The collagen substrate specificity of rat uterus collagenase

The collagen substrate specificity of rat uterus collagenase was studied as a function of both collagen type and species of substrate origin. For each collagen examined, values for the basic kinetic parameters, Km and Vmax (kcat), were determined on collagen in solution at 25 degrees C. In all cases, Lineweaver-Burk plots were linear and rat uterus collagenase behaved as a normal Michaelis-Menten enzyme. Collagen types I, II, and III of all species tested were degraded by rat uterus collagenase. Collagen types IV and V were resistant to enzymatic attack. Both enzyme-substrate affinity and catalytic rates were very similar for all susceptible collagens (types I-III). Values for Km ranged from 0.9 to 2.5 X 10(-6) M. Values for kcat varied from 10.7 to 28.1 h-1. The homologous rat type I collagen was no better a substrate than the other animal species type I collagens. The ability of rat uterus collagenase to degrade collagen types I, II, and III with essentially the same catalytic efficiency is unlike the action of human skin fibroblast collagenase or any other interstitial collagenase reported to date. The action of rat uterus collagenase on type I collagen was compared to that of human skin fibroblast collagenase, with regard to their capacity to cleave collagen as solution monomers versus insoluble fibrils. Both enzymes had essentially equal values for kcat on monomeric collagen, yet the specific activity of the rat uterus collagenase was 3- to 6-fold greater on collagen fibrils than the skin fibroblast enzyme. Thus, in spite of their similar activity on collagen monomers in solution, the rat uterus collagenase can degrade collagen aggregated into fibrils considerably more readily than can human skin fibroblast collagenase.     

Evidence for natural existence of pyridinoline crosslink in collagen

Pyridinoline is a fluorescent crosslinking amino acid isolated from collagen. Recently it was claimed that this material is an artefact produced from contaminating proteins during acid hydrolysis. However, in our hands, bovine tendon collagen could not be depleted of pyridinoline by the suggested treatments. A peptide which had the same fluorescence properties as those of pyridinoline could be isolated from enzymic digests of collagen. After acid hydrolysis, presence of pyridinoline in the peptide could be demonstrated on amino acid analysis. The composition of the peptide suggests that it originates from the specific regions of collagen molecule. These results clearly indicate the existence of pyridinoline in collagen $\text{in}\text{vivo}$.     

Pyridinoline, a non-reducible crosslink of collagen. Quantitative determination, distribution, and isolation of a crosslinked peptide

Pyridinoline is a crosslink compound isolated from bovine Achilles tendon collagen. It is a 3-hydroxypyridinium derivative with three amino and three carboxyl groups (Fujimoto, D., Akiba, K., & Nakamura, N. (1977) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 76, 1124-1129). The contents of pyridinoline in collagens from various sources were determined. The pyridinoline content of bovine Achilles tendon was 0.16 residue per 1,000 residues and that of rat Achilles tendon collagen was 0.017 residue per 1,000 residues. Besides Achilles tendon collagens, pyridinoline was found in collagens from costal cartilage, rib and femoral bone of rat. It was not found in collagens from the tail tendon and skin of rat. A crosslinked, triple-chained peptide containing pyridinoline was isolated from bovine Achilles tendon collagen after digestion with pronase. Its amino acid composition suggests that the peptide may be involved in an intermolecular crosslink among a carboxyterminal sequence, a sequence near the aminoterminus and a sequence in the helical region.     

Type III collagen can be present on banded collagen fibrils regardless of fibril diameter

Monoclonal antibodies that recognize an epitope within the triple helix of type III collagen have been used to examine the distribution of that collagen type in human skin, cornea, amnion, aorta, and tendon. Ultrastructural examination of those tissues indicates antibody binding to collagen fibrils in skin, amnion, aorta, and tendon regardless of the diameter of the fibril. The antibody distribution is unchanged with donor age, site of biopsy, or region of tissue examined. In contrast, antibody applied to adult human cornea localizes to isolated fibrils, which appear randomly throughout the matrix. These studies indicate that type III collagen remains associated with collagen fibrils after removal of the amino and carboxyl propeptides, and suggests that fibrils of skin, tendon, and amnion (and presumably many other tissues that contain both types I and III collagens) are copolymers of at least types I and III collagens.     

Isolation and chemical characterization of collagen in bovine pulmonary tissues.

1. The contents of the fibrous proteins collagen and elastin in the pleural and parenchymal regions of bovine lungs were determined. The collagen content was approx. 70% (g/100g of salt-extracted defatted powder) in each tissue, and the elastin content was 28% in pleura and 13.5% in parenchyma. 2. Purification of the insoluble collagen from the pleura and parenchyma of bovine lungs by various methods was attempted. The collagen fractions isolated after incubation of the pulmonary tissues with the proteolytic enzymes collagenase ("collagenase-soluble" fraction) or pancreatic elastase ("elastase-insoluble" fraction) each contained approx. 87% of the total collagen initially present. 3. Both collagen fractions were chemically analysed for their amino acid and carbohydrate contents and were found to be similar to those of the intact interstitial collagens isolated from skin, bone and tendon. 4. The contents of the two aldimine cross-linking compounds, dehydrohydroxylysinonorleucine and dehydrodihydroxylysinonorleucine, were determined in the bovine pulmonary collagen fractions, and were found to decrease with increasing age of the animals, and were similar to the values found in intact collagens from bone and tendon.     

The isolation, and amino acid and carbohydrate composition, of polymeric collagens prepared from various human tissues

1. Insoluble polymeric collagens from various human tissues were prepared by the EDTA method. Almost all of the collagen from simple soft tissues such as dermis, tendon, submucosa, sclera and cornea could be extracted, whereas the more complex tissues such as intercostal cartilage and intervertebral disc yielded only small amounts of collagen. Amino acid and carbohydrate analysis indicated that most of the preparations were highly purified on the basis of their tyrosine, hexosamine, mannose, xylose and fucose contents. 2. Wide variation in the total hexose content was observed, the lowest being 8.5 residues/3000 amino acid residues for collagen from dermis and the highest being 42.1 residues/3000 in corneal collagen. The molar ratios of sugars also varied, submucosal collagen having a galactose/glucose ratio of 1.0 and corneal collagen having a ratio of 2.3. 3. The presence of glucosylgalactosylhydroxylysine was confirmed in submucosal collagen by compositional and chromatographic analysis of this component after its isolation from alkaline hydrolysates of the collagen. Evidence was also obtained for the presence of galactosylhydroxylysine. 4. Determination of the hydroxylysyl glycosides was carried out and it was observed that the amounts of these components varied widely from tissue to tissue. Corneal collagen contained 19.1 hydroxylysine-linked carbohydrate units/3000 amino acid residues, whereas tendon collagen contained only 4.1 units/3000. Variation in the ratio disaccharide unit/monosaccharide unit was also observed, the ratio being 1.2 in intercostal cartilage collagen and 4.1 in submucosal collagen. The proportion of the total hydroxylysine that was substituted by carbohydrate also varied from tissue to tissue.     

Aging and cross-linking of skin collagen

This report represents a clear demonstration of a cross-link in collagen whose abundance is related to chronological aging of an organism. Recently its structure was identified as histidinohydroxylysinonorleucine. Quantification of the cross-link in various aged samples of bovine and human skin indicate that it rapidly increases from birth through maturation. Subsequently, a steady increase occurs with aging, approaching 1 mole/mole of collagen. This compound seems to be related to the relative proportions of soluble to insoluble collagen from skin in neutral salt, dilute acid, and denaturing aqueous solvents (higher concentration in the insoluble portion). It is absent from other major collagenous tissues such as dentin, bone and tendon.     

Isolation and characterization of a fluorescent material in bovine achilles tendon collagen

A fluorescent material in bovine achilles tendon collagen was isolated and characterized by ultraviolet spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and nmr spectroscopy. The data suggest that the compound is a 3-hydroxypyridinium derivative with three amino acid side chains. The name “pyridinoline” is proposed. Pyridinoline is a novel type crosslink of collagen.     

The human alpha 2(XI) collagen (COL11A2) chain. Molecular cloning of cDNA and genomic DNA reveals characteristics of a fibrillar collagen with differences in genomic organization

We have isolated three overlapping cDNA clones encoding the pro alpha 2(XI) collagen chain from a human chondrocyte cDNA library. Together, the cDNAs code for 257 uninterrupted Gly-X-Y triplets (almost 80% of the triple helical domain) and about 200 amino acid residues of the carboxyl telopeptide and carboxyl propeptide. The identification of the clones as pro alpha 2(XI) cDNAs was based on the complete identity between the amino acid sequences of three tryptic peptides derived from human alpha 2(XI) collagen and the cDNA-derived sequence. We have also sequenced six exons within a human genomic alpha 2(XI) cosmid clone. This sequence shows that although type XI collagen belongs to the fibril-forming class of collagens, there are substantial differences in exon sizes at the 3' end of the gene when comparing the alpha 2(XI) gene with those of human types I, II, and III collagens. Finally, pro alpha 2(XI) cDNA has been used as a probe to determine the location of the gene by in situ hybridization of chromosome spreads. The results demonstrate that the gene is located close to the region p212 on chromosome 6. Northern blot analysis shows that the gene is expressed in cartilage but not in adult liver, skin, and tendon.     

Isolation of peripheral nerve collagen

A new method for the isolation of high yields of collagen from human peripheral nerve is described. A major technique adopted in the present work is sedimentation of the tissue homogenates in a sucrose density gradient. The defatted fibrous material isolated after the removal of myelin was shown to be a relatively pure collagenous substance by amino acid analysis, indicating that the removal of noncollagenous proteins, especially glycoproteins, from collagen fibrils was effectively achieved by this method. The yield of collagen at this step was more than 90% of the total collagen in peripheral nerve. Subsequent extractions with solutions of neutral saline and sodium citrate were found to give further purification of the collagenous protein. The collagens from embryonic peripheral nerves were composed of Type I and III collagens, while Type III collagen was found to be less abundant in adult peripheral nerves.     

The variability in type I collagen helical pitch is reflected in the D periodic fibrillar structure

The variability in amino acid axial rise per residue of the collagen helix is a potentially important parameter that is missing in many structural models of fibrillar collagen to date. The significance of this variability has been supported by evidence from collagen axial structures determined by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, as well as studies of the local sequence-dependent conformation of the collagen helix. Here, sequence-dependent variation of the axial rise per residue was used to improve the fit between simulated diffraction patterns derived from model structures of the axially projected microfibrillar structure and the observed X-ray diffraction pattern from hydrated rat tail tendon. Structural models were adjusted using a genetic algorithm that allowed a wide range of structures to be tested efficiently. The results show that variation of the axial rise per residue could reduce the difference metric between model and observed data by up to 50%, indicating that such a variable is a necessary part of fibril model structure building. The variation in amino acid translation was also found to be influenced by the number of proline and hydroxyproline residues in the triple helix structure.     

重组人源性胶原蛋白的制备及表征

为了获得可实现工业化生产的重组人源性胶原蛋白,根据人I型胶原蛋白Gly-X-Y序列,优选亲水性的Gly-X-Y胶原肽段设计人源性胶原蛋白氨基酸序列及对应的核苷酸序列,利用酶切技术构建pPIC9K-COL表达载体,电转化毕赤酵母获得人源性胶原蛋白毕赤酵母工程菌,并对其进行发酵罐发酵、纯化及鉴定。结果显示,获得表达量达4.5 g/L,纯度大于95%的人源性胶原蛋白,经氨基酸N端测序、分子量测定、氨基酸分析及胶原酶降解试验,确定获得的蛋白与理论的人源性胶原蛋白一级结构一致;同时胶原经冷冻干燥后进行扫描电镜分析及细胞毒性试验,确定人源性胶原蛋白冻干品具有多孔纤维网状结构及优良的细胞相容性,预示其具备作为生物医学材料的潜质。     

Type II collagen of lamprey

The major collagen in lamprey notochord is type II, as determined by its amino acid composition and solubility properties. This collagen has a distribution of charged residues indistinguishable from higher vertebrate Type II collagens as judged by its SLS banding pattern. Lamprey type II collagen has a higher thermal stability than lamprey skin collagen, in contrast to the identical melting temperatures for these types in mammals. A minor collagen in lamprey notochord has solubility properties, amino acid composition, and electrophoretic mobility similar to that of 1 alpha, 2 alpha, 3 alpha collagen in human cartilage.     

Digestion of native collagen, denatured collagen, and collagen fragments by extracts of rat liver lysosomes.

Extracts of highly purified lysosomes from rat liver were examined for their ability to degrade native collagen and thermally denatured collagen at pH values between 3.5 and 7.0. After a 24-h digestion at 36 degrees with the lysosomal extract at a pH of 5.5 or lower (collagen/lysosomal protein; 2/1 or 8/1), both native and denatured collagen were degraded to an extent equivalent to 60 to 70% of that observed upon total acid hydrolysis in 6 N HCl as measured by the ninhydrin reaction (570 nm). At a pH of 6.0, native collagen and denatured collagen were degraded by the mixture of lysosomal proteinases to 11% and 40% of total acid hydrolysis, respectively. At pH 6.5 AND 7.0, the corresponding values were 3% versus 33% and 0.3% versus 11%, respectively. Fragments of collagen (TCA and TCB) are produced when mammalian collagenase degrades native collagen at 25 degrees. These fragments were degraded by the lysosomal extract at 36 degrees to an extent equivalent to 28% and 8% of total acid hydrolysis at pH 6.5 and 7.0, respectively. The experiments at pH 6.5 and 7.0 were done using a collagen/lysosomal protein ratio of 2/1. At pH 5.0 (a pH which is found within secondary lysosomes), the lysosomal extracts degraded collagen to a mixture of free amino acids and small peptides. Amino acid analysis established that approximately 30% of the amino acid residues of the collagen appeared in the lysosomal hydrolysate as free amino acids. Hydroxyproline and perhaps hydroxylysine were the only amino acids found in collagen which did not appear at least to some extent as the free amino acid in this hydrolysate.     

Comparative analysis of the structure and thermal stability of sea urchin peristome and rat tail tendon collagen

We have purified collagen from two distinct sources; the vertebrate, rat tail tendon and an invertebrate, sea urchin adult tissue, the peristome. The collagenous nature of the purification products was confirmed by amino acid compositional analysis. Both preparations had high contents of glycine and proline residues and hydroxyproline was also present. The total pyrrolidine (proline+hydroxyproline) content decreased from 17.9 mole% in rat tail collagen to 12.9 mole% in peristome collagen. Distinctly different circular dichroic spectra were measured for these collagens. Analyses of spectra, measured as a function of temperature, revealed distinct thermal denaturation profiles. The melting temperature for rat tail collagen was 38.5 degrees C, while the corresponding value for peristome collagen was significantly lower at 27 degrees C. A similar thermal denaturation profile was obtained for rat tail collagen in digestion experiments using a 41-kDa gelatinase activity, isolated from sea urchin eggs. These results identify structural differences between a typical, vertebrate type I fibrillar collagen and an echinoderm collagen which serves as a constituent of a mutable connective tissue. These differences may relate to the functional roles played by collagen in these distinctly different tissues.     

The in vivo inhibition of collagen synthesis and the reduction of prolyl hydroxylase activity by 3,4-dehydroproline.

Various proline analogs and iron chelators were tested for their effect on collagen formation which occurs in the uterus of the immature rat following the administration of estradiol-17β. dl-3,4-Dehydroproline, l-α-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid and l-pyroglutamic acid reduced the estradiol-17β stimulated formation of hydroxyproline which occurs in the uterus following administration of the hormone while l-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid was without effect on this response. The activity of the d- and l-isomers of 3,4-dehydroproline was compared with the racemic mixture; the l-isomer was twice as active as the latter, while the d-isomer was only half as active. l-3,4-Dehydroproline was approximately four times as potent as l-α-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, the second most active analog of those tested. dl-3,4-Dehydroproline inhibited the incorporation of l-[¹⁴C]proline into the proline and hydroxyproline of uterine collagen; it also inhibited the incorporation of [¹⁴C]glycine into collagen while having less effect on the incorporation of these amino acids into noncollagen protein. These results indicate dl-3,4-dehydroproline is a fairly specific and potent inhibitor of collagen formation in vivo.These observations indicate that dl-3,4-dehydroproline reduces the hydroxylation of prolyl residues in collagen. Presumably, this occurs in part due to the incorporation of the analog into the collagen molecule in place of proline. It is probably also related to a reduction of prolyl hydroxylase activity which can be demonstrated in the tissues of animals treated with 3,4-dehydroproline. A significant reduction of prolyl hydroxylase activity was shown to persist in the uterus, lung, and heart for approximately 24 h following a single intraperitoneal dose of dl-3,4-dehydroproline (200 mg/kg).     

Isolation of skeletal muscle collagen

A new method for the isolation of a high yield of collagen from human skeletal muscle is described. This technique employs rapid stirring of the homogenate of skeletal muscle with a magnetic stirrer. Fibrous material entangled during rapid stirring was recovered by passing the homogenate through a sieve and then sequentially extracted with Hasselbach-Schneider solution and 0.6 m KI-0.06 m Na₂S₂O₃. The insoluble residue obtained after these extractions was shown to be highly purified collagen by amino acid analysis, and the recovery of collagen by this method was found to be more than 90% of the total collagen in skeletal muscle. The isolated collagen from 5 years of age was mostly composed of Type I collagen, and small amounts of Type III collagen and an unidentified collagenous protein migrating in a position near Type V collagen (αB chain) were also found on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel.     

Changes induced by ozone and ultraviolet light in type I collagen. Bovine Achilles tendon collagen versus rat tail tendon collagen

High-molecular-mass aggregates were made soluble from insoluble collagens of bovine Achilles tendon and rat tail tendon by limited thermal hydrolysis. These polymeric collagen aggregates were cross-linked by 390-nm-fluorescent 3-hydroxy-pyridinium residues (excited at 325 nm) in the former tendon and by unknown non-fluorescent residues in the latter. With the solubilized insoluble-collagens from both tendons, as well as with acid-soluble collagen from rat tail tendon, other 350-385-nm fluorescence intensities (excited at 300 nm) were found to be higher in monomeric chains than in dimeric and polymeric chains. Low levels of ozone inhibited fibril formation of acid-soluble collagen particularly from young rat tail tendon, reacting with tyrosine residues and the 350-385-nm fluorophores. Aldehyde groups, involved in cross-linking, were not effectively modified by ozone. beta-Components (alpha-chain dimers) were not efficiently dissociated even by higher doses of ozone compared to gamma-components (alpha-chain trimers). Polymeric chain aggregates from bovine Achilles tendon collagen, whose 3-hydroxy-pyridinium cross-links are cleaved by ozone, were more readily dissociated by ozone than those from rat tail tendon collagen. Ultraviolet (300-nm) light, which destroyed the 350-385-nm fluorophores, inhibited fibril formation less effectively than ultraviolet (275-nm) light, which is absorbed by tyrosine residues, and did not dissociate collagen polymers from rat tail tendon. On the other hand, ultraviolet (320-nm) light, absorbed by 3-hydroxy-pyridinium cross-links which were rapidly photolyzed, partially dissociated polymeric collagen aggregates from bovine Achilles tendon after subsequent heating.     

Development of collagen fibril organization and collagen crimp patterns during tendon healing

Normal tendon comprises coaxially aligned bundles of crimped collagen fibres each of which possesses a fibrillar substructure. In acute traumatic injury this level of organization is disrupted and the mechanical function of the tendon impaired. During repair, a degree of recovery of the fibrillar structure takes place. In this tudy we have assessed the re-establishment of tendon organization after injury on the basis of the collagen fibril diameter distribution and the collagen crimp parameters. Crimp became undetectable following injury but one month later was present throughout the tissue. At this time the periodicity was greatly reduced by comparison with that of the normal tendon and normal values were not re-established within 14 months following injury. Collagen fibril diameters remained abnormally small over this same period of time. In particular, fibrils of diameters in excess of 100 nm, commonly found in normal and contralateral tendons, were totally absent from the observed distributions in the healing tendons. Such large diameter fibrils often account for as much as 50% of the total mass of collagen present in the uninjured tissue. Thus the mechanical properties of the healing tendon may remain significantly different from those of normal tendon for a minimum time of 14 months after injury.     

High-resolution 13C-NMR spectra of collagen peptides

Relative intensities of main resonance high-resolution 13C NMR spectra of acid hydrolysis products of bovine skin and human aortic collagens were measured. The contents of Gly, Pro, Hyp amino acid residues and Gly-Pro-Y triplets in collagen peptides was estimated. A good agreement between the experimental and theoretical data of the analysis of amino acid sequences of bovine skin collagen was shown.