ABSTRACT
Motile human-skin fibroblasts form macroscopic swirling patterns when grown to confluence on a culture dish. In this paper, we investigate the effect of coating the culture-dish surface with collagen on the resulting pattern, using human-skin fibroblast NB1RGB cells as the model system. The presence of the collagen coating is expected to enhance the adherence of the fibroblasts to the dish surface, and thereby also enhance the traction that the fibroblasts have as they move. We find that, contrary to our initial expectation, the coating does not significantly affect the motility of the fibroblasts. Their eventual number density at confluence is also unaffected. However, the coherence length of cell orientation in the swirling pattern is diminished. We also find that the fibroblasts cultured in collagen-coated dishes are rounder in shape and shorter in perimeter, compared with those cultured in uncoated polystyrene or glass culture dishes. We hypothesise that the rounder cell-shape which weakens the cell-cell nematic contact interaction is responsible for the change in coherence length. A simple mathematical model of the migrating fibroblasts is constructed, which demonstrates that constant motility with weaker nematic interaction strength does indeed lead to the shortening of the coherence length.
Subject(s)
Cell Shape/drug effects , Collagen/pharmacology , Fibroblasts/cytology , Fibroblasts/drug effects , Cell Culture Techniques , Cell Line , Cell Movement/drug effects , HumansABSTRACT
Rings or arcs of fungus-stimulated plant growth occur worldwide; these are commonly referred to as "fairy rings". In 2010, we discovered 2-azahypoxanthine (AHX), a compound responsible for the fairy-ring phenomenon caused by fungus; AHX stimulated the growth of all the plants tested. Herein, we reveal the isolation and structure determination of a common metabolite of AHX in plants, 2-aza-8-oxohypoxanthine (AOH). AHX is chemically synthesized from 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA), and AHX can be converted into AOH by xanthine oxidase. AICA is one of the members of the purine metabolic pathway in animals, plants, and microorganisms. However, further metabolism of AICA remains elusive. Based on these results and facts, we hypothesized that plants themselves produce AHX and AOH through a pathway similar to the chemical synthesis. Herein, we demonstrate the existence of endogenous AHX and AOH and a novel purine pathway to produce them in plants.
Subject(s)
Hypoxanthines/metabolism , Oryza/metabolism , Purines/metabolism , Crystallography, X-Ray , Hypoxanthines/chemical synthesis , Hypoxanthines/chemistry , Molecular Conformation , Purines/chemistry , Xanthine Oxidase/metabolismABSTRACT
Makomotindoline (1) was isolated from Makomotake, Zizania latifolia infected with Ustilago esculenta. The structure was determined by the interpretation of spectroscopic data and synthesis. Makomotindoline (1), its l-Glc isomer (2) and its aglycon (3) were synthesized and their effects on rat glioma cells showed adverse effects on the cell growth.
