both microtubule-binding agents, colchicine and vinblastine, are potent inhibitors of the secretory process of plasma cells and seem to indicate that a correlation may exist between ultrastructural changes and inhibition of secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Phalloidin-induced cholestasis in the rat: relation to changes in microfilaments.

The influence of phalloidin, an agent that causes irreversible polymerisation of actin into microfilaments, on bile secretion and hepatocyte ultrastructure was examined in rats. Phalloidin was given intraperitoneally at the dose of 50 microgram per 100 g of body weight per day for 1, 3, or 7 days. The following was observed. (1) Bile flow decreased, as compared to controls, by 19% after 1 day, 34% after 3 days, and 55% after 7 days. Bile acid secretion was also decreased. (2) Electron microscopic examination of the hepatocyte in treated animals revealed an increased thickness of the pericanalicular microfilamentous network and a dilatation of bile canaliculi. Stereological examination revealed an increase in the relative volume of the microfilamentous network (per unit of hepatocyte cytoplasm) of 2.55% after 1 day, 4.06% ater 3 days, and 6.16% after 7 days. (3) [14C]Erythritol biliary clearance, measured after 7 days, decreased in parallel to bile flow, suggesting that the decrease in bile flow was of canalicular origin. [14C]Sucrose biliary clearance increased in treated animals, suggesting an increased permeability of the biliary system to sucrose. There was a predominant decrease in the bile acid independent bile flow. These data provide circumstantial evidence for the hypothesis that microfilament dysfunction can produce cholestasis.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Hepatocyte giant mitochondria: an almost constant lesion in systemic scleroderma.

Liver electron microscopic studies were performed in 14 patients with systemic scleroderma. In 13 of these patients, giant mitochondria were demonstrated in the hepatocytes. This ultrastructal abnormality was present whatever the type and duration of the disease and was also present even when the liver was histologically normal. The mechanism of formation of giant mitochondria in systemic scleroderma is unknown.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Inhibition by colchicine of fibrinogen translocation in hepatocytes.

In the rat, 8 h after intraperitoneal administration of colchicine, fibrinogen (detected by antirat fibrinogen antibodies labeled with peroxidase) accumulated in the lumina of the rough endoplasmic reticulum of the hepatocytes; 16 and 24 h after colchicine administration, fibrinogen was detected, respectively, in the lumina of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and in the Golgi apparatus. The effect of colchicine on the cytoplasmic translocation of fibrinogen could be due to a direct action of the drug on the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum or could be the indirect result of the disruptive action of the drug on the microtubules.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of colchicine and phalloidin on the distribution of three plasma membrane antigens in rat hepatocytes: comparison with bile duct ligation.

The hepatocyte plasma membrane presents a morphological and functional regionalization into three domains: the sinusoidal; the lateral, and the canalicular. The mechanisms responsible for the biogenesis and maintenance of this regionalization are poorly understood. In this work, we have used colchicine and phalloidin, two drugs known to interfere with the secretory processes in hepatocytes, to study whether they also affect the transport of membrane proteins. The localization of three plasma membrane antigens was studied by light and electron microscopy using monoclonal antibodies identifying either the sinusoidal (A39) or the lateral (B1) or the canalicular (B10) domains in normal hepatocytes. In rats injected with colchicine (0.25 mg per 100 gm), A39 moved from the sinusoidal membrane to the lateral and canalicular ones, whereas B10 was displaced from the canalicular to the sinusoidal and lateral membranes, resulting after 8 hr in an almost equal labeling of the three domains with both antibodies. In rats injected daily for 7 days with phalloidin (50 micrograms per 100 gm), A 39 became mainly localized on the bile canalicular membrane instead of the sinusoidal one; B10 predominated on the canalicular membrane as in controls but in places it labeled the sinusoidal and lateral domains as well. In bile duct-ligated rats studied for comparison for 4, 10 or 21 days, A39 and B10 localizations evolved as after phalloidin, but the changes were more marked. B1 was not affected by any of the treatments. In conclusion, colchicine, phalloidin and bile duct ligation do not seem to hinder the antigens in reaching the plasma membrane, but induce a redistribution of two of them, suggesting a disturbance in the biogenesis and/or control of the plasma membrane regionalization. Such an abnormal distribution could be involved in--or contribute to--the initiation of cholestasis.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Role of the cervico-ocular reflex in the "flying" pigeon: interactions with the optokinetic reflex.

We studied the cervico-ocular reflex (COR) alone and in combination with the optokinetic (OKN) reflex in head-fixed pigeons. We analyzed these responses in two behavioral conditions: (1) animals were hung in a harness ("resting" condition); and (2) animals were additionally submitted to a frontal airflow that provoked a flight posture ("flying" condition). In both conditions, cervical stimulation provoked a slow phase of very low gain (around 0.05) in the opposite direction to that of the stimulation and fast phases triggered near the head-body alignment in the same direction as the stimulation. The slow phase showed a phase lag of 20 deg at 0.5 Hz. The gain of the slow phase was not modified by the velocity, amplitude, or frequency of the stimuli. This gain was not changed by the presence of a fixed visual surround. When cervical stimuli (0.05-0.5 Hz) were added to an optokinetic stimulation (30 deg/s) in the "resting" condition, the slow phase velocity (SPV) of the optokinetic reflex was modulated with a time course close to that produced by the cervico-ocular reflex alone. The SPV was alternately increased and decreased round the SPV level corresponding to the steady-state OKN. In the "flying" condition, optokinetic-cervical stimulation provoked an eye beating field and a strong SPV modulation synchronized with the position of the cervical stimulation. The number of nystagmic beats (OKN) and the amplitude and velocity of the fast phases were modulated in correlation with the SPV. Consequently, the optokinetic response was increased or decreased according to whether the cervical stimuli were in the reverse direction or in the same direction as the optokinetic stimulation, respectively. These data are interpreted as an improvement of gaze stabilization by the COR. This mechanism is context dependent, since it is strongly reinforced during the flight.

Animals↗