Procollagen alpha2 mRNA is significantly different from procollagen alpha1(I) mRNA in size or secondary structure.

The fractionation of fetal calf tendon messenger RNA in 85 percent formamide sucrose gradients shows a separation of the mRNAs coding for pro α1(I) and pro α2 chains of type I collagen. This difference in sedimentation in denaturing gradients suggests that pro α2 mRNA is approxmately 1000 bases shorter than pro α1(I) mRNA. However, such a size difference is significantly greater than would be predicted from consideration of the size of the polypeptide chains coded for by these mRNAs, and thus, residual secondary structure in the mRNAs may contribute to these apparent size differences.     

Human and chick alpha 2(I) collagen mRNA: comparison of the 5' end in osteoblasts and fibroblasts

Type I collagen, a heterotrimer of two alpha 1(I) chains and one alpha 2(I) chain, is the major structural protein of bone, skin, and tendon. The collagen of patients with bone diseases has been studied in skin fibroblasts instead of osteoblasts because the genes for type I collagen are single-copy genes. While these studies should detect structural changes in the gene, they might fail to detect defects in processes which are dependent on tissue-specific expression. The studies reported here sought to determine whether the expression of type I collagen in skin and bone was characterized by the use of alternate promoters or alternative splicing in the N-propeptide region. Primer extension and nuclease S1 protection experiments were used to analyze the structure of the alpha 2(I) mRNA from the 5' end of the gene through the N-telopeptide coding region (exons 1-6) in human and chick osteoblasts and fibroblasts. The protection and primer extension experiments using human and chick mRNA demonstrated identical routes of splicing in skin and bone at the first five splice junctions. These studies provide reassurance that information obtained from the study of type I collagen in fibroblasts may be extrapolated to bone.     

Uncoupled expression of mRNAs for alpha 1(I) and alpha 2(I) procollagen chains in chemically transformed Syrian hamster fibroblasts

Syrian hamster embryo fibroblasts transformed by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (NQT-SHE cells) failed to synthesize the pro-alpha 1(I) subunit of type I procollagen but continued to synthesize altered forms of the other subunit, pro-alpha 2(I) (Peterkofsky, B., and Prather, W. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 16818-16826). This was unusual, since synthesis of the two subunits generally is coordinately regulated. Present experiments using cell-free translation and hybridization of RNA from normal and transformed Syrian hamster fibroblasts with labeled pro-alpha 1(I) DNA probes show that mRNA for pro-alpha 1(I) is absent from the transformant. In contrast, dot-blot and Southern blot hybridizations of cellular DNAs with pro-alpha 1(I) DNA probes demonstrated that the transformed cells contained pro-alpha 1(I) gene sequences and that the gross structure of the gene was unchanged by transformation. mRNA for the other type I procollagen subunit, pro-alpha 2(I), was present in transformed cells and the major collagenous polypeptide translated from this RNA migrated like the normal pro-alpha 2 subunit during sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The translated procollagen chain was cleaved to an alpha 2(I)-sized collagen chain by pepsin at 4 degrees C. These studies provide a molecular basis for the observed collagen phenotype of NQT-SHE cells.     

Apo B metabolism in the cynomolgus monkey: evidence for post-transcriptional regulation.

Previous studies have shown that hepatic apo B mRNA levels do not increase in animals fed high cholesterol diets, even though plasma apo B concentrations increase markedly. As a result, it has been suggested that the diet-induced increase in plasma apo B levels was due solely to an inhibited clearance of those lipoproteins. The present study was undertaken to test that hypothesis. Hepatic apo B mRNA levels were measured in liver biopsies taken from five male cynomolgus monkeys before and twice after, they began to consume a high cholesterol diet. The diet had no effect on hepatic apo B mRNA levels, even though it caused a 7-fold increase in the plasma apo B levels. However, measurements of the apo B secretion rate in eight separate monkeys (four chow-fed and four cholesterol-fed) by isotope dilution showed that apo B secretion by the liver was increased 4-fold in the cholesterol-fed monkeys. These data, taken together, indicate that apo B secretion is not regulated by the rate at which the apo B gene is transcribed, but at some point further along in the secretion pathway.     

The 5' stem-loop regulates expression of collagen alpha1(I) mRNA in mouse fibroblasts cultured in a three-dimensional matrix

The stability of collagen α1(I) mRNA is regulated by its 5′ stem–loop, which binds a cytoplasmic protein in a cap-dependent manner, and its 3′-untranslated region (UTR), which binds αCP. When cultured in a three-dimensional gel composed of type I collagen, mouse fibroblasts had decreased collagen α1(I) mRNA steady-state levels, which resulted from a decreased mRNA half-life. In cells cultured in gel, hybrid mouse–human collagen α1(I) mRNA with a wild-type 5′ stem–loop decayed faster than the same mRNA with a mutated stem–loop. When the 5′ stem–loop was placed in a heterologous mRNA, the mRNA accumulated to a lower level in cells grown in gel than in cells grown on plastic. This suggests that the 5′ stem–loop down-regulates collagen α1(I) mRNA. Protein binding to the 5′ stem–loop was reduced in cells grown in gel, which was associated with destabilization of the collagen α1(I) mRNA. In addition to the binding of a cytoplasmic protein, there was also a nuclear binding activity directed to the collagen α1(I) 5′ stem–loop. The nuclear binding was increased in cells grown in gel, suggesting that it may negatively regulate expression of collagen α1(I) mRNA. Binding of αCP, a protein involved in stabilization of collagen α1(I) mRNA, was unchanged by the culture conditions.     

Alpha2(I) collagen gene regulation by protein kinase C signaling in human dermal fibroblasts

We investigated the mechanisms by which protein kinase C (PKC) regulates the expression of the α2(I) collagen gene in normal dermal fibroblasts. Reduction of PKC-α activity by treatment with Gö697-6 or by overexpression of a dominant negative (DN) mutant form decreased α2(I) collagen gene expression. This decrease required a sequence element in the collagen promoter that contains Sp1/Sp3 binding sites. Reduction of PKC-δ activity by rottlerin or overexpression of DN PKC-δ also decreased α2(I) collagen gene expression. This effect required a separate sequence element containing Sp1/Sp3-binding sites and an Ets-binding site. In both cases, point mutations within the response elements abrogated the response to PKC inhibition. Forced overexpression of Sp1 rescued the PKC inhibitor-mediated reduction in collagen protein expression. A DNA affinity precipitation assay revealed that inhibition of PKC-δ by rottlerin increased the binding activity of endogenous Fli1 and decreased that of Ets1. On the other hand, TGF-β1, which increased the expression of PKC-δ, had the opposite effect, increasing the binding activity of Ets1 and decreasing that of Fli1. Our results suggest that PKC-δ is involved in the regulation of the α2(I) collagen gene in the presence or absence of TGF-β. Alteration of the balance of Ets1 and Fli1 may be a novel mechanism regulating α2(I) collagen expression.     

Complete primary structure of rainbow trout type I collagen consisting of alpha1(I)alpha2(I)alpha3(I) heterotrimers.

The subunit compositions of skin and muscle type I collagens from rainbow trout were found to be alpha1(I)alpha2(I)alpha3(I) and [alpha1(I)](2)alpha2(I), respectively. The occurrence of alpha3(I) has been observed only for bonyfish. The skin collagen exhibited more susceptibility to both heat denaturation and MMP-13 digestion than the muscle counterpart; the former had a lower denaturation temperature by about 0.5 degrees C than the latter. The lower stability of skin collagen, however, is not due to the low levels of imino acids because the contents of Pro and Hyp were almost constant in both collagens. On the other hand, some cDNAs coding for the N-terminal and/or a part of triple-helical domains of proalpha(I) chains were cloned from the cDNA library of rainbow trout fibroblasts. These cDNAs together with the previously cloned collagen cDNAs gave information about the complete primary structure of type I procollagen. The main triple-helical domain of each proalpha(I) chain had 338 uninterrupted Gly-X-Y triplets consisting of 1014 amino acids and was unique in its high content of Gly-Gly doublets. In particular, the bonyfish-specific alpha(I) chain, proalpha3(I) was characterized by the small number of Gly-Pro-Pro triplets, 19, and the large number of Gly-Gly doublets, 38, in the triple-helical domain, compared to 23 and 22, respectively, for proalpha1(I). The small number of Gly-Pro-Pro and the large number of Gly-Gly in proalpha3(I) was assumed to partially loosen the triple-helical structure of skin collagen, leading to the lower stability of skin collagen mentioned above. Finally, phylogenetic analyses revealed that proalpha3(I) had diverged from proalpha1(I). This study is the first report of the complete primary structure of fish type I procollagen.     

Decreased levels of alpha 1(I) procollagen mRNA in dermal fibroblasts grown on fibrin gels and in response to fibrinopeptide B

We have investigated human neonatal fibroblast synthetic activity in response to fibrin substrates and components of fibrin formation and degradation. Greater than threefold downregulation of procollagen mRNA levels was seen 24 hours after fibroblasts were grown on fibrin gels as compared to tissue culture plastic. This downregulation occurred in both reptilase-generated fibrin (retention of fibrinopeptide B) and thrombin-generated fibrin (loss of both fibrinopeptide A and B). However, fibroblasts grown on fibrin retained their capacity to respond to the stimulatory action of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1. Fibroblasts seeded on reptilase-generated fibrin displayed an abnormal morphology manifested by dendritic appearance and cell rounding, while fibroblast attachment was enhanced by 30% on thrombin-generated fibrin substrate (P < 0.02). Fibrinopeptides A and B, which are generated during fibrin formation, increased and decreased procollagen mRNA levels, respectively. Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) increased procollagen mRNA and TGF-beta 1 levels as early as 6 hours after cells were grown on tissue culture plastic, but this stimulation did not occur in cells cultured on a fibrin substrate. We conclude that alpha 1(I) procollagen mRNA levels in cultures of human dermal fibroblasts are consistently down-regulated by a fibrin substrate and are directly and profoundly influenced by complex interactions between components involved in the formation and removal of fibrin. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase is involved in alpha2(I) collagen gene expression in normal and scleroderma fibroblasts

TGF-beta is implicated in the pathogenesis of fibrotic disorders. It has been shown that Smad3 promotes the human alpha2(I) collagen (COL1A2) gene expression by TGF-beta1 in human dermal fibroblasts. Here, we investigated the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) in the COL1A2 gene expression in normal and scleroderma fibroblasts. In normal fibroblasts, the PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, significantly decreased the basal and the TGF-beta1-induced increased stability of COL1A2 mRNA. The TGF-beta1-induced COL1A2 promoter activity, but not the basal activity, was significantly attenuated by LY294002 or the dominant negative mutant of p85 subunit of PI3K, while the constitutive active mutant of p110 subunit of PI3K did not affect the basal or the TGF-beta1-induced COL1A2 promoter activity. LY294002 significantly decreased the phosphorylation of Smad3 induced by TGF-beta1. Furthermore, the transient overexpression of 2xFYVE, which induces the mislocalization of FYVE domain proteins, decreased the TGF-beta1-induced Smad3 phosphorylation to a similar extent to LY294002. In scleroderma fibroblasts, the blockade of PI3K significantly decreased the mRNA stability and the promoter activity of the COL1A2 gene. Furthermore, LY294002 and the transient overexpression of 2xFYVE completely diminished the constitutive phosphorylation of Smad3. These results indicate that 1) the basal activity of PI3K is necessary for the COL1A2 mRNA stabilization in normal and scleroderma fibroblasts, 2) there is an unidentified FYVE domain protein specifically interacting with Smad3, and 3) the basal activity of PI3K and the FYVE domain protein are indispensable for the efficient TGF-beta/Smad3 signaling in normal fibroblasts and for the establishment of the constitutive activation of TGF-beta/Smad3 signaling in scleroderma fibroblasts.     

Molecular evidence for human alpha2-HS glycoprotein (AHSG) polymorphism

Alpha2-HS glycoprotein (AHSG) is a human plasma glycoprotein that exhibits genetic polymorphism on isoelectric focusing (IEF). To identify the origin of two common alleles, AHSG*1 and *2, we examined nucleotide exchanges in the gene. AHSG cDNA was obtained by RT-PCR from poly(A) RNA of seven liver tissue samples and subcloned into a plasmid vector. After sequencing, we found six single nucleotide differences in comparison with the originally reported sequence. In particular, the nucleotide substitutions of C to T at amino acid position 230 and C to G at position 238 were common among the samples exhibiting phenotype 2–1 or 2. Since these substitutions might give rise to a NlaIII site and a SacI site, respectively, for the potential AHSG*2, we analyzed these substitutions by PCR-RFLP using genomic DNA of 68 individuals. The result was consistent with the IEF analysis of the corresponding serum, indicating that AHSG*1 was characterized by ACG (Thr) at position 230 in exon 6 and ACC (Thr) at position 238 in exon 7, and that AHSG*2 was characterized by ATG (Met) at position 230 and AGC (Ser) at position 238. Received: 5 March 1996 / Revised: 25 June 1996