The perinucleolar region represents a special nuclear compartment involved in the cell malignancy and the perinucleolar heterochromatin reflects the presence of silent genes. The present study was undertaken to provide complementary and missing information on the perinucleolar heterochromatin in differentiating neutrophils in the bone marrow of patients with the chronic myeloid leukemia. That lineage is a very convenient model because of the increased number of granulocytic precursors that is satisfactory for size as well as optical density measurements in single cells. Moreover, the differentiation stages of neutrophils are well defined and easily identified. According to diameter measurements the enlarged width of the perinucleolar heterochromatin shell accompanied the decreasing nucleolar size in advanced stages of the cell differentiation. Such trend was not influenced by the anti-leukemic therapy with imatinib. Thus the increasing size of the perinucleolar heterochromatin shell with silent genes might reflect the genomic stability of the perinucleolar region during the cell differentiation. On the other hand, the increased perinucleolar heterochromatin condensation after the specific anti-leukemic therapy with imatinib indicated a “premature terminal differentiation” of leukemic neutrophils.
- MeSH
- Benzamides therapeutic use MeSH
- Cell Differentiation * genetics immunology drug effects MeSH
- Cell Nucleus * genetics microbiology pathology MeSH
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive drug therapy genetics immunology MeSH
- Heterochromatin * genetics immunology pathology MeSH
- Bone Marrow immunology drug effects MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Models, Genetic MeSH
- Neutrophils immunology pathology drug effects MeSH
- Piperazines therapeutic use MeSH
- Granulocyte Precursor Cells immunology pathology drug effects MeSH
- Pyrimidines therapeutic use MeSH
- Statistics as Topic MeSH
- Cell Nucleus Structures genetics immunology microbiology MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
The appearance of heterochromatin is generally accepted as a useful tool for the evaluation of the cell state including pathology; however, information on the heterochromatin DNA condensation state expressed by the image optical density in interphase nuclear regions and mitotic chromosomes with silent genes is very limited. Since human proliferating myeloblasts are a very convenient model, they were studied in the bone marrow of leukemic patients and established cell cultures using computer assisted image densitometry at the single cell level after heterochromatin visualization by a simple but sensitive cytochemical procedure for demonstration of DNA. As was expected, a high DNA image optical density was noted in central heterochromatin regions in contrast to the nuclear periphery at the nuclear envelope. Similarly, a high nuclear DNA image optical density was also expressed in mitotic chromosomes. Thus the possibility exists that the large heterochromatin DNA condensation expressed by the large image optical density in central nuclear regions, as in mitotic chromosomes, is related to silent gene locations. The similar width of mitotic chromosomes and chromatin fibrils in the heterochromatin regions in the interphase nuclei supports that explanation. The chromatin DNA fibrils in the central heterochromatin nuclear regions of interphase cells might just represent masked silent chromosomal segments. Such a conclusion is in harmony with “classical” cytology in the first part of the last century, which suggests the chromosome continuity from the mitotic division to the interphase where each chromatin region (“Kernbezirk”) actually represents a chromosomal territory.
- MeSH
- Staining and Labeling MeSH
- Chromatin genetics isolation & purification MeSH
- Chromosomes genetics MeSH
- DNA, Neoplasm genetics MeSH
- Financing, Organized MeSH
- Heterochromatin genetics isolation & purification MeSH
- Leukemia etiology genetics MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Microscopy methods utilization MeSH
- Cell Line, Tumor MeSH
- Granulocyte Precursor Cells cytology immunology MeSH
- Cell Proliferation MeSH
- Cell Nucleus Structures genetics MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- MeSH
- Cytokinesis genetics radiation effects MeSH
- Financing, Organized MeSH
- Radiation, Ionizing MeSH
- Blood radiation effects MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Lymphocytes cytology radiation effects MeSH
- Micronucleus Tests methods utilization MeSH
- Radiation Effects MeSH
- Radiometry methods utilization MeSH
- Statistics as Topic MeSH
- Cell Nucleus Structures genetics radiation effects MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- MeSH
- Spindle Apparatus genetics ultrastructure MeSH
- Centrosome genetics ultrastructure MeSH
- Research Support as Topic MeSH
- Microtubule Proteins ultrastructure MeSH
- Microtubule-Organizing Center physiology ultrastructure MeSH
- Cell Nucleus Structures genetics ultrastructure MeSH
- Tubulin genetics ultrastructure MeSH
- Publication type
- Review MeSH
- MeSH
- Cell Nucleus genetics ultrastructure MeSH
- Eukaryotic Cells cytology ultrastructure MeSH
- Gene Expression physiology genetics MeSH
- Financing, Organized MeSH
- Genes, rRNA physiology genetics MeSH
- Histocytochemistry methods utilization MeSH
- Nucleolus Organizer Region genetics ultrastructure MeSH
- Gene Expression Regulation, Plant genetics MeSH
- DNA, Ribosomal genetics ultrastructure MeSH
- Plant Cells enzymology ultrastructure MeSH
- Plants MeSH
- Cell Nucleus Structures genetics ultrastructure MeSH
- MeSH
- Apoptosis physiology genetics MeSH
- Biomarkers MeSH
- Cell Biology * organization & administration instrumentation trends MeSH
- Biomedical Research methods trends MeSH
- Cell Differentiation physiology genetics immunology MeSH
- Cell Membrane physiology genetics immunology MeSH
- Cell Nucleolus physiology genetics classification MeSH
- Cytoskeleton physiology genetics MeSH
- Financing, Organized MeSH
- Intranuclear Space physiology ultrastructure MeSH
- Nuclear Matrix physiology microbiology MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Microtubules physiology genetics MeSH
- Mitochondria physiology genetics MeSH
- Cell Nucleus Structures physiology genetics MeSH
- Telomerase physiology genetics MeSH
- Investigative Techniques MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
