Robertson A M, Bird C C, Waddell A W, Currie A R
J Pathol. 1978 Nov;126(3):181-7. doi: 10.1002/path.1711260307.
Morphological aspects of cell death associated with a cytolethal concentration of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (500 micrograms/ml) on the BLA1 lymphoblastoid cell line were studied over a 48-hr incubation period by light, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Studies revealed two distinctive morphological changes induced by the steroid from 1 hr onwards after treatment. One showed contortion and "blebbing" of the cytoplasm and nucleus accompanied or followed by nuclear pyknosis, resulting in the formation of membrane-bounded bodies containing apparently normal cytoplasmic organelles with or without nuclear fragments. The other showed "rounding up" of the cell with loss of cytoplasmic protrusions and long slender surface processes, aggregation of well-preserved cytoplasmic organelles, accompanied by nuclear pyknosis and fragmentation. In both cases many of the features are typical of apoptosis. The subsequent degeneration of cells and fragments not unexpectedly resembled in vitro autolysis. This in-vitro system is suitable for studying the early biochemical events and intracellular control mechanisms of apoptosis.
在48小时的孵育期内，通过光学显微镜、透射电子显微镜和扫描电子显微镜，研究了细胞致死浓度的琥珀酸钠甲泼尼龙（500微克/毫升）对BLA1淋巴母细胞系细胞死亡的形态学影响。研究显示，处理后1小时起，类固醇诱导出两种明显的形态变化。一种表现为细胞质和细胞核扭曲、“起泡”，随后出现核固缩，形成含有明显正常细胞质细胞器且有或没有核碎片的膜结合体。另一种表现为细胞“变圆”，细胞质突起和细长表面突起消失，保存完好的细胞质细胞器聚集，同时伴有核固缩和碎片化。在这两种情况下，许多特征都是典型的细胞凋亡。细胞及其碎片随后的退化不出所料地类似于体外自溶。这个体外系统适用于研究细胞凋亡的早期生化事件和细胞内控制机制。
