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At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Morphological characterization of small cells resulting from nutrient starvation of a psychrophilic marine vibrio.

Upon starvation, Ant-300, a psychrophilic marine vibrio, was observed to decrease in size and change in shape from a rod to a coccus. After 3 weeks of starvation 50% of the starved population was able to pass through a filter with a pore size of 0.4 mum. Electron microscopy of thin sections of the small cells revealed normal cell structure except for an enlarged periplasmic space. When inoculated into a fresh medium, starved cells growth without a significant lag and regained "normal" size and shape within 48 h.

Arctic Regions↗
PubMed1999

Genetic and morphological characterization of Cladobotryum species causing cobweb disease of mushrooms.

Cladobotryum dendroides (= Dactylium dendroides) has hitherto been regarded as the major causal agent of cobweb disease of the cultivated mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Nucleotide sequence data for the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of four Cladobotryum/Hypomyces species reported to be associated with cobweb disease, however, indicate that the most common pathogen is now C. mycophilum. This cobweb pathogen varies somewhat in conidial septation from published descriptions of C. mycophilum and lacks the distinctive colony odor. ITS sequencing revealed minor nucleotide variation which split isolates of the pathogen into three subgroups, two comprising isolates that were sensitive to methylbenzimidazole carbamate (MBC) fungicides and one comprising MBC-resistant isolates. The MBC-resistant isolates, which were only obtained from Ireland and Great Britain, clustered together strongly in randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR analysis, suggesting that they may be clonal. The MBC-sensitive isolates were more diverse. A RAPD fragment of 800 to 900 bp, containing a microsatellite and found in the MBC-resistant isolates, also indicated their clonal nature; the microsatellites of these isolates contained the same number of GA repeats. Smaller, polymorphic microsatellites, similarly comprising GA repeats, in the MBC-sensitive isolates in general correlated with their geographic origin.

Agaricus↗
PubMed1980

Biochemical and morphological characterization of the killing of human monocytes by a leukotoxin derived from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

A potent, heat-labile leukotoxic material was extracted from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (strain Y4), an anaerobic gram-negative microorganism originally isolated from subgingival plaque in a patient with juvenile periodontitis. The cytopathic effects of Y4 toxin on purified monocytes were studied by the extracellular release of radioactive cytoplasmic markers and cell enzymes and by time-lapse microcinematography. Y4 toxin rapidly bound to the cells, producing dose- and time-dependent alterations culminating in cell death and release of intracellular constituents into the culture medium. The evidence to be presented suggests that the cell membrane of the monocyte may be the primary target in the development of these phenomena. Previous studies have shown that Y4 toxin also kills human polymorphonuclear leukocytes but not other cell types. It is conceivable that disruption of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes by Y4 toxin in the gingival crevice area may be relevant in the pathogenesis of juvenile periodontitis.

Actinobacillus↗
PubMed1987

Genetic and morphological characterization of ftsB and nrdB mutants of Escherichia coli.

The ftsB gene of Escherichia coli is believed to be involved in cell division. In this report, we show that plasmids containing the nrdB gene could complement the ftsB mutation, suggesting that ftsB is an allele of nrdB. We compared changes in the cell shape of isogenic nrdA, nrdB, ftsB, and pbpB strains at permissive and restrictive temperatures. Although in rich medium all strains produced filaments at the restrictive temperature, in minimal medium only a 50 to 100% increase in mean cell mass occurred in the nrdA, nrdB, and ftsB strains. The typical pbpB cell division mutant also formed long filaments at low growth rates. Visualization of nucleoid structure by fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that nucleoid segregation was affected by nrdA, nrdB, and ftsB mutations at the restrictive temperature. Measurements of beta-galactosidase activity in lambda p(sfiA::lac) lysogenic nrdA, nrdB, and ftsB mutants in rich medium at the restrictive temperature showed that filamentation in the nrdA mutant was caused by sfiA (sulA) induction, while filamentation in nrdB and ftsB mutants was sfiA independent, suggesting an SOS-independent inhibition of cell division.

Alleles↗
PubMed1992

Genetic and morphological characterization of an Escherichia coli chromosome segregation mutant.

The temperature-sensitive nucleoid segregation mutant of Escherichia coli, PAT32, formerly described as a parA mutant, has been shown to carry a mutation near 66 min on the genetic map. Fine mapping with phages from the collection of Kohara et al. is consistent with its being a parC allele. Observation by fluorescence microscopy revealed the formation, at a nonpermissive temperature, of filaments containing one or two large nucleoids and of normal-size anucleate cells. There was also a significant loss of viability.

Cell Division↗
PubMed2002

Carotid artery atherosclerosis: in vivo morphologic characterization with gadolinium-enhanced double-oblique MR imaging initial results.

In nine subjects with carotid atherosclerosis, double-oblique, contrast material-enhanced, double inversion-recovery, fast spin-echo magnetic resonance (MR) images were acquired through atheroma in the proximal internal carotid artery. Fibrocellular tissue within atheroma selectively enhanced 29% after administration of gadolinium-based contrast agent. Contrast enhancement helped discriminate fibrous cap from lipid core with a contrast-to-noise ratio as good as or better than that with T2-weighted MR images but with approximately twice the signal-to-noise ratio (postcontrast images, 36.6 +/- 3.6; T2-weighted images, 17.5 +/- 2.1; P <.001).

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Stretch-induced growth in chicken wing muscles: biochemical and morphological characterization.

Skeletal muscle growth induced by passive stretch was characterized in chicken wing muscles. Within 24 h after installing the stretch apparatus on the birds, the sarcomere length of the stretched patagialis was 40% greater than control. This was accompanied by increasing muscle wet weight, protein content, DNA and RNA concentrations. Sarcomere length returned to near control values by 3 days, but muscle wet weight and protein content continued to increase through 10 days. DNA and RNA concentrations reached a peak after 5-7 days and began to decline. Histological examination after 7 days revealed no change in the concentration of nuclei inside the basement membrane surrounding the muscle fibers, but the concentration of nuclei outside the basement membrane had increased. Therefore, the ratio of protein to DNA can be a poor index of muscle fiber DNA unit size. Additionally, no evidence of new muscle fiber formation was found. Electron microscopy demonstrated that passive stretch destroyed sarcomere registration between adjacent myofibrils. We concluded that passive stretch is a powerful inducer of muscle growth.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Electrophysiological and morphological characterization of neurons within neocortical ectopias.

Focal developmental abnormalities in neocortex, including ectopic collections of neurons in layer I (ectopias), have been associated with behavioral and neurological deficits. In this study, we used infrared differential interference contrast microscopy and whole cell patch-clamp to complete the first characterization of neurons within and surrounding neocortical ectopias. Current-clamp recordings revealed that neurons within ectopias display multiple types of action potential firing patterns, and biocytin labeling indicated that approximately 20% of the cells in neocortical ectopias can be classified as nonpyramidal cells and the rest as atypically oriented pyramidal cells. All cells had spontaneous excitatory (glutamatergic) and inhibitory (GABAergic) postsynaptic currents. Exhibitory postsynaptic currents consisted of both N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated and AMPA/kainate (A/K) receptor-mediated currents. The NMDA receptor-mediated component had decay time constants of 15.35 +/- 2.2 (SE) ms, while the A/K component had faster decay kinetics of 7.6 +/- 1.7 ms at -20 mV. GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic currents in ectopic cells reversed at potentials near the Cl- equilibrium potential and had decay kinetics of 16.65 +/- 1.3 ms at 0 mV. Furthermore we show that cells within ectopias receive direct excitatory and inhibitory input from adjacent normatopic cortex and can display a form of epileptiform activity.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1991

Morphological characterization of cardiomyocytes isolated from a transplantable cardiac tumor derived from transgenic mouse atria (AT-1 cells).

We have developed a transplantable tumor lineage derived from transgenic mouse atrial cardiomyocytes that express the SV40 large T oncogene and have named these cardiomyocytes AT-1 cells. In this study, the transplantable tumors, freshly isolated tumor cardiomyocytes, and cultured tumor cardiomyocytes were examined using phase-contrast microscopy, autoradiography, and electron microscopy. The vast majority of the subcutaneous tumor cells, greater than 90% of the cellular mass of the tumor, exhibited sarcomeric banding. Ultrastructural characteristics typical of in vivo atrial cardiac muscle cells, including well-organized myofibrils, gap junctions, and atrial-specific cytoplasmic granules, were observed in in situ and in freshly isolated AT-1 cells. Those cells that did not contain some form of organized myofibrils were primarily vascular elements, such as endothelial cells. Labeling with [3H]thymidine indicated that greater than 90% of cultured AT-1 cells were synthesizing DNA; furthermore, many cells could be seen undergoing cell division. Electron microscopy revealed that the cultured AT-1 cardiomyocytes contained all of the above-described characteristics, including a well-developed transverse tubular system.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Morphologic characterization of spontaneous nervous system tumors in mice and rats.

Spontaneous rodent nervous system tumors, in comparison to those of man, are less well differentiated. Among the central nervous system (CNS) tumors, the "embryonic" forms (medulloblastoma, pineoblastoma) occur both in rodents and humans, whereas the human "adult" forms (gliomas, ependymomas, meningiomas) have fewer counterparts in rodents. In general, the incidence of spontaneous CNS tumors is higher in rats (>1%) than in mice (>0.001%). A characteristic rat CNS tumor is the granular cell tumor. Usually it is associated with the meninges, and most meningeal tumors in rats seem to be totally or at least partly composed of granular cells, which have eosinophilic granular cytoplasm, are periodic acid-Schiff reaction (PAS)-positive, and contain lysosomes. Such tumors are frequently found on the cerebellar surface or at the brain basis. Rat astrocytomas are diffuse, frequently multifocal, and they invade perivascular spaces and meninges. The neoplastic cells with round to oval nuclei and indistinct cytoplasm grow around preexisting neurons, producing satellitosis. In large tumors, there are necrotic areas surrounded by palisading cells. Extensive damage of brain tissue is associated with the presence of scavenger cells that react positively with histiocytic/macrophage markers. The neoplastic astrocytes do not stain positively for glial fibrillary acidic protein; they probably represent an immature phenotype. In contrast to neoplastic oligodendroglia, they bind the lectin RCA-1. Astrocytomas are frequently located in the brain stem, especially the basal ganglia. Rat oligodendroglial tumors are well circumscribed and frequently grow in the walls of brain ventricles. Their cells have water-clear cytoplasm and round, dark-staining nuclei. Atypical vascular endothelial proliferation occurs, especially at the tumor periphery. Occasionally in the oligodendrogliomas, primitive glial elements with large nuclei occur in the form of cell groups that form rows and circles. Primitive neuroectodermal tumors of rats, such as pineal tumors or medulloblastomas, appear to have features similar to those found in man. In mice, the meningeal tumors are mostly devoid of granular cells and the astrocytomas are similar to those occurring in rats, whereas spontaneous oligodendrogliomas are observed extremely rarely. Tumorlike lesions, such as lipomatous hamartomas or epidermoid cysts, are occasionally encountered in the mouse CNS. It is suggested that we classify rodent CNS lesions as "low grade" and "high grade" rather than as "benign" and "malignant." The size of CNS tumors is generally related to their malignancy. Tumors of the peripheral nervous system are schwannomas and neurofibromas or neurofibrosarcomas consisting of Schwann cells, fibroblasts, and perineural cells. Well-differentiated schwannomas are characterized by S-100 positivity and the presence of basement membrane. They show either Antoni A pattern with fusiform palisading cells or Antoni B pattern, which is sparsely cellular and has a clear matrix. The rat develops specific forms of schwannomas in the areas of the submandibular salivary gland, the external ear, the orbit, and the endocardium. Spontaneous ganglioneuromas occur in the rat adrenal medulla or thyroid gland. Compared to experimentally induced neoplasms, the spontaneous tumors of the rodent nervous system are poor and impractical models of human disease, although they may serve as general indicators of the carcinogenic potential of tested chemicals.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Morphological characterization of spindle cell tumors induced in transgenic Tg.AC mouse skin.

Transgenic Tg.AC mice carry a v-Ha-ras coding region flanked by a zeta-globin promoter and an SV40 polyadenylation signal sequence. These mice respond to carcinogens by developing epidermal papillomas. In some cases, malignancies develop at the sites of these papillomas. Various patterns of squamous cell differentiation were observed in these malignancies. One malignancy that developed at the site of the papillomas was composed of bundles of spindle cells. This lesion is difficult to distinguish from fibrosarcomas by light microscopy. We characterized 16 of these malignancies (tentatively classified as spindle cell tumors) to determine if they were of epithelial or mesenchymal origin. Papillomas were induced in Tg.AC mice by full thickness wounding, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-phorbol acetate treatment, or ultraviolet radiation. With time, some papillomas became broad-based, downwardly invading lesions. These lesions were examined by light microscopy with immunohistochemical analysis for cytokeratins and by electron microscopy. Immunohistochemical examination with a polyclonal anti-cytokeratin antibody demonstrated various degrees of keratin staining in all tumors examined. Attenuated desmosomes were also observed in these lesions by electron microscopy. These results indicate an epithelial origin for these malignancies; therefore, they should be classified as spindle cell carcinomas.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Morphological characterization of Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL). A light and electron microscopic study.

Primary tumor and its metastases of subcutaneously injected Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL) of the mouse were examined by light and electron microscopy. Although the optical appearance, in both cases, was of a indifferentiated carcinoma, the ultrastructural observation showed characteristic intracytoplasmic myelinoid bodies similar to those seen in type II pneumocytes in normal lung. These findings suggest that Lewis lung carcinoma is a carcinoma derived from granular pneumocytes equivalent to human alveolar cell carcinoma. The histological and embryological aspects of type II pneumocytes that could explain the histogenesis of this tumor are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Morphologic characterization of castor oil-induced colitis in ponies.

Ten ponies (160-250 kg, ages 17 months to 20 years) developed severe diarrhea within 24 hours of castor oil administration (2.5 ml/kg orally). The diarrhea was most severe between 24 and 48 hours post-dosing and subsided by 72 hours. Ponies were euthanatized at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-dosing and intestine was evaluated histologically and ultrastructurally. Twenty-four hours after dosing, the mucosa of the cecum and ventral colon had extensive superficial epithelial erosion and neutrophil infiltration. In the ileum, the epithelium of villous tips was separated from the lamina propria. Scanning electron microscopic examination of the cecal mucosa revealed that basement membranes were exposed in most areas except within necks of crypts. Ultrastructurally, changes in superficial enterocytes of the cecum and ventral colon were characterized by loss of microvilli, distortion of the cytoplasmic terminal web, expansion of the cytoplasmic matrix with formation of precipitates, and widening of intercellular spaces between junctional complexes. Enterocytes located within necks of crypts were flattened along the basement membrane and extended to margins of erosions. Venules within the superficial lamina propria were occluded by fibrin thrombi. Erosions in the cecum and ventral colon of ponies examined 48 hours after treatment were less extensive than those of ponies examined at 24 hours. At 48 hours post-dosing, basement membranes adjacent to crypts were covered by cuboidal enterocytes characterized ultrastructurally by sparse, irregularly shaped microvilli located on broad cytoplasmic protrusions and by numerous free ribosomes. These features indicated that immature enterocytes had migrated from crypts to resurface the eroded mucosa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Temporal and morphologic characterization of the distribution of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) by in situ hybridization in pigs infected with isolates of PRRSV that differ in virulence.

Three groups of 5-week-old cesarian-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs were inoculated intranasally with either a high-virulence isolate (VR2385) or a low-virulence isolate (VR2431) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) or with uninfected cell culture and media. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from pigs euthanatized at 10, 21, and 28 days post-inoculation were examined by in situ hybridization for PRRSV nucleic acid using a digoxigenin-labeled antisense RNA probe approximately 1,000 nucleotides in length. Alveolar macrophages were positive in the lungs of 9/9, 2/2, and 0/2 VR2385-inoculated pigs and 7/9, 1/2, and 2/3 VR2431-inoculated pigs at 10, 21, and 28 days post-inoculation, respectively. More positive cells were detected in lungs from VR2385-inoculated pigs compared to VR2431-inoculated pigs at 10 and 21 days post-inoculation. Positive cells within lymph nodes were tingible body macrophages in germinal centers and macrophages or interdigitating dendritic cells within the paracortical area. VR2385 was detected in the tracheobronchial lymph node (TBLN) and mediastinal lymph node (MLN) of 7/9 and 9/9 pigs at 10 days post-inoculation, but was only detected in the TBLN of 1/2 and 0/2 pigs and in the MLN of 0/2 and 1/2 pigs at 21 and 28 days post-inoculation, respectively. In contrast, VR2431 was detected in teh TBLN and MLN of 5/9 and 2/9 pigs at 10 days post-inoculation and in the TBLN of 0/2 and 1/3 pigs and in the MLN of 0/2 and 0/3 pigs at 21 and 28 days post-inoculation, respectively. There were more positive cells in TBLN and MLN in pigs inoculated with VR2385 at 10 days post-inoculation. Macrophages located at the epithelial-lymphoid interface of tonsilar crypts and within the paracortical areas were positive in tonsils of 9/9, 2/2, and 1/2 VR2385-inoculated pigs and 7/9, 1/2, and 1/3 VR2431-inoculated pigs at 10, 21, and 28 days post-inoculation, respectively. Positive cells in the thymic medulla were multinucleate and were only detected at 10 days post-inoculation in 2/9 VR2385-inoculated pigs and 4/9 VR2431-inoculated pigs. Positive cells within the spleen were few, spindle-shaped, located within smooth muscle trabecula, and only present at 10 days post-inoculation in 3/9 VR2385-inoculated pigs. We conclude that the tissue tropism and distribution of positive cells within tissues is similar for VR2385 and VR2431. However, tissues from more pigs and more cells within tissues were positive in pigs inoculated with VR2385 than VR2431 at 10 and 21 days post-inoculation. These findings indicate that the more virulent isolate VR2385 may replicate better in vivo than the less virulent isolate VR2431. This supports the hypothesis that an increased ability to replicate in vivo contributes to increased virulence of PRRSV.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Functional and morphological characterization of four cell lines derived from GH3 cells stably transfected with gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor complementary deoxyribonucleic acid.

Four cell lines, stably transfected with rat GnRH receptor complementary DNA, have been prepared from the lactotropic GH3 cell line. All four lines (as well as the parent line and a line transfected with the vector DNA) show extensive rosettes of circular polyribosomes, characteristic of high protein synthetic activity, although secretory granules are virtually absent; the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) cisternae were short and straight. Instances were observed in which the ER reaches to the plasma membrane, suggesting a possible nongranular secretory route. All four lines (but not the parent or a control transfected line) expressed GnRH receptors that were down-regulated (1-5 h, depending on the cell line) after exposure to 10 nM GnRH; receptors then recovered (2-7 h). This pattern is reminiscent of the GnRH receptor in the primary gonadotrope cell cultures. All cell lines released PRL (4-96 h) in response to a GnRH agonist (D-tBuSer6-des-Gly10-Pro9-ethylamide-GnRH), an event that was inhibited by all three major classes of Ca+2 ion channel antagonists (methoxyverapamil, 1,4-dihydropyridines, and diltiazem); in contrast, GnRH-stimulated LH release from pituitary-derived primary cultures is only inhibited by methoxyverapamil. One line became refractory to GnRH analog stimulation after 24 h, although the other three released PRL vigorously up to the longest time point examined (96 h). All four lines responded substantially more robustly to 1 microgram/ml Buserelin than to 1 microgram/ml TRH. All four lines produced inositol phosphate metabolites and released immunoassayable cAMP (24 h) in response to treatment with Buserelin. These cell lines are good models for understanding the mechanisms by which the GnRH receptor is coupled to second messenger systems and for comparing these mechanisms with TRH-receptor coupling in the same cell.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Fractionation of human liver mitochondria: enzymic and morphological characterization of the inner and outer membranes as compared to rat liver mitochondria.

The fractionation of human liver mitochondria into inner membrane, outer membrane and matrix material is reported. Compared with rat, human liver mitochondria are more fragile. Fractionation can be achieved in only 2 steps, a digitonin treatment for removal of the outer membrane and centrifugation of the inner membrane plus matrix particles through a linear sucrose gradient resulting in purified inner membranes and matrix.

Animals↗