STRUCTURE OF HYPERTROPHIC CENTROSOMES IN HUMAN BREAST TUMORS

我们已经通过免疫荧光和共聚焦显微镜显示 高级别乳腺肿瘤的中心体较大且较多 比正常乳腺组织中的中心体多。此外， 乳腺肿瘤细胞中的中心体被过度磷酸化并被 能够在体外使大量微管成核，如 与来自正常乳腺细胞的中心体相比。我们描述这些 中心体被称为“肥厚性”。试图描述肥厚性疾病的特征 使用CTEM在超微结构水平上的中心体已经被 很难。这至少在一定程度上是由于 相对于细胞总体积的中心体；中心体 在90纳米厚的切片中穿透的细胞很少 6-10微米厚。此外，我们拥有的肥大的中心体 用CTEM观察到的电子特别不透明，使其 难以分辨的微管和其他结构组件 中心体。使用0.5微米和1微米厚度的初步结果 事实证明，这些部分不仅极大地方便了 高密度中心体，但也产生了三维图像 具有迄今为止看不见的结构细节。几种断层摄影术 从癌细胞中重建中心体 当林格尔博士去年夏天访问实验室时。其他内容 重建工作计划在不久的将来进行。

We have shown through immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy that centrosomes of high grade breast tumors are larger and more numerous than centrosomes in normal breast tissue. Additionally, the centrosomes in breast tumor cells are hyperphosphorylated and are capable of nucleating a larger number of microtubules in vitro as compared to centrosomes from normal breast cells. We describe these centrosomes as "hypertrophic". Attempts to characterize hypertrophic centrosomes at an ultrastructural level using CTEM have been difficult. This is due, at least in part, to the small volume of the centrosomes relative to the total volume of the cells; the centrosomes are few and far between in 90 nm thick sections through cells that are 6-10 um thick. In addition, the hypertrophic centrosomes we have observed with CTEM have been especially electron opaque, making it difficult to resolve microtubules and other structural components of the centrosomes. Initial results using 0.5 and 1 micron thick sections have proven not only to greatly facilitate the locating of hypertropic centrosomes, but have also produced 3-dimensional images with heretofore unseen structural detail. Several tomographic reconstructions of centrosomes from cancerous cells were performed when Dr. Lingle visited the laboratory last summer. Additional reconstructions are planned in the near future.