Nanosecond electric pulses penetrate the nucleus and enhance speckle formation (original) (raw)

Permeabilization of the Nuclear Envelope Following Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field Exposure

Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 2015

Permeabilization of cell membranes occurs upon exposure to a threshold absorbed dose (AD) of nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF). The ultimate, physiological bioeffect of this exposure depends on the type of cultured cell and environment, indicating that cell-specific pathways and structures are stimulated. Here we investigate 10 and 600 ns duration PEF effects on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell nuclei, where our hypothesis is that pulse disruption of the nuclear envelope membrane leads to observed cell death and decreased viability 24 h post-exposure. To observe short-term responses to nsPEF exposure, CHO cells have been stably transfected with two fluorescently-labeled proteins known to be sequestered for cellular chromosomal function within the nucleus - histone-2b (H2B) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). H2B remains associated with chromatin after nsPEF exposure, whereas PCNA leaks out of nuclei permeabilized by a threshold AD of 10 and 600 ns PEF. A downturn ...

Nuclear speckle fusion via long-range directional motion regulates speckle morphology after transcriptional inhibition

Journal of Cell Science, 2019

Although the formation of RNA-protein bodies has been studied intensively, their mobility and how their number and size are regulated are still poorly understood. Here, we show significant increased mobility of nuclear speckles after transcriptional inhibition, including long-range directed motion of one speckle towards another speckle, terminated by speckle fusion, over distances up to 4 um and with velocities between 0.2-1.5 µm/min. Frequently, 3 or even 4 speckles follow very similar paths, with new speckles appearing along the path followed by a preceding speckle. Speckle movements and fusion events contribute to fewer but larger speckles after transcriptional inhibition. These speckle movements are not actin-dependent, but occur within chromatin-depleted channels enriched with small granules containing the speckle-marker protein SON. Similar long-range speckle movements and fusion events were observed after heat-shock, heavy-metal stress, and during late G2 and early prophase. ...

Nuclear speckle fusion via long-range directional motion regulates the number and size of speckles

Although the formation of RNA-protein bodies has been studied intensively, their mobility and how their number and size are regulated are still poorly understood. Here, we show significant increased mobility of nuclear speckles after transcriptional inhibition, including long-range directed motion of one speckle towards another speckle, terminated by speckle fusion, over distances up to 4 um and with velocities between 0.2-1.5 μm/min. Frequently, 3 or even 4 speckles follow very similar paths, with new speckles appearing along the path followed by a preceding speckle. Speckle movements and fusion events contribute to fewer but larger speckles after transcriptional inhibition. These speckle movements are not actin-dependent, but occur within chromatin-depleted channels enriched with small granules containing the speckle-marker protein SON. Our observations suggest a mechanism for long-range, directed nuclear speckle movements, contributing to overall regulation of nuclear speckle num...

Transcription amplification by nuclear speckle association

A significant fraction of active chromosome regions and genes reproducibly position near nuclear speckles, but the functional significance of this positioning is unknown. Here we show that Hsp70 BAC transgenes and endogenous genes turn on 2-4 mins after heat shock irrespective of their distance to nuclear speckles. However, we observe 12-56-fold and 3-7-fold higher transcription levels for speckle-associated Hsp70 transgenes and endogenous genes, respectively, after 1-2 hrs heat shock. Several fold higher transcription levels for several genes flanking the Hsp70 locus also correlate with speckle-association at 37 °C. Live-cell imaging reveals this modulation of Hsp70 transcription temporally correlates with speckle association/disassociation. Our results demonstrate stochastic gene expression dependent on positioning relative to a liquid-droplet nuclear compartment through a “transcriptional amplification” mechanism distinct from transcriptional bursting.

Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field Only Transiently Affects the Cellular and Molecular Processes of Leydig Cells

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021

The purpose of this study was to verify whether the nanosecond pulsed electric field, not eliciting thermal effects, permanently changes the molecular processes and gene expression of Leydig TM3 cells. The cells were exposed to a moderate electric field (80 quasi-rectangular shape pulses, 60 ns pulse width, and an electric field of 14 kV/cm). The putative disturbances were recorded over 24 h. After exposure to the nanosecond pulsed electric field, a 19% increase in cell diameter, a loss of microvilli, and a 70% reduction in cell adhesion were observed. Some cells showed the nonapoptotic externalization of phosphatidylserine through the pores in the plasma membrane. The cell proportion in the subG1 phase increased by 8% at the expense of the S and G2/M phases, and the DNA was fragmented in a small proportion of the cells. The membrane mitochondrial potential and superoxide content decreased by 37% and 23%, respectively. Microarray’s transcriptome analysis demonstrated a negative tran...