Heterogeneity of bovine corneal proteokeratan sulfate

Proteokeratan sulfate was extracted and purified from bovine corneal stroma and then characterized by chemical and biochemical analyses. It was fractionated into several fractions by affinity chromatography on a concanavalin A-Sepharose column or by hydrophobic chromatography on a phenyl-Sepharose column. These fractions differed widely from one another in carbohydrate content, though no significant differences of their amino acid compositions were observed. One fraction (ca. 25%, on a dry weight basis) tightly bound to a concanavalin A-Sepharose column, compared with another fraction (ca. 65%) weakly bound to the same column, was poor in galactose and N-acetylglucosamine, but contained mannose in a high proportion. Fractions (ca. 30%) tightly bound to a phenyl-Sepharose column, in contrast to the one (ca. 66%) weakly bound, had low carbohydrate contents, like the fraction tightly bound to a concanavalin A-Sepharose column. Additionally, the fractions tightly bound to these affinity columns exhibited strong inhibitory actions on erythrocyte-concanavalin A agglutination. To obtain further details of the carbohydrate moiety of the proteokeratan sulfate, an attempt was made to separate and characterize peptidokeratan sulfate and Asn-linked oligosaccharide derived from some proteokeratan sulfate fractions. The present work revealed that the proteokeratan sulfate contains keratan sulfate and high mannose-type oligosaccharide in an approximate chain number ratio of 3.5:1.0, the keratan sulfate content varies widely and the oligosaccharide content increases with decrease of the keratan sulfate content, and the protein core is homogeneous at least with respect to the amino acid composition.     

Mannose in the keratan sulfate from bovine cornea

After exhaustive digestion of bovine corneas with a protease, keratan sulfate fractions of different chain length were obtained by ethanol fractionation on a cellulose column, followed by ion-exchange column chromatography. Compositional analysis of these fractions showed that aspartic acid is the predominant amino acid and that the keratan sulfate in each fraction contains aspartic acid and mannose in the molar ratio of 1:3. Molecular weights of these fractions, estimated by gel chromatography, were close to the calculated values based on the molar ratios of the components to three moles of mannose. The results strongly suggested that the keratan sulfate of bovine cornea contains three mannose residues per chain, as an integral component of the linkage region to protein.     

Studies on the characterization of the linkage-region between polysaccharide chain and core protein in bovine corneal proteokeratan sulfate

1) A new method of enrichment of the linkage-region in corneal proteokeratan sulfate is described, which consists of desulfation of peptidokeratan sulfate, followed by chromatography on Con A-Sepharose 4B and enzymatic degradation with beta-D galactosidase and beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase. 2) After permethylation, hydrolysis, reduction with sodium borohydrid and acetylation gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses were performed. The followings products could be detected as their peracetates: 2,3,4-tri-O-methylfucitol; 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methylmannitol; 3,4,6-tri-O-methylmannitol; 2,4-di-O-methylmannitol; 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methylgalactitol; 2,4,6-tri-O-methylgalactitol; 2,4-di-O-methylgalactitol. 3) The results point to the presence of a branched linkage region in the proteokeratan sulfate molecule with one mannose as the branching point and two mannose residues as the starting point of two disaccharide chains.     

The biosynthesis in vitro of keratan sulphate in bovine cornea

1. Bovine corneas were incubated in vitro with [U-(14)C]glucose. 2. The glycosaminoglycans of corneal stroma were isolated and fractionated on cetylpyridinium chloride-cellulose columns. The major components were keratan sulphate (71%), chondroitin 4-sulphate (17%) and chondroitin 6-sulphate (4%). 3. The acid-soluble nucleotides and intermediates of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis of corneal stroma were separated on Dowex 1 (formate form) and the tissue content and cellular concentrations were determined. 4. The rates of synthesis of the intermediates of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis in corneal stroma were determined. 5. The incorporation of radioactivity from [U-(14)C]glucose into the uronic acid and hexosamine components of the glycosaminoglycans present in corneal stroma were measured and the turnover rates of these polymers were calculated. It was found that keratan sulphate was turning over in about 723h and chondroitin 6-sulphate in 251h.     

Biosynthesis of keratan sulfate: purification and properties of a galactosyltransferase from bovine cornea.

A soluble galactosyltransferase was purified 22,000-fold from bovine cornea. The enzyme catalyzes the transfer of galactose from UDP-galactose to N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, α- and β-glucosaminides, bovine cornea and nasal septum agalactokeratan, and to glycoproteins containing terminal nonreducing N-acetylglucosaminyl units. When N-acetyl-d-glucosamine served as acceptor, the product formed by the cornea transferase contained galactose glycosidically linked to carbon atom 4 of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine; the same glycosidic linkage was found in [¹⁴C]keratan preparations isolated from reaction mixtures where keratan containing terminal nonreducing N-acetylglucosaminyl units served as acceptor. The cornea enzyme exhibited a markedly lower K_m with keratan than with N-acetyl-d-glucosamine. The physical and kinetic properties of the cornea galactosyltransferase and of the milk A-protein (A-protein + α-lactalbumin = lactose synthase), including modulations of acceptor specificity by α-lactalbumin, were compared. The results of these studies strongly suggest that the two glycosyltransferases are similar, if not identical. Efforts to demonstrate the presence of other soluble galactosyltransferases in cornea were unsuccessful; no change in the ratios of products formed with several acceptors was observed at any stage of purification. It is suggested that in bovine tissues a single galactosyltransferase participates in the synthesis of both high and low molecular weight galactosides including the assembly of the repeating disaccharide [O-β-galactopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-N-acetylglucosamine] of cornea keratan sulfate.     

Effect of oxygen tension and lactate concentration on keratan sulphate and chondroitin sulphate biosynthesis in bovine cornea.

Calf cornea slices were incubated with [U-14C]glucose, in varying pO2 or lactate concentrations. Acid glycosaminoglycans were separated by ion-exchange chromatography after papain digestion. The percentage radioactivity incorporated into keratan sulphate increased markedly with decreased oxygen tension, whereas a concomitant relative decrease of the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycuronans occurred. Similar results were obtained with increased lactate concentration. Our findings support the idea that keratan sulphate is a functional substitute for chondroitin sulphate in conditions of oxygen lack (Scott, J.E. and Haigh, M. (1988) J. Anat. 158, 95-108).     

Influence of allosteric effectors and temperature on oxygen binding properties and the Bohr effect of bovine hemoglobin

The O2 binding properties of bovine Hb were examined. The increase in Cl- and DPG concentration enhanced P50. A reduction in n(max) was observed at high Cl- concentration, while DPG had little effect on n(max). An increase in Cl- concentration enhanced the Bohr effect, the magnitude of which reached a maximum at 0.1 M Cl- and 20 degrees C. This concentration is nearly equal to that at the highest slope of the log P50 vs. log [Cl-] plot, and also equal to the physiological Cl- concentration (0.1 M) of bovine blood. Furthermore, the influence of Cl- concentration on the Bohr effect is independent of temperature. On the other hand, in the absence of Cl-, bovine Hb is sensitive to DPG; an increase in DPG concentration enhanced the Bohr effect, which reached a maximum at 3 mM DPG and 20 degrees C. This concentration is nearly equal to that at the highest slope of the log P50 vs. log [DPG] plot. At low DPG concentrations, the DPG effect on the Bohr effect became small with increasing temperature, whereas at high DPG concentrations, the DPG effect was insensitive to temperature changes. At the physiological concentration of DPG (0.5 mM), increases in both Cl- concentration and temperature diminished the DPG effect. At the physiological concentrations of Cl- and DPG, the Bohr effect was -0.36 at 37 degrees C. The deltaH value at the physiological concentrations of Cl- and DPG was approximately -5.8 kcal/mol at pH 7.4. These results indicate that Cl- and temperature are important determinants of the O2 binding properties of bovine Hb.     

Heparin/heparan sulfate biosynthesis: processive formation of N-sulfated domains

Heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans influence embryonic development as well as adult physiology through interactions with various proteins, including growth factors/morphogens and their receptors. The interactions depend on HS structure, which is largely determined during biosynthesis by Golgi enzymes. A key step is the initial generation of N-sulfated domains, primary sites for further polymer modification and ultimately for functional interactions with protein ligands. Such domains, generated through action of a bifunctional GlcNAc N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase (NDST) on a [GlcUA-GlcNAc](n) substrate, are of variable size due to regulatory mechanisms that remain poorly understood. We have studied the action of recombinant NDSTs on the [GlcUA-GlcNAc](n) precursor in the presence and absence of the sulfate donor, 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS). In the absence of PAPS, NDST catalyzes limited and seemingly random N-deacetylation of GlcNAc residues. By contrast, access to PAPS shifts the NDST toward generation of extended N-sulfated domains that are formed through coupled N-deacetylation/N-sulfation in an apparent processive mode. Variations in N-substitution pattern could be obtained by varying PAPS concentration or by experimentally segregating the N-deacetylation and N-sulfation steps. We speculate that similar mechanisms may apply also to the regulation of HS biosynthesis in the living cell.     

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans of bovine cornea: structural characterization and assessment for the adherence of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

The structures of the bovine corneal chondroitin sulfate (CS) chains and the nature of core proteins to which these chains are attached have not been studied in detail. In this study, we show that structurally diverse CS chains are present in bovine cornea and that they are mainly linked to decorin core protein. DEAE-Sephacel chromatography fractionated the corneal chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) into three distinct fractions, CSPG-I, CSPG-II, and CSPG-III. These CSPGs markedly differ in their CS and dermatan sulfate (DS) contents, and in particular the CS structure-the overall sulfate content and 4- to 6-sulfate ratio. In general, the CS chains of the corneal CSPGs have low to moderate levels (15-64%) of sulfated disaccharides and 0-30% DS content. Structural analysis indicated that the DS disaccharide units in the CS chains are segregated as large blocks. We have also assessed the suitability of the corneal CSPGs as an alternative to placental CSPG or the widely used bovine tracheal chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) for studying the structural interactions involved in the adherence of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells (IRBCs) to chondroitin 4-sulfate. The data demonstrate that the corneal CSPGs efficiently bind IRBCs, and that the binding strength is either comparable or significantly higher than the placental CSPG. In contrast, the IRBC binding strength of bovine tracheal CSA is markedly lower than the human placental and bovine corneal CSPGs. Thus, our data demonstrate that the bovine corneal CSPG but not tracheal CSA is suitable for studying structural interactions involved in IRBC-C4S binding.     

The carbohydrate-protein binding region in keratan sulfate from bovine cornea, structure of a major binding region oligosaccharide

Peptido-keratan sulfate from bovine cornea was degraded by a combination of desulfation, hydrazinolysis, nitrous acid deamination and NaB3H4 reduction. The tetrasaccharide fraction obtained by gel filtration was studied by degradation with specific exoglycosidases and methylation analysis. The existence of two different binding region oligosaccharide structures was established: The first structure contains one terminal fucose, two mannosine residues and N-acetylglucosamine at the reducing end. In the second structure one N-acetylglucosamine is bound to the protein backbone and substituted with branched 3,6-di-O-alpha-mannosyl-beta-mannose. Both terminal alpha-mannosine residues bear keratan sulfate chains in the 2-position.     

Purification and characterization of fetal bovine serum beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosaminyltransferase and beta-D-glucuronyltransferase involved in chondroitin sulfate biosynthesis.

beta-N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferase II and beta-glucuronyltransferase II, involved in chondroitin sulfate biosynthesis, transfer an N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and glucuronic acid (GlcA) residue, respectively, through beta-linkages to an acceptor chondroitin oligosaccharide derived from the repeating disaccharide region of chondroitin sulfate. They were copurified from fetal bovine serum approximately 2500-fold and 850-fold, respectively, by sequential chromatographies on Red A-agarose, phenyl-Sepharose, S-Sepharose and wheat germ agglutinin-agarose. Identical and inseparable chromatographic profiles of both glycosyltransferase activities obtained through the above chromatographic steps and gel filtration suggest that the purified enzyme activities are tightly coupled, which could imply a single enzyme with dual transferase activities; beta-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase and beta-glucuronyltransferase, reminiscent of the heparan sulfate polymerase reaction. However, when a polymerization reaction was performed in vitro with the purified serum enzyme preparation under the polymerization conditions recently developed for the chondroitin-synthesizing system, derived from human melanoma cells, each monosaccharide transfer took place, but no polymerization occurred. These results may suggest that the purified serum enzyme preparation contains both beta-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase II and beta-glucuronyltransferase II activities on a single polypeptide or on the respective polypeptides forming an enzyme complex, but is different from that obtained from melanoma cells in that it transfers a single GalNAc or GlcA residue but does not polymerize chondroitin.