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The small dermatan sulfate proteoglycan decorin is involved in the regulation of collagen fibrillogenesis, cell adhesion and migration, and growth factor signaling. In a progeroid patient carrying two point mutations in beta4 galactosyltransferase I (beta4GalT-7) only 50% of the decorin core protein molecules are substituted with glycosaminoglycan chains. We expressed decorin, as well as wild-type and mutant alleles of beta4GalT-7 in galactosyltransferase-deficient CHO618 cells. Decorin was less efficiently substituted with glycosaminoglycan chains upon expression of beta4GalT-7(186D) compared to beta4GalT-7-expressing cells. Decorin from beta4GalT-7-expressing cells displayed increased molecular heterogeneity. Decorin glycosaminoglycan chains were completely susceptible to chondroitinase ABC treatment. Cells expressing beta4GalT-7(206P) did not synthesize the proteoglycanform of decorin. Thus, the beta4GalT-7 mutations directly affect the molecular phenotype of decorin observed in a patient with the progeroid form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which may be a major mechanistic cause for the skin and wound healing defects observed in this patient.

A novel approach in glycosaminoglycomics, based on sheathless on-line capillary electrophoresis/nanoelectrospray ionization-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (CE/nanoESI-QTOF-MS) and tandem MS of extended chondroitin sulfate/dermatan (CS/DS) oligosaccharide chains is described. The methodology required the construction of a new sheathless CE/nanoESI-QTOF-MS configuration, its implementation and optimization for the high sensitivity analysis of CS/DS oligosaccharide mixtures from conditioned culture medium of decorin transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells. Under newly established sheathless on-line CE/(-)nanoESI conditions for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) ionization and MS detection, single CS/DS oligosaccharide components of extended chain length and increased sulfation degree were identified. Molecular ions corresponding to species carrying 5 and 6 negative charges could be generated for large GAG oligosaccharide species in the negative ion nanoESI-MS. The optimized on-line conditions enabled the detection of molecular ions assigned to oversulfated tetradeca-, octadeca-, and eicosasaccharide CS/DS molecules, which represent the category of largest sulfated GAG-derived oligosaccharides evidenced by CE/ESI-MS. By on-line CE/ESI tandem MS in data-dependent acquisition mode the oversulfated eicosasaccharide species could be sequenced and the localization of the additional sulfate group along the chain could be determined.

Biglycan is a member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan family. Its core protein comprises two chondroitin/dermatan sulfate attachment sites on serine 42 and serine 47, respectively, which are the fifth and tenth amino acid residues, respectively, after removal of the prepro peptide. Because the regulation of glycosaminoglycan chain assembly is not fully understood and because of the in vivo existence of monoglycanated biglycan, mutant core proteins were stably expressed in human 293 and Chinese hamster ovary cells in which i) either one or both serine residues were converted into alanine or threonine residues, ii) the number of acidic amino acids N-terminal of the respective serine residues was altered, and iii) a hexapeptide was inserted between the mutated site 1 and the unaltered site 2. Labeling experiments with [(35)S]sulfate and [(35)S]methionine indicated that serine 42 was almost fully used as the glycosaminoglycan attachment site regardless of whether site 2 was available or not for chain assembly. In contrast, substitution of site 2 was greatly influenced by the presence or absence of serine 42, although additional mutations demonstrated a direct influence of the amino acid sequence between the two sites. When site 2 was not substituted with a glycosaminoglycan chain, there was also no assembly of the linkage region. These results indicate that xylosyltransferase is the rate-limiting enzyme in glycosaminoglycan chain assembly and implicate a cooperative effect on the xylosyl transfer to site 2 by xylosylation of site 1, which probably becomes manifest before the removal of the propeptide. It is shown additionally that biglycan expressed in 293 cells may still contain the propeptide sequence and may carry heparan sulfate chains as well as sulfated N-linked oligosaccharides.

Receptor-mediated endocytosis of decorin depends on its core-protein-mediated interaction with a 51 kDa membrane protein, which, in addition to its core-protein-binding site, carries a binding site for glycosaminoglycan chains. Membrane-associated heparan sulphate as well as heparin are known to have an inhibitory effect on decorin endocytosis by cultured skin fibroblasts. In this study, structural features of both glycosaminoglycans required for binding to the 51 kDa protein and for inhibiting decorin endocytosis, were investigated. Upon digestion of [(3)H]glucosamine-labelled heparan sulphate with heparinase III, dodeca- and higher saccharides were able to interact with the receptor protein. In comparison with unbound fragments of the same size, bound fragments were enriched in N-sulphated disaccharides carrying one or two sulphate ester groups. Using heparinase III-generated fragments from [(35)S]sulphate-labelled heparan sulphate chains, binding of fragments as small as octasaccharides could be detected. Competition experiments between dermatan sulphate and chemically modified heparin revealed that N- and 6-O-sulphation of glucosamine residues are important structural elements for binding to the receptor, whereas iduronate-2-O-sulphate groups contribute to binding only to a limited extent. However, with respect to the inhibition of decorin endocytosis, 2-O-desulphation had a quantitatively similar effect to 6-O-desulphation. Furthermore, for maximal inhibition of decorin endocytosis, longer fragments were required than for binding to the receptor. Thus, it appears that heparin/heparan sulphate has to interact with additional component(s) for effective inhibition of decorin uptake.

Comparative studies were performed on the uptake of 35SO4-labelled proteoglycans and of free 35SO4-glycosaminoglycan chains by cultured skin fibroblasts. Proteoglycans as well as protein-free polysaccharide chains are internalized by adsorptive pinocytosis. The maximum capacity for endocytosis of proteoglycans is about four times higher than for glycosaminoglycan chains when referred to disaccharide units. On a molar basis about 10 times more glycosaminoglycan chains than proteoglycans can be internalized within a given time. Since unlabelled carbohydrate chains do not compete for the uptake of labelled proteoglycans it seems likely that different receptors exist on the cell surface for endocytosis of both types of macromolecules. 14C-labelled hyaluronate was neither pinocytosed to a measurable extent by skin fibroblasts nor by intima cells cultured from the thoracic aorta. Rat liver hepatocytes efficiently internalized hyaluronate by adsorptive pinocytosis. It was concluded from competitive experiments with hyaluronate oligosaccharides that hyaluronate has to interact with at least two receptor molecules on the cell membrane to achieve endocytosis.

The physiological relevance of the ability of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase A to liberate N-acetylglucosamine 6-sulfate from polymeric keratan sulfate was investigated. Upon intravenous injection into rats of [35S]sulfate-labeled proteokeratan sulfate up to 25% of the radioactivity excreted with the urine were identified as N-acetyl-glucosamine 6-sulfate. Within 24 h, however, excretion of inorganic sulfate rose at the expense of the sulfated monosaccharide. Upon incubation in vitro of liver lysosomes from rats treated with proteokeratan sulfate, inorganic sulfate and minor amounts of sulfated monosaccharide were found in the incubation fluid. Cultured rat peritoneal macrophages ingested proteokeratan sulfate with a clearance rate of 6-9 micrograms X h-1 X mg cell protein-1 and degraded it rapidly. Inorganic sulfate but not N-acetylglucosamine 6-sulfate was delivered to the culture medium. During a chase period the amount of intracellular N-acetylglucosamine 6-sulfate fell, and a corresponding amount of sulfate could be found extracellularly. Significant amount of N-acetylglucosamine 6-sulfate were only found in the culture medium when the cells were challenged with zymosan. These results suggest that N-acetylglucosamine 6-sulfate is a physiological intermediate during the degradation of keratan sulfate, but is usually hydrolyzed intralysosomally by N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase. Genetic deficiency of the sulfatase in humans therefore results in excessive excretion of the sulfated amino sugar but not of keratan sulfate.

Cultured cells derived from bovine corneal stroma synthesize all types of sulfated glycosaminoglycans and distribute these macromolecules into topographically different compartments in a reproducible manner. Each compartment is characterized by a typical glycosaminoglycan distribution pattern. Corneal fibroblasts synthesize in vitro only small amounts of keratan sulfate in contrast to the in vivo conditions. We have, therefore, investigated the synthesis and topographical distribution of sulfated glycosaminoglycans as influenced by different culture conditions. The following results were obtained: 1) Cocultivation of epithelial and stromal fibroblasts from bovine cornea led to an increased incorporation of radiosulfate into sulfated glycosaminoglycans by about 50% as compared to the theoretical value. Glycosaminoglycan distribution of mixed cultures into different compartments showed no similarity compared with pure epithelial or stromal fibroblasts. 2) Addition of native or heat inactivated anterior chamber fluid to the culture medium was followed by a twofold increase of [35S]-sulfate incorporation and by an augmented intracellular and pericellular accumulation of labeled macromolecules. 3) Reduction of the incubation temperature led to a reduced synthesis of glycosaminoglycans without influencing their topographical distribution. Growth of stromal cells on type I collagen was accompanied by a reduced glycosaminoglycan synthesis of about 25%. Extracellular macromolecules reached only half of the normal value, while intracellularly their concentration was slightly increased. 4) None of the variations of the culture condition led to a significant change of the distribution pattern of sulfated glycosaminoglycans. Especially, no significant increase of keratan sulfate biosynthesis could be detected.

Skin fibroblasts from two patients who had symptoms of the Sanfilippo syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis III) accumulated excessive amounts of heparan sulfate and were unable to release sulfate from N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate linkages in heparan sulfate-derived oligosaccharides. Keratan sulfate-derived oligosaccharides bearing the same residue at the nonreducing end and p-nitrophenyl-6-sulfo-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranoside were degraded normally. Kinetic differences between th sulfatase activities of normal fibroblasts were found. These observations suggest that N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase activities degrading heparan sulfate and keratan sulfate, respectively, can be distinguished. It is the activity directed toward heparan sulfate that is deficient in these patients; we propose that this deficiency causes Sanfilippo disease type D.

Cultured arterial fibroblasts were used for a quantitative study on adsorption, uptake and degradation of [35S]proteoglycans derived from secretions of cultured arterial or skin fibroblasts. The following results were obtained: 1) Proteoglycans added to the culture medium are integrated into the pool of cell membrane-associated (trypsin-removable) glycosaminoglycans by a saturable process, which depends on time and temperature. 2) Up to 17% of the added proteoglycans are taken up by the cells within 24 h. The uptake exhibits saturation kinetics, characteristic for adsorptive pinocytosis. Proteoglycan concentrations required for half-maximum uptake are higher than for half-maximum saturation of the glycosaminoglycan pool associated with the cell membrane. 3) After a lag phase, inorganic 35SO4 appears in the culture medium as a degradation product of the internalized proteoglycans. Pinocytosed proteoglycans are catabolized more rapidly than proteoglycans which remain inside the cell after their biosynthesis. 4) Pinocytosis exhibits specificity, the individual proteoglycans being internalized at different rates. The highest rate of uptake was measured for a dermatan-sulfate-rich proteoglycan. No competition of uptake between a dermatan-sulfate-rich and a heparan-sulfate-rich proteoglycan was observed. 5) Optimum pinocytosis requires an intact protein moiety and, presumably, undegraded carbohydrate chains of the proteoglycans.

Fibroblasts cultured from the skin of three unrelated patients with the clinical symptoms of the Sanfilippo syndrome (mucopolysaccharidosis III) accumulated intracellularly excessive amounts of heparan sulfate and showed a lengthened turnover time for this mucopolysaccharide. They exhibited, however, neither a deficiency of heparan sulfate sulfamidase or alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase nor of any other known glycosaminoglycan-degrading hydrolase. This new mucopolysaccharidosis was therefore designated as type C of the Sanfilippo syndrome. The abnormal heparan sulfate metabolism of Sanfilippo C fibroblasts could not be normalized by addition of crude urinary proteins or concentrated secretions from normal fibroblasts to the culture medium or by cocultivation with normal fibroblasts. The accumulated heparan sulfate was characterized by a reduced negative net charge. A small proportion of it could be adsorbed onto a cation exchange resin. It was sensitive to nitrous acid degradation under conditions where glucosamine residues with free amino groups are attacked. It is therefore suggested that the primary defect in this new mucopolysaccharidosis concerns the step which follows the hydrolysis of N-sulfonate groups in heparan sulfate degradation.

Fibroblasts were incubated in the presence of the anti-microtubular drugs colchicine, vinblastine and vincristine. In concentrations between 10nm and 1 mM these drugs stimulated the secretion of beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase, alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase and beta-glucuronidase, but not of beta-galactosidase. The endocytosis of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase and alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase, but not of beta-glucuronidase, was inhibited at drug concentrations higher than 0.1 micrometer. Formation, secretion and association with the cell membrane of sulphated proteoglycans were not affected by anti-microtubular drugs. Endocytosis of sulphated proteoglycans and their subsequent degradation was inhibited by drug concentrations above 0.1 micrometer. The inhibition of intracellular glycosaminoglycan degradation led to a moderate storage of these compounds. These results suggest that microtubules participate in the control of secretion and endocytosis of lysosomal enzymes, and in the endocytosis and degradation of lysosomal substrates such as sulphated proteoglycans.

It had been suggested that Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen syndrome may be due to the deficiency of a specific sulfatase and/or a protease involved in proteoglycan degradation. The ability of Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen fibroblasts to endocytose and degrade 3H-leucine- and 35S-sulfate-labelled proteodermatan sulfate and 35S-sulfate-labelled proteokeratan sulfate, respectively, was therefore investigated. The turnover of cell-associated 35S-sulfate-labelled heparan sulfate was also followed. In all these experiments Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen fibroblasts behaved normally.

Upon incubation of keratan [35S]sulphate with normal fibroblasts both [35S]sulphate and N-acetylglucosamine 6-[35S]sulphate are liberated. From the products obtained after digestion with various mutant fibroblasts and with purified N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulphate sulphatase we suggest that (i) [35S]sulphate is released almost exclusively from galactose 6-sulphate residues; (ii) N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulphate sulphatase exhibits galactose 6-sulphate sulphatase activity; (iii) both sulphatase activities are deficient in Morquio disease type A.

"Fibroblast-like" cells from the intimal layer of bovine aorta were grown in culture. The formation, composition, molecular weight and turnover rate of different pools of glycosaminoglycans were investigated in cultures incubated in the presence [35S]sulfate or [14C]glucosamine. The newly synthesized glycosaminoglycans are distributed into an extracellular pool (37 - 58%), a cell-membrane associated or pericellular pool (23 - 33%), and an intracellular pool (19 - 30%), each pool exhibiting a characteristic distribution pattern of chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate and hyaluronate. The distribution pattern of the extracellular glycosaminoglycans resembles closely that found in bovine aorta. A small subfraction of the pericellular pool - tentatively named "undercellular" pool--has been characterized by its high heparan sulfate content. The intracellular and pericellular [35S]glycosaminoglycan pools reach a constant radioactivity after 8-12 h and 24 h, respectively, whereas the extracellular [35S]glycosaminoglycans are secreted into the medium at a linear rate over a period of at least 6 days. The intracellular glycosaminoglycans are mainly in the process of degradation, as indicated by their low molecular weight and by their half-life of 7 h, but intracellular dermatan sulfate is degraded more rapidly (half-life 4-5 h) than intracellular chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate (half-life 7-8 h). Glycosaminoglycans leave the pericellular pool with a half-life of 12-14 h by 2 different routes: about 60% disappear as macromolecules into the culture medium, and the remainder is pinocytosed and degraded to a large extent. Extracellular and at least a part of the pericellular glycosaminoglycans are proteoglycans. Even under dissociative conditions (4M guanidinium chloride) their hydrodynamic volume is sufficient for partial exclusion from Sepharose 4B gel. The existence of topographically distinct glycosaminoglycan pools with varying metabolic characteristics and differing accessibility for degradation requiresa reconsideration and a more reserved interpretation of results concerning the turnover rates of glycosaminoglycans as determined in arterial tissue.

Endocytosis by cultured human skin fibroblasts of 35SO4(2-)-labeled proteoheparan sulfate from fibroblast secretions was quantitatively investigated. At a constant dose of proteoheparan sulfate, uptake and subsequent intracellular degradation but not binding to the cell membrane increased with time. Compared with the endocytosis of total secreted proteoglycans containing predominantly a small proteodermatan sulfate, uptake of proteoheparan sulfate was 5- to 20-fold lower. Nevertheless, uptake of the latter proteoglycan was saturable. Maximally, about 6 nmol of disaccharide units could be internalized per h and mg cell protein. For half-maximal uptake 170 microM concentration of disaccharide units was required. Free heparan sulfate chains were competitive inhibitors of the endocytosis of proteoheparan sulfate, the Ki being 75 microM with respect to disaccharide units. 35SO4(2-)-Labeled heparan sulfate chains prepared from the proteoglycan by a beta-elimination reaction were endocytosed with similar kinetics. However, the maximal rate of endocytosis of free chains as well as the concentration required for half-maximal uptake were both about half as low as in case of proteoheparan sulfate. These results suggest that the recognition marker for receptor-mediated endocytosis of proteoheparan sulfate resides in its glycosaminoglycan moiety. The proteoglycan used for uptake studies exhibited considerable molecular diversity due to a varying number of bound heparan sulfate chains. However, all proteoheparan sulfate species contained predominantly a core protein of Mr = 30 000 and a minor one with an Mr = 17 000.

Enzymic cleavage of beta-N-acetylglucosamine residues of keratan sulphate was studied in vitro by using substrate a [3H]glucosamine-labelled desulphated keratan sulphate with N-acetylglucosamine residues at the non-reducing end. Both lysosomal beta-N-acetylhexosaminidases A and B are proposed to participate in the degradation of keratan sulphate on the basis of the following observations. Homogenates of fibroblasts from patients with Sandhoff disease, but not those from patients with Tay--Sachs disease, were unable to release significant amounts of N-acetyl[3H]glucosamine. On isoelectric focusing of beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase from human liver the peaks of keratan sulphate-degrading activity coincided with the activity towards p-nitrophenyl beta-N-acetylglucosaminide. A monospecific antibody against the human enzyme reacted with both enzyme forms and precipitated the keratan sulphate-degrading activity. Both isoenzymes had the same apparent Km of 4mM, but the B form was approximately twice as active as the A form when compared with the activity towards a chromogenic substrate. Differences were noted in the pH--activity profiles of both isoenzymes. Thermal inactivation of isoenzyme B was less pronounced towards the polymeric substrate than towards the p-nitrophenyl derivative.

The glycosaminoglycan metabolism of cultured endothelial cells and of cells grown from the intima and from the media layer of bovine aorta thoracia was investigated in a comparative study. The following results were obtained: 1. Endothelial cells have in common with intima and media cells the distribution of newly formed sulfated glycosaminoglycans into extracellular, pericellular and intracellular compartments. Endothelial cells, however, synthesize lower amounts of glycosaminoglycans and distribute them in a different ratio into the three pools. 2. Though all the various cell lines synthesize chondroitin 4-sulfate, chondroitin 6-sulfate, dermatan sulfate, heparan sulfate and small amounts of keratan sulfate, endothelial cells exhibit a unique distribution pattern of sulfated glycosaminoglycans in each of the three compartments. Generally, a high proportion of heparan sulfate and chondroitin 6-sulfate and a very low dermatan sulfate content was detected. 3. Heparan sulfate produced by endothelial cells has a higher N-sulfonate content when compared with that from other sources. The cell membrane-associated heparan sulfate, especially, exhibits some heparin-like features as judged by nitrous acid degradation and susceptibility towards heparitinase.

Fibroblasts cultured from the skin of patients with Sandhoff disease accumulate excessive amounts of sulfated glycosaminoglycans because of degradative inadequacy. Only a slight such abnormality in the metabolism of sulfated glycosaminoglycans was seen in fibroblasts from patients with Tay-Sachs disease. The defective glycosaminoglycan catabolism in Sandhoff fibroblasts is specifically corrected by intracellular replacement of beta-N-acetyl-hexosaminidase. Both beta-N-acetyl-hexosaminidase A and B are effective in bringing about such correction, although there seem to be differences in specificity. Our findings suggest that in Sandhoff disease there is an impaired catabolism of glycosaminoglycans in addition to the defect in the degradation of glycosphingolipids.

Clinical, radiological and biochemical findings of two new cases of Sanfilippo disease, type D are reported. A high percentage of heparan sulfate was found in the urinary glycosaminoglycan pattern and a severe deficiency of N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase was demonstrated in skin cultured fibroblasts from the patients. One of the patients presented mild intellectual impairment which differentiates him from the other cases described to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]