Cytoplasmic actomyosin fibrils in tissue culture cells
- 1 February 1976
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Nature in Cell and tissue research
- Vol. 166 (4), 427-443
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00225909
Abstract
A special cell line derived from a rat mammary adenocarcinoma (RMCD cells) displays a distinct pattern of actomyosin fibrils (AM fibrils) visible with phase contrast, Nomarski interference and polarized light optics. It was shown that the cytoplasmic AM fibrils are arranged as bundles of highly parallel F-actin filaments. The chemical nature of the filaments was identified by incubation with heavy meromyosin from rabbit skeletal muscle. These cytoplasmic actomyosin fibrils actively contract under isotonic conditions. This was shown by contraction experiments under polarized light optics, by cinematographic analysis and by direct proof of the contractility of AM fibrils isolated by laser micro-dissection. Thus, cytoplasmic AM fibrils can be assumed to represent structures essential for motive force generation in contraction processes in non-muscle cells. Eine besondere Zellinie, die von einem Ratten-Mamma-Adenocarcinom stammt, entwickelt ein deutliches Muster von Actomyosin-Fibrillen (AM-Fibrillen), die im Phasenkontrast-, im Nomarski-Interferenz-kontrast- und im Polarisations-Mikroskop sichtbar sind. Die cytoplasmatischen AM-Fibrillen bestehen aus Bündeln von stark parallelisierten F-Actin-Filamenten. Die chemische Identität der Filamente wurde durch Inkubation mit schwerem Meromyosin (heavy meromyosin, HMM) vom quergestreiften Kaninchenmuskel nachgewiesen. Die cytoplasmatischen AM-Fibrillen kontrahieren aktiv unter isotonischen Bedingungen. Diese Fähigkeit wird belegt durch Kontraktionsexperimente bei polarisationsmikroskopischer Darstellung, durch kinematographische Analyse und durch direkte Sichtbarmachung der Kontraktion von AM-Fibrillen, die mit einer Laser-Mikro-Präparationsmethode isoliert wurden. Cytoplasmatische AM-Fibrillen müssen deshalb als Strukturen angesehen werden, die wesentlich für die Triebkrafterzeugung im Rahmen der Motilität nichtmuskulärer Zellen sind.Keywords
This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cell surgery by laser micro‐dissection: A preparative methodJournal of Microscopy, 1976
- Cycling aggregation patterns of cytoplasmic F-actin coordinated with oscillating tension force generationCell and tissue research, 1976
- Calcium regulation of the contractile state of isolated mammalian fibroblast cytoplasmJournal of Cell Science, 1975
- Demonstration of cytoplasmic actomyosin fibrils by the freeze-etching technique.1975
- [In vivo-demonstration of cytoplasmic actomyosin-fibrils (author's transl)].1974
- Cell locomotion, nerve elongation, and microfilamentsDevelopmental Biology, 1973
- THE ROLE OF THREE CYTOPLASMIC FIBERS IN BHK-21 CELL MOTILITYThe Journal of cell biology, 1971
- Cytochalasin B III. Inhibition of Human Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte PhagocytosisExperimental Biology and Medicine, 1971
- Further purification and characterization of slime mold myosin and slime mold actinBiochemistry, 1969
- Studies on the structure of myosinJournal of Molecular Biology, 1962