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In cooperation with an activated ras oncogene, the site-dependent AP-1 transcription factor c-Jun transforms primary rat embryo fibroblasts (REF). Although signal transduction pathways leading to activation of c-Jun proteins have been extensively studied, little is known about c-Jun cellular targets. We identified c-Jun-upregulated cDNA clones homologous to the tenascin-C gene by differential screening of a cDNA library from REF. This tightly regulated gene encodes a rare extracellular matrix protein involved in cell attachment and migration and in the control of cell growth. Transient overexpression of c-Jun induced tenascin-C expression in primary REF and in FR3T3, an established fibroblast cell line. Surprisingly, tenascin-C synthesis was repressed after stable transformation by c-Jun compared to that in the nontransformed parental cells. As assessed by using the tenascin-C (-220 to +79) promoter fragment cloned in a reporter construct, the c-Jun-induced transient activation is mediated by two binding sites: one GCN4/AP-1-like site, at position -146, and one NF-kappaB site, at position -210. Furthermore, as demonstrated by gel shift experiments and cotransfections of the reporter plasmid and expression vectors encoding the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB and c-Jun, the two transcription factors bind and synergistically transactivate the tenascin-C promoter. We previously described two other extracellular matrix proteins, SPARC and thrombospondin-1, as c-Jun targets. Thus, our results strongly suggest that the regulation of the extracellular matrix composition plays a central role in c-Jun-induced transformation.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the hypothesis that degenerative aortic stenosis (AS) is associated with the development of blood vessels and the expression of the secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine/osteonectin (SPARC), a matricellular protein that is involved in ossification, the modulation of angiogenesis and the production of metalloproteinases. METHODS: 30 surgically excised AS valves and 20 normal aortic valves were studied. RESULTS: Blood vessels were detected in the aortic valves from patients with degenerative AS, whereas normal valves were avascular structures. Blood vessels in AS valves expressed endothelial nitric oxide synthase, CD34 and von Willebrand factor (vWF). Blood vessels were located in three distinct regions: near calcified nodules, under the leaflet border and in rich cellular areas forming cell islands. Blood vessels were predominantly present in early and intermediate grades of calcification. Cell islands were densely populated by CD45-positive cells where endothelial cells (CD34+, vWF+) forming cord-like structures were present. Immunoblotting detected SPARC only in AS valves and immunohistological analysis located SPARC in mature blood vessels. The proportion of blood vessels positive for SPARC was higher in valves with a lower grade of calcification. In cell islands, SPARC was distributed to mature blood vessels and to macrophages, where it co-located with matrix metalloproteinase-9, whereas no expression was detected in endothelial cells forming cord-like structures. CONCLUSION: The localisation of SPARC to mature blood vessels and its predominant expression in AS valves with a lower calcification grade suggest that the spatial and temporal distribution of this matricellular protein is tightly controlled to participate in the neovascularisation of AS valves.
To compare the expression of extracellular matrix components by fibroblasts from different periodontal tissues, rat molar periodontal ligament fibroblasts (RPL) and rat gingival fibroblasts (RGF) were isolated and cultured from individual animals. Pulse-chase experiments using [35S]methionine as a precursor revealed that confluent populations of early passage cells of both cell types synthesized similar amounts of collagen, fibronectin, and SPARC/osteonectin. Qualitative and quantitative differences were apparent in the relative proportions of type III collagen, in the rates of procollagen processing, and in the synthesis of a small number of unidentified proteins observed by sodium dodecyl sulphate--polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Collagen constituted 24-26% of the radiolabelled proteins secreted by both cell types, type I being the predominant collagen, with lower amounts of type III (3-8% RGF, 8-18% RPL) and type V (approximately 1%) collagens. Procollagen processing in the culture medium of RPL cells was more rapid than for RGF cells, but was increased in multilayered cultures of both RPL and RGF. In multilayered cultures, collagen TCA fragments, indicative of tissue collagenase activity, were also identified. Active and latent tissue collagenases and a latent form of a novel collagenolytic enzyme (matrix metalloendoproteinase-V) that cleaves native TCA fragments were demonstrated in these cultures. Addition of either concanavalin A (10(-6) M) or retinoic acid (10(-5) M) to the culture medium stimulated the secretion of the latent collagenolytic enzymes. Collagenase inhibitor was also synthesized by both RGF and RPL cells. SPARC/osteonectin, a 40-kilodalton glycoprotein, represented 0.5-1.0% of the secreted radiolabelled proteins of both cell types.
Although transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been implicated in the local regulation of bone growth and remodelling, its specific effects on different subpopulations of bone cells have not been elucidated. Cells derived from bone are known to be heterogeneous and include both cells of different lineages and osteoblastic populations with different levels of expression of osteoblast-associated properties. Consequently, we have isolated clonal populations of bone cells to examine more precisely the effects of TGF-beta on individual subpopulations. Several clonal populations were isolated by limiting dilution from cells derived from 21-day-old fetal rat calvaria. Two of these clones, RCA 11 and RCB 2, were used here. While the two clones responded similarly to parathyroid hormone (PTH) and isoproterenol (ISP) with increases in intracellular cAMP, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) elicited a 10-fold higher response in RCB 2 cells compared with RCA 11. RCB 2 cells expressed a 10-fold higher alkaline phosphatase activity compared with RCA 11. Both clones synthesized a variety of bone matrix associated proteins, but only RCA 11 synthesized SPP-1 (osteopontin) constitutively. TGF-beta stimulated growth of RCB 2 cells after 24 and 48 h of treatment, but had no effect on growth of RCA 11. TGF-beta supported anchorage-independent growth of RCB 2 cells, but not that of RCA 11. A 24-h exposure to TGF-beta decreased cAMP responsiveness to PTH and ISP slightly in both clones, but had no effect on PGE2 responses. Significant reductions in alkaline phosphatase activity were seen in both clones after 24- and 48-h treatments with TGF-beta.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
To explore the biological functions of SPARC (secreted protein, acidic, rich in cysteine), a Ca(2+)-binding extracellular glycoprotein, we have examined its expression in an evolutionary diverse group of organisms. Similar patterns of SPARC mRNA expression were observed in adult mouse and rat tissues. SPARC transcripts represented 0.0002-0.0025% of the total RNA found in calvarium, lung, brain, and heart, whereas relatively low levels of SPARC RNA were detected in liver and kidney. Within nonmuscular tissues, a statistically significant correlation was observed between the tissue distribution of SPARC and cytoskeletal actin transcripts. Southern blot analysis revealed SPARC as a low or single-copy gene in an evolutionary diverse group of vertebrates. No hybridization signal was observed with the invertebrates examined. The tissue distribution of SPARC transcripts in the vertebrates examined was similar, except for sea lamprey and sea skate, two vertebrates that do not form mineralized bone. These data suggest that SPARC has multiple functions in mineralized and nonmineralized tissues of vertebrates.
SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) is an extracellular, Ca(2+)-binding protein that inhibits the spreading of newly plated cells and elicits a rounded morphology in spread cells. In this study, I investigated whether the rounding effect of SPARC depends on the ability of the protein to chelate Ca2+ at the cell surface. Bovine aortic endothelial cells were plated in the presence of different concentrations of SPARC and Ca2+; control experiments were performed with 1 mM EGTA and with Mg2+. Quantitative estimates of cell rounding were calculated according to a rounding index. SPARC, at concentrations between 0.15 and 0.58 microM, elicited rounding (or prevented spreading) of cells cultured for 16-38 h in 0.5-2.0 mM Ca2+. Addition of 0.5-2.0 mM Mg2+ to cells previously rounded in the presence of SPARC did not abrogate the effect of SPARC. When the levels of extracellular Ca2+ were adjusted with 1 mM EGTA to maximum values ranging from 7.1 to 320 microM, cells displayed a rounded morphology in the presence of exogenous SPARC. Although the rounding induced by 1 mM EGTA was essentially reversed by the inclusion of 2 mM Ca2+, cultures containing these reagents together with SPARC maintained the rounded phenotype. These results do not support a mechanism that involves the abstraction of Ca2+ from proteins at the cell surface or the provision of Ca2+ from native extracellular SPARC to cells. Therefore, SPARC does not appear to act as a local chelator of extracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+ and presumably exerts its function as a modulator of cell shape via a different pathway.
Endothelioma cells expressing the polyoma virus middle T oncogene induced hemangiomas in mice by the recruitment of nonproliferating endothelial cells from host blood vessels (Williams et al. 1989). I now report that SPARC, a Ca(2+)-binding glycoprotein that perturbs cell-matrix interactions and inhibits the endothelial cell cycle, is produced by endothelioma cells and is in part responsible for the alterations in the morphology and growth that occur when nontransformed bovine aortic endothelial cells are cocultured with endothelioma cells. Normal endothelial cells cocultured with two different middle T-positive endothelial cell lines, termed End cells, exhibited changes in shape that were accompanied by the formation of cell clusters. Media conditioned by End cells repressed proliferation of normal endothelial cells, but enhanced that of an established line of murine capillary endothelium. Radiolabeling studies revealed no apparent differences in the profile of proteins secreted by aortic or capillary cells cultured in End cell conditioned media. Characterization of proteins produced by End cells led to the identification of type IV collagen, laminin, entactin, and SPARC as major secreted products. Although SPARC did not affect the morphology of End or capillary cells, it was associated with overt changes in the shape of aortic endothelial cells. Moreover, SPARC and a synthetic peptide from SPARC domain II inhibited the incorporation of [3H]thymidine by aortic cells, but had minimal to no effect on the capillary endothelial cell line. The inhibition of growth exhibited by aortic endothelial cells cultured in End cell conditioned media could be partially reversed by antibodies specific for SPARC and SPARC peptides. These studies indicate a potential role for SPARC in the generation of hemangiomas by End cells in vivo, a process that requires normal (host) endothelial cells to disengage from the extracellular matrix, withdraw from the cell cycle, migrate, and reassociate into the disorganized cellular networks that comprise cavernous and capillary hemangiomas.
The Ca(2+)-binding protein SPARC is one of a group of proteins that function in vitro to promote the rounding of cells. To assess whether the modulation of cell shape by SPARC is affected by extracellular Ca2+, we used F9 cell lines that had been stably transfected with sense or antisense SPARC DNA. Sense-transfected (S) lines that overexpress SPARC are aggregated and rounded, whereas antisense (AS) lines that express low levels of the protein are flat and spread. We tested whether the cell lines would exhibit these altered morphologies in Ca(2+)-deficient media. When cultured under these conditions, S lines attached and spread, whereas AS lines attached but remained round, with no subsequent spreading. Addition of CaCl2 or purified SPARC to the Ca(2+)-deficient medium resulted in spreading of the AS and control lines and a reappearance of the altered morphologies. Expression of the Ca(2+)-binding cadherin uvomorulin by the cell lines correlated with neither their morphology nor their level of SPARC expression. We conclude that the altered phenotypes of the transected lines reflect, in part, the concentration of extracellular Ca2+ and that the spreading exhibited by the S lines under Ca(2+)-deficient conditions is directly related to their enhanced expression of SPARC. SPARC might, therefore, mediate interactions between cells and matrix that are permissive for adhesion when levels of extracellular Ca2+ are diminished.
Albumin, through its binding to the endothelial glycocalyx, functions as a major determinant of capillary permeability and as a carrier for various small molecules in its transcytosis across continuous endothelium via plasma-lemmal vesicles. Several albumin-binding proteins (ABP) have been identified: three membrane-associated ABP, which we call gp60, gp30, and gp18, and one secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC). In this study, we used antiserum raised against bovine SPARC (BON) to investigate the possible interrelationships among ABP to better understand their role in binding and transcytosis. BON not only interacted with SPARC secreted by cultured endothelium but also recognized gp60 in lysates of cultured rat, human, and bovine endothelial cells. Purified SPARC inhibited BON interaction with gp60. BON immunoglobulin (Ig)G specifically inhibited albumin binding to both SPARC and gp60 extracts. This effect was eliminated by preabsorption of BON to immobilized SPARC. BON also significantly inhibited albumin binding to cultured microvascular endothelial cells via its interaction with gp60. Anti-SPARC peptide sera were also tested, and one serum raised against a peptide encompassing an NH2-terminal region of SPARC recognized both SPARC and gp60 but did not inhibit albumin binding; gp30 and gp18 were not recognized by any of these anti-SPARC antibodies. These results suggest that SPARC and gp60 are functionally and immunologically related ABP that may share a common albumin-binding domain. gp60 appears to be the major mediator of albumin binding to microvascular endothelium.
Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) has been shown to be coexpressed with type I collagen in tissues undergoing remodeling and wound repair. We speculated that SPARC is required for the accumulation of collagen in lung injury and that its absence would attenuate collagen accumulation. Accordingly, we have assessed levels of collagen in SPARC-null mice in an intratracheal bleomycin-injury model of pulmonary fibrosis. Eight- to ten-week-old SPARC-null and wild-type (WT) mice received bleomycin (0.0035 U/g) or saline intratracheally and were subsequently killed after 14 days. Relative levels of SPARC mRNA were increased 2.7-fold (P < 0.001) in bleomycin-treated WT lungs in comparison with saline-treated lungs. Protein from bleomycin-treated WT lung contained significantly more hydroxyproline (191.9 microg/lung) than protein from either bleomycin-treated SPARC-null lungs or saline-treated WT and SPARC-null lungs (147.4 microg/lung, 125.4 microg/lung, and 113. 0 microg/lung, respectively; P < 0.03). These results indicate that SPARC is increased in response to lung injury and that accumulation of collagen, as indicated by hydroxyproline content, is attenuated in the absence of SPARC. The properties of SPARC as a matricellular protein associated with cell proliferation and matrix turnover are consistent with its participation in the development of pulmonary fibrosis.
SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) is a component of the matrix that appears to regulate tissue remodeling. There is evidence that it accumulates in the lung in the setting of pulmonary injury and fibrosis, but direct evidence of its involvement is only now emerging. We therefore investigated the development of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin administered either intratracheally or intraperitoneally in mice deficient in SPARC. Bleomycin (0.15 U/mouse) given intratracheally induced significantly more pulmonary fibrosis in mice deficient in SPARC compared with that in wild-type control mice, with the mutant mice demonstrating greater neutrophil accumulation in the lung. However, in wild-type and SPARC-deficient mice given intraperitoneal bleomycin (0.8 U/injection x 5 injections over 14 days), the pattern and severity of pulmonary fibrosis, as well as the levels of leukocyte recruitment, were similar in both strains of mice. These findings suggest that the involvement of SPARC in pulmonary injury is likely to be complex, dependent on several factors including the type, duration, and intensity of the insult. Furthermore, increased neutrophil accumulation in the peritoneal cavity was also observed in SPARC-null mice after acute chemical peritonitis. Together, these data suggest a possible role for SPARC in the recruitment of neutrophils to sites of acute inflammation.
Glomerular capillary hypertension is a final common pathway to glomerulosclerosis. Because podocyte loss is an early event in the development of glomerulosclerosis, it is logical that the deleterious effects of glomerular capillary hypertension involve podocyte injury. Yet, the mechanisms by which elevated intraglomerular pressure is translated into a maladaptive podocyte response remain poorly understood. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a matricellular protein activated in various disease states of the podocyte and accelerates renal injury, as evidenced by the milder course of experimental diabetic nephropathy in SPARC-null mice compared with diabetic SPARC wild-type mice. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that mechanical strain activates SPARC in podocytes and thus is a putative mediator of podocyte injury in states of intraglomerular capillary hypertension. Conditionally immortalized mouse podocytes were subjected to 10% cyclical stretch while nonstretched cells served as controls. SPARC levels were measured in whole cell lysate and cell media. Immunostaining was performed for SPARC in an experimental model of glomerular capillary hypertension. Our results demonstrate cyclical stretch of podocytes markedly increased SPARC levels in cell lysate, through activation of p38, as well as secreted SPARC. Relevance was shown by demonstrating increased podocyte staining for SPARC in the uninephrectomized spontaneously hypertensive rat. In conclusion, we have made the novel observation that mechanical forces characteristic of states of glomerular capillary hypertension lead to increased levels of SPARC in podocytes. We speculate that the increase in SPARC may be maladaptive and lead to a progressive reduction in podocyte number, thus fueling the future development of glomerulosclerosis.
Prologned spaceflight results in bone loss in astronauts, but there is considerable individual variation. The goal of this rat study was to determine whether gender influences bone loss during simulated weightlessness. Six-month-old Fisher 344 rats were hindlimb unweighted for 2 wk, after which the proximal tibiae were evaluated by histomorphometry. There were gender differences in tibia length, bone area, cancellous bone architecture, and bone formation. Compared with female rats, male rats had an 11.6% longer tibiae, a 27.8% greater cortical bone area, and a 37.6% greater trabecular separation. Conversely, female rats had greater cortical (316%) and cancellous (145%) bone formation rates, 28.6% more cancellous bone, and 30% greater trabecular number. Hindlimb unweighting resulted in large reductions in periosteal bone formation and mineral apposition rate in both genders. Unweighting also caused cancellous bone loss in both genders; trabecular number was decreased, and trabecular separation was increased. There was, however, no change in trabecular thickness in either gender. These architectural changes in cancellous bone were associated with decreases in bone formation and steady-state mRNA levels for bone matrix proteins and cancellous bone resorption. In conclusion, there are major gender-related differences in bone mass and turnover; however, the bone loss in hindlimb unweighted adult male and female rats appears to be due to similar mechanisms.
Hibernation is an energy-saving strategy adopted by a wide range of mammals to survive highly seasonal or unpredictable environments. Arctic ground squirrels living in Alaska provide an extreme example, with 6- to 9-mo-long hibernation seasons when body temperature alternates between levels near 0 degrees C during torpor and 37 degrees C during arousal episodes. Heat production during hibernation is provided, in part, by nonshivering thermogenesis that occurs in large deposits of brown adipose tissue (BAT). BAT is active at tissue temperatures from 0 to 37 degrees C during rewarming and continuously at near 0 degrees C during torpor in subfreezing conditions. Despite its crucial role in hibernation, the global gene expression patterns in BAT during hibernation compared with the nonhibernation season remain largely unknown. We report a large-scale study of differential gene expression in BAT between winter hibernating and summer active arctic ground squirrels using mouse microarrays. Selected differentially expressed genes identified on the arrays were validated by quantitative real-time PCR using ground squirrel specific primers. Our results show that the mRNA levels of the genes involved in nearly every step of the biochemical pathway leading to nonshivering thermogenesis are significantly increased in BAT during hibernation, whereas those of genes involved in protein biosynthesis are significantly decreased compared with summer active animals in August. Surprisingly, the differentially expressed genes also include adipocyte differentiation-related protein or adipophilin (Adfp), gap junction protein 1 (Gja1), and secreted protein acidic and cysteine-rich (Sparc), which may play a role in enhancing thermogenesis at low tissue temperatures in BAT.
Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is a multifunctional matricellular glycoprotein. In vitro, SPARC inhibits the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells stimulated by growth factors and induces endothelial cell apoptosis. We previously showed that SPARC also inhibits angiogenesis in vivo and impairs the growth of the pediatric tumor neuroblastoma (NB). SPARC comprises three domains that are independently folded by a complex pattern of disulfide bonds and have a high degree of structural conservation. In this study, separate modules of the SPARC domains were synthesized as cysteine-linked peptides and tested for their ability to inhibit angiogenesis. Peptide FS-E, representing the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like module of the follistatin (FS) domain, did not cause endothelial cell apoptosis but strongly inhibited basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-induced endothelial cell migration with an ED(50) = 10 pmol/L. In vivo, peptide FS-E blocked bFGF-stimulated angiogenesis and neovascularization induced by NB cells. The EGF-like conformation was essential for peptide FS-E function because reduction of its two disulfide bonds completely abrogated peptide activity. Peptides FS-K and EC-N, corresponding to part of the Kazal module of the FS domain and the conserved alpha-helix in the extracellular calcium-binding domain, respectively, had minimal to no inhibitory activity. Our data show that the EGF-like module of the SPARC FS domain is angiosuppressive, and its structural conformation is critical for antiangiogenic activity.
Esophageal cancer remains a highly lethal malignancy for which the genetic and proteomic events are poorly understood. Studies have reported dysregulated proteins in esophageal carcinoma; however, the magnitude of these changes remains largely uncharacterized. Little is known about alterations early in the neoplastic pathway. Using multiplex tissue immunoblotting, we quantified the expression of seven proteins in esophageal carcinogenesis. Regions of normal, dysplasia, and invasive carcinoma of the squamous esophagus in six patients were characterized. Pan-cytokeratin (CK) was essentially unchanged across the transition (0.96 in dysplasia and 0.69 in tumor). Expression levels of annexin 1, CK-4, and CK-14 were all decreased in dysplasia and tumor compared with normal (reference, 1.00): annexin 1, 0.30 in dysplasia and 0.15 in tumor; CK-4, 0.20 in dysplasia and 0.16 in tumor; and CK-14, 0.54 in dysplasia and 0.40 in tumor. Expression of two proteins was increased in dysplasia and tumor versus normal: cyclooxygenase-2, 1.35 in dysplasia and 2.32 in tumor and p53, 1.29 in dysplasia and 2.37 in tumor. Secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine, which is expressed in the adjacent stroma, was 1.56-fold higher in stroma underlying dysplasia and 6.20-fold increased in dysplastic stroma surrounding invasive tumor. These findings suggest that changes in protein expression can be detected during the transition to dysplasia and may be useful biomarkers.
PURPOSE: There are no available tumor markers detecting primary melanoma at an early stage. The identification of such serum markers would be of significant benefit for an early diagnosis of melanoma. We recently identified glypican-3 (GPC3) as a novel tumor marker but could diagnose only 40% of melanomas. Thereby, we focused out attention on secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) overexpressed in melanoma as another candidate for tumor marker. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Secreted SPARC protein was quantified using ELISA in the sera from 109 melanoma patients, five patients with large congenital melanocytic nevus, 61 age-matched healthy donors, and 13 disease-free patients after undergoing a surgical removal. We also quantified GPC3 and 5-S-cysteinyldopa in the same serum samples and compared these markers for their diagnostic value. RESULTS: The serum SPARC concentrations in melanoma patients were greater than those in healthy donors (P = 0.001). When we fixed a cutoff value at the mean concentration plus 2 SD of the healthy donors, the serum SPARC was found to have increased in the sera of 36 of the 109 (33%) melanoma patients, whereas there were three (4.9%) false-positive cases of 61 healthy donors. Surprisingly, 19 of 36 patients showing increased SPARC levels were in stages 0 to II. The serum SPARC level decreased under the cutoff level in 10 of 13 patients after surgical removal. Using SPARC and GPC3 in combination thus enabled us to diagnose 47 of 75 (66.2%) melanoma patients at an early stage (0-II). CONCLUSIONS: SPARC or its combination with GPC3 is thus considered a potentially useful tumor marker, especially for melanoma at an early stage.