The journey of hyaluronan research in the Journal of Biological Chemistry

Bioarchitectural Design of Bioactive Biopolymers: Structure-Function Paradigm for Diabetic Wound Healing

Chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers are a major complication in diabetes caused by hyperglycemia, prolonged inflammation, high oxidative stress, and bacterial bioburden. Bioactive biopolymers have been found to have a biological response in wound tissue microenvironments and are used for developing advanced tissue engineering strategies to enhance wound healing. These biopolymers possess innate bioactivity and are biodegradable, with favourable mechanical properties. However, their bioactivity is highly dependent on their structural properties, which need to be carefully considered while developing wound healing strategies. Biopolymers such as alginate, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, and collagen have previously been used in wound healing solutions but the modulation of structural/physico-chemical properties for differential bioactivity have not been the prime focus. Factors such as molecular weight, degree of polymerization, amino acid sequences, and hierarchical structures can have a spectrum of immunomodulatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-oxidant properties that could determine the fate of the wound. The current narrative review addresses the structure-function relationship in bioactive biopolymers for promoting healing in chronic wounds with emphasis on diabetic ulcers. This review highlights the need for characterization of the biopolymers under research while designing biomaterials to maximize the inherent bioactive potency for better tissue regeneration outcomes, especially in the context of diabetic ulcers.

Transport of N-acetylchitooligosaccharides and fluorescent N-acetylchitooligosaccharide analogs into rat liver lysosomes

Free polymannose-type oligosaccharides (fOS) are processed by cytosolic enzymes to generate Man5GlcNAc which is transferred to lysosomes and degraded. Lysosomal fOS import was demonstrated in vitro but is poorly characterized in part due to lack of convenient substrates. As chitooligosaccharides (COS, oligomers β1,4-linked GlcNAc) block [3H]Man5GlcNAc transport into lysosomes, we asked if COS are themselves transported and if so, can they be chemically modified to generate fluorescent substrates. We show that COS are degraded by lysosomal hydrolases to generate GlcNAc, and robust ATP-dependent transport of [3H]COS2/4 di and tetrasaccharides into intact rat liver lysosomes was observed only after blocking lysosomal [3H]GlcNAc efflux with cytochalasin B. As oligosaccharides with unmodified reducing termini are the most efficient inhibitors of [3H]COS2/4 and [3H]Man5GlcNAc transport, the non-reducing GlcNAc residue of COS2-4 was de-N-acetylated using Sinorhizobium meliloti NodB, and the resulting amine substituted with rhodamine B (RB) to yield RB-COS2-4. The fluorescent compounds inhibit [3H]Man5GlcNAc transport and display temperature-sensitive, ATP-dependent transport into a sedimentable compartment that is ruptured with the lysosomotropic agent L-methyl methionine ester. Once in this compartment, RB-COS3 is converted to RB-COS2 further identifying it as the lysosomal compartment. RB-COS2/3 and [3H]Man5GlcNAc transports are blocked similarly by competing sugars, and are partially inhibited by the vacuolar ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin and high concentrations of the P-type ATPase inhibitor orthovanadate. These data show that Man5GlcNAc, COS2/4 and RB-COS2/3 are transported into lysosomes by the same or closely related mechanism and demonstrate the utility of COS modified at their non-reducing terminus to study lysosomal oligosaccharide transport.

Miniaturized affinity chromatography: A powerful technique for the isolation of high affinity GAGs sequences prior to their identification by MALDI-TOF MS

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGS) are involved in many biological processes through interactions with a variety of proteins, including proteases, growth factors, cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules. Identifying druggable GAG-protein interactions for therapeutic purposes is a challenge for the analytical community. In this context, this work investigates the use of a new miniaturized monolithic affinity column (poly(GMA-co-MBA) grafted with antithrombin III (AT III)) to specifically capture and elute high affinity sequences contained in low molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin) for further on-line characterization. This miniaturized, high binding capacity affinity column allows the specific capture of high-affinity oligosaccharide chains from Enoxaparin, even at low concentrations and with a minimal consumption of AT III. In addition to purification, this elution process enables preconcentration for direct analysis by capillary zone electrophoresis. It was found that many of oligosaccharide chains in enoxaparin were eliminated and that certain chain sequences were retained and enriched. Direct coupling with MALDI-TOF MS was successfully used to further characterize the specifically retained oligosaccharides where nano-ESI-TOF MS failed. After optimization of the sample preparation and ionization parameters, direct on-line analysis was performed by applying the elution volume released from the miniaturized affinity column (≤1 μL) directly to the MALDI plate. Finally, this original miniaturized analytical workflow coupling miniaturized AT III-affinity chromatography to MALDI-TOF MS detection is able to select, enrich and detect and identify high affinity sequences (mainly DP4 in size length with a high degree of sulfation) from low molecular weight heparin samples. A more specific selection of GAG sequences can be achieved by increasing the ionic strength during the washing step of affinity chromatography. This is consistent with the known binding pattern between heparin and AT III.

V3: an enigmatic isoform of the proteoglycan versican

V3 is an isoform of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteoglycan (PG) versican generated through alternative splicing of the versican gene such that the two major exons coding for sequences in the protein core that support chondroitin sulfate (CS) glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chain attachment are excluded. Thus, versican V3 isoform carries no GAGs. A survey of PubMed reveals only 50 publications specifically on V3 versican, so it is a very understudied member of the versican family, partly because to date there are no antibodies that can distinguish V3 from the CS-carrying isoforms of versican, that is, to facilitate functional and mechanistic studies. However, a number of in vitro and in vivo studies have identified the expression of the V3 transcript during different phases of development and in disease, and selective overexpression of V3 has shown dramatic phenotypic effects in "gain and loss of function" studies in experimental models. Thus, we thought it would be useful and instructive to discuss the discovery, characterization, and the putative biological importance of the enigmatic V3 isoform of versican.

Different molecular weights of hyaluronan research in knee osteoarthritis: A state-of-the-art review

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is characterized by progressive cartilage destruction, concomitant adaptive osteogenesis, and loss of joint function. The progression of OA with aging is associated with a decrease in native hyaluronan (HA, hyaluronate or hyaluronic acid) with a high molecular weight (HMW) in synovial fluid and a subsequent increase in lower MW HA and fragments. As HMW HA possesses numerous biochemical and biological properties, we review new molecular insights into the potential of HA to modify OA processes. Different MWs in the formulation of products appear to have varying effects on knee OA (KOA) pain relief, improved function, and postponing surgery. In addition to the safety profile, more evidence indicates that intraarticular (IA) HA administration may be an effective option to treat KOA, with a particular emphasis on the use of HA with fewer injections of higher MW, including potential applications of HA of very HMW. We also analyzed published systemic reviews and meta-analyses of IA HA in treating KOA in order to discuss their conclusions and consensus statements. According to its MW, HA may offer a simple way to refine therapeutic information in selective KOA.

Non-reducing End of Heparin Tri-saccharide is a Scavenger Tool to Detoxify the Glucose Toxicity in Diabetes

Heparin is a highly sulfated, hence highly polyanionic, glycosaminoglycan with a repeating disaccharide that contains a hexuronic acid, and it has been used as an anticoagulant clinically for more than half a century. Daily IP injections of small amounts of heparin in the STZ diabetic rat prevented these pathological responses even though the animals sustained hyperglycemic levels of glucose throughout. However, the structural determinant that mediates this activity is not clear. This paper describes our finding that the responses of hyperglycemic dividing mesangial cells to heparin are mediated by its non-reducing terminal trisaccharide and proposes that the non-reducing end tri-saccharide of heparin acts as a scavenger tool to detoxify the glucose toxicity in diabetes.

Aggrecan and Hyaluronan: The Infamous Cartilage Polyelectrolytes - Then and Now

Cartilages are unique in the family of connective tissues in that they contain a high concentration of the glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate attached to the core protein of the proteoglycan, aggrecan. Multiple aggrecan molecules are organized in the extracellular matrix via a domain-specific molecular interaction with hyaluronan and a link protein, and these high molecular weight aggregates are immobilized within the collagen and glycoprotein network. The high negative charge density of glycosaminoglycans provides hydrophilicity, high osmotic swelling pressure and conformational flexibility, which together function to absorb fluctuations in biomechanical stresses on cartilage during movement of an articular joint. We have summarized information on the history and current knowledge obtained by biochemical and genetic approaches, on cell-mediated regulation of aggrecan metabolism and its role in skeletal development, growth as well as during the development of joint disease. In addition, we describe the pathways for hyaluronan metabolism, with particular focus on the role as a "metabolic rheostat" during chondrocyte responses in cartilage remodeling in growth and disease.Future advances in effective therapeutic targeting of cartilage loss during osteoarthritic diseases of the joint as an organ as well as in cartilage tissue engineering would benefit from 'big data' approaches and bioinformatics, to uncover novel feed-forward and feed-back mechanisms for regulating transcription and translation of genes and their integration into cell-specific pathways.

Human Identical Sequences, hyaluronan, and hymecromone ─ the new mechanism and management of COVID-19

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has created formidable damage to public health and market economy. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 variants has exacerbated the transmission from person-to-person. Even after a great deal of investigation on COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 is still rampaging globally, emphasizing the urgent need to reformulate effective prevention and treatment strategies. Here, we review the latest research progress of COVID-19 and provide distinct perspectives on the mechanism and management of COVID-19. Specially, we highlight the significance of Human Identical Sequences (HIS), hyaluronan, and hymecromone ("Three-H") for the understanding and intervention of COVID-19. Firstly, HIS activate inflammation-related genes to influence COVID-19 progress through NamiRNA-Enhancer network. Accumulation of hyaluronan induced by HIS-mediated HAS2 upregulation is a substantial basis for clinical manifestations of COVID-19, especially in lymphocytopenia and pulmonary ground-glass opacity. Secondly, detection of plasma hyaluronan can be effective for evaluating the progression and severity of COVID-19. Thirdly, spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 may bind to hyaluronan and further serve as an allergen to stimulate allergic reaction, causing sudden adverse effects after vaccination or the aggravation of COVID-19. Finally, antisense oligonucleotides of HIS or inhibitors of hyaluronan synthesis (hymecromone) or antiallergic agents could be promising therapeutic agents for COVID-19. Collectively, Three-H could hold the key to understand the pathogenic mechanism and create effective therapeutic strategies for COVID-19.

Straightforward Analysis of Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry from Biological Samples

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are considered to be the most difficult type of glycoconjugates to analyze as they are constituted of linear long polysaccharidic chains having molecular weights reaching up to several million daltons. Bottom-up analysis of glycosaminoglycans from biological samples is a long and work-extensive procedure due to the many preparation steps involved. In addition, so far, only few research articles have been dedicated to the analysis of GAGs by means of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) because their intact ionization can be problematic due to the presence of labile sulfate groups. In this work, we had the aim of exploring the sulfation pattern of monosulfated chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS) disaccharides in human tissue samples because they represent the most abundant form of sulfation in disaccharides. We present here an optimized strategy to analyze on-target derivatized CS/DS disaccharides via MALDI-TOF-MS using a fast workflow that does not require any purification after enzymatic cleavage. For the first time, we show that MALDI-TOF/TOF experiments allow for discrimination between monosulfated CS disaccharide isomers via specific fragments corresponding to glycosidic linkages and to cross-ring cleavages. This proof of concept is illustrated via the analysis of CS/DS disaccharides of atherosclerotic lesions of different histological origins, in which we were able to identify their monosulfation patterns.

Novel Insight Into Glycosaminoglycan Biosynthesis Based on Gene Expression Profiles

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) including chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate, and keratan sulfate, except for hyaluronan that is a free polysaccharide, are covalently attached to core proteins to form proteoglycans. More than 50 gene products are involved in the biosynthesis of GAGs. We recently developed a comprehensive glycosylation mapping tool, GlycoMaple, for visualization and estimation of glycan structures based on gene expression profiles. Using this tool, the expression levels of GAG biosynthetic genes were analyzed in various human tissues as well as tumor tissues. In brain and pancreatic tumors, the pathways for biosynthesis of chondroitin and dermatan sulfate were predicted to be upregulated. In breast cancerous tissues, the pathways for biosynthesis of chondroitin and dermatan sulfate were predicted to be up- and down-regulated, respectively, which are consistent with biochemical findings published in the literature. In addition, the expression levels of the chondroitin sulfate-proteoglycan versican and the dermatan sulfate-proteoglycan decorin were up- and down-regulated, respectively. These findings may provide new insight into GAG profiles in various human diseases including cancerous tumors as well as neurodegenerative disease using GlycoMaple analysis.

Wound Matrix Stiffness Imposes on Macrophage Activation

The immune system depends on two major paths-the innate and the adaptive immunity. Macrophage, with its unique features as the first line of immune defense to engulf and digest invaders, serves as the key effector cells integrating those two paths. The dynamic plasticity of macrophage activation during wound repair, inflammation resolution, and tissue remodeling are emerging biomedical and bioengineering hot topics in immune function studies such as the various secretions of cytokines and chemokines and the signaling pathways with ligands and their cognate receptors. Better knowledge on how physical/mechanical and multicellular microenvironment on the modulation of macrophage functions will create innovative therapies to boost host defense mechanism and assist wound healing. In this, we describe an easy method to measure functions (gene expressions) of human and mouse macrophages in response to mechanical microenvironment changes by embedding isolated macrophages in polymerized hyaluronan gel with different wound matrix stiffness.

A guide to the composition and functions of the extracellular matrix

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic 3-dimensional network of macromolecules that provides structural support for the cells and tissues. Accumulated knowledge clearly demonstrated over the last decade that ECM plays key regulatory roles since it orchestrates cell signaling, functions, properties and morphology. Extracellularly secreted as well as cell-bound factors are among the major members of the ECM family. Proteins/glycoproteins, such as collagens, elastin, laminins and tenascins, proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronan, and their cell receptors such as CD44 and integrins, responsible for cell adhesion, comprise a well-organized functional network with significant roles in health and disease. On the other hand, enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases and specific glycosidases including heparanase and hyaluronidases contribute to matrix remodeling and affect human health. Several cell processes and functions, among them cell proliferation and survival, migration, differentiation, autophagy, angiogenesis, and immunity regulation are affected by certain matrix components. Structural alterations have been also well associated with disease progression. This guide on the composition and functions of the ECM gives a broad overview of the matrisome, the major ECM macromolecules, and their interaction networks within the ECM and with the cell surface, summarizes their main structural features and their roles in tissue organization and cell functions, and emphasizes the importance of specific ECM constituents in disease development and progression as well as the advances in molecular targeting of ECM to design new therapeutic strategies.

The Inter-α-Trypsin Inhibitor Family: Versatile Molecules in Biology and Pathology

Inter-α-trypsin inhibitor (IαI) family members are ancient and unique molecules that have evolved over several hundred million years of vertebrate evolution. IαI is a complex containing the proteoglycan bikunin to which heavy chain proteins are covalently attached to the chondroitin sulfate chain. Besides its matrix protective activity through protease inhibitory action, IαI family members interact with extracellular matrix molecules and most notably hyaluronan, inhibit complement, and provide cell regulatory functions. Recent evidence for the diverse roles of the IαI family in both biology and pathology is reviewed and gives insight into their pivotal roles in tissue homeostasis. In addition, the clinical uses of these molecules are explored, such as in the treatment of inflammatory conditions including sepsis and Kawasaki disease, which has recently been associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in children.

Hyaluronic acid capacitation induces intracellular signals modulated by membrane-associated adenylate cyclase and tyrosine kinase involved in bovine in vitro fertilization

Heparin is the most commonly used in vitro capacitation inducer in the bovine. However, hyaluronic acid (HA) has been recently used for capacitation induction as well as for other reproductive biotechnologies, such as sperm selection and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Our aim was to induce sperm capacitation with heparin or HA in order to study mAC and TK intracellular signals and their relation with cleavage and blastocyst rates after IVF as well as with the oxidative status of the potential bovine embryos. 2,5-dideoxyadenosine and genistein were used as mAC and TK inhibitors, respectively. Sperm capacitation was analyzed using CTC technique, sperm plasma membrane and acrosome integrity were determined using trypan blue stain and differential interference contrast, and mitochondrial activity was evaluated using fluorochrome JC-1. Cleavage rate was analyzed 48h and blastocyst production 7-8 days after IVF, while cytosolic oxidative activity was determined using RedoxSensor Red CC-1 fluorochrome 7h after IVF. When mAC and TK inhibitors were added to sperm samples, only capacitation decreased significantly both in HA and heparin treated samples (P < 0.05), but plasma membrane and acrosome integrity percentages were not affected in any of these groups (P > 0.05). Sperm mitochondrial membrane potential only decreased in heparin treated samples in the presence of both inhibitors (P < 0.05). Oocytes activated with HA sperm treated samples with the addition of 2,5-dideoxyadenosine and genistein presented a lower cytosolic oxidative status than those activated with sperm treated with HA alone (P < 0.05). On the other hand, oocytes activated with heparin treated sperm samples presented a lower cytosolic oxidative status only in the presence of 2,5-dideoxyadenosine (P < 0.05). Therefore, mAC and TK present a differential participation in heparin and HA sperm induced capacitation and mitochondrial function as well as in IVF.

Hyaluronan in the Tumor Microenvironment

The extracellular matrix is part of the microenvironment and its functions are associated with the physical and chemical properties of the tissue. Among the extracellular components, the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan is a key component, defining both the physical and biochemical characteristics of the healthy matrices. The hyaluronan metabolism is strictly regulated in physiological conditions, but in the tumoral tissues, its expression, size and binding proteins interaction are dysregulated. Hyaluronan from the tumor microenvironment promotes tumor cell proliferation, invasion, immune evasion, stemness alterations as well as drug resistance. This chapter describes data regarding novel concepts of hyaluronan functions in the tumor. Additionally, we discuss potential clinical applications of targeting HA metabolism in cancer therapy.