The nature of the protein moieties of cartilage proteoglycans of pig and ox

Gelatin-based haemostyptic Spongostan as a possible three-dimensional scaffold for a chondrocyte matrix?

The gelatin-based haemostyptic compound Spongostan was tested as a three-dimensional (3D) chondrocyte matrix in an in vitro model for autologous chondrocyte transplantation using cells harvested from bovine knees. In a control experiment of monolayer cultures, the proliferation or de-differentiation of bovine chondrocytes was either not or only marginally influenced by the presence of Spongostan (0.3 mg/ml).

In monolayers and 3-D Minusheet culture chambers, the cartilage-specific differentiation markers aggrecan and type-II collagen were ubiquitously present in a cell-associated fashion and in the pericellular matrix. The Minusheet cultures usually showed a markedly higher mRNA expression than monolayer cultures irrespective of whether Spongostan had been present or not during culture. Although the de-differentiation marker type-I collagen was also present, the ratio of type-I to type-II collagen or aggrecan to type-I collagen remained higher in Minusheet 3-D cultures than in monolayer cultures irrespective of whether Spongostan had been included in or excluded from the monolayer cultures. The concentration of GAG in Minusheet cultures reached its maximum after 14 days with a mean of 0.83 ± 0.8 μg/106 cells; mean ±, sem, but remained considerably lower than in monolayer cultures with/without Spongostan.

Our results suggest that Spongostan is in principle suitable as a 3-D chondrocyte matrix, as demonstrated in Minusheet chambers, in particular for a culture period of 14 days. Clinically, differentiating effects on chondrocytes, simple handling and optimal formability may render Spongostan an attractive 3-D scaffold for autologous chondrocyte transplantation.

Structural analysis of chick-embryo cartilage proteoglycan by selective degradation with chondroitin lyases (chondroitinases) and endo-beta-D-galactosidase (keratanase)

Digestion of chick-embryo cartilage proteoglycan (type H) with chondroitin AC II lyase or keratanase, in the presence of EDTA, N-ethylmaleimide, phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride and pepstatin, resulted in the removal of the bulk of the chondroitin sulphate or keratan sulphate chains respectively, without altering the protein portion of the macromolecule. An exhaustive treatment of the proteoglycan with chondroitin AC II lyase followed by digestion with keratanase yielded a core fraction having the enzymically modified linkage oligosaccharides. Zonal sedimentation of this core preparation on a sucrose gradient in 0.5% SDS resulted in a single narrow band with a sedimentation coefficient of 6S. In 4 M-guanidinium chloride, the core preparation showed a tendency to aggregate to multiple-molecular-weight forms which could dissociate in the presence of Triton X-100. The results indicate that the preponderance of glycosaminoglycans in the proteoglycan molecule is a main reason for both polydispersity and hydrophilicity of the proteoglycan preparation, and further suggest that the enzymic procedures could prove useful as a method to obtain new information about the structure and properties of proteoglycan core molecules.

Reverse turns in peptides and proteins

The evidence that reverse turns frequently occur as structural components of proteins, as well as of linear and cyclic peptides, is overwhelming. This review summarizes and examines critically the experimental evidence derived from physical methods such as 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, spin-lattice relaxation time, circular dichroism, IR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. Secondly, theoretical evidence obtained from energy calculations, which rely on empirical energy functions, and correlative methods, which rely on algorithms based on the frequency of occurrence of amino acids, is evaluated. In particular, those theoretical studies for which complementary physical studies have been completed are emphasized. Finally, examples of structure-function relationships involving reverse turns and their biological recognition are demonstrated.

Proteoglycan populations of baboon (Papio papio) articular cartilage

1. Gel electrophoresis of proteoglycans extracted with use of 4 M-guanidinium chloride from baboon (Papio papio) articular cartilage and purified on DEAE-cellulose in 8 M-urea yielded three bands on electrophoresis in polyacrylamide/agarose gels: two wide bands close together (I and II) and a third, thinner and more rapidly moving band (III). 2. Gel electrophoresis of fractions from direct 'dissociative' gradients showed that these bands were partially separated (buoyant density of I greater than II greater than III). 3. Reduction and alkylation of proteoglycans did not alter either the gel-electrophoretic pattern or the distribution of the bands in the fractions of the gradient. 4. Band III was found in the upper third of 'associative' gradients but not in the bottom fraction, which yielded after dissociation only bands I and II. 5. The third band was completely extracted for 24h with an iso-osmotic solution, but was contaminated with bands I and II. The second extraction step with 4M-guanidinium chloride yielded only bands I and II. 6. The data strongly suggest the presence in the articular cartilage of several populations of dissociated proteoglycans differing in gel-electrophoretic migration, buoyant density and aggregation capacity.

A comparison of bovine nasal cartilage proteoglycan core protein produced by chondroitinase and hyaluronidase: the possible role of protease contaminants

The basic subunit of cartilage proteoglycan consists of multiple glycosaminoglycan chains covalently attached to a core protein. It is unclear as to whether there is a single core protein or multiple different core proteins, since previous studies using either chondroitinase or testicular hyaluronidase to enzymatically remove chondroitin sulfate side chains from the proteoglycan subunit have yielded conflicting results. In the present study, a chondroitinase-produced core protein preparation isolated as a single peak on Sepharose gel chromatography was found to contain at least two immunologically distinct components. Hyaluronidase-produced core protein from the same proteoglycan subunit fraction was found to contain multiple components nearly all of which were smaller than the components in the chondroitinase digest. A possible explanation of these findings is that they resulted from proteolytic degradation of the core protein in the course of the enzymatic removal of its chondroitin sulfate. The presence of small amounts of protease contaminants in several commercial chondroitinase and hyaluronidase preparations was detected by an extremely sensitive radioassay. Until proteases can be rigorously excluded from enzyme preparations used to degrade the proteoglycan subunit, it will not be possible to determine whether it consists of a single or several different core proteins.

The electrophoretic heterogeneity of bovine nasal cartilage proteoglycans

1. Proteoglycans were extracted from bovine nasal cartilage with 2.0M-CaC2 or with 0.15M-KCl followed by 2.0M-CaC2.. Proteoglycan fractions were prepared from the extracts by density-gradient centrifugation in CsCl under 'associative' and 'dissociative' conditions. 2. The heterogeneity of the proteoglycan fractions was investigated by large-pore-gel electrophoresis. It was concluded that extracts made with 2.0M-CaCl2 or sequential 2.0M-CaCl2 contain two major species of proteoglycan 'subunit' of different hydrodynamic size, together with proteoglycan aggregates. Both 'subunits' have mobilities that are greater than those of proteoglycans obtained from pig articular cartilage McDevitt & Muir (1971) Anal. Biochem. 44, 612-622] and are therefore probably smaller in size than the latter. 3. Proteoglycan fractions isolated from cartilage extracted lith 0.15M-KCl separated into two main components on large-pore-gel electrophoresis with mobilities greater than those of proteoglycans extracted with 2.0M-CaCl2. Proteoglycans extracted at low ionic strength from bovine nasal cartilage are of similar hydrodynamic size to those extracted from pig articular cartilage under the same conditions [McDevitt & Muir (1971) Anal. Biochem. 44, 612-622]. 4. The role of endogenous proteolytic enzymes in producing proteoglycan heterogeneity, particularly in low-ionic-strength cartilage extracts is discussed. 5. Hyaluronic acid and 'link proteins' were present in the proteoglycan fraction separated from KCl extracts as well as in the fraction separated from CaCl2 extracts. Hyaluronic acid can only be identified in proteoglycan fractions by large-pore-gel electrophoresis after proteolysis and further purification of the fraction. 6. Collagen was extracted by both salt solutions and was tentatively identified as type II. Small amounts of collagen appear to be associated with the proteoglycan-aggregate fraction from the high-ionic-strength extract but not with the corresponding fraction from the KCl extract.