The cytoplasmic matrix of the adrenal chromaffin cells of rats under normal and stressed conditions

Disclosure in 3D of slit-membrane as well as -strands, and en-face basal lamina in situ of renal glomerulus of normal rats in embedment-free section transmission electron microscopy

With higher contrast and transparency due to the absence of epon and stereo-viewing effect due to thicker sections than conventional electron microscopy as methodological advantages, the renal glomerular slits were re-examined in embedment-free section electron microscopy. In addition to clear demonstration of strands bridging the slits in forms of ladders with highly irregular intervals and various extension-directions and length, this study disclosed clearly for the first time in the "section" TEM thin sheets which partially spanned the slit together with the strand-ladders. No strands were found to align in forms of typical zippers in normal kidney. Furthermore, en-face ultrastructure of the basal lamina in situ was clearly demonstrated in superimposed sites of the endothelial fenestrae with the slits.

Ultrastructural consideration on the nature, sol and gel, of the aqueous cytoplasm in embedment-free section electron microscopy

TEM of any in situ cells in embedment-free sections--regardless of specimen-fixation methods--clearly shows strand-lattices occupying the cytoplasmic matrix. The cytoplasmic matrix is assumed to be a site of soluble proteins; however, it appears indistinct as conventional TEM cannot target it. Strand-lattices similar to the cytoplasmic ones are duplicated in bovine serum albumin as well as solated gelatin fixed at warm temperatures and at appropriate concentrations, while lattices from gelatin gelated by cooling before fixation are much more compact than those from solated gelatin at a given concentration. Based on the finding of the in vitro proteins, a new interpretation of cell ultrastructures in embedment-free section TEM is proposed: first, differences in the compactness of cytoplasmic lattices represent those in the protein concentration in the cytoplasmic matrix; second, when loose and compact lattices are contiguous within a cell, the cytoplasmic matrix domain occupied by the compact lattice is in a gel state while the remaining domain of the same cell is in a sol state. The explanation for the states of the gel and sol based on the lattice-compactness is applicable to changes in the lattice-compactness of the cytoplasmic matrix of neurohypophyseal axons under intense secretion.

What we have learned and will learn from cell ultrastructure in embedment-free section electron microscopy

The limitations inherent in conventional electron microscopy (EM) using epoxy ultrathin sections for a clear recognition of biological entities having electron densities similar to or lower than that of epoxy resin have led to the development of embedment-free sectioning for EM. Embedment-free section EM is reliably performed using water-soluble polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a transient embedding medium, with subsequent de-embedment of PEG by immersion into water, followed by critical point-drying (CPD) of the embedment-free section. The present author has stressed that this approach clearly discloses structures whose contours and/or appearance are accordingly vague and/or fuzzy in conventional EM, but does not reveal any new structures. Based on embedment-free electron microscopy (PEG-EM), this article presents five major findings regarding strand- or microtrabecular lattices which have been clearly revealed to occur in the cytoplasmic matrix-an impossibility with conventional EM. These are (1) the appearance of lattices of different compactness in various cells and in intracellular domains of a given cell; (2) the faithful reproduction from an albumin solution in vitro of strand-lattices with correspondingly increasing compactness following increasing concentrations; (3) the appearance of more compact lattices from gelated gelatin than from solated gelatin at a given concentration in vitro; (4) the appearance of either greater or less lattice-compactness by hyper- or hypotonic pretreatments of cells; and (5) the appearance of certain intracellular proteins confined to the centripetal demilune-domain of centrifuged ganglion cells which is occupied with strand-lattices of a substantial compactness. From these findings, questions now arise as to the biological significance of the individual strand itself in the microtrabecular lattices in PEG-EM. In addition, it may be that the appearance of strand-lattices in a given biological domain represents the presence of soluble proteins; the lattice-compactness indicates the concentration of soluble proteins in the domain, and the aqueous cytoplasm is equivalent to the aqueous solution. Further, the appearance of two contiguous lattice domains exhibiting differing degrees of compactness in a given cell indicates that cytoplasmic proteins are solated in a domain with less compact lattices, whereas they are gelated in the other domain. These proposed interpretations need to be confirmed by further studies. If confirmed, the control mechanisms of the localization and movement of intracellular organelles could then be understood on the basis not only of information about the cytoskeletons but also of cell ultrastructure-related information on the concentration and sol-gel states of intracellular proteins. In addition, possible interpretations of the significance of strand-lattices in PEG-EM are also applicable to the nucleoplasm, especially extra-heterochromatin (euchromatin) areas. Finally, several potential uses/advantages of PEG-EM in the cell-ultrastructure have also been demonstrated, especially in three-dimensional reconstructions of nonmembranous structures including stereo-viewing using a pair of EM images with appropriate tilting as well as electron microscopic tomography.

Cell mechanics and stress: from molecular details to the ‘universal cell reaction’ and hormesis

The 'universal cell reaction' (UCR), a coordinated biphasic response to external (noxious and other) stimuli observed in all living cells, was described by Nasonov and his colleagues in the mid-20th century. This work has received no attention from cell biologists in the West, but the UCR merits serious consideration. Although it is non-specific, it is likely to be underpinned by precise mechanisms and, if these mechanisms were characterized and their relationship to the UCR elucidated, then our understanding of the integration of cellular function could be improved. As a step towards identifying such mechanisms, I review some recent advances in understanding cell mechanics and the stress response and I suggest potentially testable hypotheses. There is a particular need for time-course studies of cellular responses to different stimulus doses or intensities. I also suggest a correspondence with hormesis; re-investigation of the UCR using modern biophysical and molecular-biological techniques might throw light on this much-discussed phenomenon.

Functional and Morphological Characteristics of Bovine Adrenal Chromaffin Cells on Macroporous Poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) Scaffolds

Adrenal chromaffin cells (ACCs) secrete several neuroactive substances that are effective in influencing pain sensitivity in the central nervous system as well as enhancing the recovery of the intrinsic nigrostriatal dopaminergic system in patients with Parkinson's disease. ACC transplantation may be upregulated by the use of three-dimensional (3-D) scaffolds. In this study, we determined whether biodegradable poly(D,L-lactic-coglycolic acid) (PLGA) (85:15) sponges could be used as support for chromaffin cells. ACCs were isolated from bovine adrenal glands by standard perfusion (95% purity) followed by additional purification (>99.5% purity). ACC (approximately 5 x 10(5) cells) suspension in collagen (type I) was seeded on prewetted sponges and cultured in DMEM-F12 (1:1) medium (5% fetal bovine serum). The catecholamine and enkephalin levels of the samples were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay. Cell morphology was examined by transmission electron microscopy. Morphological evidence showed prolonged viability of chromaffin cells on scaffolds having pores of 250-400 microm. Cell counts and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the majority of seeded cells were located within the scaffold. Chromaffin cells exhibited higher levels of enkephalins and catecholamines on PLGA scaffold compared with their monolayer cultures. By the use of 3-D PLGA as support for ACCs, it is possible to upregulate metabolic function and localize a high number of morphologically healthy-looking cells. Highly purified ACCs cultured on PLGA scaffold may have promise in transplantation studies, because these cells are less immunogenic and may be applied to in vivo settings by using short-term immunosuppression.

Cytoplasmic matrix in embedment-free electron microscopy: non-molecular biological histology

Embedment-free electron microscopy using polyethylene glycol as a transient embedment has revealed that slender strands, originally termed microtrabeculae and microtrabecular lattices, interconnect every organelle and conventional cytoskeletons as well as plasma membranes, resulting in the formation of 3-D meshworks in all portions of the cytoplasmic matrix of every cell. The microtrabeculae correspond well to the wispy components in the cytoplasmic matrix of conventionally epoxy-sectioned cell specimens that have been looked at but often neglected because of their poorly defined images due to the presence of embedding media having a substantial electron-scattering property. Because of the occurrence of similar meshworks in specimens that are supposed to be unstructured, such as the intramitochondrial matrix and blood plasma, together with the failure to detect any predictable changes of the microtrabecular lattices by experimental manipulation of cellular environments, it is inaccurate to conclude that all microtrabecular lattice represent structures equivalent to those in a living state of cells simply because of their clear appearance. Instead, three possible interpretations are newly proposed for the biological significance of the microtrabecular lattices. The first is that the appearance of lattices represents the presence of proteins, and that their approximate concentrations are speculated based on the compactness of the lattice. The second is that when an intracellular microdomain composed of more compact lattices is contiguous with another domain composed of looser lattices in a given cell, the former might represent the gelated state and the latter the solated state. Possible examples for these two interpretations are also proposed, possibly leading us to further elaborate the significance of microtrabecular lattices.