Alterations in cell surface galactosyltransferase activity during limb chondrogenesis in brachypod mutant mouse embryos

Achilles tendon characterization in GDF-7 deficient mice

Growth/differentiation factors (GDFs) play a significant role in numerous skeletal tissues and processes. Previous work using the brachypod mouse has suggested that GDF-5 affects Achilles tendon composition, ultrastructure, and material behavior, as well as tendon repair. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of a related GDF family member, GDF-7 (BMP-12), in intact tendon by studying the Achilles tendon of genetically engineered knockout mice. Achilles tendons from 16-week-old GDF-7 -/- mice contained 14% less GAG/DNA than did wild type littermates (p = 0.0481), although collagen content was comparable to controls. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) results show that GDF-5 was upregulated two-threefold in response to the absence of GDF-7 protein. GDF-6 was also upregulated in knockouts, but to a lesser extent (twofold, p = 0.0013). On an ultrastructural level, GDF-7 deficient Achilles tendons exhibited a shift towards smaller diameter fibrils which resulted in a small but significant reduction in mean fibril diameter (-8%, p = 0.05). GDF-7 deficiency did not noticeably affect the expression of fibrillar collagens (I, III, V) or tendon proteoglycans (decorin, fibromodulin, lumican, biglycan, versican, aggrecan). Differences in tendon composition and ultrastructure were not biologically significant enough to have a noticeable effect on the structural or material behavior of the tendons. These results demonstrate that GDF-7 deficiency has a subtle effect on the composition and ultrastructure of murine Achilles tendon. The small magnitude of the observed differences may be due to overcompensation by related GDF family members.

Extensive glycosylation changes revealed by lectin histochemistry in morphologically normal prenatal tissues of the mouse mutant undulated (un/un)

Recently we observed that in human embryos and fetuses with a variety of malformations, not only malformed tissues, but also several non-malformed tissues displayed alterations in the glycosylation pattern. It was the aim of this work to investigate this more or less inexplicable phenomenon under experimental conditions. To this end, we studied a well known mouse model, the mouse mutant undulated, which has an exactly defined genetic defect (substitution in the pax-1 gene) leading to a localized malformation in the vertebral column. The glycosylation pattern was studied using lectin histochemistry. Distribution of binding sites for the lectins RCA I, Con A, SNA, SBA, PNA, LTA and WGA was studied during the organogenesis stages (i.e., days 11-18). It was striking that in mutants, changes in the glycosylation pattern were found not only in the malformed organ (i.e., vertebral anlage), but also in other embryonic tissues, which showed normal morphology. This suggests that the altered glycosylation seems to be a part of genetically determined phenomena throughout the entire organism. Our results show that a defect in a gene with a very restricted expression can cause universal changes in the glycosylation pattern during development.

Interferon beta-1a prevents the effects of lipopolysaccharide on embryonic brain microvessels

By means of light and electron microscopy we have studied the effect of interferon beta-1a (IFNbeta-1a) in the optic tecta of 20-day-old chick embryos under normal conditions and after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) which mimics the blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in meningoencephalitis. Optic tecta were examined for: (i) ultrastructure by means of transmission electron microscopy; (ii) the immunohistochemical localization of HT7 antigen, a specific marker of differentiation of the brain microvessels; (iii) the brain microvessel permeability, by means of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) tracer; (iv) the expression of microvessel glycoconjugates, by means of lectin histochemistry, using Ricinus communis agglutinin-I (RCA-I), specific for beta-D-galactosyl moieties and Wheat Germ agglutinin (WGA) specific for sialyl and N-acetylglucosaminyl moieties. A morphometric evaluation of brain microvessel permeability and of glycoconjugate expression was also performed. In control- and in IFNbeta-1a-treated embryos, HRP was confined to the vessel lumina which were sealed by the interendothelial tight junctions. RCA-I binding sites were recognizable both in the basal membranes and in the tight junctions, while WGA sites were present on the luminal side of the endothelial cells. HRP was blocked in the vessels lumina by the interendothelial tight junctions. After LPS treatment, HRP showed an extravascular localization and the labeling of microvessels by anti-HT7 antibodies disappeared. RCA-I binding was only found ultrastructurally and appeared as irregularly clustered gold particles, in the cleft of damaged tight junctions, but were no longer detectable in the endothelial basement membranes. After pretreatment of LPS-treated embryos with IFNbeta-1a, the vessel permeability to HRP strongly decreased and the vessels showed the normal pattern of HT7 protein and of the RCA-I binding sites. These results indicate that the changes induced by LPS in the endothelial cells are prevented by IFNbeta-1a.

Mechanisms of GDF-5 action during skeletal development

Mutations in GDF-5, a member of the TGF-beta superfamily, result in the autosomal recessive syndromes brachypod (bp) in mice and Hunter-Thompson and Grebe-type chondrodysplasias in humans. These syndromes are all characterised by the shortening of the appendicular skeleton and loss or abnormal development of some joints. To investigate how GDF-5 controls skeletogenesis, we overexpressed GDF-5 during chick limb development using the retrovirus, RCASBP. This resulted in up to a 37.5% increase in length of the skeletal elements, which was predominantly due to an increase in the number of chondrocytes. By injecting virus at different stages of development, we show that GDF-5 can increase both the size of the early cartilage condensation and the later developing skeletal element. Using in vitro micromass cultures as a model system to study the early steps of chondrogenesis, we show that GDF-5 increases chondrogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. We did not detect changes in proliferation. However, cell suspension cultures showed that GDF-5 might act at these stages by increasing cell adhesion, a critical determinant of early chondrogenesis. In contrast, pulse labelling experiments of GDF-5-infected limbs showed that at later stages of skeletal development GDF-5 can increase proliferation of chondrocytes. Thus, here we show two mechanisms of how GDF-5 may control different stages of skeletogenesis. Finally, our data show that levels of GDF-5 expression/activity are important in controlling the size of skeletal elements and provides a possible explanation for the variation in the severity of skeletal defects resulting from mutations in GDF-5.

Expression and function of Gdf-5 during digit skeletogenesis in the embryonic chick leg bud

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) constitute a large family of secreted signals involved in the formation of the skeleton but the specific function of each member of this family remains elusive. GDF-5 is a member of the BMP family which has been implicated in several skeletogenic events including the induction and growth of the appendicular cartilages, the determination of joint forming regions, and the establishment of tendons. Here, we have studied the function of GDF-5 in digit skeletogenesis by analyzing the effects of its local administration in the developing autopod of embryonic chick and the regulation of its pattern of gene expression by other signals involved in digit morphogenesis. As reported in the mouse, the gdf-5 gene exhibits a precise distribution in the joint-forming regions of the developing chicken digital rays. GDF-5 beads implanted at the tip of the digits promote intense cartilage growth and fail to induce morphological or molecular signs of joint formation. Furthermore, GDF-5 beads implanted in the interdigits inhibit the formation of joints in the adjacent digits. These data suggest that the role of GDF-5 in joint formation is the control of growth and differentiation of the cartilage of the epiphyseal regions of the phalanges rather than accounting for the differentiation of the sinovial joint tissues. The interdigital mesoderm in spite of its potential to form ectopic digits with their tendinous apparatus failed to form either ectopic cartilages or ectopic tendons after the implantation of GDF-5 beads in the stages preceding cell death. At difference with other BMPs, GDF-5 exhibited only a weak cell death promoting effect. The BMP antagonist Noggin binds to GDF-5 and is able to inhibit all the observed effects of this growth factor in vivo. Potential interactions of GDF-5 with other signals involved in digits morphogenesis were also explored. BMP-7 regulates negatively the expression of gdf-5 gene in the joint forming regions and local treatment with Noggin induces the ectopic expression of gdf-5 in the interdigital mesoderm. Retroviral-induced misexpression of Indian or Sonic Hedgehog genes in the developing digits leads to the formation of digits without joints in which gdf-5 expression occurs throughout the entire perichondrial surface. In conclusion, this study indicates that GDF-5 is a signal regulated by other BMPs which controls the growth and differentiation of the epiphyses of the digital cartilages acting in close relationship with Hedgehog signaling.

The membranous skeleton: the role of cell condensations in vertebrate skeletogenesis

Elements of the vertebrate skeleton are initiated as cell condensations, collectively termed the 'membranous skeleton' whether cartilages or bones by Grüneberg (1963). Condensations, which were identified as the basic cellular units in a recent model of morphological change in development and evolution (Atchley and Hall 1991) are reviewed in this paper. Condensations are initiated either by increased mitotic activity or by aggregation of cells towards a centre. Prechondrogenic (limb bud) and preosteogenic (scleral ossicle) condensations are discussed and contrasted. Both types of skeletogenic condensations arise following epithelial-mesenchymal interactions; condensations are identified as the first cellular product of such tissue interactions. Molecular characteristics of condensations are discussed, including peanut agglutinin lectin, which is used to visualize prechondrogenic condensations, and hyaluronan, hyaladherins, heparan sulphate proteoglycan, chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan, versican, tenascin, syndecan, N-CAM, alkaline phosphatase, retinoic acid and homeo-box-containing genes. The importance for the initiation of chondrogenesis or osteogenesis of upper and lower limits to condensation size and the numbers of cells in a condensation are discussed, as illustrated by in vitro studies and by mutant embryos, including Talpid3 in the chick and Brachypod, Congenital hydrocephalus and Phocomelia in the mouse. Evidence that genes specific to the skeletal type are selectively activated at condensation is discussed, as is a recent model involving TGF-beta and fibronectin in condensation formation. Condensations emerge as a pivotal stage in initiation of the vertebrate skeleton in embryonic development and in the modification of skeletal morphology during evolution.

Lack of chondrogenic expression in mouse limb bud micromass cultures exposed to exogenous beta galactosidase or N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase

The effect of two exoglycosidases, beta-galactosidase and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (GlcNAc-ase) on chondrogenic expression of stage 19 mouse limb bud micromass cultures was investigated. Chondrogenic expression was monitored by Alcian blue staining and immunofluorescent localization of cartilage-specific proteoglycan and type II collagen. Chondrogenesis was inhibited by exposure to 0.1 U/ml beta-galactosidase or 0.025 U/ml GlcNAc-ase for 24 h or longer in culture. The effect of both enzymes was concentration and time dependent. Exoglycosidic hydrolysis of galactose or N-acetylglucosamine was substantiated by treatment with HRP-conjugated peanut agglutinin and succinylated wheat germ agglutinin, respectively. Cells treated with beta-galactosidase appeared to be flattened with a stellate morphology, whereas GlcNAc-ase-treated cells were bipolar forming ridge-like mounds that had a directional orientation. The antichondrogenic effect was not alleviated when the cells were induced to assume a spherical shape upon treatment with cytochalasin D. DNA measurements indicated that the lack of chondrogenic expression was not related to cell attachment or cell proliferation. These data support the hypothesis that the expression of specific terminal sugars on cell surface glycoconjugates of limb bud cells represents an important component of the chondrogenic process.

Effect of prostaglandin E2 on cyclic AMP levels in limb cells of mouse mutant brachypodism

Mouse embryo limb cells carrying either the brachypodism (bpH/bpH) mutation or its wild-type (+/+) allele were tested for their ability to accumulate cyclic AMP in response to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) between Embryonic Days E12 and E14. Mutant cells exhibited a precocious increase in cyclic AMP. In the absence of PGE2 but in the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine (MIX), the brachypodism cells accumulated a significantly lower amount of cyclic AMP by Day E14. Limb cells carrying the bpH mutation may provide a useful experimental system to study the PGE2-cyclic AMP-cartilage differentiation interrelationship.

Nerve growth factor-induced increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation into parotid and submandibular glands of young rats and its partial blockade by propranolol or partial sialoadenectomy

Administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) twice daily for 2 days to young rats (11 days old at the time of the initial injection) resulted in an 8.1-fold increase in [3H]thymidine levels of the parotid gland, and a 9.7-fold increase in levels of the submandibular gland when compared to untreated controls. Isoproterenol (ISO), a beta-adrenergic receptor agonist, caused an 8.7-fold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA of the parotid gland, and a 10.7-fold increase in [3H]thymidine in the submandibular gland when compared to controls. The increase in thymidine was accompanied by parotid gland enlargement as well as an increase in cell surface beta 1-4 galactosyltransferase, an enzyme whose expression has been associated previously with acinar cell proliferation. Administration of NGF and ISO together were not additive in their effects on the parotid and submandibular glands. The introduction of propranolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, completely negated the ISO effects on the salivary glands but was only partially effective in blocking the NGF effects on the glands. An assay of parotid levels of norepinephrine showed NGF treatment to cause an increase in gland-associated levels of neurotransmitter. Removal of the submandibular/sublingual glands prior to administration of ISO prevented the above changes in the parotid gland. NGF administered to partially sialoadenectomized rats was also less effective in inducing parotid gland hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Simultaneous administration of NGF and ISO to the partially sialoadenectomized rats had an additive influence on [3H]thymidine incorporation, galactosyltransferase expression and gland hypertrophy. The results suggest that NGF influences salivary gland cell growth in part through activation of cell-surface beta-adrenergic receptors.

Human achondroplasia: defective mitochondrial oxidative energy metabolism may produce the pathophysiology

A summary is presented of previous studies by other investigators of human achondroplasia and dyschondroplastic animal models. In addition, studies previously reported from our laboratories are discussed, and they demonstrate that defective oxidative energy metabolism is present in mitochondrial preparations from achondroplastic human subjects and rabbits (ac/ac) with chondrodystrophy. The results of the studies support the hypothesis discussed fully in the manuscript that a partial defect in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in achondroplastic subjects is expressed specifically in the growth plates of the long bones because this tissue has the lowest oxygen tension of any bodily organ undergoing active proliferation, thus leading to the achondroplastic phenotype in humans and the ac/ac rabbit. In the ac/ac rabbit phosphorylation at the cytochrome c oxidase region (site III) of the terminal respiratory system was shown to be absent in mitochondrial preparations from the livers of newborn ac/ac rabbits. Normal-appearing littermates did not exhibit the defect. Studies of mitochondrial preparations from human skin fibroblasts (grown in tissue culture) from normal human subjects and subjects with homozygous achondroplasia demonstrated that concentrations of cytochrome a3 were decreased approximately 80% in preparations from homozygous achondroplastic cells. Levels of cytochrome a3 in heterozygous achondroplastic cells were intermediate between the levels in normal cells and homozygous achondroplastic cells demonstrating the effects of gene dosage. Determination of total heme a (as the pyridine hemochromogen) in the normal and achondroplastic preparations from human subjects showed that the observed decrease in concentration of cytochrome a3 in the achondroplastic preparations was due to an absence of cytochrome a3 and not to a change in its absorbancy (extinction coefficient).