Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia.
Apoptosis. 2019 Dec;24(11-12):862-877. doi: 10.1007/s10495-019-01565-5.
During apoptosis, dying cells undergo dynamic morphological changes that ultimately lead to their disassembly into fragments called apoptotic bodies (ApoBDs). Reorganisation of the cytoskeletal structures is key in driving various apoptotic morphologies, including the loss of cell adhesion and membrane bleb formation. However, whether cytoskeletal components are also involved in morphological changes that occur later during apoptosis, such as the recently described generation of thin apoptotic membrane protrusions called apoptopodia and subsequent ApoBD formation, is not well defined. Through monitoring the progression of apoptosis by confocal microscopy, specifically focusing on the apoptopodia formation step, we characterised the presence of F-actin and microtubules in a subset of apoptopodia generated by T cells and monocytes. Interestingly, targeting actin polymerisation and microtubule assembly pharmacologically had no major effect on apoptopodia formation. These data demonstrate apoptopodia as a novel type of membrane protrusion that could be formed in the absence of actin polymerisation and microtubule assembly.
在细胞凋亡过程中，垂死的细胞会经历动态的形态变化，最终导致它们分解成称为凋亡小体（ApoBDs）的碎片。细胞骨架结构的重组是驱动各种凋亡形态的关键，包括细胞黏附的丧失和细胞膜泡的形成。然而，细胞骨架成分是否也参与了细胞凋亡过程中发生的形态变化，例如最近描述的称为凋亡足的薄的凋亡细胞膜突起的产生以及随后的凋亡小体形成，目前还没有明确的定义。通过共聚焦显微镜监测细胞凋亡的进展，特别是关注凋亡足形成的步骤，我们在 T 细胞和单核细胞产生的一组凋亡足中鉴定出 F-肌动蛋白和微管的存在。有趣的是，通过药理学方法靶向肌动蛋白聚合和微管组装对凋亡足的形成没有重大影响。这些数据表明，凋亡足是一种新型的膜突起，可以在没有肌动蛋白聚合和微管组装的情况下形成。
