Detection of replication sites in plant cell nuclei by using semithin sections

A novel approach for detection of replication sites in plant cells nuclei is described. The included nucleotide (EdU) was revealed by using "click" chemistry in semithin sections of the material embedded in acrylic resin. The use of the proposed protocol allows (1) to achieve good preservation of cell morphology, (2) to work with any tissues, and (3) to obtain high resolution during microscopy (especially, axial).</p

Detection of replication sites in the nuclei of plant cells using semithin sections

A novel approach for the detection of replication sites in plant cells nuclei is described. Included nucleotide (EdU) was detected using «click»-chemistry in semithin sections of the material embedded in acrylic resin. The usage of the protocol introduced allows: 1) to preserve the intact morphology of cells, 2) to work with any tissue, and 3) to obtain high-resolution microscopy (especially, axial).</p

Trifluralin-induced disorganization of microtubular cytoskeleton alters the development of roots in Hordeum vulgare L.

The extensive use of herbicides in agriculture becomes an important factor in environmental pollution, especially in case of slowly degradable compounds. Some agents act on plants during a long period of time, even if a very low concentration of the herbicide remains in the soil. Here, we investigated the toxicological effect of a low concentration of dinitroaniline herbicide, trifluralin, on growing seedlings of Hordeum vulgare L. Trifluralin in concentration of 1 μg/ml inhibited root growth. The mitotic activity of meristematic cells was suppressed due to the retardation of metaphase progression — alteration that can be caused by cytoskeleton disorder. Using antibodies to α-tubulin, we investigated the distribution of microtubules in root meristem cells. During all stages of mitosis, the highly regular system of microtubular cytoskeleton observed in control cells was slightly disorganized. An examination of root structure using light and electron microscopy demonstrated that the cell walls did not form normally during cell division that led to the appearance of large multinucleated cells. Also, the premature (pathological) cell differentiation was induced by trifluralin. A part of differentiating cells showed intracellular structural changes that are consistent with programmed cell death. It seems that the development of alterations in trifluralin-treated roots was due to the microtubular cytoskeleton disorganization

Mitochondria in the Nuclei of Rat Myocardial Cells

Electron microscopic study of cardiomyocytes taken from healthy Wistar and OXYS rats and naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) revealed mitochondria in nuclei that lacked part of the nuclear envelope. The direct interaction of mitochondria with nucleoplasm is shown. The statistical analysis of the occurrence of mitochondria in cardiomyocyte nuclei showed that the percentage of nuclei with mitochondria was roughly around 1%, and did not show age and species dependency. Confocal microscopy of normal rat cardiac myocytes revealed a branched mitochondrial network in the vicinity of nuclei with an organization different than that of interfibrillar mitochondria. This mitochondrial network was energetically functional because it carried the membrane potential that responded by oscillatory mode after photodynamic challenge. We suggest that the presence of functional mitochondria in the nucleus is not only a consequence of certain pathologies but rather represents a normal biological phenomenon involved in mitochondrial/nuclear interactions