C.P. Tsiganos

Advances in analysis of glycosaminoglycans: its application for the assessment of physiological and pathological states of connective tissues

Glycosaminoglycans are a class of biological macromolecules found mainly in connective tissues as constituents of proteoglycans, covalently linked to their core protein. Hyaluronan is the only glycosaminoglycan present under its single form and possesses the ability to aggregate with the class of proteoglycans termed hyalectans. Proteoglycans are localised both at the extracellular and cellular (cell-surface and intracellular) levels and, via either their glycosaminoglycan chains or their core proteins participate in and regulate several cellular events and (patho)physiological processes. Advances in analytical separational techniques, including high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and fluorophore assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis, make possible to examine alterations of glycosaminoglycans with respect to their amounts and fine structural features in various pathological conditions, thus becoming applicable for diagnosis. In this review we present the chromatographic and electromigration procedures developed to analyse and characterise glycosaminoglycans. Moreover, a critical evaluation of the biological relevance of the results obtained by the developed methodology is discussed.

Analysis of the acid polysaccharides from squid cranial cartilage and examination of a novel polysaccharide

The polysaccharides of cranical cartilage were isolated by ethanol precipitation after papain digestion and beta-elimination procedures and were fractionated chromatographically on CPC-cellulose. In addition to the previously described, heavily oversulphated chondroitin sulphate, the tissue contained small amounts of hyaluronic acid, which, however, co-eluted with the chondroitin sulphate from the CPC-cellulose. Approx. 20% of the isolated polysaccharides consisted of an acidic polysaccharide which to our knowledge is not previously described. This polysaccharide consists mainly of glucuronic acid, galactose and mannose in a molar ratio of 1:2:1. Gel chromatography of the preparation indicated a polydisperse molecule with an apparent average molecular weight of 39 200 on weight basis (Mw) and 31 400 on number basis (Mn).

Effect of proteoglycans on hydroxyapatite growth in vitro: the role of hyaluronan

The effect of cartilage proteoglycans on HA seed crystal growth was studied using a system providing constant supersaturation with respect to HA. The monomers were much less effective than the aggregates in reducing the rate of HA growth, which correlates with their affinity for the HA crystals. Hyaluronan, which is a normal constituent of the proteoglycan aggregates, behaved as a strong inhibitor of HA seed crystal growth and had an affinity constant similar to that of proteoglycan aggregates. The results indicate that inhibition of HA seed crystal growth is mediated through the interaction of hyaluronan with HA crystal surface and that the proteoglycans add to the volume of the adsorbate causing steric hindrance.

Extraction and fractionation of proteoglycans from squid skin

The extractability of squid skin proteoglycans with solutions of varying concentrations of guanidine-HCl, urea and SDS was studied; 4 M guanidine-HCl, being the best extractant, removed 95% of the tissue proteoglycans (glycosaminoglycan uronic acid). The proteoglycans in the 4 M guanidine-HCl extract were fractionated by repeated ion exchange and gel chromatography on Sepharose CL-4B to give three main populations, all being present in about equal proportions. Two populations (Kd 0.34 and 0.56) contained only chondroitin (proteochondroitin) and the other (Kd 0.50) only oversulphated chondroitin sulphate (oversulphated proteochondroitin sulphate). Two minor populations, one containing chondroitin and chondroitin sulphate and the other chondroitin sulphate and oversulphated chondroitin sulphate, were also identified.

In situ interaction of cartilage proteoglycans with matrix proteins

The interaction of proteoglycans with other matrix proteins via thiol-disulphide interchange was explored. Chick sternal cartilage was extracted with 4 M guanidine hydrochloride in the presence and absence of N-ethylmaleimide and the proteoglycans from the centrifugation A2 fractions were isolated. Those from extracts without N-ethylmaleimide were linked with reducible bonds with 10-15 proteins-glycoproteins including the link proteins, the 148 kDa and 36 kDa proteins. The same was observed with extracts of pig laryngeal and sheep nasal cartilage. The linked proteoglycans from sheep amounted to 2-3% of the extractable uronic acid and belonged to two populations. The major fraction was included by Sepharose 6B (Mr 110 000) had twice as long chondroitin sulphate chains, higher 4-sulphated residues and a high content of aspartic acid and leucine-rich protein. The larger proteoglycans had a size and composition similar to those of aggregating proteoglycans.

Isolation and characterization of matrix proteoglycans from human nasal cartilage. Compositional and structural comparison between normal and scoliotic tissues.

The content, types and the fine structures of proteoglycans (PGs) present in human normal nasal cartilage (HNNC) were investigated and compared with those in human scoliotic nasal cartilage (HSNC). Three PG types were identified in both HNNC and HSNC; the large-sized high buoyant density aggrecan, which is the predominant PG population, and the small-sized low buoyant density biglycan and decorin. HSNC contained a significantly higher amount of keratan sulfate (KS)-rich aggrecan (30%) of smaller hydrodynamic size as compared to HNNC. The average molecular sizes (M(r)s) of aggecan-derived chondroitin sulfate (CS) chains in both HNNC and HSNC were identical (18 kDa), but they significantly differ in disaccharide composition, since CS isolated from HSNC contained higher proportions of 6-sulfated disaccharides as compared to those from HNNC. Scoliotic tissue contained also higher amounts (67%) of the small PGs, biglycan and decorin as compared to HNNC. It is worth noticing that both normal and scoliotic human nasal cartilage contain also non-glycanated forms of decorin and biglycan. Dermatan sulfate (DS) was the predominant glycosaminoglycan (GAG) present on biglycan and decorin in both tissues. The small PGs-derived CS chains in both normal and scoliotic cartilage had the same M(r) (20 kDa), whereas DS chains from scoliotic cartilage were of greater M(r) (32 kDa) than those from normal cartilage (24 kDa). Furthermore, scoliotic tissue-derived DS chains contained higher amounts of iduronate (20%) as compared to those of normal cartilage (12%). Disaccharide analysis of small PGs showed that both HNNC and HSNC were rich in 4-sulfated disaccharides and in each case, the small size PGs contained a considerably higher proportion of 4-sulfated disaccharides than the aggrecan of the same tissue. The higher amounts of matrix PGs identified in scoliotic tissue as well as the differences in fine chemical composition of their GAG chains may reflect the modified architecture and functional failure of scoliotic tissue.

A solid-phase assay for quantitative analysis of sulfated glycosaminoglycans at the nanogram level. Application to tissue samples.

A sensitive and accurate solid-phase methodology for the quantitative analysis of glycosaminoglycans is described. Chondroitin-4-sulfate (CSA) was labelled with biotin hydrazide after the reaction of its carboxyl groups with it in the presence of carbodiimide. Polystyrene plates modified with sequential reaction with glutaraldehyde (GH) and spermine to possess amino groups were used to immobilize electrostatically the biotin labelled CSA. Exogenously added sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGS) [variously sulfated chondroitin sulfates and heparan sulfate (HS)] were found to compete to this immobilization in a concentration dependent mode, within a concentration range from 10 up to 300 ng/ml. Glycosaminoglycan-derived oligosaccharides competed to a degree similar to that of intact molecules. Hyaluronan (HA) and keratan sulfate (KS) did not compete the immobilization. The procedure was applied for the rapid and reproducible determination of the sulfated glycosaminoglycans in proteinase digests of small tissue samples or cell cultures with high sensitivity and accuracy.

Effect of low calcium on high-energy phosphates and sarcolemmal Na+/K+-ATPase in the infarcted-reperfused heart

This study was undertaken to compare the effect of low to normal serum calcium on biochemical parameters in the myocardium of dogs subjected to 90 min of coronary artery ligation followed by 30 min reperfusion. The accumulation of calcium, the decrease of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate (CP) and the inhibition of sarcolemmal ouabain-sensitive Na+/K(+)-ATPase which are prominent findings in the ischemic-reperfused myocardium, were studied under normal and low serum Ca produced by normal and modified hemodialysis (HD). The results showed a lower accumulation of Ca (P less than 0.002) in the ligated-reperfused myocardium of dogs subjected to low-calcium HD. In the same group of animals ATP was protected to some extent while CP was completely preserved. This may indicate that during reperfusion with low Ca, restored ATP is further utilized for CP regeneration. The activity of Na+/K(+)-ATPase was within normal values in the ligated-reperfused myocardium of the low-calcium group. The significantly (P less than 0.001) negative correlation between tissue calcium concentration and Na+/K(+)-ATPase activity under various conditions examined, provided additional evidence that low calcium is a protective factor of the enzyme activity during ischemia and reperfusion.

Proteoglycans from squid cranial cartilage: extraction and characterization

Abstract 1. 1. The majority of proteoglycans (85% of uronic acid) were extracted from squid cranial cartilage with 2% SDS. 2. 2. Conventional methods with 4 M Gdn HCl alone or with 4% Zwittergent, extracted only 30%. 3. 3. The proteoglycans were isolated by density gradient centrifugation. 4. 4. At least 25% of the extracted proteoglycans with 2% SDS do not form aggregates with hyaluronate. 5. 5. The proteoglycan monomers are of varying hydrodynamic size, those extracted with 4 M Gdn HCl being the smallest of average molecular weight 750,000.

Characterization of an acid phosphatase—Glycoprotein from barley seeds

Abstract 1. 1. An acid phosphatase from barley seeds germinated for 120 hr, that is not affected by the presence of cycloheximide, is a glycoprotein. 2. 2. The enzyme has an optimum pH 4.9 and a mol. wt of 57,000 as determined by SDS-gel electrophesis. 3. 3. The main sugar is galactose amounting to one half of the protein and it is as either mono or disaccharide. 4. 4. Serine and glycine predominate and hydroxyproline is absent.