Changes in the expression of annexin A5 gene during in vitro chondrocyte differentiation: influence of cell attachment

Time-dependent proteomic and genomic alterations in Toll-like receptor-4-activated human chondrocytes: increased expression of lamin A/C and annexins

Activation of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) in articular chondrocytes increases the catabolic compartment and leads to matrix degradation during the development of osteoarthritis. In this study, we determined the proteomic and genomic alterations in human chondrocytes during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and consequences of TLR-4 activation. Human chondrocytes were cultured with LPS for 12, 24, and 36 h to induce TLR-4 activation. The TLR-4-induced inflammatory response was confirmed by real-time PCR analysis of increased interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) expression levels. In TLR-4-activated chondrocytes, proteomic changes were determined by two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectroscopy analysis, and genomic changes were determined by microarray and gene ontology analyses. Proteomics analysis identified 26 proteins with significantly altered expression levels; these proteins were related to the cytoskeleton and oxidative stress responses. Gene ontology analysis indicated that LPS treatment altered specific functional pathways including ‘chemotaxis’, ‘hematopoietic organ development’, ‘positive regulation of cell proliferation’, and ‘regulation of cytokine biosynthetic process’. Nine of the 26 identified proteins displayed the same increased expression patterns in both proteomics and genomics analyses. Western blot analysis confirmed the LPS-induced increases in expression levels of lamin A/C and annexins 4/5/6. In conclusion, this study identified the time-dependent genomic, proteomic, and functional pathway alterations that occur in chondrocytes during LPS-induced TLR-4 activation. These results provide valuable new insights into the underlying mechanisms that control the development and progression of osteoarthritis.

Quantitative proteomics provides new insights into chicken eggshell matrix protein functions during the primary events of mineralisation and the active calcification phase

Eggshell is a bioceramic composed of 95% calcium carbonate mineral and 3.5% organic matrix. Its structural organisation is controlled by its organic matrix. We have used quantitative proteomics to study four key stages of shell mineralisation: 1) widespread deposition of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), 2) ACC transformation into crystalline calcite aggregates, 3) formation of larger calcite crystal units and 4) development of a columnar structure with preferential calcite crystal orientation. This approach explored the distribution of 216 shell matrix proteins found at the four stages. Variations in abundance according to these calcification events were observed for 175 proteins. A putative function related to the mineralisation process was predicted by bioinformatics for 77 of them and was further characterised. We confirmed the important role of lysozyme, ovotransferrin, ovocleidin-17 and ovocleidin-116 for shell calcification process, characterised major calcium binding proteins (EDIL3, ALB, MFGE8, NUCB2), and described novel proteoglycans core proteins (GPC4, HAPLN3). We suggest that OVAL and OC-17 play a role in the stabilisation of ACC. Finally, we report proteins involved in the regulation of proteins driving the mineralisation. They correspond to numerous molecular chaperones including CLU, PPIB and OCX21, protease and protease inhibitors including OVM and CST3, and regulators of phosphorylation.

Key role of the N-terminus of chicken annexin A5 in vesicle aggregation

Annexins are calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding proteins involved in calcium signaling and intracellular membrane trafficking among other functions. Vesicle aggregation is a crucial event to make possible the membrane remodeling but this process is energetically unfavorable, and phospholipid membranes do not aggregate and fuse spontaneously. This issue can be circumvented by the presence of different agents such as divalent cations and/or proteins, among them some annexins. Although human annexin A5 lacks the ability to aggregate vesicles, here we demonstrate that its highly similar chicken ortholog induces aggregation of vesicles containing acidic phospholipids even at low protein and/or calcium concentration by establishment of protein dimers. Our experiments show that the ability to aggregate vesicles mainly resides in the N-terminus as truncation of the N-terminus of chicken annexin A5 significantly decreases this process and replacement of the N-terminus of human annexin A5 by that of chicken switches on aggregation; in both cases, there are no changes in the overall protein structure and only minor changes in phospholipid binding. Electrostatic repulsions between negatively charged residues in the concave face of the molecule, mainly in the N-terminus, seem to be responsible for the impairment of dimer formation in human annexin A5. Taking into account that chicken annexin A5 presents a high sequence and structural similarity with mammalian annexins absent in birds, as annexins A3 and A4, some of the physiological functions exerted by these proteins may be carried out by chicken annexin A5, even those that could require calcium-dependent membrane aggregation.

The Effects of Isolation on Chondrocyte Gene Expression

Tissue engineering of articular cartilage usually requires the isolation and culture of chondrocytes. Previous studies have suggested that enzymatic isolation may alter the metabolic activity and growth rate of chondrocytes. This study examined the effects of 4 common isolation protocols on chondrocyte gene expression, morphology, and total cell yield immediately following the digest (t = 0) and after 2 culture periods (24 h and 1 week). Cartilage explants were digested using 1 of 4 protocols: (1) 6-h collagenase digest, (2) 22-h collagenase digest, (3) 45-min trypsin digest followed by a 3-h collagenase digest, or (4) 1.5-h pronase digest followed by a 3-h collagenase digest. Gene expression levels for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, type I collagen, type II collagen, aggrecan, superficial zone protein, matrix metalloproteinase- 1, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 were measured at t = 0 h, 24 h, and 1 week using quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. In this study, cell yield was greatest for the 22-h collagenase and pronase-collagenase digests. However, the data indicate that a 6-h collagenase digest has the fewest gene expression changes compared to native cells. For tissue engineering, data from this study suggest that when cell yield is critical, a 22-h collagenase digest is preferable, but when obtaining cells closest to native chondrocytes is more desired, the 6-h collagenase digest is more beneficial.

Differentiation of human colon adenocarcinoma cells alters the expression and intracellular localization of annexins A1, A2, and A5

Butyrate induces differentiation and alters cell proliferation in intestinal-epithelial cells by modulation of the expression of several genes. Annexins are a superfamily of ubiquitous proteins characterized by their calcium-dependent ability to bind to biological membranes; their involvement in several physiological processes, such as membrane trafficking, calcium signaling, cell motility, proliferation, and differentiation has been proposed. Thus, we have analyzed changes in annexin A1 (AnxA1), annexin A2 (AnxA2), and annexin A5 (AnxA5) levels and localization in human colon adenocarcinoma cells differentiated by butyrate treatment or by culture in glucose-free inosine-containing medium. The acquired differentiated phenotype increased dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) expression and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, two well known brush border markers. Butyrate induces cell differentiation and growth arrest in BCS-TC2, BCS-TC2.2, HT-29, and Caco-2 cells, increasing the levels of AnxA1 and AnxA5, whereas AnxA2 decreases except in Caco-2 cells. Inosine-differentiated cells present increased amounts of the three studied annexins, as occurs in spontaneously differentiated Caco-2 cells. AnxA2 down-regulation is not due to proteasome activation and seems to be related to the butyrate-induced cell proliferation arrest; AnxA1 and AnxA5 expression is growth-state independent. AnxA1 and AnxA5 are mainly found in the cytoplasm while AnxA2 is localized underneath the plasma membrane in cell-to-cell contacts. Butyrate induces changes in subcellular localization towards a vesicle-associated pattern. Human colon adenocarcinoma cell differentiation is associated with an up-regulation of AnxA1, AnxA2, and AnxA5 and with a subcellular relocation of these proteins. No correlation between annexin levels and tumorigenicity was found. Up-regulation of AnxA1 could contribute to the reported anti-inflammatory effects of butyrate in colon inflammatory diseases.

Proteomic characterization of isolated retinal pigment epithelium microvilli

Polarized epithelial cells are characterized by displaying compartmentalized functions associated with differential distribution of transporters, structural proteins, and signaling molecules on their apical and basolateral surfaces. Their apical surfaces frequently elaborate microvilli, which vary in structure according to the specific type and function of each epithelium. The molecular basis of this heterogeneity is poorly understood. However, differences in function will undoubtedly be reflected in the specific molecular composition of the apical surface in each epithelial subtype. We have exploited a method for isolating microvilli from the mouse eye using wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-agarose beads to begin to understand the specific molecular composition of apical microvilli of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and expand our knowledge of the potential function of this interface. Initially, apical RPE plasma membranes bound to WGA beads were processed for morphological analysis using known apical and basolateral surface markers. The protein composition of the apical microvilli was then established using proteomic analysis. Over 200 proteins were identified, including a number of proteins previously known to be localized to RPE microvilli, as well as others not known to be present at this surface. Localization of novel proteins identified with proteomics was confirmed by immunohistochemistry in both mouse and rat eye tissue. The data generated provides new information on the protein composition of the RPE apical microvilli. The isolation technique used should be amenable for isolating microvilli in other epithelia as well, allowing new insights into additional functions of this important epithelial compartment.

Acquisition of Resistance to Butyrate Enhances Survival after Stress and Induces Malignancy of Human Colon Carcinoma Cells

Acquired resistance to apoptosis by tumor cells remains a major obstacle for cancer treatment, and hence the analysis of resistance to apoptosis constitutes a major goal in the development of antitumoral drugs. We have established a butyrate-resistant human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (BCS-TC2.BR2) from nontumorigenic BCS-TC2 cells to analyze whether the acquisition of such phenotype confers resistance to apoptosis and stress. Although BCS-TC2.BR2 cells exhibited a more differentiated phenotype than the parental BCS-TC2 cells, higher butyrate concentrations remained capable of additionally enhancing their differentiation without inducing apoptosis. Survival rates of BCS-TC2.BR2 cells after glucose deprivation and heat shock were higher than those of parental cells, revealing a stress-resistant phenotype. These findings were accompanied by key differences between parental and butyrate-resistant cells in gene expression profiles and the acquisition of in vivo tumorigenicity. In conclusion, cells gaining resistance to an endogenous physiological modulator of growth, differentiation, and apoptosis concurrently acquired resistance to other agents that influence cell survival.

Structural and functional characterization of recombinant mouse annexin A11: influence of calcium binding

Annexin A11 is one of the 12 vertebrate subfamilies in the annexin superfamily of calcium/phospholipid-binding proteins, distinguishable by long, non-homologous N-termini rich in proline, glycine and tyrosine residues. As there is negligible structural information concerning this annexin subfamily apart from primary sequence data, we have cloned, expressed and purified recombinant mouse annexin A11 to investigate its structural and functional properties. CD spectroscopy reveals two main secondary-structure contributions, alpha-helix and random coil (approx. 30% each), corresponding mainly to the annexin C-terminal tetrad and the N-terminus respectively. On calcium binding, an increase in alpha-helix and a decrease in random coil are detected. Fluorescence spectroscopy reveals that its only tryptophan residue, located at the N-terminus, is completely exposed to the solvent; calcium binding promotes a change in tertiary structure, which does not affect this tryptophan residue but involves the movement of approximately four tyrosine residues to a more hydrophobic environment. These calcium-induced structural changes produce a significant thermal stabilization, with an increase of approx. 14 degrees C in the melting temperature. Annexin A11 binds to acidic phospholipids and to phosphatidylethanolamine in the presence of calcium; weaker calcium-independent binding to phosphatidylserine, phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylethanolamine was also observed. The calcium-dependent binding to phosphatidylserine is accompanied by an increase in alpha-helix and a decrease in random-coil contents, with translocation of the tryptophan residue towards a more hydrophobic environment. This protein induces vesicle aggregation but requires non-physiological calcium concentrations in vitro. A three-dimensional model, consistent with these data, was generated to conceptualize annexin A11 structure-function relationships.