Evidence for complexed plastocyanin as the immediate electron donor of P-700.

The reduction of P-700 by its electron donors shows two fast phases with half-times of 20 and 200 mus in isolated spinach chloroplasts. We have studied this electron transfer and the oxidation kinetics of cytochrome f. Incubation of chloroplasts with KCN or HgCl2 decreased the amplitude of the 20 mus phase. This provides evidence for a function of plastocyanin as the immediate electron donor of P-700. At low concentrations of salt and sugar the fast phases of P-700+ reduction were largely inhibited. Increasing concentrations of MgCl2, KCl and sorbitol (up to 5, 150 and 200 mM, respectively) were found to increase the relative amplitudes of the fast phases to about one-third of the total P-700 signal. Addition of both 3 mM MgCl2 and 200 mM sorbitol increased the relative amplitude of the 20 mus phase to 70%. The interaction between P-700 and plastocyanin is concluded to be favoured by a low internal volume of the thylakoids and compensation of surface charges of the membrane. The half-time of 20 mus was not changed when the amplitude of this phase was altered either by salt and sorbitol, or by inhibition of plastocyanin. This is evidence for the existence of a complex between plastocyanin and P-700 with a lifetime long compared to the measuring time. The 200 mus phase exhibited changes in its half-time that indicated the participation of a more mobile pool of plastocyanin. Cytochrome f was oxidized with a biphasic time course with half-times of 70--130 mus and 440--860 mus at different salt and sorbitol concentrations. The half-time of the faster phase and a short lag of 30--50 mus in the beginning of the kinetics indicate an oxidation of cytochrome f via the 20 mus electron transfer to P-700. An inhibition of this oxidation by MgCl2 suggests that the electron transfer from cytochrome f to complexed plastocyanin is not controlled by negative charges in contrast to that from plastocyanin to P-700.

Culture of neural cells on polymers coated surfaces for biosensor applications.

We focused our study on the olfactory cells growth on biocompatible polymer films electrodeposited on a silicon microsystem. Several substrates such as polyethyleneimine (PEI), polypropyleneimine (PPI), and polypyrrole (PPy), acting as potentially good candidates for cell culture, were tested in order to allow cells to adhere and proliferate. During their growth, the evolution of their morphology was monitored using both confocal microscope and immunohistochemistry, leading to the conclusion of a normal development. An estimation of the adhesion and proliferation rates of rat neuronal cell cultures indicated that PEI and PPI were the best substrates for cultivating olfactory cells.

Accumulation of Ym1/2 protein in the mouse olfactory epithelium during regeneration and aging.

A unique feature of the olfactory system is its efficiency to produce new neurons in the adult. Thus, destruction of the olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) using chemical (intranasal perfusion with ZnSO4) or surgical (axotomy or bulbectomy) methods, leads to an enhanced rate of proliferation of their progenitors and to complete ORNs regeneration. The aim of our study was to identify new factors implied in this regenerative process. Using an electrophoretic method, we observed the accumulation of a 42 kDa protein after axotomy in the olfactory mucosa, but not in the olfactory bulb. Its expression started after a few days following injury and increased massively during the phase of ORN regeneration. The purification and the sequence characterization revealed that this protein was Ym1/2, recently identified in activated macrophages present in various tissues during inflammation. Western blotting analysis of Ym1/2 confirmed the accumulation of this protein in the regenerating olfactory mucosa consecutively to olfactory axotomy or bulbectomy but also after ZnSO4 irrigation of the nasal cavity. In the olfactory mucosa of control mice, Ym1/2 was hardly detectable in young animals and became more and more abundant with increasing age. In injured and aged mice, Ym1/2 mainly accumulates in the cytoplasm of supporting cells as well as in other cells located throughout the olfactory epithelium. Our results suggest that Ym1/2 is involved in olfactory epithelium remodeling following several kinds of lesions of the adult olfactory mucosa and support the view of a critical role of inflammatory cues in neurodegeneration and aging.

Ultrastructural changes induced by oestradiol-17 beta, progesterone and oestrone-3-sulphate in guinea-pig endometrial glandular cells grown in primary culture.

The effects of oestradiol-17 beta, progesterone and oestrone-3-sulphate were studied in primary cultures of guinea-pig endometrial glandular epithelial cells. Comparative ultrastructural studies were performed by means of transmission electron microscopy on cells grown either without hormones or with oestradiol-17 beta (2 nmol/l), oestradiol-17 beta (2 nmol/l) plus progesterone (50 nmol/l), or oestrone sulphate (0.1 mumol/l). In the control medium, without steroid hormones, the majority of epithelial cells were poorly differentiated, although numerous small mitochondria were present and abundant lipid droplets could be observed. Oestradiol-17 beta stimulated metabolic activity in the cells. Progesterone added to oestradiol-17 beta-primed cells stimulated the development of the endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi system. Oestrone sulphate induced a higher level of differentiation characterized by large clear mitochondria, well-developed Golgi complexes, and active nuclei, suggesting secretory activity. In all cases, the cultured cells displayed deep invaginations of the nuclear membrane associated with nuclear pores, known as nucleolar channels. After treatment with oestrone sulphate these channels were associated with a characteristic reticular nucleolus. We conclude that cultured endometrial epithelial cells display secretory activity in response to treatment with oestradiol-17 beta plus progesterone, or with oestrone sulphate.

Specific effect of oestrone sulphate on protein synthesis and secretion by cultured epithelial cells from guinea-pig endometrium.

Patterns of induced protein synthesis and secretion in guinea-pig endometrial epithelial cell cultures in response to oestrone sulphate alone and oestrone sulphate plus progesterone were investigated. Epithelial cells were cultured for 3 days in growth medium, then washed three times in a steroid-free medium. For each experiment, anticytokeratin immunostaining was used to discriminate the epithelial cells from the stromal cells. Only experiments in which the control dishes displayed more than 80% of anticytokeratin-immunostained cells were further processed. After this period oestradiol-17 beta (20 nmol/l; control), oestradiol-17 beta (20 nmol/l) plus progesterone (0.5 mumol/l), oestrone sulphate (1 mumol/l) or oestrone sulphate (1 mumol/l) plus progesterone (0.5 mumol/l) were added to the medium for 48 h. An immunocytochemical progesterone receptor assay showed that oestradiol-17 beta increased the progesterone receptor content of cells, and progesterone added to cultured cells in the presence of oestradiol-17 beta induced a significant increase in oestrogen sulphotransferase activity assessing the hormone responsiveness of the cultured cells. In these culture conditions and after 16 h of incubation, oestradiol-17 beta induced a 1.7-fold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA, and [35S]methionine incorporation into cellular proteins was linearly increased up to 8 h. Biochemical changes induced by the different hormone treatments were studied by labelling the proteins with a 6-h pulse of [35S]methionine. The proteins present in the medium and in cells were analysed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by fluorography.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Proliferation of guinea-pig uterine epithelial cells in serum-free culture conditions: effect of 17 beta-estradiol, epidermal growth factor and insulin.

The effects of 17 beta-estradiol (E2), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin, alone or in association on guinea-pig uterine epithelial cell proliferation were examined in serum-free culture conditions. Primary cultures of epithelial cells were made quiescent by serum depletion, then incubated in a chemically defined medium. In this medium, insulin increased DNA synthesis but not in a dose-dependent manner for concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 10 micrograms/ml. A significant effect of EGF was found only for the highest concentration tested (100 ng/ml). E2 alone or in the presence of insulin (1 microgram/ml) had no effect whatsoever on the concentration tested (10(-10)-10(-5)M). Insulin (10 micrograms/ml) plus EGF (100 ng/ml) exerted on DNA synthesis and cell proliferation a significant additive effect which was identical to the growth stimulation induced by 10% fetal calf serum. The effects of insulin plus EGF were not modified by the addition of E2. These findings suggest that E2 is not directly mitogenic for uterine epithelial cells in defined culture conditions and that the mitogenic response to optimal concentration of insulin plus EGF is independent of E2.

Region-specific expression of cell cycle inhibitors in the adult brain.

In the adult brain, neural proliferation is almost absent and neurons are generally not renewed. By contrast, in the olfactory organ, olfactory neurons are produced continuously throughout life. To investigate whether specific cell cycle inhibitors are involved in the control of neural quiescence in adulthood, we compared their expression either in different regions of the adult brain weakly or non neurogenic or, for comparison, in the olfactory mucosa. We show that numerous cell cycle inhibitors are expressed in the adult brain either in an ubiquitous fashion (as p19Ink4d) or in specific brain regions (p15Ink4b in the forebrain, p27Kip1 and p21Cip1 in the cerebellum). By contrast p18Ink4c was expressed detectably only in the highly neurogenic olfactory epithelium. The present data suggest that various CDK inhibitors may be involved in a region-specific fashion in the maintenance of nerve cell quiescence in adults.

Detection of alpha-L fucose containing carbohydrates in mouse immature olfactory neurons.

The cellular location of alpha-L fucose was studied in mice olfactory epithelium (OE) using the Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I (UEA-I) and Tetragonolobus purpureas agglutinin (TPA). In adult mice, UEA-I and TPA revealed a layer of cells that mostly correspond to immature olfactory neurons. Moreover, autoradiographic studies after 3H-T incorporation showed that UEA-I cell labelling occurred during the week following the division of neural cell precursors. In newborn animals, active neurogenesis process is associated with a higher number of UEA-I labelled cells. Olfactory neurogenesis may thus involve a transient event of protein fucosylation, preceding axonal growth.

Functional alterations in the olfactory bulb of the staggerer mutant mouse.

Putative alterations of the functional activity in the staggerer mutant mouse olfactory bulb neuronal network have been studied by recording odor induced evoked field potentials (EFP) in the mitral cells layer. In standard conditions, the main feature observed in mutants was a significant increase in latency preceding the functional response of the mitral cells to the odorant. In these animals, all parameters of the average EFP were widely modified when compared with those recorded in wild mice. Amplitudes and most of the duration of the EFP phases were significantly decreased. Functional alterations were discussed according to the structural disorganization previously described in staggerer mutant mouse olfactory bulb.

Differential EGF action on nuclear protooncogenes in human endometrial carcinoma RL95-2 cells.

Our aim was to analyze EGF action on nuclear protooncogenes in RL95-2 since it has not been documented so far. Synchronization and partial' growth arrest were obtained by maintaining cells for 15 hours in L-methionine-free medium. After this depletion, EGF transiently increased fos and jun mRNAs: the expression peaked at 45 minutes for c-fos (5.5 fold induction) and at 60 minutes for c-jun and jun-B (3 fold induction) and the mRNA levels returned to the basal value within 3 hours. Upon EGF addition, c-myc mRNAs peaked at 12 hours (7.6 fold induction) and surprisingly remained higher than the control up to 48 hours. Unlike fetal calf serum, EGF did not increase the cell number and this could be linked to steadily induced c-myc expression. These data provide evidence for a differential EGF action on fos/jun and c-myc in RL95-2 cells.

Ultrastructural changes in guinea pig endometrial cells during the estrous cycle.

In the guinea pig, the estrous cycle is characterized by a constant measurable level of plasma progesterone with two peaks: the first one associated with the peak of plasma estradiol-17 beta occurring at proestrus and the second, during diestrus, more pronounced at the time at which the level of estradiol-17 beta is undetectable. The progesterone receptor content is the highest on day 1 and the lowest on day 10 of the estrous cycle, which lasts 16.3 +/- 1.5 days (n = 37; mean +/- SD). There is a positive correlation between the plasma level of estradiol-17 beta and the progesterone receptors detected immunocytochemically in both endometrial epithelial and stromal cells. The general morphology of the endometrium during proestrus and estrus is consistent with an estrogenic stimulation, i.e., a smooth and regular surface of the endometrium and the presence of numerous microvilli on the cell surface. However, a moderate secretory activity also occurs in proestrus and estrus. During postestrus, the glandular cells display an increase in characteristic secretory features which parallels the rise of progesterone in the plasma.

Adhesion and proliferation of cells on new polymers modified biomaterials.

Up to today, several techniques have been used to maintain cells in culture for studying many aspects of cell biology and physiology. More often, cell culture is dependent on proper anchorage of cells to the growth surface. Poly-l-lysine is commonly used as adhesive molecule. In this study, we present, as an alternative to poly-l-lysine, new polymer film substrates, realized by electropolymerization of different monomers on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) surfaces since electropolymerization is a good method to coat selectively metallic or semiconducting electrodes with polymer films. So, the adhesion, proliferation and morphology of rat neuronal cell lines were investigated on polymer treated surfaces. Several amine-based biocompatible polymers were tested: polyethyleneimine (PEI), polypropyleneimine (PPI), polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(p-phenylenediamine) (PPPD). These polymer films were coated on FTO surfaces by electrochemical oxidation. After 8 h in a culture medium, a high percentage of cells was found to be attached to PEI and PPI compared to the other polymers and to the reference surfaces (glass and FTO uncovered). After 24 and 72 h in the culture medium, cells were found to proliferate faster on PEI and PPI than on other polymers and reference surfaces. Consequently, cells have a greater fold expansion on PEI and PPI than on PPPD, PPy or glass and FTO uncoated. From these results, we deduce that PEI and PPI can be useful as coating surface to cultivate neuronal cells.

Lesbianism in female and coed correctional institutions.

Questionnaire responses from 13- to 17-year-old girls in four all-female and three coed institutions were used to determine rates and causes of institutional homosexuality. Rates were as high in coed as in single-sexed institutions. The overall rates of homosexuality for all seven institutions were 14% for "going with or being married" to another girl, 10% for passionately kissing, 10% for writing love letters, and 7% for having sex, beyond hugging and kissing, with another girl. The data suggest that previous homosexuality, often experienced in other correctional programs, explains much of the variance in institutional homosexuality.

Lesbianism in female and coed correctional institutions.

Abstract Questionnaire responses from 13- to 17-year-old girls in four all-female and three coed institutions were used to determine rates and causes of institutional homosexuality. Rates were as high in coed as in single-sexed institutions. The overall rates of homosexuality for all seven institutions were 14% for "going with or being married" to another girl, 10% for passionately kissing, 10% for writing love letters, and 7% for having sex, beyond hugging and kissing, with another girl. The data suggest that previous homosexuality, often experienced in other correctional programs, explains much of the variance in institutional homosexuality.

Characterization of a glucocorticoid receptor in neonatal rat mammary gland.

A glucocorticoid receptor has been identified in cytosolic fractions prepared from 4-day old female Sprague-Dawley rat mammary glands at an early resting stage of mammary development. This component sedimented at 10S and 5S on respectively low and high (0.4 M KCl) ionic strength gradients. It bound dexamethasone with a high affinity (Kd approximately 2-6 nM) and a low capacity (N = 300 +/- 100 fmol per mg of proteins or 3.3 +/- 1.3 fmol per micrograms DNA), with a hierarchy of affinity by competition studies dexamethasone greater than corticosterone greater than progesterone greater than R 5020 much greater than Estradiol-17 beta. The characteristics of this glucocorticoid-binding protein are thus very similar to the adult one isolated from adult rat mammary gland.

[Action of estradiol-17 beta, estrone sulfate and progesterone on the growth and differentiation of endometrial epithelial cells of the guinea pig in primary culture]. / Action de l'oestradiol-17 beta, du sulfate d'oestrone et de la progestérone sur la croissance et la différenciation des cellules épithéliales d'endomètre de cobaye en culture primaire.

Endometrial guinea-pig glandular epithelial cells grown in primary culture incorporated [3H] thymidine. After three washings with a steroid-free medium, they were made quiescent and arrested in the G0/G1 phase. However, they remained hormone-responsive and resumed the cellular cycle after stimulation by 10(-6) M oestrone sulphate but not by oestradiol-17 beta.

Establishment of endometrial glandular epithelial cell subculture in a serum-free, hormonally defined medium, on a basement membrane matrix.

Epithelial glands were isolated from guinea-pig endometrium. In order to reduce the requirement for a serum supplement and the contamination by non epithelial cells in primary culture, various coatings of the culture dishes were tested using serum-free Ham's F12 containing defined chemicals including 17 beta-estradiol. While epithelial glands seeded on culture dishes coated with Matrigel, a basement membrane matrix-failed to spread, they formed on poly-D-lysine plus serum-coated dishes, a subconfluent monolayer (5-7 days) enriched in cytokeratin-immunostained cells (78%). Cells from subconfluent primary cultures, obtained on poly-D-lysine plus serum-coated dishes in serum-free hormonally defined medium, were passaged on Matrigel-coated dishes in serum-free hormonally defined medium. These subcultures contained, at confluence (4-5 days), a high percentage (greater than 95%) of cytokeratin-immunostained cells. These monolayers consisted of well-differentiated cells which exhibited ultrastructural features characteristic of endometrial epithelial cells. Moreover, these confluent cells contained 50% immunostained nuclei for progesterone receptors. Progesterone receptor amounts decreased in confluent subcultures treated with progesterone and became undetectable after long-term treatment, suggesting responsiveness of these cells to progesterone. This culture system provides a well-defined model for the study of protein synthesis and secretion by endometrial glandular epithelial cells under hormonal control.

Structural and immunohistological modifications in olfactory bulb of the staggerer mutant mouse.

In the present study, we describe the structural and cytological changes observed in staggerer mutant olfactory bulbs, as compared to normal mice. On the basis of photonic and ultrastructural observations we tried to define the alterations induced by the mutation: i.e. a reduction of bulb size, a reduction in the volume of three out of the six architectonic layers (glomerular, external and internal plexiform), a reduction of glomeruli size, a loss of half the mitral cells and a slight decrease in juxtaglomerular interneuron number. In staggerer, an hypertrophy of glial ensheathing cell processes was especially evident at the level of each glomerulus, whereas the density of the astrocyte network was weaker in the granular layer and the nerve layer not apparently impaired. An immunofluorescent labelling study combined with confocal scanning microscopy was performed in order to identify the cellular type and the differentiation degree of the various elements. Antibodies anti-GFAP, a protein present in both ensheathing cells and astrocytes, and anti-OMP, the specific maturation protein of the nerve layer, were used for that purpose. Data confirmed the reality of the gliosis and the persistence of the sensory component in the mutant. All the structural alterations described in staggerer olfactory bulb were in close agreement with the functional troubles previously recorded. Our results are discussed in connection with the present knowledge on embryonal origin, fetal development and adult cellular renewal of the olfactory bulb.

Cell cycle regulation during mouse olfactory neurogenesis.

The development of the nervous system requires a strict control of cell cycle entry and withdrawal. The olfactory epithelium (OE) is noticeable by its ability to yield new neurons not only during development but also continuously during adulthood. The aim of our study was to investigate, by biochemical and immunohistochemical methods, which cell cycle regulators are involved in the control of neuron production during OE development and maturity. At birth, olfactory neural progenitors, the basal cells, exhibited a high mitogenic and neurogenic activity, decreasing in the following weeks together with the drop in expression of several cell cycle regulators. p27Kip1 and p18Ink4c, at birth, were expressed in the whole basal cell layer, whereas p16Ink4a, p19Ink4d, and p21Cip1 were rather located in differentiating or mature neurons. CDK inhibitors may thus act sequentially during this developmental neurogenic process. By comparison, in the adult OE, in which most neural precursors were quiescent, these cells still exhibited p18Ink4c expression but only occasionally p27Kip1 expression. It suggests that p18Ink4c may contribute to maintain basal cells in a quiescent state, whereas p27Kip1 expression in these cells may be rather linked to their neurogenic activity, which declines with age. In keeping with this hypothesis, transgenic mice that lacked p27Kip1 expression displayed a higher rate of cell proliferation versus differentiation in their OE. In these mice, a down-regulation of positive cell cycle regulators was observed that may contribute to compensate for the absence of p27Kip1. Taken together, the present data suggest distinct functions for CDK inhibitors, either in the control of cell cycle exit and differentiation during neurogenesis (respectively, p27Kip1 and p19Ink4d) or in the maintenance of a quiescent state in neural progenitors (p18Ink4c) or neurons (p21Cip1) in adults.

Additive effect of oestradiol-17 beta and serum on synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid in guinea-pig endometrial cells in culture.

Normal guinea-pig endometrial cells, grown in primary culture, were made quiescent by serum depletion. Quiescent cells cultured in the control medium (containing 1% fetal calf serum treated with dextran-coated charcoal, DCC-FCS) showed a steady and weak rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation, but the addition of 15% fetal calf serum (FCS) or 10% DCC-FCS to the control medium induced a significant increase of DNA synthesis, demonstrating the responsiveness of the quiescent cells to stimulation. A lower but significant increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation was elicited by epidermal growth factor (EGF, 100 ng/ml) or insulin (10 micrograms/ml) added to the basal medium. Oestradiol-17 beta added to the control medium at concentrations ranging from 10(-10) to 10(-5) mol/l not only failed to increase but even inhibited [3H]thymidine incorporation at the highest concentrations tested. An additive effect was noticed when quiescent cells were incubated with oestradiol-17 beta (10(-9) mol/l) in the presence of 10% DCC-FCS, but no synergistic effect occurred when 2 x 10(-9) mol oestradiol-17 beta/l was combined with either EGF (100 ng/ml) or insulin (10 micrograms/ml). Oestradiol-17 beta appears unable alone to stimulate DNA synthesis in normal endometrial cells, but requires factor(s) present in fetal calf serum.