Biomedical subjects

P G Robey

Publications and source records attributed to P G Robey.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Production and characterization of an antibody against the human bone GLA protein (BGP/osteocalcin) propeptide and its use in immunocytochemistry of bone cells.

We have generated and characterized an antibody that recognizes the C-terminal sequence of the propeptide of human bone GLA protein (BGP/osteocalcin)(amino acid -26 to -1, with +1 being the amino terminus of the mature protein). The range of sensitivity of the antibody, as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), was 0.5-250 ng/ml. The antibody effectively recognized pro-BGP in cell layer extracts of transformed cells (KT-005), but did not recognize mature, propeptide-less BGP in the medium from the same cultures. Strong labelling was obtained using this antibody in immunoperoxidase staining or immunofluorescence of both transformed and normal human bone cells in vitro. Monensin significantly altered the intracellular pattern of labelling in immunofluorescence studies, indicating that the recognized antigen was associated with the cellular secretory pathway. We also obtained a specific and strong staining of cells in tissue sections of human fetal bone. Antibodies against the mature protein strongly stained the mineralization front, but did not stain cells to any appreciable level. Newly embedded osteocytes were the predominant cell type stained in such material, suggesting that they may represent the major of BGP in the intact tissue. These observations indicate that BGP synthesis is a late event in osteoblastic development and that antibodies generated against the propeptide sequence are a potentially powerful tool in the analysis of bone tumors and evaluation of osteoblastic differentiation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Partial characterization of a novel 'GGA' factor which binds to the osteonectin promoter in bovine bone cells.

Osteonectin (On)/SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) is a highly conserved extracellular matrix protein found in bone and other tissues throughout vertebrate evolution. In previous studies, approximately 500 bp of DNA 5' to the transcription start point (tsp) and a part of exon 1, including homopurine (Rn)/homopyrimidine (Yn)-rich sequences (the 'GGA box' and its complements), was demonstrated to be important in upregulation of On gene expression in a cell-specific manner. The purpose of this study was to decipher the transcriptional regulation of On through its cis- and trans-acting elements. DNase I footprinting analysis indicated protein binding which may be related to the transcriptional factors, AP2, SP1 and a novel 'GGA' factor which binds to the 3' end of the promoter (-286 to +43 to the tsp). Comparisons of footprinting between nuclear extracts of bone (On-expressing) cells and Madin and Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) (nonexpressing) cells indicate that 'GGA' factor binding to a purine GGGGA/GGA-rich sequence is cell-type specific and therefore may be involved in the cell-specific expression of this gene. From ultraviolet (UV)-crosslinking experiments, this 'GGA' factor was demonstrated to be a single 40-kDa protein.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Interactions between the bone matrix proteins osteopontin and bone sialoprotein and the osteoclast integrin alpha v beta 3 potentiate bone resorption.

We have investigated the mechanism by which osteoclasts adhere to and resorb bone. We show that these cells express beta 1 and beta 3 integrins which are involved in attachment to purified bone matrix proteins. Binding to osteopontin and bone sialoprotein is mediated by alpha v beta 3, while a beta 1 integrin is responsible for attachment to fibronectin. Both the rapid attachment by osteoclasts to intact bone particles and their subsequent resorption are blocked by a monoclonal antibody directed to the alpha v beta 3 complex but not by an antibody against beta 1 integrins. Attachment of osteoclasts to bone is also inhibited with soluble osteopontin, Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptides derived from both osteopontin and bone sialoprotein, or a monospecific polyclonal antibody against osteopontin. We conclude that both osteoclast adherence to bone and subsequent resorption of its matrix are dependent on interactions between the bone matrix proteins osteopontin and/or bone sialoprotein and the integrin alpha v beta 3. Moreover, collagen, which constitutes 90% of its organic matrix, is minimally involved in binding of chicken osteoclasts to bone.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Purification and fragmentation of nondenatured bone sialoprotein: evidence for a cryptic, RGD-resistant cell attachment domain.

Bone sialoprotein (BSP), a small (approximately 80,000 M(r)) integrin binding, RGD-containing bone matrix glycoprotein, has been purified in milligram quantities from the serum-free medium of the rat osteosarcoma cell line UMR-106-BSP using nondenaturing conditions. Routine protein purification without serine protease inhibitors or reducing agents consistently resulted in three major fragments. The largest fragment (E1) started at amino acid 117 and did not bind to antibodies made to the RGD region of the protein. Furthermore, the smallest fragment (E3), was shown by sequencing to contain the RGD region of the protein. Digestion of intact BSP with highly purified chymotrypsin also resulted in a large fragment (C1) with properties nearly identical to those of E1. The large, non-RGD-containing fragments, E1 and C1, as well as the intact BSP, supported attachment by normal human bone cells and human skin fibroblasts in vitro. Attachment to the intact BSP was totally blocked by 0.4 mM GRGDS peptide. Both preparations of skin fibroblasts and approximately half of the preparations of normal human bone cells, however, also would not attach to the E1 and C1 fragments in the presence of 0.4 mM GRGDS peptide. In contrast, half of the bone cell preparations had significant attachment activity to E1 (> 50%) and C1 (> 25%) in the presence of 0.4 mM GRGDS peptide. These data suggest that cleavage of the BSP results in either (1) the exposure of a previously unavailable or cryptic cell attachment site or (2) a conformational change that increases the affinity of the complex between a non-RGD-encoded binding region of the E1 and C1 fragments and at least one receptor. The possible homology of the second, non-RGD-suppressible site of BSP with the second cell attachment site on the gamma chain of fibrinogen is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Structure and molecular regulation of bone matrix proteins.

The organic matrix of bone contains several protein families, including collagens, proteoglycans, and glycoproteins, all of which may be extensively modified by posttranslational events, such as phosphorylation and sulfation. Many of the glycoproteins contain Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD), the integrin-binding sequence, within their structure, whereas other constituent proteins contain gamma-carboxyglutamic acid. The deposition of bone matrix by cells in the osteoblastic lineage is regulated by extrinsic factors, such as systemic and local growth factors and physical forces, and factors that are intrinsic to the cell, such as position in the cell cycle, maturational stage, and developmental age of the donor. Recent studies of several bone matrix gene promoters have identified cis- and trans-acting elements that are responsible for gene activity, although the precise sequence of regulatory events is not known. Development of in vitro assays, coupled with studies of the appearance of these proteins during development in vivo, provides insight into the functions of these proteins during the various stages of bone metabolism. Potential roles for these proteins include proliferation and maturation of stem cells, formation of matrix scaffolding elaborated by bone-forming cells, modeling, and remodeling. Changes in the functional properties of the extracellular matrix may be involved in a variety of disease processes, including osteoporosis and oral bone loss.

Bone Matrix↗

PubMed1993

Bone sialoprotein (BSP) secretion and osteoblast differentiation: relationship to bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, alkaline phosphatase, and matrix deposition.

We defined two distinct maturational compartments (proliferative and secretory) of osteogenic cells in vivo on the basis of ALP activity, BrdU incorporation, cell shape, and BSP production. BSP immunoreactivity was found to mark cells in the secretory but not in the proliferative compartment. We established the phenotypic similarity of primitive marrow stromal cells with proliferating perichondral cells (fibroblast-like, ALP+, BrdU+, BSP-). This suggests the potential functional equivalence of the two cell types as committed non-secretory osteogenic cells and points to the duality of osteogenic cell compartments as a generalized feature of bone formation. We further showed that although BSP secretion is a hallmark of the onset of osteogenesis, BSP antigenicity is lost both in osteoid and in a large proportion of mature osteoblasts during subsequent phases of bone deposition. This suggests that bone formation may not be a uniform event, as bone cells actually deposit antigenically, and likely biochemically, distinct matrices at specific times.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1993

Localization of bone sialoprotein (BSP) to Golgi and post-Golgi secretory structures in osteoblasts and to discrete sites in early bone matrix.

Bone sialoprotein (BSP), a bone matrix-enriched glycoprotein containing the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif and endowed with cell binding properties, was localized in osteoblasts and early bone matrix of developing rat bone at the ultrastructural level. Preliminary light microscopic observations indicated that intracellular labelling was restricted to a paranuclear dot corresponding to the "negative Golgi image" of classical histology. The same pattern was observed whether antisera against the fully glycosylated protein or a peptide antiserum to a stretch of amino acids in human BSP sequence were employed. At the EM level, we obtained labeling over the Golgi area of osteoblasts but not over the rER. The labeling was concentrated over distensions of the trans Golgi and over pro-secretory granules. In the matrix, BSP was distributed in a non-random manner. The label was concentrated over spherical aggregates of finely fibrillar material corresponding to the sites of early mineral deposition (so-called "mineralization nodules"). Such BSP-positive foci were seen both close to and away from the cell surface. The predominant association of BSP with Golgi and post-Golgi secretory structures and its absence from rER, as well as the reproducibility of the same pattern of localization with different antisera, might indicate a slow transit of the protein through the Golgi, not necessarily associated with protein glycosylation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Extracellular matrix formation by osteoblasts from patients with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Extracellular matrix proteins synthesized by bone cells isolated from 16 patients with different forms of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) were analyzed in vitro. Specific components of the extracellular matrix by OI and age-matched cultures were investigated by steady-state radiolabeling followed by quantitation of label into specific proteins and comparison of OI cultures to those of age-matched controls. The in vitro proliferation of OI bone cells was found to be lower than that of control cells. In seven patients, abnormalities of the alpha 1(I) and/or alpha 2(I) chains of type I collagen were detected by gel electrophoresis. In two of these patients, the mutations in the COLIA1 and COLIA2 genes have been previously identified. Although the amount of total protein synthesized by the cells in culture was the same for OI bone cells and age-matched control cells, OI bone cells showed a significantly reduced synthesis of not only collagen but also other bone matrix glycoproteins. The synthesis of osteonectin (SPARC/BM40) and three proteoglycans [a large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, biglycan (PGI), and decorin (PGII)] was found to be decreased in OI cells. The reduction was most pronounced at the developmental age at which these macromolecules reach maximal levels during normal development.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Age-related changes in hyaluronan, proteoglycan, collagen, and osteonectin synthesis by human bone cells.

Human bone cells grown in culture, representative of a preosteoblastic stage of maturation, produce an extracellular matrix composed of collagen, several noncollagenous glycoproteins, hyaluronan, and four distinct proteoglycans (PGs). The influence of donor age on the levels of expression of these molecules in vitro has not been well characterized. In this study, human bone cells derived from sources ranging from fetal to 60-year-old donors were grown in culture, radiolabeled for 24 h, and the amount of incorporation of [35S]sulfate into PGs, [3H]glucosamine into hyaluronan, [3H]leucine/proline into osteonectin, and [3H]proline into collagen was determined. Cell proliferation was most rapid in fetal-derived bone cells and decreased with increasing age. Total protein and PG synthesis also decreased with increasing age, falling to 1/3 and 1/4, respectively, of fetal levels after age 30. A large chondroitin sulfate PG (Mr approximately 600,000 Da) was the major fetal PG and its levels were highly correlated with cellular proliferation. [3H]Collagen and [35S]decorin levels increased with the increasing age of the donor, reached a maximum in puberty-derived cells, and decreased to 1/3 maximal levels after age 20. The heparan sulfate PG (Mr approximately 400,000 Da) exhibited steady-state levels regardless of donor age. [3H]Osteonectin and [35S]biglycan levels were high in fetal-derived cells and in cells derived from pubescent donors. The percentage of collagen and four proteoglycans associated with the cell layer pool changed with donor age. All fetal-derived PG core proteins possessed more N- and O-linked oligosaccharides than newborn or adult derived PGs.

Aging↗

PubMed1992

Renal tubular epithelial cells express osteonectin in vivo and in vitro.

Osteonectin (SPARC, culture shock protein, BM-40) is a widely distributed glycoprotein which binds calcium and several extracellular matrix proteins, including interstitial collagens and thrombospondin, but whose physiologic role remains undefined. In the present studies, we have demonstrated that immunoreactive osteonectin is present in the distal cortical tubule and medullary tubules of murine kidney. We surveyed the renal epithelial cell lines LLC-PK1, MDCK, and OK for the expression of mRNA encoding osteonectin. We found that osteonectin mRNA is expressed by LLC-PK1 and OK cells but not by MDCK cells, as well as by adult kidney from several species. Calcitonin and vasopressin, agents which increase cAMP in these cells, were found to decrease steady-state osteonectin mRNA concentrations. We found that LLC-PK1 cells produced osteonectin protein, that the protein was localized to intracellular granules, and that the protein bound hydroxyapatite in vitro. Pulse-chase analysis revealed that osteonectin was secreted from the cell layer to the medium after a lag time of four to six hours and was secreted preferentially from the basolateral domain of the cell. The preferential secretion of the calcium-binding protein osteonectin from the renal epithelial cell is consistent with several possible functions, including a structural extracellular matrix protein, a participant in transepithelial ion transport, and an inhibitor of extracellular calcification.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Structure, expression, and regulation of the major noncollagenous matrix proteins of bone.

The noncollagenous proteins (NCPs) that predominate the bone matrix have recently been the focus of intense investigation because of their potential influence on cell attachment, Ca2+ and hydroxyapatite binding, and the mineralization of bone tissue. With the advent of molecular biology, all of the major NCPs of bone have been cloned and their amino acid sequences completely determined. While each of the proteins has distinct structural properties, some proteins appear to be part of gene families. Examples include the small proteoglycans, decorin and biglycan, as well as the gamma carboxyglutamic acid proteins, such as matrix gla protein and osteocalcin (bone gla protein). Some of the NCPs that are clearly not members of any known gene family still share several common characteristics. One such example of this "convergent evolution" is bone sialoprotein and osteopontin. Both are highly posttranslationally modified glycoproteins that share the cell attachment amino acid sequence RGD (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid), which facilitates the attachment of bone cells in vitro, yet they are clearly not related genetically. Using cDNAs and antisera as probes, the precise temporal localization of NCP expression has been determined, and it has been shown that NCPs are produced in skeletal, and in most cases, nonskeletal tissue as well. This observation implies that the functions of the NCPs are not necessarily limited to bone tissue. Many of the promoters for these genes have been isolated and functional domains determined by a combination of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assay, gel shift, and footprint analyses. The most extensively studied promoter in the NCP category is osteocalcin, whose sensitivity to 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol has been delineated in detail. Future studies on the individual and cooperative activities of the NCPs in bone are likely to involve site-directed mutagenesis of cloned DNA and a combination of in vitro and in vivo functional analyses.

Biglycan↗

PubMed1991

Osteogenesis imperfecta: changes in noncollagenous proteins in bone.

The noncollagenous proteins osteonectin, bone sialoprotein, osteocalcin, the small proteoglycan decorin (PG II), and alpha 2-HS glycoprotein (which is synthesized in the liver but highly concentrated in bone) were measured in extracts of cortical bone from 3 type I, 2 type II, 8 type III and 13 type IV patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and from 7 control subjects. Osteonectin was found to be reduced in the bone of all OI patients. The bone from severely affected type III OI patients contained the lowest levels of osteonectin. In contrast, bone sialoprotein was found to be elevated in the bones of OI patients. The highest levels were found in individuals classified as type IV patients. Osteocalcin and alpha 2-HS glycoprotein concentrations were increased in all OI patients. Decorin levels were not significantly altered in OI bones compared to controls. These changes in the concentrations of the noncollagenous proteins may contribute to the fragility of the OI bone by interfering with complete mineralization and/or normal tissue architecture.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Expression of the osteonectin gene potentially controlled by multiple cis- and trans-acting factors in cultured bone cells.

The cis-acting regulatory elements of the osteonectin gene have been studied using a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) promoter assay in osteonectin-expressing and nonexpressing cultured cells. When various stretches of the promoter were transiently transfected into fetal bovine bone cells, a positive element was detected in the DNA located between bases -504 and 11 (1 being the start of transcription) and a negative element between bases -900 and -504. The positive element of the promoter also conferred preferential expression of the gene, showing more activity in cells with higher levels of osteonectin mRNA expression. A 1.2 kb fragment of intron 1 displayed a negative effect on CAT expression when inserted 5' to the promoter. An additional regulatory element was found in DNA encoding exon 1, which significantly influenced expression of the gene in fetal bovine bone cells. Gel shift analysis using positive genomic elements located 5' to the start of transcription indicated that one of the nuclear proteins that interacts with the osteonectin promoter may be related to the transcription factor AP2.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Expression of bone sialoprotein (BSP) in developing human tissues.

Bone sialoprotein (BSP) and its messenger RNA were localized in developing human skeletal and nonskeletal tissues by means of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Both protein and mRNA were found in mature, bone-forming cells but not in their immature precursors. In addition, osteoclasts displayed positive immunostaining and high densities of autoradiographic grains by in situ hybridization experiments. BSP was expressed in fetal epiphyseal cartilage cells, particularly in hypertrophic chondrocytes of growth plates. Though neither the protein nor the mRNA were identified in a variety of other connective and nonconnective tissues, an unexpected finding was the expression of BSP in the trophoblast cells of placenta. These findings show that BSP is primarily an osteoblast-derived component of the bone matrix expressed at late stages of differentiation. We have also found that osteoclasts produce BSP, possibly as a mediator of cell attachment to bone.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Changes in apatite crystal size in bones of patients with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Apatite crystal size in compact bone of children (age less than 11 years) and adolescents (age greater than 12 years) with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Eight type I, 4 type II, 11 type III, and 14 type IV OI patients were studied along with 9 controls. The crystal size was most significantly reduced in type II patients, all of whom had died at birth. Crystal size was also diminished in both children and adolescents with types III and IV, whereas with type I OI, crystal size was reduced in children only, returning to normal in adolescence. There was a trend toward increased bone crystal size with age in both OI patients and controls.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

High-performance liquid chromatographic separation of hyaluronan and four proteoglycans produced by human bone cell cultures.

Four proteoglycans and hyaluronan synthesized by cultured human bone cells were isolated using a two-step high-performance liquid chromatography system involving desalting and buffer exchange with a TSK-GEL HW 40(S) column followed by ion-exchange separation on a Nucleogen 4000-10 DEAE column. The desalting of 4 M guanidinium HCl extracts by a TSK-GEL HW 40(S) column equilibrated in a formamide:KH2PO4 buffer produces greater than 95% recoveries, enables quantitation of label incorporation and requires only 40 min to complete. The Nucleogen 4000-10 DEAE column utilizes the same buffer system and requires only 100 min for the resolution of four distinct types of proteoglycans. The formamide:KH2PO4 buffer system is compatible with a previously developed polyacrylamide gel system for the electrophoretic profiling of proteoglycans. After separation by charge density, proteoglycans were further resolved by size distribution using a calibrated TSK-GEL HW 75(F) column which also enabled the estimation of the apparent Mr of hyaluronan produced by the bone cells. The same TSK-GEL HW 40(S) resin is used to exchange pooled proteoglycans into buffers for analyzing enzyme digests of glycosaminoglycan chains and core proteins. The technique has been applied to the analysis of biosynthetically labeled proteoglycans produced in culture by fetal and adult human bone cells. A distinct pattern of proteoglycan size and secretion for both cell types could be shown using this method. The method of analysis is useful for high yield and rapid screening of various cell types for both biosynthetic rate studies and analysis of patterns of proteoglycan synthesis.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1990

Temporal regulation of hyaluronan and proteoglycan metabolism by human bone cells in vitro.

Osteoblasts elaborate a dynamic extracellular matrix that is constructed and mineralized as bone is formed. This matrix is primarily composed of collagen, along with noncollagenous proteins which include glycoproteins and proteoglycans. After various times in culture, human bone cells were labeled with [35S]sulfate, [3H] leucine/proline, or [3H]glucosamine and the metabolism of hyaluronan and four distinct species of proteoglycans (PGs) was assayed in the medium, cell layer, and intracellular pools. These cells produce hyaluronan (Mr approximately 1,400,000; a chondroitin sulfate PG (CSPG), Mr approximately 600,000; a heparan sulfate PG (HSPG), Mr approximately 400,000; and two dermatan sulfate PGs with Mr approximately 270,000 (biglycan, PG I) and Mr approximately 135,000 (decorin, PG II) that distribute between the medium and cell layer. Two days following subculture, 12 h [35S]sulfate steady-state labeling yielded a composition of 24, 27, 31, and 18% for total CSPG, HSPG, biglycan, and decorin, respectively. While HSPG and decorin levels and distribution between medium and cell layer remained relatively constant during steady-state labeling at different times in culture, CSPG and biglycan levels increased dramatically at late stages of growth, and their distribution changed throughout culture. These results were independent of cell density, media depletion, and labeling pool effects. In contrast, hyaluronan synthesis was uncoupled from PG synthesis and apparently density-dependent. Pulse chase labeling at different stages of culture showed that the CSPG and decorin behaved as secretory PGs. Both HSPG and biglycan underwent catabolism, with HSPG possessing a t1/2 of 8 h and biglycan a t1/2 of 4 h. While the rate of HSPG turnover did not appreciably change between early and late culture, that of biglycan decreased. The mRNA for decorin was constant, while that of biglycan changed during culture. These results suggest that each PG possesses a distinct pattern of cellular and temporal distribution that may reflect specific stages in matrix formation and maturation.

Biglycan↗

PubMed1990

Sodium fluoride lacks mitogenic activity for fetal human bone cells in vitro.

Sodium fluoride has been shown to be effective therapy for some patients with vertebral osteoporosis. Data from histomorphometric studies in patients and animals suggest that at least part of this effect may be a consequence of a proliferative effect of fluoride, either direct or indirect, on the osteoblast or on an osteoblastic precursor cell. Experiments with osteoblastic cells derived from embryonic chick calvaria have demonstrated a mitogenic effect of fluoride. The present study examined whether fluoride affects in a similar way fetal human bone cells derived from femur or calvaria. Under a variety of culture conditions, including medium supplemented with serum and in serum-free medium, fluoride did not alter the proliferative rate of human bone cells as measured by thymidine incorporation and direct cell counting.

Bone and Bones↗