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Control of fibronectin receptor expression by fibronectin: antisense fibronectin RNA downmodulates the induction of fibronectin receptor by transforming growth factor beta1.

The results of our previous studies of mouse embryo fibroblasts showed that fibronectin expression and fibronectin receptor expression are tightly coregulated and that fibronectin modulates expression of its receptor in response to treatment with the differentiation-inducing agent N,N,-dimethylformamide (Varani and Chakrabarty, 1990, J. Cell. Physiol., 143:445-454; Huang et al., 1994, J. Cell. Physiol., 161:470-482). We also found that transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) induces a more differentiated phenotype in the epithelium-derived human colon carcinoma cell line Moser and upregulates the expression of both fibronectin and its receptor (Huang and Chakrabarty, 1994, Int. J. Cancer, 57:742-746). By expressing antisense fibronectin RNA in Moser cells, we have downregulated fibronectin mRNA expression and thus blocked the ability of TGFbeta1 to induce fibronectin expression (Huang and Chakrabarty, 1994, J. Biol. Chem., 269:28764-28768). In this study, we examined the effect of antisense fibronectin RNA expression on the induction of fibronectin receptor by TGFbeta1 and tested the hypothesis that the induction of fibronectin expression by TGFbeta1 is required for the induction of fibronectin receptor expression. Blocking fibronectin induction by TGFbeta1 attenuated the ability of TGFbeta1 to upregulate the expression of cell-surface fibronectin receptors, alpha5beta1 integrin expression, and adhesion to extracellular matrix fibronectin. We therefore conclude that induction of fibronectin expression is required for optimal upregulation of fibronectin receptor expression by TGFbeta1.

Animals↗

Protein kinase C-dependent effects of 12(S)-HETE on endothelial cell vitronectin receptor and fibronectin receptor.

12(S)-HETE, a lipoxygenase metabolite of arachidonic acid induced a nondestructive and reversible endothelial cell (EC) retraction. 12(S)-HETE induced EC retraction was inhibited by protein kinase C inhibitors calphostin C and staurosporine but not by the protein kinase A inhibitor H8. The role of EC integrins alpha v beta 3 and alpha 5 beta 1 in 12(S)-HETE induced EC retraction was investigated. In confluent EC cultures, alpha v beta 3 is localized to focal adhesions at both the cell body and cell-cell borders and is colocalized with vinculin-containing focal adhesions. In contrast, alpha 5 beta 1 is primarily enriched at the cell-cell borders, demonstrating codistribution with cell cortical microfilaments and extracellular fibronectin. Both receptors were functional in mediating cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions based on the observations that specific antibodies inhibited EC adhesion to intact subendothelial matrix and disrupted the monolayer integrity. 12(S)-HETE induced a multistep, temporally defined redistribution of the alpha v beta 3-containing focal adhesions, leading to an eventual decrease in alpha v beta 3 plaques in the retracted ECs. This effect of 12(S)-HETE was inhibited by calphostin C but not by H8. The alterations of alpha v beta 3-containing focal adhesions preceded the development of EC retraction. 12(S)-HETE also enhanced EC alpha v beta 3 surface expression as revealed by immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and digitized image analysis. 12(S)-HETE-induced alpha v beta 3 rearrangement (i.e., decreased focal adhesion localization and enhanced surface expression) did not result from altered mRNA transcription (as revealed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis) or protein translation (as revealed by Western blotting). In contrast to its effect on alpha v beta 3, 12(S)-HETE did not demonstrate a temporally related, well-defined effect on the distribution pattern and the surface expression of alpha 5 beta 1, although the cell-cell border staining pattern of alpha 5 beta 1 was disrupted due to EC retraction. It is concluded that 12(S)-HETE-induced decrease of alpha v beta 3 localization to focal adhesions may contribute to the development of EC retraction and that 12(S)-HETE induced increase in alpha v beta 3 surface expression may promote adhesion of inflammatory leukocytes as well as tumor cells to endothelium.

12-Hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic Acid↗

Identification and isolation of Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigote cell surface protein with properties expected of a fibronectin receptor.

The fibronectin receptor of Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes was identified using immunoprecipitation procedure. Parasite radioiodinated surface material was incubated with fibronectin followed by rabbit IgG anti-fibronectin and protein A-Sepharose. The precipitates were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two radioactive bands were seen. One of 220 kDa corresponded to a subunit of fibronectin molecule present on the parasite surface at the time of isolation. The major radioactive band of 85 kDa corresponded to the fibronectin receptor. Fibronectin receptor was purified using affinity chromatography on human fibronectin coupled to Sepharose. Analysis of fibronectin receptor by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels demonstrated one major band of 85 kDa. The purified fibronectin receptor was active since 40-60% of labeled receptor could rebind to fibronectin-Sepharose. In addition, fibronectin receptor could interact with cells bearing fibronectin molecules as shown by the binding of 125I-labeled fibronectin receptor to human monocytes and neutrophils as well as cloned 3T3 fibroblasts. The binding could be inhibited by treatment of cells with anti-fibronectin antibodies. Finally, we showed that the affinity-purified fibronectin receptor and antibodies to the receptor exerted an inhibitory effect on the infection of 3T3 fibroblasts by T. cruzi trypomastigotes in an in vitro culture system.

Animals↗

The alpha v beta 1 integrin functions as a fibronectin receptor but does not support fibronectin matrix assembly and cell migration on fibronectin.

The fibronectin receptor, alpha 5 beta 1, has been shown to be required for fibronectin matrix assembly and plays an important role in cell migration on fibronectin. However, it is not clear whether other fibronectin binding integrins can take the place of alpha 5 beta 1 during matrix assembly and cell migration. To test this, we expressed the human alpha v subunit in the CHO cell line CHO-B2 that lacks the alpha 5 subunit. We found that the human alpha v combined with CHO cell beta 1 to form the integrin alpha v beta 1. Cells that expressed alpha v beta 1 attached to and spread well on fibronectin-coated dishes, but did so less well on vitronectin-coated dishes. This, along with other data, indicated that alpha v beta 1 functions as a fibronectin receptor in CHO-B2 cells. The alpha v beta 1-expressing cells failed to produce a fibronectin matrix or to migrate on fibronectin, although the same cells transfected with alpha 5 do produce a matrix and migrate on fibronectin. The affinity of the alpha v beta 1-expressing cells for fibronectin was fourfold lower than that of the alpha 5 beta 1-expressing cells. In addition, alpha v beta 1 was distributed diffusely throughout the cell surface, whereas alpha 5 beta 1 was localized to focal adhesions when cells were seeded onto fibronectin-coated surfaces. Thus, of the two fibronectin receptors, alpha v beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1, only alpha 5 beta 1 supports fibronectin matrix assembly and promotes cell migration on fibronectin in the CHO-B2 cells. Possible reasons for this difference in the activities of alpha v beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 include the lower affinity of alpha v beta 1 for fibronectin and the failure of this integrin to localize in adhesion plaques on a fibronectin substrate. These results show that two integrins with similar ligand specificities and cell attachment functions may be quite different in their ability to support fibronectin matrix assembly and cell motility on fibronectin.

Animals↗

Effects of modifications of the RGD sequence and its context on recognition by the fibronectin receptor.

The receptor for fibronectin is a member of the integrin superfamily of cell surface adhesion receptors, many of which recognize the sequence RGD in their ligands. We have developed sensitive enzyme-linked and radioreceptor assays to examine the ligand specificity of the fibronectin receptor. The fibronectin receptor bound only to fibronectin of the various Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-containing proteins tested. The smallest amount of receptor detectable in the assay was about 10 ng. Mn2+ enhanced the binding of the receptor to fibronectin 3-10-fold as compared to Ca2+ and Mg2+. Scatchard analysis of the saturation plot from the radioreceptor assay gave a dissociation constant (Kd) of 3 x 10(-8) M for the binding of fibronectin receptor to fibronectin in the presence of Mn2+. Inhibition experiments showed that the affinities of the ligands for the receptor decreased in the order of fibronectin approximately 110-kDa fibronectin fragment greater than GRGDSP peptide greater than 11.5-kDa fragment. Peptides not containing an RGD were several hundred to several thousand-fold less inhibitory than GRGDSP. These included the closely related peptides GRADSP and GRGESP, as well as three peptides containing the reverse sequence DGR. A peptide from the fibrinogen gamma-chain, KQAGDV, which had about 0.5% of the inhibitory activity of the standard GRGDSP peptide, was the most active peptide not containing an RGD. These results document the exquisite specificity of the fibronectin receptor for the RGD sequence.

Calcium↗

Regulation of the fibronectin receptor affinity by divalent cations.

The cell surface receptor for fibronectin is a heterodimeric membrane protein that recognizes an Arg-Gly-Asp sequence in fibronectin and that requires cations such as Mg2+ or Ca2+ for binding to fibronectin. The divalent cation requirements of this receptor were analyzed by measuring attachment of receptor liposomes to ligand-coated surfaces in the presence of different cations. The most striking effect observed was produced by Mn2+, which increased the binding of the receptor liposomes to fibronectin 2-3-fold over their binding in buffers containing Ca2+ and Mg2+. The binding activities of two related adhesion receptors, the vitronectin receptor and platelet GP IIb-IIIa, were supported but not enhanced by Mn2+. Two observations suggest that Mn2+ can compete with Ca2+ for the same cation-binding sites of the receptor. First, Mn2+ could still enhance fibronectin receptor binding activity even in the presence of 10-fold higher concentrations of Ca2+ or Mg2+. Second, Mn2+ inhibited the binding of radioactive Ca2+ to the alpha subunit of the receptor. The increased fibronectin receptor activity in the presence of Mn2+ appeared to be due to an increase in the affinity of the receptor for the Arg-Gly-Asp sequence because a 110-kDa cell attachment fragment and a synthetic hexapeptide containing the Arg-Gly-Asp sequence inhibited liposome binding more effectively in the presence of Mn2+ than in the presence of Ca2+/Mg2+. The affinity for the peptide was affected more than the affinity for the fragment, indicating that Mn2+ also induces a change in receptor specificity. Increased receptor binding in the presence of Mn2+ was also apparent in affinity chromatography of the fibronectin receptor on the 110-kDa fibronectin fragment; Mn2+ improved the yield of the receptor 4-fold. Mn2+ similarly increased the number of receptor-fibronectin complexes in preparations analyzed by electron microscopy. These results show that exogenous influences can modulate the affinity and specificity with which the fibronectin receptor binds to its ligands.

Calcium↗

Serum vitronectin receptor in alcoholic liver disease: correlation with fibronectin receptor and morphological features.

In order to clarify the significance of serum level of vitronectin receptor (VNR) in alcoholic liver disease (ALD), we have investigated the relationship with fibronectin receptor (FNR) and histological liver features in 21 ALD patients. Serum level of VNR and FNR was measured by enzyme immunoassay. Liver disease activity was scored based on levels of fibrosis and focal intralobular necrosis and degeneration. The serum level of VNR (micrograms/ml) was significantly higher in the patients with hepatic fibrosis (9.87 +/- 2.51) and liver cirrhosis (10.80 +/- 1.52) than in normal subjects (5.51 +/- 0.52, P < 0.01) and fatty liver subjects (6.58 +/- 0.58, P < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between serum levels of VNR and fibronectin receptor (FNR) (P < 0.05). A positive correlation was observed between the serum level of FNR and the degree of hepatic fibrosis or focal intralobular necrosis and degeneration, while no correlation was found between the serum level of VNR and the degree of histological features. A positive correlation was also noted between the serum level of FNR and N-terminal type III procollagen aminopeptide (PIIIP) (P < 0.001), while no correlation was observed between the serum level of VNR and PIIIP. We conclude that the serum level of VNR is increased in patients with advanced alcoholic liver disease. However, the mechanism by which serum levels of beta subunit of VNR and FNR are increased may be different.

Adult↗

Glycoprotein Ic-IIa functions as an activation-independent fibronectin receptor on human platelets.

Soluble fibronectin binds specifically to glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa on thrombin-activated platelets, and this binding is not observed with platelets of patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia (GT) which lack GPIIb-IIIa. Here we report that GT platelets retain the ability to interact with fibronectin-coated surfaces. Adhesion to fibronectin does not require platelet activation and is inhibited by soluble fibronectin, antibodies specific for fibronectin, peptides containing the sequence Arg-Gly-Asp and polyclonal antibodies specific for band 3 of the chicken embryo fibroblast fibronectin receptor (anti-band 3). Using anti-band 3, we have purified a second fibronectin receptor from human platelets, a heterodimer composed of glycoproteins previously designated GPIc and GPIIa. The GPIc-IIa complex is found on both GT and normal platelets and appears to be identical to the GP138 kD-GP160 kD complex recently immunopurified by Giancotti et al. (1986. Exp. Cell Res. 163:47-62) and by Sonnenberg et al. (1987. J. Biol. Chem. 268:10376-10383). In this report, we provide the first evidence that GPIc-IIa actually mediates adhesion of platelets to fibronectin-coated surfaces. GPIc-IIa thus represents a second functional fibronectin receptor, distinct from GPIIb-IIIa, that is largely responsible for the adhesion of nonactivated platelets to fibronectin-coated surfaces.

Blood Platelet Disorders↗

The fibronectin receptor is organized by extracellular matrix fibronectin: implications for oncogenic transformation and for cell recognition of fibronectin matrices.

Cells interact with extracellular fibronectin (FN) via adhesive fibronectin receptors (FNRs) that are members of the very late antigens (VLAs) subgroup of the integrin family. In stationary fibroblasts, the FNR is highly organized and distributed identically to extracellular FN fibrils. However, in highly migratory neural crest cells and embryonic somatic fibroblasts, this organization is lost and the FNR appears diffuse. Similarly, oncogenic transformation typically leads to disorganization of the FN receptor and loss of matrix FN. Two models can account for these observations. First, the FN matrix may organize the FN receptor at extracellular matrix contacts on the cell surface. Motile cells not depositing FN matrices thus lack organized receptors. Alternatively, as the FNR is required for optimal FN matrix assembly, (McDonald, J. A., B. J. Quade, T. J. Broekelmann, R. LaChance, K. Forseman, K. Hasegawa, and S. Akiyama. 1987. J. Biol. Chem. 272:2957-2967; Roman, J. R. M. LaChance, T. J. Broekelmann, C. J. R. Kennedy, E. A. Wayner, W. G. Carter, J. A. McDonald. 1989. J. Cell Biol. 108:2529-2543) and has putative cytoskeletal links, it could be organized from within the cell helping to position newly forming FN fibrils. To study this question, we developed peptide antibodies specifically recognizing the alpha 5 subunit of the FNR. Using these antibodies, we examined the organization of FN and of the FNR in normal, matrix assembly inhibited, and SV40-transformed human fibroblasts. On FN-coated substrates, the FNR is found in focal contacts rather than diffusely on the basal cell surface, suggesting FNR interaction with intracellular components. However, when FN fibrils are deposited, the FNR is co-distributed with these fibrils. Preventing FN matrix assembly prevents organization of the FNR. Moreover, when fibroblasts with well established FN matrices and co-distributed FNR are incubated briefly with monoclonal antibodies that block FNR binding to FN, the FNR is no longer co-distributed with the FN matrix. Thus, the FN receptor is organized in fibrils on the cell surface in response to extracellular FN. Because exogenous FN restores a FN matrix and receptor organization to SV40-transformed cells, the diffuse FN receptor phenotype appears to be related to loss of the FN matrix rather than to impaired FNR function. These results explain diffusely distributed FNRs in migratory neural crest and embryonic fibroblasts lacking well organized FN matrices and emphasize the existence of separate but related systems controlling FN deposition and recognition by receptor-armed cells.

Cell Adhesion↗

Expression of fibronectin receptor (integrin) in the uterus of rats in relation to the estrous cycle.

The expression and localization of fibronectin receptor (integrin), fibronectin, laminin and collagen type IV in the endometrium of the rat uterus during each period of the estrous cycle were investigated by immunofluorescent microscopy. Fibronectin receptor was observed at the epithelial cells of the endometrium and at vascular endothelial cells. At proestrus, when epithelial cells actively migrate, fibronectin receptor was observed at the basal and lateral epithelial cell surfaces. During estrus, fibronectin receptor had begun to disappear, little fibronectin receptor was observed at metestrus or diestrus. No prominent changes in the localization of fibronectin (seen at the vascular endothelial cells and in the stroma) or of laminin and collagen type IV (seen at the muscles and at the basement membranes of the epithelial and vascular endothelial cells) were observed in relation to the estrous cycle. Thus, uterine epithelial cells, like epithelial cells of the healing cornea, increase their expression of fibronectin receptor during active migration, probably facilitating their attachment to stromal fibronectin. This fibronectin-fibronectin receptor mechanism may underlie epithelial repair, whether the defect results from physiological processes or from an insult.

Animals↗

Kinetic and morphological evidence for endocytosis of mammalian cell integrin receptors by using an anti-fibronectin receptor beta subunit monoclonal antibody.

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) 7E2.2, which recognizes the beta subunit of the hamster fibronectin receptor (FnR) (Brown, P.J., and Juliano, R. L. (1988) Exp. Cell Res. 177. 303), was used to examine the distribution of and to quantify the internalization of the FnR and possibly related integrins on adherent fibroblasts. Purified 7E2.2 IgG was iodinated and used in binding and internalization studies. Binding to Chinese hamster ovary cells was saturable with a Km of 0.3 nM and an estimated total number of cell surface beta subunits at 2 x 10(5) per cell. The FnR colocalized with fibronectin at cell adhesion contact sites and also was distributed evenly over the dorsal cell surface as discrete clusters. By using a direct immunocolloidal gold approach, the FnR was not associated with coated pits at 4 degrees C until internalization followed warming of the labeled cells to 37 degrees C. A proportion of the FnRs were endocytosed with a half-time of 6.5 min and, consistent with clathrin-mediated uptake, this was sensitive to hypertonic conditions. Receptor-immunocomplexes rapidly became localized within coated pits, small diameter tubules, and peripheral endosomes but the majority remained at the cell surface. At subsaturating concentrations of bound 7E2.2, approximately one-fourth of the total cell receptor population resided intracellularly at any one moment following steady-state; however, appreciable degradation of the iodinated mAb was not detected following accumulation for 4 h at 37 degrees C. These data showed that at least a portion of the FnR are endocytosed via a receptor-mediated pathway and suggested that these receptors do not immediately enter a degradative compartment.

Animals↗

Involvement of gangliosides and glycoprotein fibronectin receptors in cellular adhesion to fibronectin.

We have used a rat neural cell line, B65, to investigate the relative contributions of gangliosides and glycoprotein receptors in adhesion to fibronectin. Monoclonal antibodies against two neuroectoderm-associated gangliosides, D1.1 and GD3, inhibit the rate of B65 attachment to fibronectin, suggesting that these gangliosides are involved in the adhesion process. Adhesion to fibronectin is not affected by a third monoclonal antibody against a separate, unidentified cell-surface component of B65 cells. Furthermore, B65 cells lacking D1.1 adhere to fibronectin at a slower rate than B65 cells that express D1.1. The involvement of glycoprotein receptors in adhesion is demonstrated by the ability of antibodies against human fibronectin receptor to inhibit B65 attachment to fibronectin. In addition, adhesion is blocked by a hexapeptide containing the Arg-Gly-Asp fibronectin sequence which is necessary for binding to the receptor. Trypsin treatment of B65 cells in the absence of divalent cations results in proteolysis of the fibronectin receptor with an accompanying loss of ability of the cells to attach to fibronectin. D1.1 and GD3 expression is not affected by this trypsinization, indicating that the gangliosides alone are incapable of mediating attachment. The glycoprotein receptors must be primarily responsible for adhesion to fibronectin with the gangliosides playing a secondary role as enhancers or modulators.

Animals↗

Circulating fibronectin and fibronectin receptor in children with pertussis.

AIM: To determine concentrations of fibronectin and fibronectin receptor in children with pertussis. METHODS: Concentrations of circulating fibronectin and serum fibronectin receptor were detected in eight children affected by pertussis, eight children with acute upper or lower respiratory tract infections, and in 14 healthy control children. The single radial immunodiffusion technique and a solid phase enzyme immunoassay were used to detect circulating serum concentrations of fibronectin and fibronectin receptor. RESULTS: On admission, a significant decrease in fibronectin was detected in children with pertussis (p = 0.0006). Significant and decreased concentrations of fibronectin were also observed in children with upper or lower respiratory tract infections (p = 0.0002). On the other hand, serum fibronectin receptor concentrations were significantly increased in patients with pertussis, whereas patients with upper or lower respiratory tract infections had normal circulating fibronectin receptor concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Fibronectin deficiency in children with pertussis may be related to diffusion and deposition of this protein in bronchial and alveolar spaces to limit infection, while increased fibronectin receptor concentrations are probably the expression of T cell activation and cell-mediated immunity during Bordetella pertussis infection.

Child, Preschool↗

Peptide analogs to a fibronectin receptor inhibit attachment of Staphylococcus aureus to fibronectin-containing substrates.

Binding of cells of Staphylococcus aureus to fibronectin has been proposed as a mechanism of bacterial adhesion to host tissues. In this study, we have attempted to define the role of a recently identified fibronectin receptor in the adhesion of staphylococcal cells to fibronectin-containing substrates by using different receptor analogs as potential inhibitors of bacterial adherence. The results showed that synthetic peptides D1, D2, and D3, corresponding to variations of a repeated unit in the fibronectin-binding domain of the receptor, and ZZ-FR, a chimeric protein containing the fibronectin-binding domain of the receptor with the D1, D2, and D3 sequences, inhibited the attachment of staphylococcal cells to microtiter wells coated with intact fibronectin or with the 29-kilodalton amino-terminal fragment of fibronectin. The chimeric protein ZZ-FR also partially inhibited the adherence of staphylococci to human plasma clots formed in vitro but had no effect on bacterial adhesion to clots formed from fibronectin-depleted plasma. These data confirm previous reports suggesting that fibronectin may serve as a substrate for adhesion of staphylococcal cells and indicate that bacterial adhesion is mediated by the identified fibronectin receptor. Furthermore, analogs to the fibronectin receptor can be used to inhibit the adhesion of bacterial cells to these model substrates, and these analogs may be of clinical use.

Animals↗

Identification and isolation of a 140 kd cell surface glycoprotein with properties expected of a fibronectin receptor.

Affinity chromatography was used to identify a putative cell surface receptor for fibronectin. A large cell-attachment-promoting fibronectin fragment was used as the affinity matrix, and specific elution was effected by using synthetic peptides containing the sequence Arg-Gly-Asp, which is derived from the cell recognition sequence in the fibronectin cell attachment site. A 140 kd protein was bound by the affinity matrix from octylglucoside extracts of MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells and specifically eluted with the synthetic peptide Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro. The 140 kd protein was labeled by cell surface specific radioiodination and became incorporated into liposomes at a high efficiency. Liposomes containing this protein showed specific affinity toward fibronectin-coated surfaces, and this binding could be selectively inhibited by the synthetic cell-attachment peptide but not by inactive peptides. Affinity chromatography on wheat germ agglutinin-Sepharose showed that the 140 kd protein is a glycoprotein and, in combination with the fibronectin fragment chromatography, gave highly enriched preparations of the 140 kd protein. These properties suggest that the 140 kd glycoprotein is a membrane-embedded cell surface protein directly involved in the initial step of cell adhesion to fibronectin substrates.

Autoradiography↗

Protease resistance of the beta subunit of the hamster fibronectin receptor. Evidence for differential cleavage of membrane-bound and soluble receptor.

The structural stability of the hamster fibronectin receptor has been studied using limited proteolytic digestion and anti-(fibronectin receptor) monoclonal antibodies of known specificity. Treatment of the solubilized intact receptor or of the dissociated alpha and beta chains with any one of several proteases generated large protease-resistant fragments (92-110 kDa). Western blot analysis of tryptic digests using subunit-specific monoclonal antibodies revealed the large trypsin-generated fragment to be of beta-subunit origin. No products from the alpha subunit were detected. The protease-resistant fragment is lost upon exposure to reducing conditions; thus, the highly disulfide-bonded region of the beta subunit is important in the maintenance of the tertiary structure of the entire subunit. In contrast to solubilized fibronectin receptor, membrane-bound receptor is much more stable to proteolysis, and tryptic cleavage results in two large immunoreactive fragments of approximately 100 kDa and 95 kDa. This suggests a difference in the conformation and/or oligomeric organization of the membrane-bound receptor as compared with the solubilized heterodimeric receptor.

Animals↗

The staphylococcal fibronectin receptor: evidence for its importance in invasive infections.

Fibronectin binds specifically and irreversibly to Staphylococcus aureus. The expression of fibronectin-binding sites correlates with the invasiveness of the isolate. It has been suggested that the fibronectin receptor of S. aureus is either a protein or a carbohydrate that localizes at the surface of the bacterium, permitting interactions of the bacteria with the fibronectin of the host. Sites at which S. aureus typically initiates infection are rich in fibronectin, e.g., blood clots and subendothelium; the cells of the luminal surface of intact endothelium are among the few cell types that are relatively devoid of fibronectin. Removal of fibronectin receptors from S. aureus by mechanical means or by growing the bacteria in an antibiotic-containing medium decreases their ability to adhere. Thus, the fibronectin receptor appears to play a role in the initiation of S. aureus infections. These findings offer hope for the development of a vaccine that will prevent invasive disease-if the S. aureus fibronectin receptor(s) can be purified, proves to be immunogenic, and inhibits bacterial adherence to host tissues.

Fibronectins↗

Detection of fibronectin receptor in sera: its clinical significance as a parameter of hepatic fibrosis.

Pooled sera collected from cirrhotic patients was fractionated by affinity chromatography with a fibronectin receptor monoclonal antibody against the beta-subunit of fibronectin receptor. Eluates were assayed using Western immunoblotting. The relative mobility of the protein reactive with fibronectin receptor antibody was nearly identical to that of the beta-subunit of fibronectin receptor, confirming that fibronectin receptor is present in human serum. Serum levels of the beta-subunit of fibronectin receptor were analyzed by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients with various liver diseases. The serum level of fibronectin receptor (micrograms/ml) was significantly higher in patients with chronic hepatitis (inactive, 2.59 +/- 0.04; active, 3.45 +/- 0.13), cirrhosis (4.77 +/- 0.30), alcoholic liver disease (2.96 +/- 0.16) and hepatocellular carcinoma (4.71 +/- 0.49) than in normal subjects (2.11 +/- 0.08). Strong positive correlation was observed between serum levels of fibronectin receptor and histological findings, particularly in the degree of hepatic fibrosis. Immunohistochemical studies with fibronectin receptor antibody revealed that the beta-subunit of fibronectin receptor was present on the plasma membrane of hepatocytes and sinusoidal lining cells in the normal liver and was increased in fibrotic areas and on the plasma membrane of hepatocytes and sinusoidal lining cells of fibrotic liver. The serum level of fibronectin receptor in patients with chronic liver diseases may therefore be a useful marker of hepatic fibrosis.

Adult↗