Raija Soininen

Inactivation of the Lysyl Oxidase Gene Lox Leads to Aortic Aneurysms, Cardiovascular Dysfunction, and Perinatal Death in Mice

Background—The lysyl oxidases are extracellular copper enzymes that initiate the crosslinking of collagens and elastin, 5 human isoenzymes having been characterized so far. The crosslinks formed provide the tensile strength and elastic properties for various extracellular matrices, including vascular walls. We studied the role of the first described isoenzyme Lox by inactivating its gene in mice. Methods and Results—Murine Lox gene was disrupted by routine methods. Lox−/− mice died at the end of gestation or as neonates, necropsy of the live-born pups revealing large aortic aneurysms. In light microscopy, hazy and unruffled elastic lamellae in the Lox−/− aortas were observed, and electron microscopy of the aortic walls of the Lox−/− fetuses showed highly fragmented elastic fibers and discontinuity in the smooth muscle cell layers in Lox−/− fetuses. The wall of the aorta in the Lox−/− fetuses was significantly thicker, and the diameter of the aortic lumen was significantly smaller than that in the Lox+/+ aortas. In Lox−/− fetuses, Doppler ultrasonography revealed increased impedance in the umbilical artery, descending aorta, and intracranial artery blood velocity waveforms, decreased mean velocities across cardiac inflow and outflow regions, and increased pulsatility in ductus venosus blood velocity waveforms. Conclusions—Lox has an essential role in the development and function of the cardiovascular system. Inactivation of the Lox gene causes structural alterations in the arterial walls, leading to abnormalities in the cardiovascular functions. Alterations in LOX activity may also play a critical role in certain human cardiovascular diseases.

The Scavenger Receptor MARCO Is Required for Lung Defense against Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Inhaled Particles

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) express the class A scavenger receptor macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO), but its role in vivo in lung defense against bacteria and environmental particles has not been studied. We used MARCO-deficient mice to directly test the in vivo role of AM MARCO in innate defense against pneumococcal infection and environmental particles. In a murine model of pneumococcal pneumonia, MARCO−/− mice displayed an impaired ability to clear bacteria from the lungs, increased pulmonary inflammation and cytokine release, and diminished survival. In vitro binding of Streptococcus pneumoniae and in vivo uptake of unopsonized particles by MARCO−/− AMs were dramatically impaired. MARCO−/− mice treated with the “inert” environmental particle TiO2 showed enhanced inflammation and chemokine expression, indicating that MARCO-mediated clearance of inert particles by AMs prevents inflammatory responses otherwise initiated by other lung cells. Our findings point to an important role of MARCO in mounting an efficient and appropriately regulated innate immune response against inhaled particles and airborne pathogens.

Deletion of the Laminin α4 Chain Leads to Impaired Microvessel Maturation

ABSTRACT The laminin α4 chain, a component of laminin-8 and -9, is expressed in basement membranes, such as those beneath endothelia, the perineurium of peripheral nerves, and around developing muscle fibers. Laminin α4-null mice presented with hemorrhages during the embryonic and neonatal period and had extensive bleeding and deterioration of microvessel growth in experimental angiogenesis, as well as mild locomotion defects. Histological examination of newborn mice revealed delayed deposition of type IV collagen and nidogen into capillary basement membranes, and electron microscopy showed discontinuities in the lamina densa. The results demonstrate a central role for the laminin α4 chain in microvessel growth and, in the absence of other laminin α chains, in the composition of endothelial basement membranes.

Heparan sulfate chains of perlecan are indispensable in the lens capsule but not in the kidney

Mice lacking exon 3 of perlecan (Hspg2) gene were generated by gene targeting. Exon deletion does not alter the expression or the reading frame but causes loss of attachment sites for three heparan sulfate (HS) side chains. Hspg2Δ3/Δ3 mice are viable and fertile but have small eyes. Apoptosis and leakage of cellular material through the lens capsule are observed in neonatal lenses, and lenses degenerate within 3 weeks of birth. Electron microscopy revealed altered structure of the lens capsule through which cells had formed extensions. No kidney malfunction, such as protein uria, was detected in Hspg2Δ3/Δ3 mutant mice, nor were ultrastructural changes observed in the glomerular basement membranes (BMs). To achieve further depletion in the HS content of the BMs, Hspg2Δ3/Δ3 mice were bred with collagen XVIII null mice. Lens defects were more severe in the newborn Col18a1−/− × Hspg2Δ3/Δ3 mice and degeneration proceeded faster than in Hspg2Δ3/Δ3 mice. The results suggest that in the lens capsule, HS chains have a structural function and are essential in the insulation of the lens from its environment and in regulation of incoming signals.

Lysyl Oxidase Is Essential for Normal Development and Function of the Respiratory System and for the Integrity of Elastic and Collagen Fibers in Various Tissues

Lysyl oxidases, a family comprising LOX and four LOX-like enzymes, catalyze crosslinking of elastin and collagens. Mouse Lox was recently shown to be crucial for development of the cardiovascular system because null mice died perinatally of aortic aneurysms and cardiovascular dysfunction. We show here that Lox is also essential for development of the respiratory system and the integrity of elastic and collagen fibers in the lungs and skin. The lungs of E18.5 Lox(-/-) embryos showed impaired development of the distal and proximal airways. Elastic fibers in E18.5 Lox(-/-) lungs were markedly less intensely stained and more disperse than in the wild type, especially in the mesenchyme surrounding the distal airways, bronchioles, bronchi, and trachea, and were fragmented in pulmonary arterial walls. The organization of individual collagen fibers into tight bundles was likewise abnormal. Similar elastic and collagen fiber abnormalities were seen in the skin. Lysyl oxidase activity in cultured Lox(-/-) skin fibroblasts and aortic smooth muscle cells was reduced by approximately 80%, indicating that Lox is the main isoenzyme in these cells. LOX abnormalities may thus be critical for the pathogenesis of several common diseases, including pulmonary, skin, and cardiovascular disorders.

Impaired Angiogenesis, Delayed Wound Healing and Retarded Tumor Growth in Perlecan Heparan Sulfate-Deficient Mice

Perlecan, a modular proteoglycan carrying primary heparan sulfate (HS) side chains, is a major component of blood vessel basement membranes. It sequesters growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and regulates the ligand-receptor interactions on the cell surface, and thus it has been implicated in the control of angiogenesis. Both stimulatory and inhibitory effects of perlecan on FGF-2 signaling have been reported. To understand the in vivo function of HS carried by perlecan, the perlecan gene heparan sulfate proteoglycan 2 (Hspg2) was mutated in mouse by gene targeting. The HS at the NH2 terminus of perlecan was removed while the core protein remained intact. Perlecan HS-deficient (Hspg2Δ3/Δ3) mice survived embryonic development and were apparently healthy as adults. However, mutant mice exhibited significantly delayed wound healing, retarded FGF-2-induced tumor growth, and defective angiogenesis. In the mouse corneal angiogenesis model, FGF-2-induced neovascularization was significantly impaired in Hspg2Δ3/Δ3 mutant mice. Our results suggest that HS in perlecan positively regulates the angiogenesis in vivo.

Heparan sulfate of perlecan is involved in glomerular filtration.

Perlecan is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan and a major component of the glomerular basement membrane. To understand the role of heparan sulfate chains of perlecan in glomerular filtration, detailed analyses were performed of the kidneys of Hspg2(Delta)(3/)(Delta)(3) mice, whose perlecan lacks heparan sulfate attachment sites in N-terminal domain I. Macroscopic, histologic, and electron microscopic observations, as well as immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopic analyses using specific antibodies against perlecan and agrin core proteins, revealed no significant abnormalities in these mice under physiologic conditions. Polyethyleneimine staining demonstrated no significant changes in charge density in the glomerular basement membrane. Transcripts of other heparan sulfate proteoglycans, agrin, and collagen type XVIII, as well as perlecan, were expressed at similar levels to those in the wild-type littermates. Approximately 40% of the perlecan synthesized by Hspg2(Delta)(3/)(Delta)(3) fibroblasts was substituted with heparin sulfate and 60% was substituted with chondroitin sulfate. All of the perlecan synthesized by wild-type fibroblasts contained heparin sulfate, indicating an altered substitution of glycosaminoglycans on Hspg2(Delta)(3/)(Delta)(3) perlecan. Immunostaining indicated that the level of chondroitin sulfate was actually increased in the Hspg2(Delta)(3/)(Delta)(3) glomerular basement membrane. When administered intraperitoneally with BSA, Hspg2(Delta)(3/)(Delta)(3) mice exhibited remarkable proteinuria. These findings suggest that heparan sulfate chains of perlecan play an important role in glomerular filtration, especially of a large amount of protein.

Pxmp2 Is a Channel-Forming Protein in Mammalian Peroxisomal Membrane

Background Peroxisomal metabolic machinery requires a continuous flow of organic and inorganic solutes across peroxisomal membrane. Concerning small solutes, the molecular nature of their traffic has remained an enigma. Methods/Principal Findings In this study, we show that disruption in mice of the Pxmp2 gene encoding Pxmp2, which belongs to a family of integral membrane proteins with unknown function, leads to partial restriction of peroxisomal membrane permeability to solutes in vitro and in vivo. Multiple-channel recording of liver peroxisomal preparations reveals that the channel-forming components with a conductance of 1.3 nS in 1.0 M KCl were lost in Pxmp2 −/− mice. The channel-forming properties of Pxmp2 were confirmed with recombinant protein expressed in insect cells and with native Pxmp2 purified from mouse liver. The Pxmp2 channel, with an estimated diameter of 1.4 nm, shows weak cation selectivity and no voltage dependence. The long-lasting open states of the channel indicate its functional role as a protein forming a general diffusion pore in the membrane. Conclusions/Significance Pxmp2 is the first peroxisomal channel identified, and its existence leads to prediction that the mammalian peroxisomal membrane is permeable to small solutes while transfer of “bulky” metabolites, e.g., cofactors (NAD/H, NADP/H, and CoA) and ATP, requires specific transporters.

Increased Intimal Hyperplasia and Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation in Transgenic Mice With Heparan Sulfate–Deficient Perlecan

Abstract— Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation is a critical process in vascular disease. Heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans inhibit SMC growth, but the role of endogenous counterparts in the vessel wall in control of SMC function is not known in detail. Perlecan is the major HS proteoglycans in SMC basement membranes and in vessel wall extracellular matrix (ECM). In this study, transgenic mice with HS-deficient perlecan were analyzed with respect to vascular phenotype and intimal lesion formation. Furthermore, SMC cultures were established and characterized with respect to morphology, immunocytochemical features, proteoglycan synthesis, proliferative capacity, and ECM binding of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2). In vitro, mutant SMCs formed basement membranes with perlecan core protein, but with decreased levels of HS, they showed diminished secretion of HS-containing perlecan into the medium and a defective ECM-binding capacity of FGF-2. In vitro, mutant SMCs showed increased proliferation compared with wild-type cells, and in vivo, enhanced SMC proliferation and intimal hyperplasia were observed after flow cessation of the carotid artery in mutant mice. The results indicate that the endogenous HS side-chains of perlecan contribute to SMC growth control both in vitro and during intimal hyperplasia, possibly by sequestering heparin-binding mitogens such as FGF-2.

Heparan Sulfate in Perlecan Promotes Mouse Atherosclerosis: Roles in Lipid Permeability, Lipid Retention, and Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation

Heparan sulfate (HS) has been proposed to be antiatherogenic through inhibition of lipoprotein retention, inflammation, and smooth muscle cell proliferation. Perlecan is the predominant HS proteoglycan in the artery wall. Here, we investigated the role of perlecan HS chains using apoE null (ApoE0) mice that were cross-bred with mice expressing HS-deficient perlecan (Hspg2&Dgr;3/&Dgr;3). Morphometry of cross-sections from aortic roots and en face preparations of whole aortas revealed a significant decrease in lesion formation in ApoE0/Hspg2&Dgr;3/&Dgr;3 mice at both 15 and 33 weeks. In vitro, binding of labeled mouse triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and human LDL to total extracellular matrix, as well as to purified proteoglycans, prepared from ApoE0/Hspg2&Dgr;3/&Dgr;3 smooth muscle cells was reduced. In vivo, at 20 minutes influx of human 125I-LDL or mouse triglyceride-rich lipoproteins into the aortic wall was increased in ApoE0/Hspg2&Dgr;3/&Dgr;3 mice compared to ApoE0 mice. However, at 72 hours accumulation of 125I-LDL was similar in ApoE0/Hspg2&Dgr;3/&Dgr;3 and ApoE0 mice. Immunohistochemistry of lesions from ApoE0/Hspg2&Dgr;3/&Dgr;3 mice showed decreased staining for apoB and increased smooth muscle &agr;-actin content, whereas accumulation of CD68-positive inflammatory cells was unchanged. We conclude that the perlecan HS chains are proatherogenic in mice, possibly through increased lipoprotein retention, altered vascular permeability, or other mechanisms. The ability of HS to inhibit smooth muscle cell growth may also influence development as well as instability of lesions.