Abstract
Ferritin solutions were microinjected into the ground cytoplasm of intact amebae. At several time-intervals after injection the cells were fixed and the distribution of the protein in various organelles was studied with the aid of the electron microscope. Individual molecules of ferritin were found randomly dispersed throughout the ground cytoplasm and the ground nucleoplasm. Within the mitochondria, the ferritin was localized between the outer and inner membranes. Aggregates of ferritin were found in vacuoles, some of which could be identified as food vacuoles. The findings, which provide evidence for a rapid penetration of large molecules into the nucleus, the outer compartment of the mitochondria, and the digestive vacuoles, are discussed in relation to other reports on intracellular permeability.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (776.0 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- ANDERSON E., BEAMS H. W. Evidence from electron micrographs for the passage of material through pores of the nuclear membrane. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1956 Jul 25;2(4 Suppl):439–444. doi: 10.1083/jcb.2.4.439. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BESSIS M., BRETON-GORIUS J. [Various aspects of iron in the organism. I. Ferritin and ferruginous micelles]. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1959 Oct;6:231–236. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BESSIS M., CAROLI J. A comparative study of hemochromatosis by electron microscopy. Gastroenterology. 1959 Nov;37:538–549. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BRACHET J. Action of ribonuclease and ribonucleic acid on living amoebae. Nature. 1955 May 14;175(4463):851–853. doi: 10.1038/175851a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- FARRANT J. L. An electron microscopic study of ferritin. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1954 Apr;13(4):569–576. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(54)90376-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- FELDHERR C. M., FELDHERR A. B. The nuclear membrane as a barrier to the free diffusion of proteins. Nature. 1960 Jan 23;185:250–251. doi: 10.1038/185250a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- GOLDSTEIN L. Localization of nucleusspecific protein as shown by transplantation experiments in Amoeba proteus. Exp Cell Res. 1958 Dec;15(3):635–637. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(58)90118-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HARDING C. V., FELDHERR C. Semipermeability of the nuclear membrane in the intact cell. J Gen Physiol. 1959 Jul 20;42(6):1155–1165. doi: 10.1085/jgp.42.6.1155. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- KERR D. N., MUIR A. R. A demonstration of the structure and disposition of ferritin in the human liver cell. J Ultrastruct Res. 1960 Feb;3:313–319. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(60)80017-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- KUFF E. L., DALTON A. J. Identification of molecular ferritin in homogenates and sections of rat liver. J Ultrastruct Res. 1957 Nov;1(1):62–73. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(57)80013-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- RICHTER G. W. Intranuclear aggregates of ferritin in liver cells of mice treated with saccharated iron oxide. Their possible relation to nuclear protein synthesis. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1961 Feb;9:263–270. doi: 10.1083/jcb.9.2.263. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SEHON A. H., RICHTER M. Studies on ragweed pollen. IV. Isolation and characterization of an allergenic fraction from ragweed pollen. J Immunol. 1959 Mar;82(3):190–197. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- WATSON M. L. Further observations on the nuclear envelope of the animal cell. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1959 Oct;6:147–156. doi: 10.1083/jcb.6.2.147. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]