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Biomedical subjects

E Harper

Publications and source records attributed to E Harper.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Collagenase production by rabbit ligaments and tendon.

Three periarticular connective tissues from normal rabbits were examined for collagenolytic activity. Enzyme activity was secreted by cultures of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and patellar tendon (PT). A lag period of six days or more was often observed prior to the detection of active collagenase. We attributed this to the presence of an excess of inhibitor in the early days of culture. We quantitated the amount of enzyme and inhibitor produced in 13 days. The levels of collagenase in the ACL and MCL were comparable. The PT, however, consistently secreted more enzyme than the two periarticular (ACL and MCL) ligaments. The reaction products were analyzed for all three collagenases and compared to those generated by the rabbit skin enzyme. We observed the characteristic TCA and TCB collagen fragments for MCL and PT enzymes. Collagen cleavage by the ACL cultures resulted in a product with a molecular weight intermediate between the alpha 2 chain and the TCA piece. These data suggest that quantitative and qualitative differences exist in the ability of these similar connective tissues to degrade collagen.

Animals↗

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Accounting↗

Insulin stimulates secretion of a collagenase inhibitor by Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes.

Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes produce an inhibitor of collagenase similar to that found in bovine articular chondrocytes and extracts of bovine scapular cartilage. These cells synthesize normal levels of cartilage type proteoglycans when cultured in serum free medium with insulin. Collagen synthesis is also increased when insulin is added to chondrosarcoma chondrocytes. We have demonstrated that insulin stimulates collagenase inhibitor production by these chondrocytes. Enhancement of inhibitory activity occurs over the range of 10 to 1000 ng/ml. A 3.2 fold stimulation was observed at a concentration of 1 microgram/ml. There was a lag period of 24 to 48 hours before the insulin effect became evident. Latent or active collagenase was not detectable under these conditions. These results suggest that the hormone insulin controls the levels of collagen in this tumor by stimulating synthesis of collagen and inhibitors of collagenase.

Animals↗

Adaptation to exercise-induced muscle damage.

1. Serum creatine kinase (CK) and muscle soreness, common indicators of muscle damage, were assessed in 16 subjects after performance of two bouts of eccentric exercise spaced 7 days apart. The purpose was (1) to examine rapid muscle adaptation when the ipsilateral limb was exercised on the second bout and (2) to investigate possible central adaptations when the contralateral limb was exercised on the second bout. 2. The LSL group (n = 7) and the LOL group (n = 9) performed the exercise with the ipsilateral and the contralateral limb, respectively. Careful attention was paid to stabilization of the subject so that the contralateral limb was not active in isometric stabilization. 3. For the LSL group, a lower CK and soreness response was found on about 2 compared with bout 1. For the LOL group, no significant difference in CK response and soreness was found between bout 1 and bout 2. 4. No repeat bout effect was found when the contralateral limb was exercised; therefore central adaptation from performance of the first exercise was minimal. Because a lower repeated bout effect was found after bout 2 using the ipsilateral limb, it was concluded that an experimental design using ipsilateral muscle groups should provide a good model to study rapid muscle adaptation to exercise damage.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

The effect of pepsin solubilization on platelet aggregation by types I and III collagens.

The effect of pepsin solubilization on the platelet aggregating activity of type I collagen and type III collagen was examined. Pepsin-digested type I collagen was unable to initiate platelet aggregation in either soluble form or as pre-formed fibrils. In contrast, pepsin-digested type III collagen was active in soluble form or as preformed fibrils. Mixtures of type I and type III collagen were assayed for platelet aggregating activity. In soluble form, these mixtures demonstrated elevated activity with increasing type III concentration. When the mixtures were tested as pre-formed fibrils, the rate of aggregation was relatively constant with the combination 75% type III and 25% type I manifesting the highest activity. The lag time for onset of aggregation was also minimized for this same type III/type I ratio. The combinations of the two collagen types formed fibrils which reflected the amounts of types I and III collagens in solution.

Collagen↗

Purification of nonspecific protease-free collagenase from Clostridium histolyticum.

The collagenase (EC 3.4.24.3) produced by the bacterium Clostridium histolyticum has been purified free from nonspecific protease contaminants by a two-step procedure. The crude culture medium is chromatographed over heparin-Sepharose and Sephacryl S-200, and the resulting preparation has no activity versus noncollagenous proteins or N alpha-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester, yet cleaves native thermally reconstituted collagen fibrils quite efficiently (specific activity, 3000 units/mg). The purification described may be useful for those investigators requiring substantially purified collagenase for applications such as cell culture or collagen quantitation in protein mixtures.

Arginine↗

Chemical and kinetic characterization of tadpole back skin collagenase.

The purified collagenase from tadpole (Rana catesbiana) back skin was studied with respect to its activation energy using soluble and fibrillar type I collagen, as well as a synthetic peptide substrate, DNP-Pro-Gln-Gly-Ile-Ala-Gly-Gln-D-Arg. The activation energy appeared to be independent of the nature of the substrate, ranging between 28 and 35 kcal/mol. The peptide was cleaved at the Gly-Ile bond and proved to be a poor substrate (kcat/Km, 1.21 h-1 microM-1) when compared with native type I collagen in solution (kcat/Km, 40.6 h-1 microM-1), consistent with the enzyme's low activity versus gelatin [T. A. Bicsak and E. Harper (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 13145]. The amino acid composition of the collagenase was shown to be high in glycine and glutamic acid, and the preparation was shown not to be contaminated with collagen by digestion with bacterial collagenase. The enzyme was not inhibited by iodoacetic acid or 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide, suggesting the lack of essential cysteinyl and tryptophanyl residues, but was inhibited by micromolar concentrations of ZnCl2, consistent with the presence of essential histidine(s). Ethoxyformic anhydride irreversibly inhibited the collagenase suggesting the presence of essential lysyl residues.

Amino Acids↗

Inhibition of collagenase activity by extracts of bovine ocular tissues.

Bovine eyes were dissected and separate pools of lens, lens capsule, cornea and vitreous were extracted in guanidine, subjected to ultrafiltration, and examined for their effects on collagenolytic activity. Although lens extract was not inhibitory, the cornea and vitreous both contained inhibitors of collagenase. More inhibition was present in the filtrate of the vitreous than in the retentate, whereas the total amount of inhibition in the cornea was distributed almost equally between the two fractions. The inhibition observed was dose dependent. The partially purified inhibitors from cornea and vitreous blocked the activity of human skin and tadpole back skin collagenases, but they failed to inhibit the bacterial (Clostridium histolyticum) collagenase. The inhibitor was stable to heating to 60 degrees for 30 minutes and to trypsinization.

Animals↗

Purification and characterization of tadpole back-skin collagenase with low gelatinase activity.

A collagenase secreted by tadpole (Rana catesbiana) back-skin explants in culture has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by successive chromatography on sulfopropyl Sephadex, Sephacryl S-200, collagen Sepharose, and heparin Sepharose. The purified enzyme has a molecular weight of approximately 49,000 and an isoelectric pH of 5.0. The enzyme is more active versus soluble collagen than reconstituted fibrils and exhibits very low activity against gelatin (specific activities: Type I collagen, 7660 units/mg; Type I gelatin, 66 units/mg). The collagenase obeys simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics using soluble type I collagen (Km), 0.35 microM; Vm, 1380 units/mg, at 25 degrees C and pH 7.4) and is inhibitable by chelating agents specific for transition metals. Methylene blue catalyzes the photoinactivation of this collagenase, suggesting the presence of essential histidine, tryptophan, tyrosine, or methionine residues.

Animals↗

Purification and characterization of three forms of collagenase from Clostridium histolyticum.

Three collagenases from Clostridium histolyticum, designated C1, C2, and C3, with apparent molecular weights of 96 000, 92 000, and 76 000 were purified. Peptide maps of the enzymes prepared by digestion with Staphylococcus aureus V-8 protease were found to be similar. Cleavage of native C1 with alpha-chymotrypsin or V-8 protease yielded C2 and C3. This suggested that proteolysis of the Mr 96 000 collagenase may have occurred in vivo, producing the other two lower molecular weight enzymes. Previously prepared antiserum directed against a form of the bacterial enzyme similar by molecular weight and charge to collagenase C3 and Fab' fragments generated from this antiserum inhibited the collagenolytic activity. C1, C2, and C3 were immunologically identical by Ouchterlony double diffusion, and C3 was able to compete with C1 for the antiserum binding site. The ability of each enzyme to bind to antiserum raised against the bacterial collagenase supported the hypothesis that these three proteins were closely related. Zinc analyses of C1 and C3 resulted in a value of 1.14 mol of zinc/mol of C1 and 0.82 mol of zinc/mol of C3. C1 did not contain carbohydrate as measured by gas-liquid chromatography or periodic acid-Schiff staining.

Amino Acids↗

Quantitation of types I and III collagens in human tissue samples and cell culture by cyanogen bromide peptide analysis.

A procedure for the quantitation of types I and III collagens by cyanogen bromide peptide analysis was developed with the aim of eliminating certain problems associated with this method. Ion-exchange chromatography reduced high background levels on gel scans used to quantitate the peptides; reduction with beta-mercaptoethanol substantially increased the efficiency of the cyanogen bromide cleavage; use of a concave gradient in acrylamide from 8 to 20% improved the resolution of cyanogen bromide peptides separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; and a normalization procedure eliminated variations due to differences in the amount of material loaded on the gel system. This method of quantitation was applied to human aorta samples and to collagen secreted by human skin fibroblasts. Metachromasy of type I and type III collagen cyanogen bromide peptides stained with Coomassie blue R-250 was established and this was used as an index of the purity of the cyanogen bromide peptide preparations. Type I and III collagens were prepared from human placental tissue, and these purified collagens were used to construct calibration curves to determine the relationship between the quantity of diagnostic cyanogen bromide peptides present and the composition of the sample in terms of types I and III collagens.

Aged↗

Effect of medroxyprogesterone and an aorta-derived cell growth inhibitor on B16 melanoma in mice.

An aorta-derived inhibitor of endothelial cell and tumor cell growth and medroxyprogesterone, which depresses collagenase expression in vivo, were tested alone and in combination against B16-F10 melanoma in C57BL/6 mice in such doses that either agent alone had little effect. Together, these agents retarded growth of subcutaneously transplanted tumor cells and reduced the number and size of pulmonary tumors after iv tumor cell injection. Of the treatments used, only the aortic factor administered alone prolonged life in mice with pulmonary tumors.

Animals↗

Wilms's tumour and aniridia: clinical and cytogenetic features.

A survey carried out to detect children with aniridia/Wilms's tumour syndrome identified 8 living and 3 dead children. The incidence of aniridia was found to be 1 in 43 among Wilms's tumour patients in the UK. The clinical features included complete bilaterial aniridia, cataracts, glaucoma, mental retardation, hyperkinesis, hypospadias, and undescended testes. A high incidence of bilateral tumours (36%), male sex, presentation at a young age, and advanced maternal age appeared to be associated with the syndrome. The 8 living children each had a deletion on the short arm of chromosome 11. In contrast, although 2 patients with sporadic aniridia without Wilms's tumour had other malformations, neither had genitourinary anomalies, and the only additional problems in patients with familial aniridia were cataracts. Among 49 children with Wilms's tumour without aniridia ony one had bilateral tumours. No chromosome abnormalities were detected in patients with familial aniridia, nor were they detected in patients with Wilms's tumour without aniridia or in those with sporadic aniridia without Wilms's tumour. While many infants with the Wilms's tumour/aniridia syndrome are clinically diagnosable at birth, chromosome analysis using the elongated chromosome method is especially valuable to confirm the diagnosis in girls with sporadic aniridia and in boys who lack the genitourinary malformations. The presence of an 11p13 deletion confirms the diagnosis of the Wilms's tumour/aniridia syndrome and indicates a very high risk for the development of Wilms's tumour.

Child, Preschool↗

Platelet factor 4 regulates osteoclastic bone resorption in vitro.

Platelet factor 4, which inhibits collagenases derived from both human skin and granulocytic extracts, was found to block reversibly parathyroid hormone-stimulated 45Ca release from fetal rat bone in vitro. The inhibitory property was equally effective in both actively resorbing bones and in bones stimulated to initiate resorption.

Animals↗

Collagenases.

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Animals↗

Human gingival collagenase in periodontal disease: the release of collagenase and the breakdown of endogenous collagen in gingival explants.

Collagen degradation in different stages of gingival inflammation was examined. Higher collagenolytic activity and nonspecific protease activity were found in the severely inflamed gingiva, as compared to mildly inflamed or healthy gingiva. This was shown by electrophoretic studies and measurement of peptide-bound hydroxyproline in the culture.

Collagen↗