Drosophila basement membrane procollagen alpha 1(IV). II. Complete cDNA sequence, genomic structure, and general implications for supramolecular assemblies

A Drosophila melanogaster gene for a basement membrane procollagen chain was recently identified from the sequence homology of the carboxyl (NC1) end of the polypeptide that it encodes with the corresponding domain of human and murine collagens IV (Blumberg, B., MacKrell, A. J., Olson, P. F., Kurkinen, M., Monson, J. M., Natzle, J. E., and Fessler, J. H. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 5947-5950). This gene is at chromosome location 25C. Here we report the complete 6-kilobase cDNA sequence coding for a chain of 1775 amino acids, as well as the genomic structure. The gene is composed of nine relatively large exons separated by eight relatively small introns. This organization is different from the multiple small exons separated by large introns reported for mouse and human type IV collagens (Kurkinen, M., Bernard, M. P., Barlow, D. P., and Chow, L. T. (1985) Nature 317, 177-179. Sakurai, Y., Sullivan, M., and Yamada, Y. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 6654-6657. Soininen, R., Tikka, L., Chow, L., Pihlajaniemi, T., Kurkinen, M., Prockop, D. J., Boyd, C. D., and Tryggvason, K. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 1568-1572). Drosophila and human alpha 1(IV) procollagen chains share not only polypeptide domains near their amino and carboxyl ends for making specialized, intermolecular junctional complexes, but also 11 of 21 sites of imperfections of the collagen triple helix. However, neither the number nor the nature of the amino acids in these imperfections appear to have been conserved. These imperfections of the helical sequence may be important for the supramolecular assembly of basement membrane collagen. The 9 cysteine residues of the Drosophila collagen thread domain are arranged as several variations of a motif found in vertebrate collagens IV only near their amino ends, in their "7 S" junctional domains. The relative positions of these cysteine residues provide numerous opportunities for disulfide bonding between molecules in both parallel and antiparallel arrays. There is a pseudorepeat of one-third of the thread length, and there are numerous possibilities for disulfide-linked microfibrils and networks. We propose that collagen microfibrils, stabilized by disulfide segment junctions, are a versatile ancestral form from which specialized collagen fibers and networks arose.     

Basement membrane procollagen IV and its specialized carboxyl domain are conserved in Drosophila, mouse, and human

Interaction with the extracellular matrix is important for the proliferation and differentiation of cells during development. A specialized extracellular matrix, basement membrane, is built around a scaffold of procollagen IV molecules. We report the sequence of a 2.5-kilobase cDNA which contains the carboxyl end of a Drosophila melanogaster procollagen IV. The amino acid sequence of the carboxyl-terminal domain, which forms an essential intermolecular linkage between procollagen IV molecules, is 59% identical in Drosophila and vertebrate procollagens IV, and an additional 17% of residues are conservatively substituted. This implies that the nature of the linkage is also conserved. We suggest that intermolecular junctions through procollagen IV carboxyl domains are fundamental elements of the molecular architecture of Metazoan basement membranes and have been conserved during evolution. The isolation and identification of this basement membrane collagen gene of Drosophila will help in deducing the function of procollagen IV in basement membranes.     

Isolation and characterization of pepsin-solubilized human basement membrane (type IV) collagen peptides

Native type IV collagen was isolated from human placental tissue by pepsin digestion, fractional salt precipitation, reduction and alkylation, a second pepsin digestion, and chromatography on diethylaminoethyl- and carboxymethyl-cellulose. After denaturation, 10 distinct peptides were isolated from this material by molecular sieve, ion-exchange, and high-performance liquid chromatography. All of the peptides were found to have amino acid compositions characteristic of type IV collagen. Analysis of the eight major peptides by amino-terminal amino acid sequencing and by cyanogen bromide and tryptic peptide mapping has revealed the manner in which they are derived from type IV collagen. Pepsin liberates two large peptides by attacking non-triple-helical regions, one derived from the alpha 1 (IV) chain (F2, Mr 90 000) and one derived from the alpha 2 (IV) chain (F3, Mr 75 000). The alpha 1 (IV)-derived F2 peptide is also represented in the pepsin digest by amino-terminal and carboxy-terminal subfragments [F4c (Mr 41 000) and F4a (Mr 60 000)], as is the alpha 2 (IV)-derived F3 peptide [F5 (Mr 28 000) and F4b (Mr 50 000), respectively]. These findings indicate that the molecular regions from which the larger peptides are derived in themselves contain pepsin-sensitive (non-triple-helical) domains. In addition, several of the peptides examined were found to be present in two slightly different forms, suggesting that closely adjacent pepsin-sensitive sites often exist within the type IV collagen molecules. The methods outlined here provide a reliable means by which identifiable type IV collagen peptides can be isolated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Biosynthesis of two subunits of type IV procollagen and of other basement membrane proteins by a human tumor cell line

The major collagenous component secreted into the medium of cultured HT-1080 tumor cells was identified as type IV procollagen by specific antibodies and characteristic ratios of incorporated labeled 3-hydroxyproline and 4-hydroxyproline. The disulfide-bonded molecules consisted of two subunits, pro-alpha 1(IV) and pro-alpha 2(IV) chains with apparent molecular weights of 180 000 and 165 000. No conversion of the procollagen to collagen or to procollagen intermediates was detected in the cell cultures. The two subunits apparently represent different gene products, since enzymatic digestion of the separated chains produced quite different peptide maps. Pepsin degraded native type IV procollagen successively into several fragments, some still disulfide-linked, giving rise to a complex set of polypeptide chains (Mr = 30 000-140 000). This agrees with similar diverse patterns produced by pepsin from authentic type IV collagens. The ratio between the pro-alpha 1(IV) and pro-alpha 2(IV) chains varied in several experiments between 1.3 and 1.8, suggesting that the two chains belong to different triple-helical molecules. The cells also produced distinct amounts of fibronectin (subunit Mr = 230 000) and of the basement membrane glycoprotein laminin. The latter showed three subunits with Mr = 220 000, 210 000, and 400 000. A further disulfide-bonded, non-collagenous polypeptide (Mr = 160 000) was detected but not yet identified. Immunofluorescence demonstrated these proteins within the cells but not in a pericellular matrix. The production of basement membrane components by HT-1080 cells and lack of interstitial collagens disagree with the original classification of the cell line as a fibrosarcoma.     

Attachment of cells to basement membrane collagen type IV

Of ten different cell lines examined, three showed distinct attachment and spreading on collagen IV substrates, and neither attachment nor spreading was enhanced by adding soluble laminin or fibronectin. This reaction was not inhibited by cycloheximide or antibodies to laminin, indicating a direct attachment to collagen IV without the need of mediator proteins. Cell-binding sites were localized to the major triple-helical domain of collagen IV and required an intact triple helical conformation for activity. Fibronectin showed preferential binding to denatured collagen IV necessary to mediate cell binding to the substrate. Fibronectin binding sites of collagen IV were mapped to unfolded structures of the major triple-helical domain and show a similar specificity to fibronectin-binding sites of collagen I. The data extend previous observations on biologically potential binding sites located in the triple helix of basement membrane collagen IV.     

Degradation of native type IV procollagen by human neutrophil elastase. Implications for leukocyte-mediated degradation of basement membranes

Leukocyte-derived proteases may contribute to the destruction of basement membranes during inflammation. We have, therefore, examined the degradation of human type IV procollagen (PC) by purified human neutrophil elastase (HLE). Native [14C]proline-labeled type IV PC was isolated from cultures of human HT-1080 cells and incubated with HLE for various times at 25 or 37 degrees C. Cleavage products were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and identified by CNBr peptide mapping. Incubation of type IV PC with HLE (less than 1:10 HLE:type IV weight ratio) resulted in cleavage of the pro alpha 1 (IV) and pro alpha 2 chains (Mr 180,000 and 175,000) to discrete components of Mr greater than 140,000. Peptide mapping indicated that the carboxy-terminal collagenase-resistant domains of both chains were rapidly and preferentially degraded. Longer incubations or incubations at higher enzyme:substrate ratios resulted in extensive and asymmetric internal cleavage with the generation of fragments similar in size distribution to the major pepsin-resistant fragments of type IV collagen. Our findings indicate that soluble, native human type IV PC is a substrate for HLE and is preferentially cleaved within the globular carboxy-terminal domains of the pro alpha 1 and pro alpha 2 chains. We suggest that even limited cleavage of type IV PC by HLE may disrupt intermolecular carboxy-terminal interactions believed to be important for basement membrane assembly and for maintaining basement membrane structure in vivo.     

Type I procollagen carboxyl-terminal proteinase from chick embryo tendons. Purification and characterization

Procollagen carboxyl-terminal proteinase, the enzyme which cleaves the carboxyl-terminal propeptides from type I procollagen, was extensively purified in a yield of 25% from pooled culture media of 17-day-old chick embryo tendons using a procedure which involved chromatography on Green A Dye matrix gel, concanavalin A-Sepharose and heparin-Sepharose, and filtration gels of Sephacryl S-300 and S-200. The purified enzyme is a neutral, Ca2+-dependent proteinase which is inhibited by metal chelators, but not by inhibitors for serine and cysteine proteinases. Calcium in a concentration of 5-10 mM is required for optimal activity. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined to be 97,000-110,000 by gel filtration and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Other properties of the carboxyl-terminal proteinase are: 1) the Km for the type I procollagen is 96 nM at pH 7.5 and 35 degrees C; 2) the activation energy for the reaction with type I procollagen is 21,000 cal mol-1; 3) amino acid sequencing of the released carboxyl-terminal propeptide indicated the enzyme specifically cleaves an -Ala-Asp- bond in both the pro-alpha 1(I) and pro-alpha 2(I) chains; 4) the enzyme specifically cleaves the carboxyl-terminal propeptides of a homotrimer of pro-alpha 1(I) chains and type II and III procollagens, but it does not cleave type IV procollagen. The results suggest that the enzyme is involved in the processing of type I procollagen in vivo.     

Immunohistochemical localization of procollagens. I. Light microscopic distribution of procollagen I, III and IV antigenicity in the rat incisor tooth by the indirect peroxidase-anti-peroxidase method.

Frozen sections of the growing end of the rat incisor tooth were exposed to antisera or affinity prepared antibodies against partially purified type I, II, or IV procollagen in the hope of detecting the location of the corresponding antigens by the peroxidase-anti-peroxidase technique. The distribution of immunostaining was similar with antisera as with purified antibodies of a given type, but differed for each type; that is, predentin, odontoblasts, pulp and periodontal tissue were the sites of type I; blood vessel walls, pulp and periodontal tissue, of type III; and basement membranes, of type IV antigenicity. It was demonstrated, at least in cases of type I and III, that immunostaining detected the corresponding procollagens and related substances, but not the corresponding collagens. The interpretation of these observations is that: 1) odontoblasts elaborate procollagen I for release to predentin and subsequent transformation to dentinal collagen I; 2) pulp and periodontal cells produce procollagens I and III which presumably become collagens I and III respectively, while the adventitial cells of blood vessels give rise to collagen III; and 3) procollagen IV is associated with basement membranes and, occasionally, adjacent cells.     

Isolation and initial characterization of human basement membrane collagens

Neutral solutions of pepsin extracted human collagens derived from glomeruli, kidney, aorta, lung, heart, bowel, spleen, skeletal muscle and skin were subjected to heat gelation at 37°C. Centrifugation of the gel provided two fractions: gelled pellet and non-gelled supernatant. Analysis of these two fractions by gel electrophoresis, molecular sieve and ion exchange chromatography, and amino acid and carbohydrate determinations indicated that the non-gelled supernatant contained a substantial enrichment of basement membrane like collagen. The initial characterization of lung derived basement membrane collagen indicated close similarities with those derived from glomeruli and whole kidney and differences with that obtained from the spleen.     

Proteolysis of procollagen I.

1. Digestion of procollagen I which trypsin, pepsin or pronase performed at 20 degrees C causes the release of acidic non-collagenous fragments and hydroxyproline-rich fraction. Enzymatic proteolysis performed at 41 degrees C (above the temperature of denaturation) results in degradation of procollagen I to low-molecular peptides. 2. The hydroxyproline-rich fraction obtained by limited proteolysis of procollagen I with pepsin (at 20 degrees C) contains a material corresponding to alpha and beta subunits of tropocollagen. Reduction of the hydroxyproline-rich fraction released by trypsin or pronase (at 20 degrees C) causes the appearance of polypeptides similar to pro-alpha subunits.     

Bovine renal glomerular basement membrane. Isolation and characterization of a glycoprotein component.

Bovine glomerular basement membrane was extracted with 6 M guanidinium chloride and the soluble material fractionated on a Bio-Gel A-1.5m column in 1% Na dodecyl-SO4. A single component was obtained by reduction of a selected column fraction with 2-mercaptoethanol followed by chromatography on an analytical Bio-Gel A-1.5m column and shown to be homogenous by electrophoresis and ultracentrifugation. It consists of 90% protein and 8.6% carbohydrate by weight. The amino acid composition is characterized by the presence of low amounts of hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, and substantial amounts of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, half-cystine, and glycine. It contains all the monosaccharide constituents present in the whole basement membrane indicating the presence of both heteropolysaccharide and disaccharide units; the presence of the latter unit was demonstrated unequivocally by ion exchange chromatography. The component contains 1 heteropolysaccharide unit and 4 dissaccharide units/molecule of Mr equals 70,000. The molecular weight of component VII was determined by several methods. Molecular weight values of 68,000 +/- 3,000 and 72,000 +/- 2,000 were determined in 6 M guanidinium chloride by the methods of sedimentation equilibrium and gel filtration chromatography, respectively, and values of 136,000 +/- 3,100 and 140,000 +/- 2,000 were determined in 1% Na dodecyl-SO4 by the methods of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration chromatography, respectively. Circular dichroism spectra indicate that component VII assumes a random coil conformation in 6 M guanidinium chloride and a more disordered conformation in 1% Na dodecyl-SO4 than standard proteins used in calibration of polyacrylamide gels and gel filtration column. These results indicate that the minimal molecular weight of component VII is about 70,000 and that the anomalous behavior in Na dodecyl-SO4 is due in part to its conformation.     

Calcium-dependent binding of basement membrane protein BM-40 (osteonectin, SPARC) to basement membrane collagen type IV

Basement membrane protein BM-40, prepared from the mouse Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm tumor, was used in native, denatured and proteolytically processed form for binding to various extracellular matrix proteins. BM-40 and its derivatives were also characterized by CD spectroscopy, calcium binding and epitope analysis. Of several basement membrane proteins tested only collagen IV showed a distinct and calcium-dependent binding of BM-40 in an immobilized ligand assay. This interaction was specific as shown by a low activity of other collagen types (I, III, V, VI) in direct binding and competition assays. The binding was reduced or abolished by metal-ion-chelating or chaotropic agents, high salt and reduction of disulfide bonds in BM-40. Fragment studies indicated that domains III (alpha-helix) and/or IV (EF hand) of BM-40 possess the binding site(s) for collagen IV, while the N-terminal domains I and II provide the major antigenic determinants. A major BM-40-binding site on collagen IV was dependent on a triple-helical conformation and could be localized to a pepsin fragment from the central portion of the triple-helical domain, in agreement with electron microscopic visualization of BM-40--collagen-IV complexes.     

Isolation of type IV procollagen-like polypeptides from glomerular basement membrane. Characterization of pro-alpha 1(IV)

Type IV procollagen-like constituents of glomerular basement membrane were solubilized by reduction and alkylation of disulfide bonds under denaturing conditions. Four polypeptides were observed with apparent Mr = 185,000, 175,000, 164,000, and 152,000. The two largest chains correspond to pro-alpha 1(IV) and pro-alpha 2(IV), described in model systems which secrete a basement membrane-like matrix, while the smaller chains appear to be shortened forms of these polypeptides. Fractionation of the four polypeptides into two groups was achieved by ion exchange chromatography. Pro-alpha 1(IV) and 164,000 polypeptide are relatively acidic with respect to pro-alpha 2(IV) and 152,000 polypeptide, which is due in part to a relatively high content of arginine in the latter. Based on amino acid analysis of the collagenase-sensitive regions of these polypeptides, pro-alpha 1(IV) is the parent molecule from which alpha 1(IV) is derived on pepsin digestion of basement membranes and pro-alpha 2(IV) is the parent molecule of alpha 2(IV). Pro-alpha 1(IV) was isolated by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography and characterized. It has a molecular weight of 194,000 as determined by sedimentation equilibrium. The polypeptide contains 14% carbohydrate in the form of both disaccharide, glucosylgalactosylhydroxylysine, and heteropolysaccharide units. The polypeptide backbone mass is calculated to be 167,000 daltons. Digestion of pro-alpha 1(IV) with bacterial collagenase resulted in two resistant segments of mass = 31,000 and 33,000 dalton, which make up approximately 30% of the polypeptide.     

Drosophila topoisomerase I: isolation, purification and characterization.

We have purified and characterized topoisomerase I from Drosophila melanogaster. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 135,000; 100,000, 90,000, and 65,000 molecular weight products result from degradation of the enzyme. The enzyme relaxes both positive and negative supercoiled DNA. Mg++ is not absolutely required, but stimulates the enzymatic activity considerably.