Hyaluronate synthesized by cultured skin fibroblasts derived from patients with Werner's syndrome

Hyaluronate in cultured skin fibroblasts derived from patients with Werner's syndrome, who excrete large amounts of urinary hyaluronate, was investigated. The amount of hyaluronate sectreted into the medium by Werner's fibroblasts was 2–3 times that of normal fibroblasts, whereas no difference in enzyme activities related to the degradation of hyaluronate was found. Werner's fibloblasts were then cultured in the presence of [ 3 H]glucosamine, and the amount of [ 3 H]hyaluronate and its chain lengths in the medium and matrix (trypsinate) fractions were compared with those of normal cells. No significant difference in the chain lenght of hyaluronate was observed between normal and Werner's fibroblasts. On the other hand, a significant increase of hyaluronate was found in the matrix fraction of Werner's fibroblasts when the cells reached confluency. In addition, a hyaluronate of small chain length was found in thematrix fraction of Werner's fibroblasts, although this was absent from that of normal cells. It was concluded that the constituents of the extracellular matrix of Werner's fibroblasts differed from those of normal cells, characterized by the presence of a large amount of hyaluronate and a relatively small hyaluronate chain.