Detection of the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition of invasive non-small cell lung cancer cells by their membrane undulation spectra

A cancer cell changes its state from being epithelial- to mesenchymal-like in a dynamic manner during tumor progression. For example, it is well known that mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) is essential for cancer cells to regain the capability of seeding on and then invading secondary/tertiary regions. However, there is no fast yet reliable method for detecting this transition. Here, we showed that membrane undulation of invasive cancer cells could be used as a novel marker for MET detection, both in invasive model cell lines and repopulated circulating tumor cells (rCTCs) from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Specifically, using atomic force microscopy (AFM), it was found that the surface oscillation spectra of different cancer cells, after undergoing MET, all exhibited two distinct peaks from 0.001 to 0.007 Hz that are absent in the spectra before MET. In addition, by adopting the long short-term memory (LSTM) based recurrent neural network learning algorithm, we showed that the positions of recorded membrane undulation peaks can be used to predict the occurrence of MET in invasive NSCLC cells with high accuracy (>90% for model cell lines and >80% for rCTCs when benchmarking against the conventional bio-marker vimentin). These findings demonstrate the potential of our approach in achieving rapid MET detection with a much reduced cell sample size as well as quantifying changes in the mesenchymal level of tumor cells.

Reproductive impairment of sea urchin upon chronic exposure to cadmium. Part II: Effects on sperm development

Chronic pollution may impair the reproductive success of adult organisms through a decrease in the quality of gametes. Our parallel study on gamete quality, showed that male sea urchins were more sensitive than the females towards cadmium pollution. The effects of chronic exposure to 0.01 and 1 ppm Cd2+ on sperm development of the sea urchin Anthocidaris crassispina were studied. Despite the fact that no significant change in gonad index was observed when sea urchins were exposed to both levels of Cd2+ for 4 weeks, deposition of electron-dense materials was conspicuous at the wall and intracellular space of male gonads. Apparent cytological alterations were observed in sperm cells, including changes in morphology of nuage in spermatogonia. The discrete, granular bodies of nuage were replaced by a large electron-dense body. Spermatozoa with short, incomplete 'broken' tails (scanning electron microscope observation) or tails of spermatids/spermatozoa with extraordinary electron-density (transmission electron microscope observation) were more abundant in gonads exposed to both levels of Cd2+. Mitochondrial cristae deformation was observed for sperm cells at all stages of development. Sperm plasma membrane also became more convoluted but acrosome remained intact. The observed cytological distortion of sperm tails and mitochondria/midpiece could help to explain the decline in motility as well as poor perseverance in sperm produced by sea urchins exposed to cadmium observed in our earlier study.

A field study on EROD activity and quantitative hepatocytological changes in an immature demersal fish

Demersal fish, Solea ovata, were sampled from a reference site and a site where highly contaminated sediment is dumped. Sexually immature fish from the contaminated site exhibited significantly higher EROD activity compared with counterparts sampled from the reference site. No significant difference in EROD activity could be found for sexually mature males and females between sites. The relationship between EROD activity and quantitative changes in hepatic lipofuscin/ceroid, as well as peroxisome, was investigated for immature S. ovata. A significant correlation was found between EROD activity and volume density of lipofuscin/ceroid in fish hepatocyte (r = 0.750; P < 0.05), but no significant correlation was discernible between EROD activity and peroxisomes. Results from this field study corroborate our earlier laboratory findings, in which induction of EROD activity by intraperitoneal injection of benzo[a]pyrene was associated with increase in absolute volume and absolute number of lipofuscin/ceroid in hepatocytes. The present study provides further evidence that induction of EROD activity is associated with an increase in hepatic lipofuscin/ceroid and possibly cytological damages in immature S. ovata. This cytological change may serve as a potential marker for exposure to PAHs and PCBs.

Reproductive impairment of sea urchins upon chronic exposure to cadmium. Part I: Effects on gamete quality

Successful reproduction is a determining factor for species survival. Pollution may impair reproductive success of adults through effects on gamete quality. Reproductive impairment of the sea urchin Anthocidaris crassispina upon chronic (4 weeks) exposure to 0.01 and 0.1 mg l-1 Cd2+ was investigated. Criteria used for assessing gamete quality included sperm motility, egg morphology, fertilization rate and dynamics of first cleavage. A dose-response relationship was found between Cd2+ levels and changes in sperm motility, and percentage fertilization. Sperm motility, measured by computer-assisted sperm analysis, indicated that percent motile sperm, velocities, and percent sperm with normal trajectory were significantly affected by chronic exposure to > or = 0.1 mg l-1 Cd2+. A decline in sperm motility was also accompanied by a decrease in fertilization success of sea urchin sperm. Width/height ratio of sea urchin eggs was not affected by cadmium, but larger egg sizes were found when sea urchins were exposed to 0.1 mg l-1 Cd2+. Male sea urchins exposed to Cd2+ produced poorer quality sperm, as indicated by a lower percent fertilization and lower cleavage rate, implying that male sea urchins were more sensitive than females to chronic Cd2+ exposure. Results of the present study provide an explanation of reproductive impairment in marine invertebrates upon chronic exposure to Cd2+.

Effects of cadmium and phenol on motility and ultrastructure of sea urchin and mussel spermatozoa

Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) was used to study the effects of Cd(II) and phenol on sperm motility of sea urchin and mussel. In parallel, ultrastructural changes of sperm induced by these two toxicants were also investigated and related to motility impairment. Spermatozoa of sea urchin were more sensitive than mussel spermatozoa to both toxicants. Sea urchin sperm motility showed a good dose-response relationship to Cd(II) levels as well as exposure time. Exposure to the two toxicants changed the size and shape of the midpiece, which might affect the balance of spermatozoa in their swimming. The plasma membrane became more convoluted, and such a change might affect the streamlining and integrity of spermatozoa and hinder their normal movement patterns. Most important, disorganization of mitochondrial membranes and cristae was observed, suggesting disruption of ATP supply for sperm movement. Cadmium also induced greater ultrastructural damages in sea urchin spermatozoa.

Spore attachment and extracellular mucilage of aquatic hyphomycetes

Stages in conidiun attachment to surfaces of Lemmoniera aquatica and Mycocentrospora filiformis (freshwater Hyphomycetes) were studied at the light microscope and scanning and transmission electron microscope levels. Sigmoid conidia of M. filiformis attach by pre-existing conidial mucilage at the spore pole and at a point along the conidial body. Tetraradiate conidia of L. aquatica attach by the thigmotropic release of mucilage at the tips of the three "arms";. Germination in both species is followed by the production of germ tubes, germ hyphae and appressoria. The chemical composition of the mucilage involved in attachment was determined by enzymatic studies and lectin-gold cytochemical studies. The major component was found to be acidic poly-saccharide, comprising mainly ß-1, 3-glucan, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-neuraminic acid. Variation in mucilage composition exists between the two species, among different structures of the same species, and on different regions of the same structure. This indicates that mucilage producton in the two species is a dynamic process.The ability to secure rapid spore attachment, often in turbulent condition, would be a competitive advantage to these saprobic fungi in the colonization of substrata.