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Extracts Prepared from a Canadian Toxic Plant Induce Light-Dependent Perinuclear Vacuoles in Human Cells Tuescher, Jan M.; Beck, Chad R.; Spencer, Locke; Yeremy, Benjamin; Shi, Yutong; Andersen, Raymond J.; Golsteyn, Roy M.

Abstract

We are investigating plant species from the Canadian prairie ecological zone by phenotypic cell assays to discover toxins of biological interest. We provide the first report of the effects of extracts prepared from the shrub Symphoricarpos occidentalis in several human cell lines. S. occidentalis (Caprifoliaceae) extracts are cytotoxic, and, strikingly, treated cells undergo light-dependent vacuolation near the nucleus. The range of irradiation is present in standard ambient light and lies in the visible range (400-700 nm). Vacuolization in treated cells can be induced with specific wavelengths of 408 or 660 nm at 1 J/cm² energies. Vacuolated cells show a striking phenotype of a large perinuclear vacuole (nuclear associated vacuole, NAV) that is distinct from vesicles observed by treatment with an autophagy-inducing agent. Treatment with S. occidentalis extracts and light induces an intense lamin A/C signal at the junction of a nuclear vacuole and the nucleus. Further study of S. occidentalis extracts and vacuolation provide chemical tools that may contribute to the understanding of nuclear envelope organization and human cell biology.

Item Metadata

Title
Extracts Prepared from a Canadian Toxic Plant Induce Light-Dependent Perinuclear Vacuoles in Human Cells
Creator
Tuescher, Jan M.; Beck, Chad R.; Spencer, Locke; Yeremy, Benjamin; Shi, Yutong; Andersen, Raymond J.; Golsteyn, Roy M.
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2021-02-12
Description
We are investigating plant species from the Canadian prairie ecological zone by phenotypic cell assays to discover toxins of biological interest. We provide the first report of the effects of extracts prepared from the shrub Symphoricarpos occidentalis in several human cell lines. S. occidentalis (Caprifoliaceae) extracts are cytotoxic, and, strikingly, treated cells undergo light-dependent vacuolation near the nucleus. The range of irradiation is present in standard ambient light and lies in the visible range (400-700 nm). Vacuolization in treated cells can be induced with specific wavelengths of 408 or 660 nm at 1 J/cm² energies. Vacuolated cells show a striking phenotype of a large perinuclear vacuole (nuclear associated vacuole, NAV) that is distinct from vesicles observed by treatment with an autophagy-inducing agent. Treatment with S. occidentalis extracts and light induces an intense lamin A/C signal at the junction of a nuclear vacuole and the nucleus. Further study of S. occidentalis extracts and vacuolation provide chemical tools that may contribute to the understanding of nuclear envelope organization and human cell biology.
Subject
Canada; Caprifoliaceae; laminopathies; lamins A/C; nuclear associated vacuole (NAV), nucleus; Pelger-Huët Anomaly; Symphoricarpos occidentalis
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2021-02-26
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0395979
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/77400
Affiliation
Science, Faculty of; Non UBC; Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of
Citation
Toxins 13 (2): 138 (2021)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/toxins13020138
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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CC BY 4.0