Apoptosis and desquamation of urothelial cells in tissue remodeling during rat postnatal development

Lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in the crop tissues of male and female pigeons during incubation and chick-rearing periods

The current study aimed to evaluate the changes in lipid accumulation and oxidative status in pigeon crops during different breeding stages. Forty-two pairs of adult pigeons were randomly assigned to 7 groups. Lipid droplet accumulation in pigeon crops was visualized by using oil red O staining from d 17 of incubation (I17) to d 7 of chick rearing (R7). Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed swollen mitochondria with disintegration of cristae and typical characteristics of endoplasmic reticulum stress in crop tissues at R1 compared with those at I4. During the peak of pigeon milk formation, the concentrations of reactive oxygen species, and oxidative damage markers (advanced oxidation protein products, 8-hydroxy-2 deoxyguanosine, and malondialdehyde) and the enzyme activities of total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were all elevated significantly (P < 0.05). The protein concentration of B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X in crop tissues was significantly higher at R1, while the level of B-cell lymphoma-2 protein in males was the highest at I4 (P < 0.05). The ratio of B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X protein (Bax)/B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) in both male and female crops peaked at R1 (P < 0.05). Gene expression of the key enzymes involved in mitochondrial and peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation was investigated in crops. In males, the gene expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a peaked at R15, and that of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 increased significantly from R1 to R15 (P < 0.05). The mRNA abundance of long chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase increased to the maximum value at R1 and I17 in males and females, respectively. From I17 to R7, the mRNA levels of acyl-CoA oxidase 1 and acyl-CoA oxidase 2 were decreased in pigeon crops (P < 0.05). Conclusively, lipid droplet accumulation was found in male and female pigeon crops from the end of incubation to the early stage of chick rearing. Although antioxidant defence and mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation were both mobilized, oxidative stress in crop tissues still occurred during the peak of milk formation.

Effect of Akt activation on apoptosis-related gene expression in the crop tissues of male and female pigeons (Columba livia)

The current study investigated whether the expression of apoptosis genes in the pigeon crops was affected by the Akt signaling pathway during crop milk formation. First, 78 pairs of adult White King pigeons were randomly assigned to 7 groups, and the expression of apoptosis-related genes and Akt signaling pathway-related proteins in the crop tissues during different breeding stages were examined. The results showed that the mRNA levels of Bak, caspase-3, caspase-6, and caspase-9 in female crops all increased and reached their highest levels at d 17 of incubation (I17). In male crops, the levels of caspase-3 and caspase-9 gene expression peaked at d 1 of chick rearing (R1). The lowest level of Bcl-2 gene expression in females was observed at I17. The expression ratios of p-Akt (Ser473)/Akt and p-Akt (Thr308)/Akt in male crops decreased to their minimum at R1, while it was observed at d 7 of chick rearing (R7) in females. Second, 36 pairs of adult pigeons were divided into 3 groups and were subjected to SC79 injections with dosages of 0, 0.02, or 0.04 mg/kg bodyweight. The SC79 injections resulted in a considerable decrease in growth performance of pigeon squabs. In male crops, the expression ratios of p-Akt (Ser473)/Akt and p-Akt (Thr308)/Akt were significantly elevated in the 0.02 mg/kg SC79 group, while in female crops, they were higher in the 0.04 mg/kg SC79 group (P < 0.05). The SC79 injection inhibited the gene expression of Bak in female crops, but enhanced the gene expression of Bcl-2 in both male and female crops. In the 0.04 mg/kg SC79 group, a 50.7 to 75.7% decrease was observed in the expression of caspase-3, caspase-6, and caspase-9 in male and female pigeon crops. Expression of the caspase-8 gene and total Akt protein in pigeon crops was not changed in different breeding stages or after SC79 injection. In conclusion, the expression of genes related to mitochondria-dependent apoptosis can be regulated by the Akt signaling pathway, which may play a potential role in pigeon milk formation.

Gold nanoparticles as physiological markers of urine internalization into urothelial cells in vivo

BACKGROUND

Urothelial bladder is the reservoir of urine and the urothelium minimizes the exchange of urine constituents with this tissue. Our aim was to test 1.9 nm biocompatible gold nanoparticles as a novel marker of internalization into the urothelial cells under physiological conditions in vivo.

METHODS

We compared normal and neoplastic mice urothelium. Neoplastic lesions were induced by 0.05% N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) in drinking water for 10 weeks. Nanoparticles, intravenously injected into normal and BBN-treated mice, were filtered through the kidneys and became constituents of the urine within 90 minutes after injection.

RESULTS

Gold nanoparticles were densely accumulated in the urine, while their internalization into urothelial cells depended on the cell differentiation stage. In the terminally differentiated superficial urothelial cells of normal animals, nanoparticles were occasionally found in the endosomes, but not in the fusiform vesicles. Regions of exfoliated cells were occasionally found in the normal urothelium. Superficial urothelial cells located next to exfoliated regions contained gold nanoparticles in the endosomes and in the cytosol beneath the apical plasma membrane. The urothelium of BBN-treated animals developed fat hyperplasia with moderate dysplasia. The superficial cells of BBN-treated animals were partially differentiated as demonstrated by the lack of fusiform vesicles. These cells contained the gold nanoparticles distributed in the endosomes and throughout their cytosol.

CONCLUSION

Gold nanoparticles are a valuable marker to study urine internalization into urothelial cells in vivo. Moreover, they can be used as a sensitive marker of differentiation and functionality of urothelial cells.

Oxidative status and lipofuscin accumulation in urothelial cells of bladder in aging mice

Age-related changes in various tissues have been associated with the onset of a number of age-related diseases, including inflammation and cancer. Bladder cancer, for instance, is a disease that mainly afflicts middle-aged or elderly people and is mostly of urothelial origin. Although research on age-related changes of long-lived post-mitotic cells such as neurons is rapidly progressing, nothing is known about age-related changes in the urothelium of the urinary bladder, despite all the evidence confirming the important role of oxidative stress in urinary bladder pathology. The purpose of this study was thus to investigate the oxidative status and age-related changes in urothelial cells of the urinary bladder of young (2 months) and aging (20 months) mice by means of various methods. Our results demonstrated that healthy young urothelium possesses a powerful antioxidant defence system that functions as a strong defence barrier against reactive species. In contrast, urothelial cells of aging bladder show significantly decreased total antioxidant capacity and significantly increased levels of lipid peroxides (MDA) and iNOS, markers of oxidative stress. Our study demonstrates for the first time that ultrastructural alterations in mitochondria and accumulation of lipofuscin, known to be one of the aging pigments, can clearly be found in superficial urothelial cells of the urinary bladder in aging mice. Since the presence of lipofuscin in the urothelium has not yet been reported, we applied various methods to confirm our finding. Our results reveal changes in the oxidative status and structural alterations to superficial urothelial cells similar to those of other long-lived post-mitotic cells.

Autophagic activity in the mouse urinary bladder urothelium as a response to starvation

The urinary bladder urothelium is subjected to mechanical forces during cycles of distension and contraction, and its superficial cells are constantly flushed by toxic urine. Yet, the urothelium shows a very slow turnover of cells and superficial cells are extremely long lived. Autophagy has a well-known role in tissue homeostasis and serves as a protective mechanism against cellular stress. Therefore, the presence of autophagy as one of possible processes of survival in an unpleasant environment and during long lifetime of superficial cells was examined in mouse urothelium. We detected and evaluated autophagic activity of superficial urothelial cells under normal and stress conditions, caused by short-term starvation of newborn and 24-h-starved adult mice. Immunolabeling and Western blotting of essential effectors of autophagy, LC3 and Beclin 1, showed a weak signal in superficial urothelial cells. On the other hand, ultrastructural analysis, which proved to be the most reliable method in our study, revealed the presence of autophagic vacuoles, some of them containing specific urothelial structures, fusiform vesicles. Quantitative analysis showed increased autophagy in newborn and starved mice in comparison to a low basic level of autophagy in the urothelium of normal mice. Interestingly, some superficial cells of adults and neonates exhibit intense immunoreactions against LC3 and Beclin 1 and the typical ultrastructural characteristics of autophagy-dependent cell death. We conclude that autophagy, despite low basic activity under physiological conditions, plays an important role in urothelial homeostasis and stability under stress.

Interaction with surrounding normal epithelial cells influences signalling pathways and behaviour of Src-transformed cells

At the initial stage of carcinogenesis, transformation occurs in a single cell within an epithelial sheet. However, it remains unknown what happens at the boundary between normal and transformed cells. Using Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells transformed with temperature-sensitive v-Src, we have examined the interface between normal and Src-transformed epithelial cells. We show that Src-transformed cells are apically extruded when surrounded by normal cells, but not when Src cells alone are cultured, suggesting that apical extrusion occurs in a cell-context-dependent manner. We also observe apical extrusion of Src-transformed cells in the enveloping layer of zebrafish gastrula embryos. When Src-transformed MDCK cells are surrounded by normal MDCK cells, myosin-II and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) are activated in Src cells, which further activate downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Importantly, activation of these signalling pathways depends on the presence of surrounding normal cells and plays a crucial role in apical extrusion of Src cells. Collectively, these results indicate that interaction with surrounding normal epithelial cells influences the signalling pathways and behaviour of Src-transformed cells.