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R Garrone

Publications and source records attributed to R Garrone.

82 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Fibronectin-like protein in Porifera: its role in cell aggregation.

Experiments were carried out on a freshwater sponge (Ephydatia mulleri) in order to demonstrate the presence of fibronectin in Porifera. By using antibodies to highly purified human plasma fibronectin, the presence of a similar or identical protein could be demonstrated in the membranes of E. mulleri cells such as epithelial cells, fibroblast-like cells, and choanocytes. The reaction was specific, could be abolished by the addition of excess fibronectin, and was not observed with nonimmune rabbit serum. The immune fluorescent reaction became stronger when the sponge cells were pretreated with acetone and could also be observed, although with a less intense staining, on the intercellular matrix. This shows the predominant presence of a sponge fibronectin-like protein in the cell membranes and also its presence to a lesser extent in the intercellular matrix. When dissociated sponge cells were led to reassociate under the microscope, reassociation could be completely inhibited by anti-human fibronectin antiserum up to a dilution of 1:120 and partially inhibited up to a dilution of 1:240. The reassociation of dissociated sponge cells could also be inhibited by the addition of purified gelatin but not with serum albumin or with a normal, nonimmune rabbit serum. These results clearly indicate that a sponge cell fibronectin-like protein may play an important role as the (or one of the) recognition site(s) of the aggregation factor(s) and can therefore be directly involved in cell association, morphogenesis, and differentiation.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Collagens as multidomain proteins.

The number of proteins known to contain collagen-like triple helical domains is rapidly increasing. The functions of these domains are to provide molecular rods that separate spatially non-triple helical domains with varied properties and structures and to permit lateral interactions between molecules. Two-thirds of the amino acids of the triple helical domains have their side-chains at the surface of the protein. The triple helix is also a structure that is easily predictable from the primary structure. The structure of several recently discovered collagens are discussed in terms of domains and functions. The triple helical domains have sizes varying from 33 to over 1,000 amino acid residues. The longest uninterrupted triple helices are involved in the formation of the classical quarter-staggered fibrils. Other triple helical domains permit varied molecular aggregates. A very broad spectrum of non-triple helical or globular domains are interspersed by triple helices. Only those located at the extremities of the molecules are large in size, sometimes several hundred kDa, while the domains separating 2 triple helices are small (less than 50 amino acids) and provide the molecules with hinges, proteolytic cleavage sites or other specialized functions like a glycosaminoglycan attachment site. If the assembly of the 3 chains required for the triple helix formation can be controlled in vitro, collagen-like molecules offer an as yet unexploited potential for protein engineering.

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