Heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans inhibit E-selectin binding to endothelial cells

E-selectin is a cell adhesion molecule involved in the initial rolling and adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium during inflammation. In addition, in vitro studies have suggested that an interaction between E-selectin and binding sites such as sialyl Lewis X-containing oligosaccharides on endothelial cells may be important for angiogenesis. In order to investigate the binding of E-selectin to endothelial cells, we developed an ELISA assay using chimeric E-selectin-Ig molecules and endothelial cells fixed on poly-L-lysine coated plates. Our results indicate that E-selectin-Ig binds to both bovine capillary endothelial cells and human dermal microvascular endothelial cells in a calcium-dependent and saturable manner. The binding is inhibited markedly by heparin and by syndecan-1 ectodomain, and moderately by chondroitin sulfate, but not by sialyl Lewis X-containing oligosaccharides. These results suggest that heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans on endothelial cells are potential ligands for E-selectin.     

Myosin II activity regulates neurite outgrowth and guidance in response to chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) are major components of the extracellular matrix in the CNS that inhibit axonal regeneration after CNS injury. Signaling pathways in neurons triggered by CSPGs are still largely unknown. In this study, using well-characterized in vitro assays for neurite outgrowth and neurite guidance, we demonstrate a major role for myosin II in the response of neurons to CSPGs. We found that the phosphorylation of myosin II regulatory light chains is increased by CSPGs. Specific inhibition of myosin II activity with blebbistatin allows growing neurites to cross onto CSPG-rich areas and increases the length of neurites of neurons growing on CSPGs. Using specific gene knockdown, we demonstrate selective roles for myosin IIA and IIB in these processes. Time lapse microscopy and immunocytochemistry demonstrated that CSPGs also inhibit cell adhesion and cell spreading. Inhibition of myosin II selectively accelerated neurite initiation without altering cell adhesion and spreading on CSPGs.     

Nucleosomes bind to cell surface proteoglycans.

Material on the surface of activated T-cells was displaced following incubation with a sulfated polysaccharide, dextrin 2-sulfate (D2S), and purified by anion-exchange chromatography. This revealed a complex comprising histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 and DNA fragmented into 180-base pair units characteristic of mono-, di-, tri, and polynucleosomes, a pattern of fragmentation similar to that found in apoptotic cells. An antibody raised against the purified nucleosome preparation bound to the plasma membrane of activated T-cells confirming the surface location of nucleosomes. The interaction of sulfated polysaccharides with nucleosomes was investigated using a biotinylated derivative of D2S. It was found that sulfated polysaccharides bound to nucleosomes via the N termini of histones, especially H2A and H2B. Treatment of T-cells with either heparinase or heparitinase abolished nucleosome binding to plasma membranes. This suggests that nucleosomes are anchored to the surface of T-cells by heparan sulfate proteoglycans through an ionic interaction with the basic N-terminal residues in the histones. Furthermore, nucleosomes bound to the cell surface in this manner are then able to bind other sulfated polysaccharides, such as D2S, heparin, or dextran sulfate, through unoccupied histone N termini forming a complex comprising cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans, nucleosomes, and sulfated polysaccharides.     

Domain structure of chondroitin sulfate E octasaccharides binding to type V collagen.

We demonstrated previously that chondroitin sulfate E (ChS-E) binds to type V collagen (Munakata, H., Takagaki, K., Majima, M., and Endo, M. (1999) Glycobiology 9, 1023--1027). In this study, we investigated the structure and binding of ChS-E oligosaccharides. Eleven oligosaccharides were isolated from ChS-E by gel filtration chromatography and anion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography after hydrolysis with testicular hyaluronidase. Separately, seven oligosaccharides were custom synthesized using the transglycosylation reaction of testicular hyaluronidase. Structural analysis was performed by enzymatic digestions in conjunction with high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. This library of 18 oligosaccharides was used as a source of model molecules to clarify the structural requirements for binding to type V collagen. Binding was analyzed by a biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance. The results indicated that to bind to type V collagen the oligosaccharides must have the following carbohydrate structures: 1) octasaccharide or larger in size; 2) a continuous sequence of three GlcAbeta1--3GalNAc(4S,6S) units; 3) a GlcAbeta1--3GalNAc(4S,6S) unit, GlcAbeta1--3GalNAc(4S) unit or GlcAbeta1--3GalNAc(6S) unit at the reducing terminal; 4) a GlcAbeta1--3GalNAc(4S,6S) unit at the nonreducing terminal. It is likely that these characteristic oligosaccharide sequences play key roles in cell adhesion and extracellular matrix assembly.     

From barriers to bridges: chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in neuropathology

Emerging studies have revealed new roles for the neural extracellular matrix in neuropathologies. The structure of this matrix is unusual and uniquely enriched in chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, particularly those of the lectican family. Historically, lecticans have attracted considerable interest in the normal and injured brain for their prominent roles as inhibitors of cellular motility, neurite extension and synaptic plasticity. However, these molecules are structurally heterogeneous, have distinct expression patterns and mediate unique interactions, suggesting that they might have other functions in addition to their traditional role as chemorepulsants. Here, we review recent work demonstrating unique modifications and structural microheterogeneity of the lecticans in the diseased CNS, which might relate to novel roles of these molecules in neuropathologies.     

Melanoma chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan regulates matrix metalloproteinase-dependent human melanoma invasion into type I collagen

Tumor cell adhesion and proteolysis of the extracellular matrix proteins surrounding the cells are tightly linked processes in tumor invasion. In this study, we sought to identify components of the cell surface of a vertical growth phase melanoma cell line, WM1341D, that mediate invasive cellular behavior. We determined by antisense inhibition that melanoma chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (MCSP) and membrane-type 3 matrix metalloproteinase (MT3-MMP) expressed on WM1341D are required for invasion of type I collagen and degradation of type I gelatin. MT3-MMP co-immunoprecipitated with MCSP in WM1341D melanoma cells cultured on type I collagen or laminin. The association between MT3-MMP and MCSP was largely disrupted by removing chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan (CS) from the cell surface, suggesting CS could mediate the association between the two cell surface core proteins. Recombinant MT3-MMP and MT3-MMP from whole cell lysates of WM1341D cells were specifically eluted from CS- conjugated affinity columns. The results indicate that MT3-MMP possesses the potential to promote melanoma invasion and proteolysis and that the formation of a complex between MT3-MMP and MCSP may be a crucial step in activating these processes.     

Chromaffin granule and PC12 cell chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and their relation to chromogranin A

Two major proteoglycans, which appear to be structurally closely related, were isolated from bovine chromaffin granule matrix proteins by ion-exchange chromatography. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis they have apparent average molecular sizes of 35-40 kDa (range of 23-75 kDa) and generate a 14-kDa core glycoprotein after chondroitinase treatment. Previous studies demonstrated that these two major chromaffin granule proteoglycans are very similar in terms of their peptide mapping patterns and carbohydrate composition (having a high proportion of tri- and tetraantennary N-glycosidic oligosaccharides, and O-glycosidic oligosaccharides consisting predominantly of disialyl derivatives of galactosyl(beta 1-3)N-acetylgalactosamine), and that they differed in these respects from the chromogranins. By using antisera to five synthetic peptide fragments of chromogranin A to stain immunoblots of purified chromaffin granule proteoglycans before and after chondroitinase treatment, we have now shown that these major proteoglycans are not immunochemically related to chromogranin A. However, it has recently been reported that some chromogranin A-immunoreactive material disappears after chondroitinase treatment, and our studies demonstrate that approximately 1-2% of the chromogranin A occurs in the form of a 110-kDa proteoglycan, which is converted to a 95-kDa core glycoprotein after chondroitinase treatment. Similar chromogranin A proteoglycans could be detected in rat PC12 pheochromocytoma cells, where they have a molecular size of 115-145 kDa and yield a 105-kDa core protein after chondroitinase treatment. Studies using antibodies to synthetic peptide fragments of chromogranin B (secretogranin I) did not provide any evidence that this related protein occurs in a proteoglycan form.     

Distribution of chondroitin sulfate in cartilage proteoglycans under associative conditions.

Proteoglycan aggregates and proteoglycan subunits were extracted from bovine articular cartilage with guanidine-HC1 folowed by fractionation by equilibrium centrifugation in cesium chloride density gradients. The distribution of chondroitin sulfates (CS) in the cartilage proteoglycans was studied at the disaccharide level by digestion with chondroitinases. In the proteoglycan aggregate fraction, it was observed that the proportion of 4-sulfated disaccharide units to total CS increased from the bottom to the top fractions, whereas that of 6-sulfated disaccharide units was in the reverse order. Thus, the ratio of 4-sulfated disaccharide units to 6-sulfated disaccharide units increased significantly with decreasing density. The proportion of non-sulfated disaccharide units to total CS tended to increase with increasing density. These data indicate a polydisperse distribution of CS chains, under the conditions used here, in proteoglycan aggregates from bovine articular cartilage.     

Ovarian carcinoma cells synthesize both chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate cell surface proteoglycans that mediate cell adhesion to interstitial matrix

Metastatic ovarian carcinoma metastasizes by intra-peritoneal, non-hematogenous dissemination. The adhesion of the ovarian carcinoma cells to extracellular matrix components, such as types I and III collagen and cellular fibronectin, is essential for intra-peritoneal dissemination. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cell surface proteoglycans (a class of matrix receptors) are produced by ovarian carcinoma cells, and whether these proteoglycans have a role in the adhesion of ovarian carcinoma cells to types I and III collagen and fibronectin. Proteoglycans were metabolically labeled for biochemical studies. Both phosphatidylinositol-anchored and integral membrane-type cell surface proteoglycans were found to be present on the SK-OV-3 and NIH:OVCAR-3 cell lines. Three proteoglycan populations of differing hydrodynamic size were detected in both SK-OV-3 and NIH:OVCAR-3 cells. Digestions with heparitinase and chondroitinase ABC showed that cell surface proteoglycans of SK-OV-3 cells had higher proportion of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (75:25 of chondroitin sulfate:heparan sulfate ratio), while NIH:OVCAR-3 cells had higher proportion of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (10:90 of chondroitin sulfate:heparan sulfate ratio). RT-PCR indicated the synthesis of a unique assortment of syndecans, glypicans, and CD44 by the two cell lines. In adhesion assays performed on matrix-coated titer plates both cell lines adhered to types I and III collagen and cellular fibronectin, and cell adhesion was inhibited by preincubation of the matrix with heparin, heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, or chondroitin glycosaminoglycans. Treatment of the cells with heparitinase, chondroitinase ABC, or methylumbelliferyl xyloside also interfered with adhesion confirming the role of both heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate cell surface proteoglycans as matrix receptors on ovarian carcinoma cells.     

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans from mouse mammary epithelial cells. Basal extracellular proteoglycan binds specifically to native type I collagen fibrils

Mouse mammary epithelial cells (NMuMG cells) deposit at their basal surfaces an extracellular heparan sulfate-rich proteoglycan that binds to type I collagen. The binding of the purified proteoglycan to collagen was studied by (i) a solid phase assay, (ii) a suspension assay using preformed collagen fibrils, and (iii) a collagen fibril affinity column. The binding interaction occurs at physiological pH and ionic strength and can be inhibited only by salt concentrations that greatly exceed those found physiologically. Binding requires the intact proteoglycan since the protein-free glycosaminoglycan chains will not bind under the conditions of these assays. However, binding is mediated through the heparan sulfate chains as it can be inhibited by block-sulfated polysaccharides, including heparin. Binding requires native collagen structure which may be optimal when the collagen is in a fibrillar configuration. Binding sites on collagen fibrils are saturable, high affinity (Kd approximately 10(-10) M), and selective for heparin-like glycosaminoglycans. Because a culture substratum of type I collagen fibrils causes NMuMG cells to accumulate heparan sulfate proteoglycan into a basal lamina-like layer, binding of heparan sulfate proteoglycans to type I collagen may lead to the formation of a basal lamina and may link the basal lamina to the connective tissue matrix, an association found in basement membranes.     

A chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan may influence the direction of retinal ganglion cell outgrowth.

In the developing retina, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons elongate toward the optic fissure, even though no obvious directional restrictions exist. Previous studies indicate that axon-matrix interactions are important for retinal ganglion cell axon elongation, but the factors that direct elongation are unknown. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CS-PG), a component of the extracellular matrix, repels elongating dorsal root ganglion (DRG) axons in vitro and is present in vivo in the roof plate of the spinal cord, a structure that acts as a barrier to DRG axons during development. In this study, we examined whether CS-PG may regulate the pattern of retinal ganglion cell outgrowth in the developing retina. Immunocytochemical analysis showed that CS-PG was present in the innermost layers of the developing rat retina. The expression of CS-PG moved peripherally with retinal development, always remaining at the outer edge of the front of the developing axons. CS-PG was no longer detectable with immunocytochemical techniques when RGC axon elongation in the retina is complete. Results of studies in vitro showed that CS-PG, isolated from bovine nasal cartilage and chick limb, was inhibitory to elongating RGC axons and that RGC growth cones were more sensitive to CS-PG than were DRG neurites tested at the same concentrations of CS-PG. The behavior of retinal growth cones as they encounter CS-PG was characterized using time-lapse video microscopy. Filopodia of the RGC growth cones extended to and sampled the CS-PG repeatedly. With time, the growth cones turned to avoid outgrowth on the CS-PG and grew only on laminin. While numerous studies have shown the presence of positive factors within the retina that may guide developing RGC axons, this is the first demonstration of an inhibitory or repelling molecule in the retina that may regulate axon elongation. Taken together, these data suggest that the direction of RGC outgrowth in the retina may be regulated by the proper ratio of growth-promoting molecules, such as laminin, to growth-inhibiting molecules, like CS-PG, present in the correct pattern and concentrations along the retinal ganglion cell pathway.     

Binding of chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate and fat-storing cell-derived proteoglycans to rat hepatocytes

1. The interaction of isolated rat hepatocytes with exogenous 3H-labeled chondroitin-4-sulfate and dermatan sulfate and with biosynthetically 35S-labeled proteoglycans secreted by cultured rat liver fat-storing cells has been studied. 2. All ligands are bound by hepatocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. Scatchard-plot analysis of the data revealed the existence of high- and low-affinity binding modes. 3. The cell-bound exogenous [3H]glycosaminoglycans could be displaced by each unlabeled ligand and by heparin, whereas displacement of the endogenous material was less effective. 4. Binding of all ligands to hepatocytes increased with time. For the exogenous glycosaminoglycans the two- to threefold amount was retained at 37 degrees C as compared to 4 degrees C; it was markedly reduced by pretreatment of the cells with trypsin. 5. Degradation of the exogenous ligands could be detected neither for the cell-bound fraction nor for the free glycosaminoglycans in the culture medium. 6. The binding of the ligands to hepatocytes is viewed as a cell-matrix interaction. Its possible pathobiochemical relevance in liver fibrosis or neoplasia is discussed.     

In situ ultrastructural characterization of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in normal rabbit aorta.

We used a monoclonal antibody recognizing chondroitin sulfate (CS) to investigate by immunocytochemistry the characteristics displayed in situ by aortic proteoglycans (PG) containing CS side chains. The antibody specifically precipitated metabolically labeled PG from aortic extracts. Anti-CS specificity was also tested directly on tissue sections and was confirmed by the virtual abolition of immunolabeling on those previously digested with CS-specific enzymes. The overall CS-PG distribution assessed by light microscopy after embedding in Lowicryl KM4 by silver-enhanced immunogold recapitulated that obtained on frozen sections with immunoperoxidase. Extracellular concentrations of CS-PG were very high in the innermost regions of aorta and decreased in the media. The reaction was weak and diffuse in the adventitia. By electron microscopy, the detailed labeling of CS-PG discriminated patterns of organization at both the regional and the molecular level and enabled morphometric estimations. In relation to other components of the extracellular matrix, we found that CS-PG and elastin mutually excluded each other, while two types of CS-PG were differently associated with collagen within media or adventitia. The use of high-resolution immunodetection for the in situ characterization of aortic CS-PG could add specific information relevant to many biological processes in which these molecules have been implicated.     

Age-dependent constitution of chondroitin sulfate isomers in cartilage proteoglycans under associative conditions.

Associated proteoglycans were prepared with guanidine-HCl from bovine articular cartilage of various ages. They were purified and fractionated by equilibrium centrifugation in cesium chloride (CsCl) density gradients. The compositions of chondroitin sulfate (CS) isomers in associated proteoglycans of articular cartilages of three ages were compared based on the relative amounts of disaccharide units. The results indicated that the proportions of 4-sulfated disaccharide units comprised around 2/3, 1/3, and 1/6 of the total CS in the associated proteoglycans of calf, 18-month-old cow, and 8-year-old cow, respectively. In contrast, the proportions of 6-sulfated disaccharide units in the proteoglycans were in the reverse order; they comprised nearly 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3 of the total CS, respectively, at the three ages. Thus, with increasing age, the ratio of 4-sulfated disaccharide units to 6-sulfated disaccharide units decreased significantly. With the decrease of CsCl density in the gradients, the proportion of 4-sulfated disaccharide units to total CS as well as that of 4-sulfated disaccharide units to 6-sulfated disaccharide units increased in the associated proteoglycans of all ages. The increased ratios of 4-sulfated to 6-sulfated disaccharide units with decreasing CsCl density were significant among the individual proteoglycans: 1.84-2.36 in calf, 0.40-0.89 in 18-month-old cow, and 0.16-0.28 in 8-year-old cow.     

Fibromodulin and lumican bind to the same region on collagen type I fibrils

Fibromodulin and lumican are closely related members of the extracellular matrix leucine-rich repeat glycoprotein/proteoglycan family. Similar to decorin, another member of this protein family, they bind to fibrillar collagens and function in the assembly of the collagen network in connective tissues. We have studied the binding of recombinant fibromodulin, lumican and decorin, expressed in mammalian cells, to collagen type I. Using a collagen fibril formation/sedimentation assay we show that fibromodulin inhibits the binding of lumican, and vice versa. Fibromodulin and lumican do not affect the binding of decorin to collagen, nor does decorin inhibit the binding of fibromodulin or lumican. Binding competition experiments and Scatchard plot analysis indicate that fibromodulin binds to collagen type I with higher affinity than lumican.     

Binding characteristics of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and laminin-1, and correlative neurite outgrowth behaviors in a standard tissue culture choice assay

Neuronal growth cones are capable of sophisticated discrimination of environmental cues, on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix, to accomplish navigation during development (generation) and following nervous system injury (regeneration). Choices made by growth cones are commonly examined using tissue culture paradigms in which molecules of interest are purified and substratum-bound. From observations of growth cone behaviors using these paradigms, assertions are made about choices neuronal growth cones may make in vivo. However, in many cases, the binding, interactions, and conformations of these molecules have not been determined. In the present study, we investigated the binding characteristics of two commonly studied outgrowth regulatory molecules: chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), which are typically inhibitory to neurite outgrowth during development and following nervous system injury, and laminin, which is typically outgrowth promoting for many neuronal types. Using a novel combination of radiolabeling and quantitative fluorescence, we determined the precise concentrations of CSPGs and laminin-1 that were bound separately and together in a variety of choice assays. For identically prepared cultures, we correlated neurite outgrowth behaviors with binding characteristics. The data support-our working hypothesis that neuronal growth cones are guided by the ratio of outgrowth-promoting to outgrowth-inhibiting influences in their environment, i.e., they summate local molecular cues. The response of growth cones to these molecular combinations is most likely mediated by integrins and subsequent activation of signal transduction cascades in growth cones.     

Immunohistochemical localization of chondroitin and heparan sulfate proteoglycans in pre-spina bifida splotch mouse embryos.

The splotch (Sp) mutation on mouse chromosome I is a genetic model for the neural tube defects spina bifida and exencephaly. Embryos carrying Sp or its allele splotch-delayed (Spd), have been shown to have delays in neural tube closure, and neural crest cell emigration, as well as a reduction in extracellular space around the neural tube. Pre-spina bifida Sp and Spd embryos have abnormalities of notochord, mesoderm and neuroepithelial development. Chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPG) and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) have been shown to play essential roles during neural tube closure and neural crest cell emigration and migration and thus might well be affected by the splotch mutation. Therefore, the effects of Sp and Spd on the temporal and spatial distributions of CSPG and HSPG were studied in pre-spina bifida embryos cytogenetically identified as Sp/Sp (Spd/Spd), Sp/ + (Spd/ +) or +/+. Immunohistochemical localization of CSPG by means of the CS-56 monoclonal antibody showed that in Sp/Sp head sections, the neuroepithelial basement membranes stained more intensely at 5-, 10-, and 15-somite stages, whereas similar staining was observed at 16- and 19-somite stages compared with matched +/+ sections. In caudal sections Sp/Sp again showed a more intense stain for CSPG in the neuroepithelial basement membranes in all sections (except one comparison, in which staining was similar) from embryos of 14-, 15-, 16-, and 19-somite stages, compared to matched +/+ sections. Heterozygotes did not differ consistently from the mutant or the normal (+/+) embryos in CS-56 stain intensity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Changes in gravity inhibit lymphocyte locomotion through type I collagen

Summary Immunity relies on the circulation of lymphocytes through many different tissues including blood vessels, lymphatic channels, and lymphoid organs. The ability of lymphocytes to traverse the interstitium in both nonlymphoid and lymphoid tissues can be determined in vitro by assaying their capacity to locomote through Type I collagen. In an attempt to characterize potential causes of microgravity-induced immunosuppression, we investigated the effects of simulated microgravity on human lymphocyte function in vitro using a specialized rotating-wall vessel culture system developed at the Johnson Space Center. This very low shear culture system randomizes gravitational vectors and provides an in vitro approximation of microgravity. In the randomized gravity of the rotating-wall vessel culture system, peripheral blood lymphocytes did not locomote through Type I collagen, whereas static cultures supported normal movement. Although cells remained viable during the entire culture period, peripheral blood lymphocytes transferred to unit gravity (static culture) after 6 h in the rotating-wall vessel culture system were slow to recover and locomote into collagen matrix. After 72 h in the rotating-wall vessel culture system and an additional 72 h in static culture, peripheral blood lymphocytes did not recover their ability to locomote. Loss of locomotory activity in rotating-wall vessel cultures appears to be related to changes in the activation state of the lymphocytes and the expression of adhesion molecules. Culture in the rotating-wall vessel system blunted the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to respond to polyclonal activation with phytohemagglutinin. Locomotory response remained intact when peripheral blood lymphocytes were activated by anti-CD3 antibody and interleukin-2 prior to introduction into the rotating-wall vessel culture system. Thus, in addition to the systemic stress factors that may affect immunity, isolated lymphocytes respond to gravitational changes by ceasing locomotion through model interstitium. These in vitro investigations suggest that microgravity induces non-stress-related changes in cell function that may be critical to immunity. Preliminary analysis of locomotion in true microgravity revealed a substantial inhibition of cellular movement in Type I collagen. Thus, the rotating-wall vessel culture system provides a model for analyzing the microgravity-induced inhibition of lymphocyte locomotion and the investigation of the mechanisms related to lymphocyte movement.     

Use of monoclonal antibodies to locate the chondroitin sulfate chain(s) in type IX collagen

Recent results show that type IX collagen isolated from chicken cartilage is associated with one or perhaps two chondroitin sulfate chains. To locate the chondroitin sulfate chain(s) along the type IX collagen molecule, rotary shadowing was performed in the presence of monoclonal antibodies which recognize stubs of chondroitin sulfate generated after chondroitinase ABC digestion. Monoclonal antibodies 9-A-2 and 2-B-6 which recognize stubs of chondroitin 4-sulfate were found to bind specifically to the NC3 domain of type IX collagen, and this binding was dependent on prior digestion of the preparation with chondroitinase ABC. Monoclonal antibody 1-B-5, which recognizes unsulfated stubs of chondroitin sulfate, did not show any specific binding to type IX collagen either with or without chondroitinase ABC digestion. As a control, monoclonal antibody 2C2 was used, which in previous work was shown to bind specifically to an epitope located close to or at the NC2 domain. Binding of this antibody to NC2 was unaffected by chondroitinase ABC digestion, and no specific binding of the antibody to the NC3 domain was detected either before or after chondroitinase ABC digestion.     

Inhibition of neural crest cell migration by aggregating chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans is mediated by their hyaluronan-binding region.

We have recently shown that the large hyaluronan-aggregating chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan from cartilage (PG-LA) is unfavorable as a substrate for neural crest cell migration in vitro and that this macromolecule inhibits cell dispersion on fibronectin substrates when included in the medium (R. Perris and S. Johansson, 1987, J. Cell Biol. 105, 2511-2521). In this study we present data on the specificity of the migration-repressing activity of PG-LA and data on the molecular mechanisms by which the proteoglycan might impair neural crest cell motility. Soluble PG-LA potently impaired cell migration on substrates of laminin/laminin-nidogen, vitronectin, and collagen types I, III, IV, and VI. When tested in solid-phase binding assays, PG-LA bound avidly to substrates of collagen types I-III and V. Conversely, minimal amounts of the proteoglycan bound to substrates of laminin-nidogen, vitronectin, collagen types IV and VI, and fibronectin or to a proteolytic fragment encompassing its cell-binding domain (105 kDa). Preincubation of these substrates with soluble PG-LA prior to plating of the cells had no effect on their locomotory behavior. These results indicate that PG-LA affects neural crest cell movement primarily through an interaction with the cell surface, rather than by association with the cell motility-promoting substrate molecules. The molecular interaction of soluble PG-LA with neural crest cells was further examined by analyzing the effects of isolated domains of the proteoglycan on cell migration on fibronectin. Addition of chondroitin sulfate chains, the core protein free of glycosaminoglycans, the isolated hyaluronan-binding region (HABr), or a proteolytic fragment corresponding to the keratan sulfate-enriched domain of the PG-LA to neural crest cells migrating on fibronectin or the 105-kDa fibronectin fragment had no significant effect on their motility. After reduction and alkylation, PG-LA was considerably less efficient in perturbing cell movement on fibronectin substrates and virtually ineffective in altering migration on the 105-kDa fragment. In the presence of hyaluronan fragments of 16-30 monosaccharides in length, or an antiserum against the HABr, the migration repressing activity of PG-LA was reduced in a dose-dependent fashion. Furthermore, the inhibitory action of PG-LA was significantly reduced by treatment of the cells with Streptomyces hyaluronidase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)