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Age-related changes in protein-related epitopes of human articular-cartilage proteoglycans.

ABSTRACT: Monoclonal antibodies were prepared that recognize different age-related epitopes on proteoglycan subunits of high buoyant density isolated from human epiphysial and articular cartilages. Antibody EFG-4 (IgG1) recognizes a proteinase-sensitive segment associated with the core protein. Antibody BCD-4 (IgG1) reacts with keratan sulphate bound to core protein. Both epitopes are minimally expressed in foetal cartilage and increase with age after birth to become maximally expressed in adult cartilage by about 30 years of age. In contrast, monoclonal antibody alpha HFPG-846 (IgM) recognizes a core-protein-related epitope that is maximally expressed in young foetal cartilage, declines up to birth and thereafter and is almost absent after about 30 years of age. Antibody alpha HFPG-846 was used to isolate by immuno-affinity chromatography two subpopulations of proteoglycan subunits from a 16-year-old-human cartilage proteoglycan subunit preparation. Only the antibody-unbound population showed a significant reaction with antibodies EGF-4 and BCD-4. The amino acid and carbohydrate compositions of these proteoglycan fractions were different, and one (antibody-bound) resembled those of foetal and the other (antibody-unbound) resembled those of adult proteoglycans isolated from 24-27-week-old-foetal and 52-56-year-old-adult cartilage respectively. These observations demonstrate that human cartilages contain at least two chemically and immunochemically distinct populations of proteoglycans, the proportions and content of which are age-dependent. It is likely that these populations represent the products of different genes, though their heterogeneity may be compounded by the result of different post-translation modifications.

SUBMITTER: Glant TT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1146787 | biostudies-other | 1986 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Proteoglycans were extracted from the articular cartilage of foetal, calf and adult bovine metacarpal-phalangeal joints with 4m-guanidinium chloride. After extraction, the high-density proteoglycans (PG-I fractions) were prepared by sedimentation in two sequential CsCl-density-gradient procedures [Swann, Powell & Sotman (1979) J. Biol. Chem.254, 945-954]. The PG-I fractions from foetal, calf and adult tissues accounted for 75%, 52% and 46% respectively of the extracted components. The glucosamine, galactose, N-acetylneuraminic acid and protein contents increased with age. The overall amino acid compositions of PG-I fractions were similar. Fractionation of PG-I-fraction samples on a Bio-Gel A-50m column indicated that the molecular weight decreased with age. The PG-I fractions were specifically (3)H-labelled by treatment with galactose oxidase followed by reduction with NaB(3)H(4). The (3)H radioactivity was incorporated into both galactose and galactosamine residues of different carbohydrate side chains. The elution profiles of alkaline borohydride-treated foetal, calf and adult PG-I-fraction samples on a Sepharose 6B column showed that the molecular weights of chondroitin sulphate chains were 13500, 12000 and 10500 in foetal, calf and adult tissues respectively. Fractionation of the alkaline borohydride-treated foetal, calf and adult PG-I-fraction samples and (3)H-labelled calf and adult PG-I-fraction samples on a Bio-Gel P-10 column showed that there was an inverse relationship between the low-molecular-weight O-linked oligosaccharides and the higher-molecular-weight sialic acid-containing constituents at different ages. The oligosaccharide components of foetal, calf and adult PG-I-fraction samples represented 79%, 69% and 36% respectively of the total sialic acid content of the proteoglycans. Similarly in the (3)H-labelled calf and adult samples 75% and 30% of the total radioactivity were present in the oligosaccharide components respectively. Digestion with chondroitinase AC-II and infrared analyses showed that the PG-I-fraction F and C samples contained primarily chondroitin 4-sulphate chains whereas PG-I-fraction sample A was 6-sulphated. These studies show that the major proteoglycans (PG-I fractions) in the articular cartilage of foetal, calf and adult animals differ in the content, types and structure of the chondroitin sulphate, keratan sulphate and oligosaccharide constituents. These changes in proteoglycan structure reflect the gross age-related changes in the chemical composition of the tissue.

Project description:The content of the C-terminal region of aggrecan was investigated in samples of articular cartilage from individuals ranging in age from newborn to 65 years. This region contains the globular G3 domain which is known to be removed from aggrecan in mature cartilage, probably by proteolytic cleavage, but the age-related changes in its abundance in human cartilage have not been described previously. The analysis was performed by immunosorbant assay using an antiserum (JD5) against recombinant amino acid residues of human aggrecan, on crude extracts of cartilage without further purification of aggrecan. The results showed that the content of the C-terminal region decreased with age relative to the G1 domain content (correlation coefficient = 0.463). This represented a 92% fall in the content of this region of the molecule from newborn to 65 years of age. furthermore, when the G1 content of the cartilage extracts was corrected to only include the G1 attached to aggrecan and to exclude the G1 fragments which accumulate as a by-product of normal aggrecan turnover (free G1), the age-related decrease in the C-terminal region remained very pronounced. Analysis by composite agarose/PAGE showed that the number of subpopulations of aggrecan resolved increased from one in newborn to three in adult cartilage. All of these reacted with an antiserum to the human G1 domain, but only the slowest migrating species reacted with the C-terminal region antiserum (JD5). Similar analysis by SDS/PAGE confirmed the presence of high-molecular-mass (200 kDa) proteins reactive with JD5, but no reactive fragments of lower electrophoretic mobility were detected. In contrast, when probed with the antiserum to the human G1 domain, the immunoblots showed protein species corresponding to the free G1 and G1-G2 fragments, which were present at high concentrations in adult cartilage. The results suggest that the loss of the C-terminal region is not directly part of the process of aggrecan turnover, but it is a slow independent matrix process that occurs more extensively with aging as turnover rates become slower. Young cartilage with the fastest turnover contains least molecules lacking the C-terminal region, whereas in old tissue with slow turnover few molecules retain this region. An increase in the cleavage of this region with age may also contribute to this change. The content of the C-terminal region may thus give a measure of the abundance of newly synthesized aggrecan.

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Age-related changes in protein-related epitopes of human articular-cartilage proteoglycans.

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