José M. Estevez*, Eduardo J. Cáceres**

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 181-187, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.181

Abstract The present study analyzed several characters of the red seaweed Gymnogongrus torulosus, such as cellular structure of the thallus, cuticle, pit plug and cell wall ultrastructure, and morphology of some organelles like plastids, Golgi bodies and mitochondria. Also, anomalous chloroplasts with thylakoid disorganization were found in medullary cells. The significance of this thylakoid disposition is still unclear. This is one of the first studies focused on the fine structure of a red alga recorded in Argentina. More >

T.L. Rose*, V.M. Gomes*, M. Da Cunha**, K.V.S. Fernandes***, J. Xavier-Filho***

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 173-179, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.173

Abstract Vicilins (7S storage proteins) found in various legume seeds have been previously shown to interfere with the germination of spores or conidia of phytopathogenic fungi and inhibit yeast growth and glucose stimulated acidification of the medium by yeast cells. In the present work vicilins from cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds were added to the growth medium of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and Fusarium oxysporum conidia. Helix pomatia lectin, wheat germ agglutinin and Ulex europaeus lectin were used to identify differences in the binding of the vicilins to the surface of cells of S. cerevisiae and F. oxysporum treated with this protein. After the growth More >

Alicia B. Penissi*, María I. Rudolph**, Ramón S. Piezzi*

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 163-172, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.163

Abstract The purpose of this review, based on studies from our laboratory as well as from others, is to summarize salient features of mast cell immunobiology and to describe their associations with gastrointestinal mucosal defense. Gastrointestinal mast cells are involved in many pathologic effects, such as food hypersensitivity. On the other hand, they also play a protective role in defense against parasitic and microbial infections. Thus, they have both positive and negative effects, but presently the mechanisms that control the balance of these various effects are poorly known. It has been suggested that stabilization of mast… More >

Gabriela Perdigón^1,2, Mónica Locascio¹, Marta Medici¹, Aida Pesce de Ruiz Holagado^1,2, Guillermo Oliver¹

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 1-9, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.001

Abstract Bifidobacteria are predominant in the lumen of the large intestine and confer various health benefits on the host. They are also used in the preparation of new fermented milks (bioyogurts) or added to conventional yogurt to generate probiotic effects. The colonization of the gut by bacteria tends to be host specific due partly to the way in which bacteria adhere to the intestinal wall. Using a homologous strain of Bifidobacterium animalis in an experimental mouse model, we analyzed by immunofluorescence labelledbacteria and transmission electronic microscopy the importance of this bacterial interaction with epithelial an immune cells… More >

A. Farías, G.N. Hermida, L.E. Fiorito

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 19-28, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.019

Abstract The ultrastructure of the intermediate segment (IS), distal tubule and collecting tubule (CT) of the south american toad Bufo arenarum, was studied by light and transmission electron microscopy. The IS is composed of cubical ciliated cells which propel the urine along the renal tubule. The distal tubule is divided into two portions: the early distal tubule (EDT) and the late distal tubule (LDT). The EDT is characterized by only one type of cells with well developed basolateral interdigitations and numerous elongated mitochondria, which are oriented normal to the basal surface. The “macula densa - like” is… More >

I.Noher de Halac^1,2, I.A. Cismondi², M.I. Rodriguez-García³, G.Famá

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 11-18, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.011

Abstract Cell wall pectins are some of the most complex biopolymers known, and yet their functions remain largely mysterious. The aim of this paper was to deepen the study of the spatial pattern of pectin distribution in the aperture of Oenothera hookeri.velans ster/+ster fertile pollen. We used “in situ” immunocytochemical techniques at electron microscopy, involving monoclonal antibodies JIM5 and JIM7 directed against pectin epitopes in fertile pollen grains of Oenothera hookeri.velans ster/+ster. The same region was also analyzed by classical cytochemistry for polysaccharide detection. Immunogold labelling at the JIM7 epitope showed only in mature pollen labelling mainly located… More >

Concepción Marino¹, María T. Ponce^1,*, María E. Videla², Sonia Fioretti³, Miguel Cirrincione¹

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 57-60, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.057

Abstract Glandularia perakii is a perennial species with beautiful violet flowers that grows in the stony soil of Mendocine pedemont. A plentiful and prolonged flowering confers it an important ornamental potential. In this paper, a method of propagation of G. perakii from nodal segments is reported. Proliferating microshoot cultures were obtained by placing nodal segment on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) supplemented with 20 g.L^-1 of sucrose without growth regulators. In this medium multiplication rate after 20 days was 7.9. Rooted plants were acclimatized successfully . More >

T.H. Satoh², T.A. Surmacz³, O. Nyormoi⁴, C.M. Whitacre¹

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 47-55, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.047

Abstract This study shows a strong association between cell attachment to substratum and activation of β1-integrin-signaling with resistance to the camptothecin derivative topotecan (TPT) in breast cancer cells. We propose a mechanistic-driven approach to sensitize the cells to camptothecins. ZR-75-1 anchoragedependent breast cancer cell line, its derivative 9D3S suspension cells (9D3S-S), and 9D3S cells attached to fibronectin-coated plates (9D3S-A) were treated with TPT (1 µM) or CPT-11 (40 µM) for 48 h. Programmed cell death (PCD), as shown by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), pro-caspase-3 and pro-caspase-9 cleavage, was observed in 9D3S-S cells but not in ZR-75-1 or More >

A. Sánchez Riera, A. Daud, A. Gallo, S. Genta, M. Aybar, S. Sánchez

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 37-46, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.037

Abstract Amphibians respond to microbial infection through cellular and humoral defense mechanisms such as antimicrobial protein secretion. Most humoral defense proteins are synthetized in the skin. In this study we isolated two β-galactoside-binding lectins with molecular weights of 50 and 56 KDa from the skin of Bufo arenarum. These lectins have significant hemagglutination activity against trypsinized rabbit erythrocytes, which was inhibited by galactose-containing saccharides. They are water-soluble and independent of the presence of calcium. The antimicrobial analysis for each lectin was performed. At µmolar concentration lectins show strong bacteriostatic activity against Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli K12 4100 More >

R. Yunes, G.F. Doncel, A.A. Acosta

BIOCELL, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 29-36, 2003, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2003.27.029

Abstract Our objective was to study the incidence of sperm-tail phosphotyrosine immunoreactivity in normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic human sperm samples, its association with sperm motion parameters, particularly hyperactivated motility, and its potential involvement in the pathogenesis of asthenozoospermia. The work was conducted as a prospective experimental study in the Sperm Biology and Andrology laboratories of the Jones Institute, a medical school-based fertility center. The study subjects were healthy fertile male donors (normozoospermic samples) and infertile patients (asthenozoospermic samples) attending the center. Recently ejaculated semen samples were washed twice to eliminate seminal plasma and a swim-up was performed… More >