Decorin binds near the C terminus of type I collagen

Corneal collagen fibril structure in three dimensions: Structural insights into fibril assembly, mechanical properties, and tissue organization

The ability of the cornea to transmit light while being mechanically resilient is directly attributable to the formation of an extracellular matrix containing orthogonal sheets of collagen fibrils. The detailed structure of the fibrils and how this structure underpins the mechanical properties and organization of the cornea is understood poorly. In this study, we used automated electron tomography to study the three-dimensional organization of molecules in corneal collagen fibrils. The reconstructions show that the collagen molecules in the 36-nm diameter collagen fibrils are organized into microfibrils (approximately 4-nm diameter) that are tilted by approximately 15 degrees to the fibril long axis in a right-handed helix. An unexpected finding was that the microfibrils exhibit a constant-tilt angle independent of radial position within the fibril. This feature suggests that microfibrils in concentric layers are not always parallel to each other and cannot retain the same neighbors between layers. Analysis of the lateral structure shows that the microfibrils exhibit regions of order and disorder within the 67-nm axial repeat of collagen fibrils. Furthermore, the microfibrils are ordered at three specific regions of the axial repeat of collagen fibrils that correspond to the N- and C-telopeptides and the d-band of the gap zone. The reconstructions also show macromolecules binding to the fibril surface at sites that correspond precisely to where the microfibrils are most orderly.

Biglycan and decorin bind close to the n-terminal region of the collagen VI triple helix

The binding of native biglycan and decorin to pepsin-extracted collagen VI from human placenta was examined by solid phase assay and by measurement of surface plasmon resonance in the BIAcore(TM)2000 system. Both proteoglycans exhibited a strong affinity for collagen VI with dissociation constants (K(D)) of approximately 30 nm. Removal of the glycosaminoglycan chains by chondroitinase ABC digestion did not significantly affect binding. In coprecipitation experiments, biglycan and decorin bound to collagen VI and equally competed with the other, suggesting that biglycan and decorin bind to the same binding site on collagen VI. This was confirmed by electron microscopy after negative staining of complexes between gold-labeled proteoglycans and collagen VI, demonstrating that both biglycan and decorin bound exclusively to a domain close to the interface between the N terminus of the triple helical region and the following globular domain. In solid phase assay using recombinant collagen VI fragments, it was shown that the alpha2(VI) chain probably plays a role in the interaction.

Murine fibromodulin: cDNA and genomic structure, and age-related expression and distribution in the knee joint

The genomic structure of murine fibromodulin was determined, and its age-related expression and distribution were characterized in knee epiphyses, with decorin studied for reference. Fibromodulin, as well as decorin, have roles in collagen fibrillogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. The murine fibromodulin gene, Fmod, was similar with that in other species, with three exons and 86% of the translated sequence in exon 2. The 2.7 kb long cDNA contains an open reading frame of 1131 nt. Fibromodulin mRNA levels were highest in tissues rich in fibrillar collagens type I or type II. During growth, the distribution of fibromodulin mRNA was similar with that of type II collagen, with the highest levels between 5 days and 1 month of age. Thereafter, the expression of type II collagen declined to a level near the detection limit, whereas the fibromodulin expression decreased less markedly to a level of approx. 35% of maximum, and remained constant throughout the rest of the observation period. In contrast, decorin mRNA levels were the highest in old animals. Pericellular deposition of fibromodulin was strong around the late-hypertrophic chondrocytes of the secondary ossification centre and in the growth plate. In young epiphyses, both fibromodulin and decorin were found interterritorially, mainly in the uncalcified and deep-calcified cartilage. In the old mice, calcified cartilage became enriched with regard to fibromodulin, while, in contrast, decorin deposition diminished, particularly near the tidemark. In the subchondral bone trabeculae, decorin was found in the endosteum of growing, but not in the mature, epiphyses. Differences in the expression and distribution profiles suggest different roles for fibromodulin and decorin in the regulation of collagen fibrillogenesis, maintenance of the fibril organization and matrix mineralization. As fibromodulin is deposited closer to cells than decorin, it may have a primary role in collagen fibrillogenesis, whereas decorin might be involved in the maintenance of fibril structures in the interterritorial matrix.

Mechanical strain induces specific changes in the synthesis and organization of proteoglycans by vascular smooth muscle cells

In the mechanically active environment of the artery, cells sense mechanical stimuli and regulate extracellular matrix structure. In this study, we explored the changes in synthesis of proteoglycans by vascular smooth muscle cells in response to precisely controlled mechanical strains. Strain increased mRNA for versican (3.2-fold), biglycan (2.0-fold), and perlecan (2.0-fold), whereas decorin mRNA levels decreased to a third of control levels. Strain also increased versican, biglycan, and perlecan core proteins, with a concomitant decrease in decorin core protein. Deformation did not alter the hydrodynamic size of proteoglycans as evidenced by molecular sieve chromatography but increased sulfate incorporation in both chondroitin/dermatan sulfate proteoglycans and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (p < 0.05 for both). Using DNA microarrays, we also identified the gene for the hyaluronan-linking protein TSG6 as mechanically induced in smooth muscle cells. Northern analysis confirmed a 4.0-fold increase in steady state mRNA for TSG6 following deformation. Size exclusion chromatography under associative conditions showed that versican-hyaluronan aggregation was enhanced following deformation. These data demonstrate that mechanical deformation increases specific vascular smooth muscle cell proteoglycan synthesis and aggregation, indicating a highly coordinated extracellular matrix response to biomechanical stimulation.

Differential expression of lumican and fibromodulin regulate collagen fibrillogenesis in developing mouse tendons

Collagen fibrillogenesis is finely regulated during development of tissue-specific extracellular matrices. The role(s) of a leucine-rich repeat protein subfamily in the regulation of fibrillogenesis during tendon development were defined. Lumican-, fibromodulin-, and double-deficient mice demonstrated disruptions in fibrillogenesis. With development, the amount of lumican decreases to barely detectable levels while fibromodulin increases significantly, and these changing patterns may regulate this process. Electron microscopic analysis demonstrated structural abnormalities in the fibrils and alterations in the progression through different assembly steps. In lumican-deficient tendons, alterations were observed early and the mature tendon was nearly normal. Fibromodulin-deficient tendons were comparable with the lumican-null in early developmental periods and acquired a severe phenotype by maturation. The double-deficient mice had a phenotype that was additive early and comparable with the fibromodulin-deficient mice at maturation. Therefore, lumican and fibromodulin both influence initial assembly of intermediates and the entry into fibril growth, while fibromodulin facilitates the progression through growth steps leading to mature fibrils. The observed increased ratio of fibromodulin to lumican and a competition for the same binding site could mediate these transitions. These studies indicate that lumican and fibromodulin have different developmental stage and leucine-rich repeat protein specific functions in the regulation of fibrillogenesis.