Fluorescent staining of the actin cytoskeleton in human lymphocytes, monocytes and polymorphonuclear cells using a DNAse 1/anti-DNAse 1 immunoglobulin fluorescein conjugated system

The poly(A) polymerase GLD2 is required for spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster

The DNA of a developing sperm is normally inaccessible for transcription for part of spermatogenesis in many animals. In Drosophila melanogaster, many transcripts needed for late spermatid differentiation are synthesized in pre-meiotic spermatocytes, but are not translated until later stages. Thus, post-transcriptional control mechanisms are required to decouple transcription and translation during spermatogenesis. In the female germline, developing germ cells accomplish similar decoupling through poly(A) tail alterations to ensure that dormant transcripts are not prematurely translated: a transcript with a short poly(A) tail will remain untranslated, whereas elongating the poly(A) tail permits protein production. In Drosophila, the ovary-expressed cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase WISPY is responsible for stage-specific poly(A) tail extension in the female germline. Here, we examine the possibility that a recently derived testis-expressed WISPY paralog, GLD2, plays a similar role in the Drosophila male germline. We show that knockdown of Gld2 transcripts causes male sterility, as GLD2-deficient males do not produce mature sperm. Spermatogenesis up to and including meiosis appears normal in the absence of GLD2, but post-meiotic spermatid development rapidly becomes abnormal. Nuclear bundling and F-actin assembly are defective in GLD2 knockdown testes and nuclei fail to undergo chromatin reorganization in elongated spermatids. GLD2 also affects the incorporation of protamines and the stability of dynamin and transition protein transcripts. Our results indicate that GLD2 is an important regulator of late spermatogenesis and is the first example of a Gld-2 family member that plays a significant role specifically in male gametogenesis.

Expression and localization of IL-1beta mRNA is interrelated with cytoskeletal rearrangement in monocytes stimulated by adherence: a light microscopy in situ hybridization study

Differences in IL-1beta mRNA expression, stability and translation between non-adherent monocytes and those stimulated by adherence suggest that cytokine regulation is coupled to the function and assembly of cytoskeletal structures. In situ hybridization studies were performed to visualize expression and positioning of IL-1beta mRNA in adherently cultivated monocytes. IL-1beta mRNA expression was heterogeneous with high transcript levels found in spread or polarized cells. Transcripts were compartmentalized to the perinuclear region in spread cells, and partially redistributed with polarization. In contrast to mRNA distribution in other motile cell populations, IL-1beta mRNA did not localize to the distal or proximal actin cytoskeleton. Perinuclear confinement of transcripts required intact actin microfilaments. Treatment with cytoskeleton disruption and detergent extraction suggested that most non-translated IL-1beta mRNA was associated with intermediate filaments. In monocytes stimulated by LPS, IL-1beta, but not IL-1Ra transcripts were redistributed and partially associated, yet not bound to actin microfilaments. The present study demonstrates that IL-1beta mRNA expression and localization in adherent monocytes is interrelated with the cytoskeletal rearrangement upon adherence, spreading and polarization.

Detection of deoxyribonuclease I along the secretory pathway in Paneth cells of human small intestine

The expression and distribution of deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) in human duodenum, jejunum and ileum were examined by DNase I activity assay and the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, and immunocytochemical ultrastructural analyses. High levels of DNase I were detected in the cytoplasm of Paneth cells in human small intestine. A tissue homogenate fraction rich in Paneth cells showed strong DNase I-specific enzymatic activity. Immunofluorescence analysis using several specific anti-human DNase I antibodies showed very strong immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm of every Paneth cell. In situ hybridization demonstrated high levels of DNase I mRNA in Paneth cells. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed gold particles localized along the secretory pathway, with the exocrine secretory granules mostly labeled. Our findings strongly suggest that Paneth cells synthesize and secrete DNase I into the intestinal lumen.