Majia here: Cesium is shown in this study to adversely affect embryonic cell fusion in chickens. I imagine similar effects must impact all mammals. The researchers also speculate that cesium causes adverse affects for mitochondrial functioning.
Effects of Cesium on
in vitro Myoblast Differentiation: An Electron Microscopic Study Walter
Malorni, Pietro L. Indovina, Giuseppe Arancia, Stefania Meschini and Maria T.
Santini In
Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology
Vol. 26, No. 4 (Apr., 1990) (pp. 399-410)
[Excerpted from ABSTRACT] This paper describes the microscopic evidence
supporting a cesium-induced delay in the fusion
of chick embryo myoblast membranes during in vitro myogenic differentiation. We
have recently demonstrated that the sharp decrease in the conductivity and
permittivity of the membranes of these myogenic cells at the time of fusion is
delayed 30 h by the addition of cesium to the
culture medium (Santini et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 945:56-64; 1988).
We
report here that this delay in fusion is substantiated by direct microscopic
observation and that cesium also induces
ultrastructural changes in the myoblast cells themselves. Possible mechanisms
by which cesium may cause both the delay in
fusion as well as the ultrastructural changes observed are discussed.
[excerpted MANUSCRIPT TEXT pp 408-409] Mitochondria
may also be affected by cesium-induced perturbation
of the ionic
equilibrium in myoblast cells. The mechanisms by which
cesium is affecting membrane fusion and ultrastructural morphology are not yet
clearly understood. The fact remains, however, that this ion is without a doubt
delaying membrane fusion and inducing changes in subcellular organelles.
Although we have suggested that the main mode of action of cesium is to disrupt
the ionic equilibrium of the myoblasts, we cannot rule out other possible
effects of this ion. For instance, agents that inhibit cytoskeletal integrity
and function such as cytochalasin B (Croop and Holtzer, 1975) or colchicine
(Bischoff and Holtzer, 1968) can inhibit myoblast fusion as well. (pp.
408-409). [END]
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