Affect Cell Size Research Articles

JNK pathway mediates apoptotic cell death induced by tumor suppressor LKB1 in Drosophila

Although recent progresses have unveiled the diverse in vivo functions of LKB1, detailed molecular mechanisms governing these processes still remain enigmatic. Here, we showed that Drosophila LKB1 negatively regulates organ growth by caspase-dependent apoptosis, without affecting cell size and cell cycle progression. Through genetic screening for LKB1 modifiers, we discovered the JNK pathway as a novel component of LKB1 signaling; the JNK pathway was activated by LKB1 and mediated the LKB1-dependent apoptosis. Consistently, LKB1-null mutant was defective in embryonic apoptosis and displayed a drastic hyperplasia in the central nervous system; these phenotypes were fully rescued by ectopic JNK activation as well as wild-type LKB1 expression. Furthermore, inhibition of LKB1 resulted in epithelial morphogenesis failure, which was associated with a decrease in JNK activity. Collectively, our studies unprecedentedly elucidate JNK as the downstream mediator of the LKB1-dependent apoptosis, and provide a new paradigm for understanding the diverse LKB1 functions in vivo.

Cell size and cell number as links between noncoding DNA and metabolic rate scaling

Abstract Genome size (C-value) affects cell size directly and specific metabolic rate indirectly. It has been suggested that the scaling exponents of interspecific metabolic rate allometries are by-products of the evolutionary diversification of C-values within narrow taxonomic groups, challenging the so-called ubiquitous 3/4-law. We question this view and suggest another approach to the problem.

A dominant negative mutant of cyclin-dependent kinase A reduces endoreduplication but not cell size or gene expression in maize endosperm.

Cells in maize (Zea mays) endosperm undergo multiple cycles of endoreduplication, with some attaining DNA contents as high as 96C and 192C. Genome amplification begins around 10 d after pollination, coincident with cell enlargement and the onset of starch and storage protein accumulation. Although the role of endoreduplication is unclear, it is thought to provide a mechanism that increases cell size and enhances gene expression. To investigate this process, we reduced endoreduplication in transgenic maize endosperm by ectopically expressing a gene encoding a dominant negative mutant form of cyclin-dependent kinase A. This gene was regulated by the 27-kD gamma-zein promoter, which restricted synthesis of the defective enzyme to the endoreduplication rather than the mitotic phase of endosperm development. Overexpression of a wild-type cyclin-dependent kinase A increased enzyme activity but had no effect on endoreduplication. By contrast, ectopic expression of the defective enzyme lowered kinase activity and reduced by half the mean C-value and total DNA content of endosperm nuclei. The lower level of endoreduplication did not affect cell size and only slightly reduced starch and storage protein accumulation. There was little difference in the level of endosperm gene expression with high and low levels of endoreduplication, suggesting that this process may not enhance transcription of genes associated with starch and storage protein synthesis.

Drosophila genetic variants that change cell size and rate of proliferation affect cell communication and hence patterning

We explore in this paper the role of genetic variants that affect cell size and proliferation in the determination of organ size. We use genetic mosaics of loss or gain of function in six different loci, which promotes smaller or larger than normal cells, associated to either smaller or larger than normal territories. These variants have autonomous effects on patterning and growth in mutant territories. However, there is no correlation between cell size or rate of proliferation on the size of the mutant territory. In addition, these mosaics show non-autonomous effects on surrounding wildtype cells, consisting always in a reduction in number of non-mutant cells. In all mutant conditions the final size (and shape) of the wing is different than normal. The phenotypes of the same variants include higher density of chaetae in the notum. These autonomous and non-autonomous effects suggest that the control of size in the wing is the result of local cell communication defining canonic distances between cells in a positional-values landscape.

Mutations of the CK2 phosphorylation site of Sic1 affect cell size and S-Cdk kinase activity in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

By sequence analysis we found an amino acid stretch centred on Serine201 matching a stringent CK2 consensus site within the C-terminal, inhibitory domain of Sic1. Here we show by direct mass spectrometry analysis that Sic1, but not a mutant protein whose CK2 phospho-acceptor site has been mutated to alanine, Sic1S201A, is actually phosphorylated in vitro by CK2 on Serine 201. Mutation of Serine 201 alters the coordination between growth and cell cycle progression. A significant increase of average protein content and of the average protein content at the onset of DNA synthesis is observed for exponentially growing cells harbouring the Sic1S201A protein. A strong reduction of the same parameters is observed in cells harbouring Sic1S201E. The deregulated coordination between cell size and cell cycle is also apparent at the level of S-Cdk activity.

Taking the Time to Determine Cell Fate

Calegari and Huttner exposed mouse embryos to an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) to investigate the hypothesis that an increase in the length of the cell cycle might be a cause (rather than a consequence) of neuronal differentiation. During the development of multicellular organisms, cell division can yield daughter cells with different fates. This is associated with unequal distribution of cell fate determinants to daughter cells; however, such an unequal distribution does not always lead to distinct cell fates. Neuroepithelial (NE) cells, which give rise to all of the neurons in the mammalian central nervous system, switch from a proliferative to a neuron-generating mode in a distinct spatiotemporal pattern, a switch associated with an increase in the G 1 phase of the cell cycle. Calegari and Huttner grew whole mouse embryos in vitro in the presence of the CDK inhibitor olomoucine or an inactive isomer. Moderate concentrations of olomoucine slowed NE cell cycle length, assessed by cumulative labeling with bromodeoxyuridine, without increasing apoptosis, affecting cell size, or blocking the cell cycle. This was associated with a premature switch of NE cells from proliferative to neuron-generating mode and with the premature appearance of neurons, both assessed by immunofluorescence analysis of specific markers (TIS21 and MAP2, respectively). The authors proposed a model in which the interaction between the amount of particular cell fate determinants and the length of time over which such determinants act during the cell cycle determines cell fate and suggested that TIS21, which appears in neuron-generating cells and prolongs G 1 , itself promotes neurogenesis. F. Calegari, W. B. Huttner, An inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases that lengthens, but does not arrest, neuroepithelial cell cycle induces premature neurogenesis. J. Cell Sci. 116 , 4947-4955 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Glucose metabolism and cell size in continuous cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A detailed analysis of the cell size, monitored as protein content, has been performed in glucose-limited continuous cultures, so as to obtain the values of the average protein content for various subpopulations at different cell cycle stages, as a function of the growth rate. Glucose metabolism appears to affect cell size, since there is an increase of the average protein content of the population when cells produce ethanol above the critical dilution rate. If the production of ethanol is forced at low growth rates by the addition of formate, the average protein content increases. These results indicate a link between glucose metabolism and cell size in budding yeast, as observed for mammalian cells.

Cell size as a link between noncoding DNA and metabolic rate scaling.

Accumulation of noncoding DNA and therefore genome size (C-value) may be under strong selection toward increase of body size accompanied by low metabolic costs. C-value directly affects cell size and specific metabolic rate indirectly. Body size can enlarge through increase of cell size and/or cell number, with small cells having higher metabolic rates. We argue that scaling exponents of interspecific allometries of metabolic rates are by-products of evolutionary diversification of C-values within narrow taxonomic groups, which underlines the participation of cell size and cell number in body size optimization. This optimization leads to an inverse relation between slopes of interspecific allometries of metabolic rates and C-value. To test this prediction we extracted literature data on basal metabolic rate (BMR), body mass, and C-value of mammals and birds representing six and eight orders, respectively. Analysis of covariance revealed significant heterogeneity of the allometric slopes of BMR and C-value in both mammals and birds. As we predicted, the correlation between allometric exponents of BMR and C-value was negative and statistically significant among mammalian and avian orders.

Cell size regulation by the human TSC tumor suppressor proteins depends on PI3K and FKBP38.

TSC1 and TSC2 are responsible for the tumor suppressor gene syndrome tuberous sclerosis (TSC). Mammalian TSC genes have been shown to be involved in cell cycle regulation. Recently, in Drosophila, these data have been confirmed and TSC genes have further been demonstrated to affect cell size control. Here we provide supporting data for the fact that the latter function is conserved in mammals. Human TSC1 and TSC2 trigger mammalian cell size reduction and a dominant-negative TSC2 mutant induces increased size. These effects occur in all cell cycle phases, are dependent on the activity of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase and are abolished by co-overexpression of a dominant-negative Akt mutant. Two independent naturally occurring and disease-causing mutations within the TSC2 gene eliminate tuberin's capacity to affect cell size control, emphasizing the relevance of this function for the development of the disease. The same mutations have earlier been shown not to affect tuberin's antiproliferative capacity. That the consequences of modulated TSC gene expression on cell proliferation and on cell size can be assigned to separable functions is further supported by two findings: A mutation within the TSC1 gene, earlier shown to still harbor anti-proliferative effects, was found to eliminate the cell size regulating functions. An important mammalian cell size regulator, c-Myc, was found to inhibit tuberin's antiproliferative capacity, but to have no effects on tuberin-dependent cell size control. To obtain further mechanistical insights, microarray screens for genes involved in TSC1- or TSC2-mediated cell size effects were performed. Antisense experiments revealed that the so observed regulation of the FK506-binding protein, FKBP38, plays a role in TSC gene-dependent cell size regulation. These data provide new insights into mammalian cell size regulation and allow a better understanding of the function of human TSC genes.

EXS, a Putative LRR Receptor Kinase, Regulates Male Germline Cell Number and Tapetal Identity and Promotes Seed Development in Arabidopsis

Background: Plant germlines arise late in development from archesporial initials in the L2 layer of the anther and ovule primordia. These cells generate a radially symmetrical array of tissues that, in the Arabidopsis anther, comprises a core of sporogenous cells (meiocytes) and the enveloping tapetum, middle cell, and endothecium layers. The putative transcription factor NZZ/SPL[1, 2] is required for the specification of archesporial cells, but nothing is known of how their number is regulated, or what controls cell fate in the lineages they generate. Here, we report detailed characterization of extra sporogenous cells (exs), a male sterile mutant that generates extra meiocytes but lacks tapetal and middle cell layers [3, 4].Results: We identified the EXS locus by map-based cloning and found it to encode a putative LRR receptor kinase. In the anther, an increased number of L2 layer cells assume an archesporial fate and divide to generate a larger number of sporogenous cells. In seeds, the exs mutation results in smaller embryonic cells, delayed embryo development, and smaller mature embryos. Consistent with the observed phenotype, EXS is expressed in the inflorescence meristem, floral apices, anthers, and in developing seeds.Conclusions:EXS regulates the number of cells that divide in the L2 layer of the anther, and thus the number of functional male archesporial initials. In the young seed, EXS affects cell size in the embryo and the rate at which it develops. The apparently contrasting roles of EXS in the anther and embryo suggest that signaling through the EXS receptor kinase is a feature of a number of regulatory pathways in Arabidopsis.

The SUPERMAN protein is an active repressor whose carboxy-terminal repression domain is required for the development of normal flowers

SUPERMAN was identified as a putative regulator of transcription that acts in floral development, but its function remains to be clarified. We demonstrate here that SUPERMAN is an active repressor whose repression domain is located in the carboxy-terminal region. Ectopic expression of SUPERMAN that lacked the repression domain resulted in a phenotype similar to that of superman mutants, demonstrating that the repression activity of SUPERMAN is essential for the development of normal flowers. Constitutive expression of SUPERMAN resulted in a severe dwarfism but did not affect cell size, indicating that SUPERMAN might regulate genes that are involved in cell division.

DS6K-regulated cell growth is dPKB/dPI(3)K-independent, but requires dPDK1.

Genetic studies in Drosophila melanogaster underscore the importance of the insulin-signalling pathway in controlling cell, organ and animal size. Effectors of this pathway include Chico (the insulin receptor substrate homologue), dPI(3)K, dPKB, dPTEN, and dS6K. Mutations in any of these components have a striking effect on cell size and number, with the exception of dS6K. Mutants in dS6K affect cell size but not cell number, seemingly consistent with arguments that dS6K is a distal effector in the signalling pathway, directly controlled by dTOR, a downstream effector of dPI(3)K and dPKB. Unexpectedly, recent studies showed that dS6K activity is unimpaired in chico-deficient larvae, suggesting that dS6K activation may be mediated through the dPI(3)K docking sites of the Drosophila insulin receptor. Here, we show genetically, pharmacologically and biochemically that dS6K resides on an insulin signalling pathway distinct from that of dPKB, and surprisingly also from that of dPI(3)K. More striking, despite dPKB-dPI(3)K-independence, dS6K activity is dependent on the Drosophila homologue of the phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1, dPDK1, demonstrating that both dPDK1, as well as dTOR, mediated dS6K activation is phosphatidylinositide-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3)-independent.

Mesangial cell filamentous actin disassembly and hypocontractility in high glucose are mediated by PKC-ζ

In high glucose (HG), mesangial cells (MCs) lose their contractile response to endothelin-1 (ET-1) coincidently with filamentous (F)-actin disassembly. We postulated that these MC phenotypic changes are mediated by altered protein kinase C (PKC) isozyme activity, myosin light chain (MLC(20)) phosphorylation, or Ca(2+) signaling. MCs were growth arrested for 24 h in 0.5% fetal bovine serum (FBS)-DMEM in 5.6 (normal glucose; NG) or 30 mM glucose (high glucose; HG). In HG, the planar area was reduced [2,608 +/- 135 vs. 3,952 +/- 225 (SE) microm(2) in NG, P < 0.01, n = 31] with no contractile response to 0.1 microM ET-1. Mannitol did not affect cell size or ET-1 response. Confocal imaging of fluo 3- loaded cells revealed that the peak intensity of ET-1-induced Ca(2+) signaling was not altered in HG vs. NG. Immunoblotting of phosphorylated MLC(20) showed that HG increased mono- and decreased unphosphorylated MLC(20) (42 +/- 16 and 49 +/- 15 vs. 13 +/- 3 and 80 +/- 4% of total in NG, P < 0.05, n = 3), but the peak phosphorylation responses to ET-1 were identical in NG and HG. ET-1 stimulated translocation of PKC-delta and -epsilon from cytosolic to membrane and particulate fractions identically in NG and HG but did not cause PKC-zeta translocation. In HG, membrane accumulation of PKC-zeta was observed. Membrane PKC-zeta activity measured by immunoprecipitation and (32)P phosphorylation of PKC-epsilon pseudosubstrate peptide was 190 +/- 18% of NG (P < 0.01, n = 4), which was completely inhibited by pretreatment with a myristoylated peptide inhibitor (ZI). In HG, pretreatment with ZI for 24 h restored normal MC size and contractile and F-actin disassembly responses to ET-1. In conclusion, in HG, decreased MC size is due to decreased F-actin assembly, and loss of contractile response to ET-1 occurs in the presence of normal Ca(2+) signaling and normal MLC(20) phosphorylation. In HG, altered F-actin and contractile functions in MCs are mediated by PKC-zeta.

Natural zeolite clinoptilolite increases the concentrations of sphingoid bases in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica.

In the present paper, we studied the effect of natural zeolite clinoptilolite on sphingolipid metabolism in the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. We also investigated if zeolite addition had any impact on cell shape and size, as well as on the pH alterations during the culture growth. High performance liquid chromatography analysis of sphingoid bases obtained by acid hydrolysis of complex sphingolipids from Y. lipolytica showed that their concentrations markedly rose upon the zeolite addition. The largest increase among the identified molecular species of sphingoid bases was seen in C18 phytosphingosine, whose levels rose 6.2-fold and 22.3-fold after culturing cells for 24 and 36 hours respectively in the presence of finely ground zeolite. pH measurements of the culture medium showed a similarity between pH profiles of control and zeolite-supplemented cells, suggesting that ion-exchange capacity was not probably responsible for the observed change in sphingolipid metabolism. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that zeolite affected cell size and shape. Y. lipolytica cells grown in the absence of zeolite were oval-shaped with an average cell size of 0.7-2.7 microns, whereas when cultured with zeolite, they were round-shaped and larger, having an average cell size of 1.3-2.9 microns.

Overexpresssion of a Legionella pneumophila homologue of the E. coli regulator csrA affects cell size, flagellation, and pigmentation

Abstract Legionella pneumophila is an inhabitant of the aquatic environment and the causative agent of a bacterial pneumonia. We identified the presence of an L. pneumophilahomologue of csrA of E. coli and rsmA of Erwinia carotovora, genes which regulate gene expression by destabilising mRNA and which have been shown to relate to environmental fitness and pathogenicity. The Legionella csrA was able to complement a csrA-negative mutant of E. coli. Overproduction of csrA in L. pneumophila lead to a reduction of flagellation and pigmentation and an increase in bacterial cell size. csrA overproduction was associated with a reduction of fliA and flaA transcripts. This suggests that similar to E. coli and Erwinia, L. pneumophila csrA is a regulator of gene expression and may contribute to the capability of the pathogen to rapidly adapt to changing environments.

PTEN affects cell size, cell proliferation and apoptosis during Drosophila eye development.

Mutations in the tumor suppressor gene PTEN (MMAC1/TEP1) are associated with a large number of human cancers and several autosomal-dominant disorders. Mice mutant for PTEN die at early embryonic stages and the mutant embryonic fibroblasts display decreased sensitivity to cell death. Overexpression of PTEN in different mammalian tissue culture cells affects various processes including cell proliferation, cell death and cell migration. We have characterized the Drosophila PTEN gene and present evidence that both inactivation and overexpression of PTEN affect cell size, while overexpression of PTEN also inhibits cell cycle progression at early mitosis and promotes cell death during eye development in a context-dependent manner. Furthermore, we have shown that PTEN acts in the insulin signaling pathway and all signals from the insulin receptor can be antagonized by either Drosophila or human PTEN, suggesting a potential means for alleviating symptoms associated with altered insulin signaling.

The survival and growth of an environmental Klebsiella isolate in detergent solutions.

A Klebsiella isolate (G1) was capable of survival and growth in an environment containing high levels of anionic (15.6%) and non-ionic detergent (7.8%). Cell numbers were monitored by traditional viable plate counts (culturability), and by staining with Rhodamine 123 (vital counts) and Acridine Orange (total counts). On inoculation into detergent solutions, only 10% of cells retained vitality (rhodamine 123) after 24 h. Of those, only 1% were able to form colonies on artificial culture media. Under low nutrient conditions (TOC < 0.89 mg l - 1), no recovery was observed over a 96 h period, but addition of nutrients (TOC 3.84 mg l - 1) allowed recovery within 48 h. Such cells were initially (24 h) elongated, but subsequently (144 h) returned to their normal size. In the presence of detergent without added nutrient, cell size was reduced after 144 h. After adaptation to the detergent environment (24 - 48 h), cell numbers in detergent with added nutrient broth (vital, viable and total) rose, until levels equivalent to those of a detergent-free control were attained. Detergent solutions provide a stressful environment. Nutrient levels in the detergent solutions affected cell size and the ability of the Klebsiella (G1) to survive and grow.

Natural allelic variation at seed size loci in relation to other life history traits of Arabidopsis thaliana.

We have analyzed two Arabidopsis strains differing in the mean seed size and seed number they produced. The accession Cape Verde Islands (Cvi) yielded on average about 40% fewer seeds than the laboratory strain Landsberg erecta (Ler), but Cvi seeds were almost twice as heavy. Maternal and nonmaternal genetic factors were involved in the seed size variation, and interactions between both types of factors presumably occurred. The Ler/Cvi seed size difference increased through seed development from ovule maturation until seed desiccation, suggesting that multiple processes of seed development were affected. In addition, it involved changes in the final cell number and cell size of the seed coat and the embryo. Cell number variation was controlled mainly by maternal factors, whereas nonmaternal allelic variation mostly affected cell size. By using a recombinant inbred line population derived from Ler and Cvi, we mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting 12 life history traits related to seed size, fruit size, seed number, and plant resources. Five of the seed size QTLs colocated with QTLs for other traits, suggesting that they control seed size via maternal components affecting ovule number and/or carpel development, ovule development, or reproductive resource allocation in the mother plant. The six remaining putative seed size QTLs did not show a significant effect on any other trait, suggesting that this allelic variation may be involved specifically in seed development processes.

Retinoic acid regulation of renal tubular epithelial and vascular smooth muscle cell function.

Vitamin A and its derivatives have been postulated to play an important role in renal tubulogenesis and compensatory hypertrophy. This study examined the effects of two carboxylic derivatives of vitamin A on Lewis lung carcinoma-porcine kidney-1 (LLC-PK1) renal tubular epithelial cell mito- and motogenesis and cell size. It was found that all-trans and 13-cis retinoic acids exerted modest, dose-dependent effects to stimulate incorporation of 3H-thymidine into acid-precipitable material of LLC-PK1 cells. The effects of all-trans retinoic acid to promote 3H-thymidine uptake in LLC-PK1 cells modestly enhanced that seen with acidic fibroblastic growth factor. Similar findings of these two retinoic acid derivatives to promote 3H-thymidine uptake and to enhance 3H-thymidine uptake stimulated by another growth factor (platelet-derived growth factor BB) were also observed in cultured bovine aortic smooth muscle cells. Both retinoic acids promoted healing of denuded areas made within confluent monolayers of serum-starved LLC-PK1 cells. All-trans retinoic acid also stimulated recovery of mechanically denuded areas within bovine aortic smooth muscle monolayers. Neither all-trans nor 13-cis retinoic acids s affected cell size as assessed by forward light scatter with flow cytometry, suggesting lack of effect to induce hypertrophy. These results demonstrate that two carboxylic acid derivatives of vitamin A are capable of stimulation of basal and growth factor-induced incorporation of 3H-thymidine uptake into acid-precipitable material and healing of denuded areas in disparate cell types. These findings are compatible with a role for vitamin A and its analogues in the tissue repair process.

Expression of fission yeast cdc25 alters the frequency of lateral root formation in transgenic tobacco.

Lateral root formation was examined following the expression of a fission yeast mitotic regulator gene, cdc25, under the control of a tetracycline-inducible promoter in cultured roots of tobacco. Over expression of cdc25 in fission yeast results in premature cell division at a reduced cell size. Our aim was to examine whether cdc25 expression would affect cell size in the tobacco roots, and what effect this would have on lateral root morphogenesis. Transgene integration was confirmed by Southern blotting; it was inherited as a dominant Mendelian trait. Conditions for optimal expression, determined using plants transformed with gus under the control of the same promoter, were: addition of tetracycline (5 micrograms/ml) every 72 h, to cultured roots in Murashige-Skoog liquid medium in darkness at 27 degrees C. After the addition of tetracycline, cdc25 transcripts were detected using RT-PCR, initially after 48 h, and more strongly after 72 h. Appearance of cdc25 transcripts was followed by major changes in the roots. Compared with controls, lateral root primordia were initiated more frequently, were significantly smaller and comprised smaller cells at mitosis. However, cdc25 expression did not perturb normal development of the lateral roots. The data are consistent with cdc25 expression leading to a greater frequency of lateral root primordium formation and establishing a new threshold size for cell division in the primordia which was then maintained throughout subsequent development.