Ruffled Border
Ruffled Border - Related Videos
06:58
Quantification of Membrane Ruffle Formation Using Scanning Electron Microscopy
0 Views •
2025
This video demonstrates sample preparation, fixation, and imaging of a macrophage cell that displays membrane ruffles using scanning electron microscopy, SEM. Detailed information about membrane morphology and organization is crucial for understanding the physiological condition of the cells.
08:05
Visualizing Membrane Ruffle Formation using Scanning Electron Microscopy
0 Views •
Cited by 3 •
2021
Macropinocytosis is a highly conserved endocytic process initiated by the formation of F-actin-rich sheet-like membrane projections, also known as membrane ruffles. Increased rate of macropinocytotic solute internalization has been implicated in various pathological conditions. This protocol presents a method to quantify membrane ruffle formation in vitro using scanning electron microscopy.
03:08
Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase Staining: An In Vitro Technique to Detect TRAP Enzyme-Containing Cultured Osteoclasts
0 Views •
2025
This video demonstrates the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining technique to detect the presence of TRAP-containing granules inside osteoclasts. The technique forms magenta-colored dye granule deposits in the cytoplasm of osteoclasts, rendering them visible under an inverted microscope.
10:27
Spatio-Temporal Manipulation of Small GTPase Activity at Subcellular Level and on Timescale of Seconds in Living Cells
0 Views •
Cited by 7 •
2012
A method for spatio-temporal control of small GTPase activity by light is described. This method is based on rapamycin-induced FKBP-FRB heterodimerization and photo-caging systems. Optimization of light-irradiation enables the spatio-temporally controlled activation of small GTPases at the subcellular level.
04:46
Resorption Pit Assay: An In Vitro Technique to Quantify Calcium Resorption Activity of Mature Osteoclasts using Calcium Phosphate-Coated Culture Plates
0 Views •
2025
In this video, we describe an in vitro osteoclastic resorption assay on calcium phosphate-coated cell culture plates cultured with human peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived osteoclasts. The osteoclasts form a characteristic actin ring on the calcium phosphate-coated matrix of the cell culture plate and degrade the matrix within the actin ring region to release calcium and phosphate ions, resulting in the formation of distinct resorption pits within the degraded matrix.
FAQs
Actin-rich sealing zones create a confined resorption lacuna beneath the osteoclast. This isolation allows acid and lysosomal enzymes to act locally at the bone surface rather than dispersing across the surrounding tissue. The arrangement therefore links cytoskeletal organization with controlled matrix degradation and helps the cell direct resorptive activity to a defined region.
The folds enlarge the membrane surface available for transport and secretion at the bone-facing interface. This expanded domain supports delivery of proton pumps and lysosomal enzymes into the resorption lacuna, strengthening the cell’s ability to modify both mineral and organic components of bone. Fold organization is therefore functionally connected to resorption capacity.
Proton pumps acidify the isolated lacuna, creating the chemical environment needed for mineral breakdown. Secreted lysosomal enzymes then digest the organic bone matrix within that resorptive compartment. Their complementary activities allow osteoclasts to process the two major components of mineralized bone, rather than relying on acidification or enzymatic digestion alone.
Examining ruffled-border formation and function can reveal how osteoclasts organize the interface required for bone degradation. Alterations may help connect cellular structure with abnormal resorption, including the changes associated with osteoporosis or osteopetrosis. Such analysis provides a cellular perspective on disorders in which bone remodeling is disturbed.
Proper activity at this membrane domain contributes to normal bone remodeling, calcium homeostasis, and skeletal development. Because osteoclast-mediated degradation must be coordinated with the broader maintenance of bone, defects in the interface can have consequences beyond a single resorption site. The structure is therefore relevant to both tissue physiology and skeletal biology.
The ruffled border offers a focused cellular feature for studying abnormal osteoclast function. Researchers can relate its formation and activity to diseases involving altered bone resorption, such as osteoporosis and osteopetrosis. This connection helps place disease mechanisms within the sequence of membrane specialization, lacuna formation, acidification, and matrix degradation.