[Increase in the number of contacts of endoplasmic reticulum with mitochondria and plasma membrane in yeast cells stimulated to division with He-Ne laser light]

Tsitologiia. 2004;46(6):498-505.
[Article in Russian]

Abstract

We studied the ultrastructure of Torulopsis sphaerica yeast cells irradiated with He-Ne laser (lambda = 632.8 nm, dose--460 J/m2) and then cultured for 6 h in the nutrient with 1% glucose by aeration. The length of membranes of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the number of its associations with mitochondria (M) and plasma membrane (PM) were measured on ultrathin sections. A distance of less than 50 nm between heterogeneous membranes was considered as an "association". The cells from irradiated cultures are characterized by the following features: 1) the length of cortical ER membranes in relation to cellular perimeter, and the length of perinuclear ER membranes in relation to nuclear perimeter increase, resp., by 21 and 79%; 2) the number of ER-PM associations per cellular section, and that per unit of PM length increase, resp., by 26 and 41%; 3) the number of ER-M association in relation to the total mitochondrial perimeter, and to perimitochondrial ER increase by 80 and 87%, resp. The latter may be associated with Ca2+ uptake by mitochondria associated with ER, which results in activation of respiration and ATP production.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Cell Membrane / radiation effects
  • Cell Membrane / ultrastructure
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / metabolism
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / radiation effects
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / ultrastructure
  • Helium
  • Lasers*
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • Mitochondria / metabolism
  • Mitochondria / radiation effects
  • Mitochondria / ultrastructure
  • Neon
  • Yeasts / metabolism
  • Yeasts / radiation effects*
  • Yeasts / ultrastructure

Substances

  • Helium
  • Neon