Simon P. Robins

Quantitative analysis of the pyridinium crosslinks of collagen in urine using ion-paired reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A method has been developed for the simultaneous and rapid analysis of the 3-hydroxypyridinium crosslinks of mature collagen, pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline, in samples of urine and tissue. After hydrolysis in 6 M HCl, samples were prefractionated by partition chromatography using columns packed with cellulose CF1. The appropriate fractions were freeze-dried and then subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography using a gradient system with 20 mM NH4Cl, pH 3.5, and acetonitrile, incorporating 1-octanesulfonic acid as an ion-pairing agent; the pyridinium crosslinks were detected fluorometrically. The limit of detection of both crosslinks was 1 pmol. The mean recoveries of added standard to samples ranged between 94.2 and 97.2%, and the reproducibility of the complete procedure was between 12 and 16%. An application of the method in the study of degenerative disorders of bone and connective tissue is illustrated.

Role of low levels of endogenous estrogen in regulation of bone resorption in late postmenopausal women

Although median levels of bone turnover are increased in postmenopausal women, it is unclear whether the low circulating levels of endogenous estrogen exert a regulatory role on these levels. This issue was evaluated by assessing the effect of a blockade of estrogen synthesis on bone turnover markers in 42 normal women (mean age ± SD, 69 ± 5 years) randomly assigned to groups receiving the potent aromatase inhibitor letrozole or placebo for 6 months. Letrozole treatment reduced serum estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) to near undetectable levels (p < 0.0001). This treatment did not affect bone formation markers but, as compared with the placebo group, increased bone resorption markers (urine 24‐h pyridinoline [PYD] by 13.3% [p < 0.05] and 24‐h urine deoxypyridinoline [DPD] by 14.2% [p < 0.05]) and decreased serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) by 22% (p = 0.002). These data indicate that in late postmenopausal women even the low serum estrogen levels present exert a restraining effect on bone turnover and support the concept that variations in these low levels may contribute to differences in their rate of bone loss.

Evaluation of urinary hydroxypyridinium crosslink measurements as resorption markers in metabolic bone diseases.

Abstract. Analyses of the urinary concentration relative to creatinine of the collagen crosslinks, pyridino‐line (Pyd) and deoxy‐pyridinoline (Dpd) were made in 47 patients with metabolic bone diseases to assess the validity of these assays as indicators of bone resorption. The mean values for patients with Pagets disease of bone, primary hyperparathyroidism and osteomalacia were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those for age‐matched healthy individuals. During treatment of Pagets disease with bisphosphonates, there was a steady decline in the urinary concentration of the crosslinks to the normal range; this change occurred earlier than for serum alkaline phosphatase. There were significant correlations (P < 0.01) between the concentrations of both crosslinks and the corresponding values for hydroxyproline. At lower crosslink concentrations, however, these relationships were less marked due to large variations in hydroxyproline values. The results show that measurements of urinary Pyd and Dpd provide clinically applicable indices of bone resorption that are more specific than other markers.

Urinary pyridinium crosslinks of collagen: specific markers of bone resorption in metabolic bone disease.

The hydroxypyridinium compounds pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline are specific constituents of mature skeletal collagens. They are released into the circulation and excreted in the urine. Their measurement in urine is a sensitive index of the extent of ongoing bone resorption. Currently, quantification of collagen crosslinks in urine is achieved by chromatographic techniques, but more convenient immunoassays will make these measurements more widely available in the near future. Clinical applications of hydroxypyridinium markers include numerous metabolic bone disorders such as osteoporosis, primary hyperparathyroidism, Pagets disease of bone, and metastatic bone disease. Urinary pyridinium crosslinks of collagen also show great promise as markers of therapeutic efficacy in bone disorders associated with accelerated bone resorption.

Automated Analysis of the Pyridinium Crosslinks of Collagen in Tissue and Urine Using Solid-Phase Extraction and Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

A fully automated method for assaying the collagen crosslinking amino acids, pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline, in human urine samples or tissue hydrolysates is described. Samples were processed using a Gilson ASPEC system with solid-phase extraction of the crosslinks on columns containing 100 mg of microgranular cellulose. Introduction of an additional solvent step during sample preparation allowed direct analysis by reversed-phase HPLC and elimination of the drying step used previously in a manual method. Use of a synthetic pyridinoline derivative as internal standard enabled accurate quantification of the crosslinks by correcting for recoveries through the whole assay. Samples were analyzed in sequential mode with a total assay time of 30 min. The automated assay showed close correlation with the manual method for both free and total crosslink determinations in human urine (r > 0.97). Reproducibility was improved, as seen from replicate analyses of human urine (CV < 3% for automated pyridinoline measurement compared with 8-12% previously observed for the manual method). Crosslink excretion is the most useful marker of collagen degradation in metabolic bone diseases and arthritic disorders. The automated assay which has been developed is rapid, convenient, and reliable and will greatly facilitate the monitoring of urinary collagen crosslinks and their tissue levels in clinical investigations.

Biochemistry and functional significance of collagen cross-linking

The biophysical characteristics of vascular tissues are dependent largely on the properties of fibrillar collagens. Considering the predominant structural component, collagen type I, the present review describes the mechanisms of formation and maturation of lysyl oxidase-mediated cross-linking, leading to an understanding of how intracellular collagen-modifying enzymes affect the patterns of cross-links produced. An important distinction is made between the enzyme-mediated cross-linking, essential for optimum tissue function, and the non-enzymatic aging processes that generally lead to structural changes deleterious to function. Finally, the extracellular matrix of vascular tissue is a multicomponent system and the role of other major constituents, such as elastin and glycosaminoglycans, in modifying tissue properties should be considered. Some details of newer methods being developed to quantify these constituents will be presented.

Pyridinium crosslinks of bone collagen and their location in peptides isolated from rat femur

The relative proportions of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline in bone showed large species variations, although the total number of pyridinium crosslinks in rat, rabbit and bovine bone collagen was only 25-30% of that found in articular cartilage. Three pyridinium-containing peptides were isolated from cyanogen bromide digests of rat femoral bone and were characterized by their Mr values and amino-acid compositions. The results showed that pyridinoline and its deoxy analogue were equally distributed at two locations stabilizing the 4D stagger through interactions involving both the N- and C-terminal telopeptide regions. Less than stoichiometric amounts of pyridinium crosslinks were present in the peptides, suggesting that the isolated peptides contained additional (unidentified) maturation products of the bifunctional, reducible crosslinks.

Turnover rates of different collagen types measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry

The rates of collagen turnover in different tissues have been estimated in growing rats previously exposed to gaseous 18O2. The abundance of the stable isotope was measured using isotope ratio mass spectrometry following combustion of isolated collagen-derived hydroxyproline. Using this method, problems of label reutilization associated with radiolabelling methods are avoided. In general the results confirm the slow turnover rates with half-lives of total collagen in skin, muscle and gut of 74, 45 and 244 d, respectively. The use of cyanogen bromide digests of whole tissues followed by isolation of collagen type-specific peptides has allowed the comparison of turnover rates of collagen types I and III, indicating that collagen type III is turned over more rapidly than type I.

Identification, expression, and tissue distribution of the three rat lysyl hydroxylase isoforms

Lysyl hydroxylases (LH) (procollagen-lysine 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase; PLOD) catalyse the hydroxylation of lysine residues during the post-translational modification of collagenous proteins. In this paper, we describe the first identification and cloning of LH isoforms 2 and 3 from the rat, including both LH2 splice variants (LH2a and LH2b). The rat LHs are expressed in almost all tissue and cell types examined, indicating a probable lack of tissue specificity for LH function. All LH isoforms were stably transfected into CHO-K1 cells and this represents the first example of recombinant LH production in a eukaryotic cell line. Expression and production of all LH isoforms led to an increase in total collagen synthesis. LH1 and LH2a expression and production led to an increase in total pyridinium cross-link production. Evidence that LH2a possesses telopeptide lysyl hydroxylase activity, previously thought to be a novel enzyme, is presented.

Glycosylation catalyzed by lysyl hydroxylase 3 is essential for basement membranes

Lysyl hydroxylase 3 (LH3) is a multifunctional enzyme possessing lysyl hydroxylase (LH), hydroxylysyl galactosyltransferase (GT) and galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase (GGT) activities in vitro. To investigate the in vivo importance of LH3-catalyzed lysine hydroxylation and hydroxylysine-linked glycosylations, three different LH3-manipulated mouse lines were generated. Mice with a mutation that blocked only the LH activity of LH3 developed normally, but showed defects in the structure of the basement membrane and in collagen fibril organization in newborn skin and lung. Analysis of a hypomorphic LH3 mouse line with the same mutation, however, demonstrated that the reduction of the GGT activity of LH3 disrupts the localization of type IV collagen, and thus the formation of basement membranes during mouse embryogenesis leading to lethality at embryonic day (E) 9.5-14.5. Strikingly, survival of hypomorphic embryos and the formation of the basement membrane were directly correlated with the level of GGT activity. In addition, an LH3-knockout mouse lacked GGT activity leading to lethality at E9.5. The results confirm that LH3 has LH and GGT activities in vivo, LH3 is the main molecule responsible for GGT activity and that the GGT activity, not the LH activity of LH3, is essential for the formation of the basement membrane. Together our results demonstrate for the first time the importance of hydroxylysine-linked glycosylation for collagens.