Apical Division Research Articles

Neuronal migration prevents spatial competition in retinal morphogenesis.

The concomitant occurrence of tissue growth and organization is a hallmark of organismal development1-3. This often means that proliferating and differentiating cells are found at the same time in a continuously changing tissue environment. How cells adapt to architectural changes to prevent spatial interference remains unclear. Here, to understand how cell movements that are key for growth and organization are orchestrated, we study the emergence of photoreceptor neurons that occur during the peak of retinal growth, using zebrafish, human tissue and human organoids. Quantitative imaging reveals that successful retinal morphogenesis depends on the active bidirectional translocation of photoreceptors, leading to a transient transfer of the entire cell population away from the apical proliferative zone. This pattern of migration is driven by cytoskeletal machineries that differ depending on the direction: microtubules are exclusively required for basal translocation, whereas actomyosin is involved in apical movement. Blocking the basal translocation of photoreceptors induces apical congestion, which hampers the apical divisions of progenitor cells and leads to secondary defects in lamination. Thus, photoreceptor migration is crucial to prevent competition for space, and to allow concurrent tissue growth and lamination. This shows that neuronal migration, in addition to its canonical role in cell positioning4, can be involved in coordinating morphogenesis.

Review of Vegetative Branching in the Palms (Arecaceae)

Vegetative branching is common in the palms (Arecaceae). However, current terms to describe vegetative branching diversity are not consistent and do not cover the full range of branching types. In this study vegetative branching types in the palms were reviewed and defined, and the phylogenetic distribution of palm branching types was described. Branching types were described from a literature review and field observations; 1903 species representing all 181 genera were included. Five branching types were found: lateral axillary branching, shoot apical division, false vivipary, abaxial branching, and leaf-opposed branching. Most species (55%) exhibited no vegetative branching. Lateral axillary was the most common branching type. Lateral axillary branching and shoot apical division were predicted to be the earliest-evolved branching types. The present study suggests that branching types have different evolutionary histories, and it is likely that the solitary habit is more common now than when palms initially diverged from commelinid relatives.

Atypical PKC and Notch Inhibition Differentially Modulate Cortical Interneuron Subclass Fate from Embryonic Stem Cells.

SummaryRecent studies indicate that the location of neurogenesis within the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) critically influences the fate determination of cortical interneuron subgroups, with parvalbumin (Pv) interneurons originating from subventricular zone divisions and somatostatin (Sst) interneurons primarily arising from apical divisions. The aPKC-CBP and Notch signaling pathways regulate the transition from apical to basal progenitor and their differentiation into post-mitotic neurons. We find that aPKC inhibition enhances intermediate neurogenesis from stem cell-derived MGE progenitors, resulting in a markedly increased ratio of Pv- to Sst-expressing interneurons. Conversely, inhibition of Notch signaling enriches for Sst subtypes at the expense of Pv fates. These findings confirm that the mode of neurogenesis influences the fate of MGE-derived interneurons and provide a means of further enrichment for the generation of specific interneuron subgroups from pluripotent stem cells.

Apical versus Basal Neurogenesis Directs Cortical Interneuron Subclass Fate.

Fate determination in the mammalian telencephalon, with its diversity of neuronal subtypes and relevance to neuropsychiatric disease, remains a critical area of study in neuroscience. Most studies investigating this topic focus on the diversity of neural progenitors within spatial and temporal domains along the lateral ventricles. Often overlooked is whether the location of neurogenesis within a fate-restricted domain is associated with, or instructive for, distinct neuronal fates. Here, we use in vivo fate mapping and the manipulation of neurogenic location to demonstrate that apical versus basal neurogenesis influences the fate determination of major subgroups of cortical interneurons derived from the subcortical telencephalon. Somatostatin-expressing interneurons arise mainly from apical divisions along the ventricular surface, whereas parvalbumin-expressing interneurons originate predominantly from basal divisions in the subventricular zone. As manipulations that shift neurogenic location alter interneuron subclass fate, these results add an additional dimension to the spatial-temporal determinants of neuronal fate determination.

Developmental stratification of the mammary epithelium occurs through symmetry-breaking vertical divisions of apically positioned luminal cells

Mammary ducts are elongated during development by stratified epithelial structures, known as terminal end buds (TEBs). TEBs exhibit reduced apicobasal polarity and extensive proliferation. A major unanswered question concerns the mechanism by which the simple ductal epithelium stratifies during TEB formation. We sought to elucidate this mechanism using real-time imaging of growth factor-induced stratification in 3D cultures of mouse primary epithelial organoids. We hypothesized that stratification could result from vertical divisions in either the apically positioned luminal epithelial cells or the basally positioned myoepithelial cells. Stratification initiated exclusively from vertical apical cell divisions, both in 3D culture and in vivo. During vertical apical divisions, only the mother cell retained tight junctions and segregated apical membranes. Vertical daughter cells initiated an unpolarized cell population located between the luminal and myoepithelial cells, similar to the unpolarized body cells in the TEB. As stratification and loss of apicobasal polarity are early hallmarks of cancer, we next determined the cellular mechanism of oncogenic stratification. Expression of activated ERBB2 induced neoplastic stratification through analogous vertical divisions of apically positioned luminal epithelial cells. However, ERBB2-induced stratification was accompanied by tissue overgrowth and acute loss of both tight junctions and apical polarity. Expression of phosphomimetic MEK (MEK1DD), a major ERBB2 effector, also induced stratification through vertical apical cell divisions. However, MEK1DD-expressing organoids exhibited normal levels of growth and retained apicobasal polarity. We conclude that both normal and neoplastic stratification are accomplished through receptor tyrosine kinase signaling dependent vertical cell divisions within the luminal epithelial cell layer.

New records of benthic marine algae from the Canary Islands (eastern Atlantic Ocean): morphology, taxonomy and distribution

Abstract Four species of marine algae are reported from the Canary Islands for the first time. Our report of the western Atlantic Gelidiella setacea (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) is the first from the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Pseudotetraspora marina (Tetrasporales, Chlorophyta) previously known on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean from temperate saltmarshes only, is now reported growing in the shallow sublittoral zone, the habitat in which tropical western Atlantic populations also occur. The presence of Lomentaria chylocladiella (Rhodymeniales, Rhodophyta) represents the first report in the Atlantic Ocean of a species previously thought to be endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. The record of the widely distributed Acrochaetium hallandicum (Acrochaetiales, Rhodophyta) was not unexpected. Specimens of A. hallandicum have vegetative cells with a single lobate parietal chloroplast with a single pyrenoid, a feature that among acrochaetioid algae occurs exclusively in the genus Colaconema (Colaconematales), and consequently the species is transferred to this genus. Fertile sporophytes are described for Gelidiella setacea, a species previously known only in its vegetative condition. Cruciately to irregularly divided sporangia are regularly arranged in transverse rows in stichidia laterally formed on the axes. The species is transferred to the genus Parviphycus on the basis of the morphology of the stichidia and the distichous pattern of apical division exhibited by the axes, both exclusive features of this genus.

ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE GLAND CELLS OF THE RED ALGA ASPARAGOPSIS ARMATA (BONNEMAISONIACEAE)1

Localization of natural products in the gland cells of the tetrasporophyte of Asparagopsis armata Harvey was examined using light microscopy, epifluorescence microscopy, and TEM. A. armata produces a range of halogenated metabolites that deter herbivores and inhibit bacterial fouling. The halogenated metabolites accumulate as a refractile inclusion inside specialized gland cells and this inclusion was no longer produced when the alga was cultured without bromine. Gland cells are formed soon after the apical division and can occupy a large portion of the algal volume, up to 10% of some parts of the filament. TEM was carried out on cryofixed and freeze‐substituted samples. Ultrastructure studies revealed that gland cells are positioned inside the pericentral cell, originating from the axial cell wall. The refractile inclusion of these gland cells is comprised of numerous electron‐translucent vacuoles enclosed by an electron‐opaque matrix. Some contents of the inclusion autofluoresced under UV excitation by epifluorescence microscopy. Light microscopy further revealed that stalk‐like structures connected the gland cell to the outer wall of the pericentral cell. These stalk‐like structures may provide the mechanism for metabolite transfer to the algal surface. Gland cell walls are relatively thin, which in turn would aid the transfer of metabolites to the stalk‐like structure. These features of the gland cells provide essential clues to the production and storage of the halogenated metabolites in A. armata and offer new insights into a possible mechanism for their release.

Morphology and taxonomy of Rhodoglossum gigartinoides (Sonder) comb. nov. (Gigartinaceae, Rhodophyta) from Australia and New Zealand

Abstract The Australasian marine red algal genus Rhodoglossum J. Agardh (Gigartinaceae, Rhodophyta) is distinct from species of Gigartina Stackhouse in the development of the tetrasporangial sorus and in the presence of immersed cystocarps in a foliose thallus. A proposal to reduce Rhodoglossum (and Iridaea Bory) to synonyms of Gigartina is not supported. In the present study, only one species of Rhodoglossum, R. gigartinoides (Sonder) comb. nov., is recognized from southern Australia and New Zealand, this being an earlier name for R. lanceolatum (Harvey) J. Agardh, the type species of the genus. In R. gigartinoides, the tetrasporangia are formed in anticlinal rows by continued apical divisions of outer cortical cells. From these newly formed rows of cortical cells, the inner cells develop into tetrasporocytes, which then enlarge and divide to form cruciately divided tetrasporangia. This mode of development results in the characteristic inwardly radiating series of tetrasporangia and the cortical nature o...

EARLY HISTOGENESIS OF THE ADULT LEAVES OF DARLINGTONIA CALIFORNICA (SARRACENIACEAE) AND ITS BEARING ON THE NATURE OF EPIASCIDIATE FOLIAR APPENDAGES

In order to assess the validity of various interpretations of tubular leaves of angiosperms, a histogenetic study of the ontogeny of adult leaves of Darlingtonia californica was undertaken. The adult leaf of Darlingtonia is characterized by a sheathing leaf base, an elongate ascidium, an overarching hood, and two “fishtail” appendages which arise near the leaf apex. A keellike growth, with two rows of alternate vascular bundles, traverses the tube from base to mouth. Ontogenetic studies show that the primordium arises by a monopodial rather than a sympodial mode of growth as previously reported. After the formation of a small, erect primordium, a restricted adaxial meristem is initiated that expands both adaxially and upwards. This “querzone” serves, in effect, to congenitally combine the two primordial margins during its extension. Growth and maturation of the subjacent portions cause tubular elongation in the leaf. Primordial apical divisions are later replaced by more general intercalary growth with acropetal and centrifugal maturation. The hood and fishtails are established early in ontogeny by adaxial growth of the primordial apex and subsequent activation of juxtaposed localized meristems. Comparative morphology has established that the epiascidiate leaf is a foliar appendage that undergoes certain specific morphogenetic modifications. It has a structural relationship to ensiform appendages of Acacia and Acorus as well as to peltate foliar organs. The early ontogeny of Darlingtonia leaves is considered to be homologous with other epiascidiate foliar organs, including some supposedly primitive carpels.

Comparison of Gametophytic Callus and Tumor Tissues of Pteridium aquilinum

A comparison of the fates of isolated fragments of two morphologically similar forms of disorganized growth of the gametophyte of Pteridium aquilinum establishes a basic difference between environmentally induced callus and spontaneous or radiation-induced tumors The callus, induced by dark culture on high sucrose concentrations, is readily revertible to normal gametophytic growth under normal culture conditions, the reversion following a characteristic apical developmental pattern By contrast, the tumor is self-perpetuating under normal culture conditions through repeated lateral divisions which give rise to a multiply branched filamentous structure Certain normal developmental attributes can be imposed upon the isolated tumor filaments, at least temporarily, in the presence of an auxin. These include apical divisions and differentiation of some of the lateral cells into rhizoids

Morphogenesis in the red alga, Griffithsia pacifica: Regeneration from single cells

The regeneration of plants of the red alga Griffithsia pacifica from single, isolated cells is described. Regeneration can start from any cell and is triggered by the removal of an abutting cell. An isolated, single shoot cell forms a shoot and a rhizoidal cell within one day. The shoot then adds new cells by apical division at the rate of 1-2 cells/day; branches are formed at predictable but not fixed locations by budding of subapical cells. Each shoot cell enlarges for 6-8 days. The resulting plant consists of uniseriate, pseudodichotomously-branched shoot filaments with multicellular rhizoidal filaments at their base. The predictability and rapidity of this development combined with the large size of these cells (1.0×0.2 mm) facilitate developmental studies on this organism.