Identification of a Novel HtrA1-susceptible Cleavage Site in Human Aggrecan: EVIDENCE FOR THE INVOLVEMENT OF HtrA1 IN AGGRECAN PROTEOLYSIS IN VIVO

Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses performed on cartilage tissue extracts identified the serine protease HtrA1/PRSS11 as a major protein component of human articular cartilage, with elevated levels occurring in association with osteoarthritis. Overexpression of a catalytically active form of HtrA1, but not an active site mutant (S328A), caused a marked reduction in proteoglycan content in chondrocyte-seeded alginate cultures. Aggrecan degradation fragments were detected in conditioned media from the alginate cultures overexpressing active HtrA1. Incubation of native or recombinant aggrecan with wild type HtrA1 resulted in distinct cleavage of these substrates. Cleavage of aggrecan by HtrA1 was strongly enhanced by HtrA1 agonists such as CPII, a C-terminal hexapeptide derived from the C-propeptide of procollagen IIα1 (i.e. chondrocalcin). A novel HtrA1-susceptible cleavage site within the interglobular domain (IGD) of aggrecan was identified, and an antibody that specifically recognizes the neoepitope sequence (VQTV³⁵⁶) generated at the HtrA1 cleavage site was developed. Western blot analysis demonstrated that HtrA1-generated aggrecan fragments containing the VQTV³⁵⁶ neoepitope were significantly more abundant in osteoarthritic cartilage compared with cartilage from healthy joints, implicating HtrA1 as a critical protease involved in proteoglycan turnover and cartilage degradation during degenerative joint disease.The mammalian high-temperature requirement A (HtrA) family of serine proteases is defined by a characteristic trypsin-like serine protease domain and one or two C-terminal PDZ domains. Four mammalian HtrA proteins have been identified to date, HtrA1–4. HtrA1 (also called PRSS11) is a ubiquitously expressed extracellular serine protease which contains a signal sequence for secretion, an insulin-like growth factor (IGF)²-binding protein domain, and a Kazal-type serine protease inhibitor domain in addition to the serine protease domain and one C-terminal PDZ domain (1). HtrA1 has been implicated in the progression of several pathologies including age-related macular degeneration, cancer, Alzheimer disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis (OA) (2–10). HtrA1 has also been shown to inhibit osteoblast mineralization (11).Expression of HtrA1 has been found to be elevated in articular cartilage in association with OA (5). In addition, HtrA1 levels are up-regulated in murine cartilage after experimentally induced joint damage (6). The physiological role of HtrA1 in OA disease progression as well as in other pathologies is unclear. Preliminary studies using in vitro digestion assays suggest that HtrA1 might be capable of digesting cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as fibromodulin, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), fibronectin, decorin, and aggrecan (6, 12, 13). Furthermore, it was recently reported that elevated levels of HtrA1 protein (～7-fold above normal) are present in synovial fluids obtained from OA patients and that fibronectin fragments generated by HtrA1 cleavage induced the expression of catabolic enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1) and MMP-3 in synovial fibroblasts (4). HtrA1 has also been shown to modulate multiple signaling pathways in vitro. It binds to transforming growth factor-β family proteins including transforming growth factor-β1 and bone morphogenetic proteins 2 and 4 and inhibits signaling mediated by these factors (14, 15). In addition, HtrA1 has been shown to cleave IGF-binding protein-5 and possibly regulate signaling mediated by IGF (16). These findings suggest that the protease HtrA1 may play a physiological role in cartilage during OA.Articular cartilage is made up of chondrocytes surrounded by the ECM comprised mainly of the proteoglycan, aggrecan, and type II collagen. During normal homeostasis there is a dynamic balance between anabolic activities such as proteoglycan synthesis as well as catabolic activities in which the ECM is destroyed. When the catabolic activities of proteases, such as MMPs and aggrecanases, offset new matrix synthesis, focal degradation and loss of articular cartilage occurs, resulting in the development of OA. In some in vitro digestion studies, we and others have shown degradation of aggrecan by recombinant HtrA1 (6, 12, 13). In the present study we set out to examine the physiological relevance of aggrecan cleavage by HtrA1 in OA disease progression.