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Biomedical subjects

J Rauterberg

Publications and source records attributed to J Rauterberg.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Immunohistochemical study of extracellular material in the aged human synovial membrane.

Types III, IV, VI collagen and laminin distribution in synovial tissue of seven autopsy knee joints from old human donors (69-94 years of age) were investigated with immunocytochemical and immunohistochemical methods. The synovial intima is separated from the subintimal tissue by an intermediate fibrillar zone rich in staining for type III collagen. In the intima basement membrane-like material associated with synovial lining cells stains for type IV collagen and laminin. Fine fibrils surrounding the lining cells stain for type VI collagen. In two of the cases type VI collagen occurs mainly as long-spacing collagen, the distinct aggregated form of type VI collagen. This staining pattern was qualitatively the same in all different regions and cases investigated. However, considerable quantitative differences were seen.

Aged↗

Joint occurrence of collagen mRNA containing cells and macrophages in human atherosclerotic vessels.

Cells with enhanced levels of collagen type I and III mRNA were identified and localized in frozen tissue sections from samples of human atherosclerotic renal and common iliac arteries by in situ hybridization using complementary 35S-labeled RNA probes. Serial sections were immunohistochemically stained for smooth muscle cells, monocytes, and differentiated macrophages. In the fibromuscular intima and in the fibrous plaques, cells with enhanced transcriptional activity were located mainly in the vicinity of differentiated macrophages. In three patients, lack of enhanced transcriptional activity in a proliferated intima was connected with complete absence of macrophages, thus indicating a quiescent stage of atherosclerosis. Immunohistochemical staining of serial sections for smooth muscle cells (SMC) revealed the presence of this cell type throughout the proliferated intima in atherosclerotic arteries including those areas in which enhanced collagen mRNAs were detected. The present results support the idea that macrophages play an important role in the activation of collagen synthesis in SMC of atherosclerotic vessel walls.

Adolescent↗

Aortic smooth muscle cells in collagen lattice culture: effects on ultrastructure, proliferation and collagen synthesis.

Adult pig smooth muscle cells (SMC) were isolated from the aortic media by collagenase digestion, subcultured as monolayer, and then re-integrated into a three-dimensional network of type I collagen. The contractile state characteristic for resident arterial wall SMC changed to the synthetic, fibroblast-like state. The cells reorganized the randomly orientated collagen fibrils causing the lattice to shrink. The influence of the extracellular matrix on the ultrastructure, the proliferation, and the collagen synthesis of these SMC embedded in the collagen lattice was investigated and compared to cells cultured in monolayer. The amount of total protein and collagens synthesized by SMC embedded in lattices was lowered as compared to monolayer cultures. Whereas total protein synthesis decreased continuously during the culture period, the proportion of collagen synthesis remained at a constant level. Although cells proliferated in lattices, proliferation was clearly slowed down as compared to monolayer cultures. The ultrastructure of entrapped synthetic state SMC was comparable to that of monolayer-cultured cells. Their cytoplasm was largely filled by elements of the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complexes and abundant mitochondria. With prolonged culture time, electron-dense granules as well as bodies containing whorled membranes could be found in the cytoplasm. These results indicate that synthetic state SMC can exhibit differential biosynthetic activity dependent on the actual matrix environment; cells seem to be able to sense the macromolecular composition of the extracellular matrix and to modify their production of matrix components accordingly.

Animals↗

The primary structure of a triple-helical domain of collagen type VIII from bovine Descemet's membrane.

We have isolated and sequenced a fragment of 469 amino acid residues from bovine type VIII collagen. The sequence was composed of a series of Gly-X-Y repeats which was interrupted 8 times by short imperfections. The number and relative location of these interruptions were similar to those of chicken alpha 1(X) and rabbit alpha 1(VIII) chain triple-helical domains. Comparison to published N-terminal sequences to two triple-helical fragments of bovine type VIII collagen and to the cDNA derived sequence of the rabbit alpha 1(VIII) chain showed that this fragment was the triple-helical domain of a second type VIII collagen chain which we designate alpha 2(VIII).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Influence of collagen lattice on the metabolism of small proteoglycan II by cultured fibroblasts.

Small dermatan sulphate proteoglycan II from cultured human skin fibroblasts interacts with type I collagen in vitro and in vivo. When fibroblasts are maintained in a type I collagen lattice the proteoglycan remains exclusively within the lattice, and its association with fibrils can be demonstrated immunocytochemically. On the basis of [35S]sulphate incorporation, small proteoglycan II comprises about 80% of total proteoglycans secreted by cells in monolayer culture. In a collagen lattice, fibroblasts down-regulate its synthesis to the level of large chondroitin sulphate/dermatan sulphate and of heparan sulphate proteoglycans, the synthesis of which remains unaffected. Compared with the product from monolayer cultures, small proteoglycan II from collagen gels contained a longer polysaccharide chain which is characterized by a larger proportion of disulphated and a smaller proportion of monosulphated glucuronic acid-containing disaccharides. The half-life varied between 60 and 110 h. It is suggested that the compositional differences between the proteoglycan from monolayer cultures and from cells in a collagen lattice are related to the slower intracellular trafficking of the proteoglycan under the latter culture conditions.

Adult↗

Characteristics and in vivo occurrence of type VIII collagen.

Type VIII collagen was isolated from bovine Descemet's membranes by pepsin treatment and salt fractionation, as described by Kapoor et al. [(1986) Biochemistry 25, 3930-3937]. Contaminating type IV collagen was removed by ion-exchange chromatography. Purified type VIII collagen consisted of two different polypeptide chains and, compared to the fiber forming collagens, showed a higher thermal stability. Corresponding fractions isolated from pepsinized human Ewing's sarcoma and fetal calf aorta reacted immunologically with a protein of similar molecular mass. After extraction of Descemet's membranes with guanidine hydrochloride, a peptide of about 60 kDa was obtained. This seems to be the tissue form of type VIII collagen.

Amino Acids↗

Type-VI collagen in the human iris and ciliary body.

The distribution of type-VI collagen in the human iris and ciliary body was investigated by means of immunohistochemical techniques and compared with that of type-IV collagen, fibronectin and laminin. As has been described for other tissues, type-VI collagen surrounds type-I and -III collagen fibers. The aggregated form of type-VI collagen (the "long-spacing" or "curly" collagen), which has already been described in the trabecular meshwork and sclera, was also observed at the ciliary muscle tips surrounding the anterior elastic tendons of this muscle. In addition, staining for type-VI collagen was seen directly adjacent to the basement membranes of the ciliary muscle cells, the iris muscles, the uveal vascular endothelia and nerves, but not adjacent to the epithelial basement membranes. The staining did not form a discrete line like the immunoreaction for type-IV collagen, but bundles of marked fibrils extended into the surrounding connective tissue. We assume that type-VI collagen similar to type-VII collagen forms part of an anchoring system for these tissues. As type-VII collagen has been described only in connection with epithelial basement membranes, both type-VI and type-VII collagens may represent anchoring fibrils, however for different tissue components.

Aged↗

Localization of cytoplasmic collagen mRNA in human aortic coarctation: mRNA enhancement in high blood pressure-induced intimal and medial thickening.

Enhanced synthesis and deposition of extracellular matrix components, including collagen, contribute significantly to arteriosclerotic changes in the arterial vessel wall. We localized cells actively synthesizing collagen by hybridizing 35S-labeled RNA probes complementary to type I and III collagen mRNA with cytoplasmic mRNA in frozen sections of surgically removed aortic coarctations. These were chosen as a model for comparing mRNA levels in areas of high blood pressure-induced wall thickening and in unaffected post-stenotic areas. In situ hybridization revealed increased expression of type I and III collagen mRNA in intimal cells and in cells adjacent to the medial-adventitial border in the pre-stenotic part of the coarctation. In contrast, cells of the post-stenotic area showed only a very low signal. No immunohistologically detectable macrophages were seen in the pre-stenotic subendothelial areas where mRNA levels were enhanced. Higher collagen mRNA levels therefore occur in particular regions of high blood pressure-induced arterial wall thickening in the absence of macrophages. The results suggest that in situ hybridization is suitable for detection of locally occurring transcriptional activation of cells for collagens in the vessel wall.

Adolescent↗

Immunomicroscopical study of type VI collagen in the trabecular meshwork of normal and glaucomatous eyes.

Cross-strained fiber bundles called long-spacing collagen or curly collagen occur in normal eyes in the trabecular meshwork. It can be seen in the basement membrane of the trabecular lamellae, in the sheath of the elastic-like fibers and underneath the inner wall of Schlemm's canal, where it forms part of the so called plaque material. The amount of this long-spacing collagen increases with age and is significantly more pronounced in glaucomatous eyes. Using immunohistochemical and immuno-electronmicroscopic methods, we have been able to show that type VI collagen is present in the aggregates called long-spacing collagen.

Age Factors↗

In vitro differentiation of fat-storing cells parallels marked increase of collagen synthesis and secretion.

Fat-storing cells were isolated and purified from livers of normal adult rats and maintained in primary culture. By light and electron microscopy it was established that they underwent phenotypic changes into cells with the ultrastructural characteristics of myofibroblasts, between the third and sixth day in culture. These morphological changes were accompanied by a 2-fold increase of L-[3H]proline incorporation into secretory proteins and an 11-fold increase into secreted collagenase-sensitive proteins. In contrast, incorporation into cell layer-associated proteins and into cell layer-associated collagenase-sensitive proteins was not significantly elevated. Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in combination with fluorography, demonstrated that the main collagen type secreted by the myofibroblast-like cells was collagen type I. Collagen types III and IV, and fibronectin were present in lesser amounts. The similarity between the well known in vivo alterations of fat-storing cells under pathological conditions and the spontaneous in vitro differentiation described in this study, makes primary cultures of fat-storing cells a valuable tool for studying their role in chronic liver disease.

Adipose Tissue↗

Deposition and ultrastructural organization of collagen and proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix of gel-cultured fibroblasts.

Human skin fibroblasts were cultivated within the three-dimensional space of polymerized alginate and collagen, respectively. The in vitro synthesis of collagens and proteoglycans was measured during the first 3 days of culture, and the deposition as well as the ultrastructural organization of newly synthesized extracellular matrix components were examined by electron microscopy. The amount of collagens and proteoglycans synthesized by fibroblasts, embedded in calcium alginate gels as well as in collagen lattices, was lowered as compared to monolayer cultures. Furthermore, it was found that collagen synthesis was reduced to a greater extent in alginate gels than in collagen lattices. On the contrary, total proteoglycan biosynthesis was similarly reduced either in alginate gels or in collagen lattices. At the end of a 3-day-culture period, filamentous material as well as cross-striated banded structures were found extracellularly in the alginate gel. According to their periodicity, their banding pattern, their association with polyanionic matrix components and their sensitivity towards glycosaminoglycan-degrading enzymes we could distinguish (1) sheets of amorphous non-banded material consisting of irregularly arranged filaments and containing dermatan sulfate-rich proteoglycans (type I structures), (2) sheets of long-spacing fibrils consisting of parallel orientated filaments and containing chondroitin sulfate-rich proteoglycans (= zebra bodies; type II structures), and (3) fibrillar structures with a complex banding pattern different from that of native collagen fibrils (type III structures). In fibroblasts cultured in collagen lattices, we only sporadically found depositions which are identified as type I structures. Using indirect immunoelectron microscopy and monospecific polyclonal antibodies, we localized type VI collagen in type I structures and type II structures. Type III structures can be identified as type I collagen derived as becomes obvious by comparison with segment long spacing crystallites of type I collagen.

Alginates↗

Mechanical confinement inhibits collagen synthesis in gel-cultured fibroblasts.

Collagen synthesis in fibroblasts cultivated in collagen lattices is known to be repressed compared to synthesis in monolayer cultures on plastic. Inhibition of synthesis is supposed to be due to interactions between the plasma membrane and adjacent collagen fibrils. To evaluate how collagen synthesis is regulated in gel-cultured cells we cultivated fibroblasts within gels of polymerized alginate in which preexisting extracellular matrix components, e.g., type I collagen fibrils, were lacking. When alginate gels were examined at the ultrastructural level, normal collagen fibrils were not observed. However, broad sheets of microfibrillar material and so-called zebra bodies were found. The amount of collagen synthesized by fibroblasts in calcium alginate gels remained constant during the entire culture time and was about 70% of that produced in monolayer-cultured cells. This value corresponded to levels found in fully retracted collagen lattices on day 7 of culture. Our data suggest that interactions between the plasma membrane and adjacent collagen fibrils are not necessary for the inhibition of collagen synthesis. Thus, we present data that mechanical confinement is capable of inhibiting collagen synthesis in fibroblasts.

Alginates↗

Binding and uptake of Col 1(I), a peptide capable of inhibiting collagen synthesis in fibroblasts.

Col 1(I), a collagenase-resistant segment of the amino-terminal propeptide of pro alpha 1(I) chains, is known to inhibit collagen synthesis in cultured skin fibroblasts and also in a cell-free protein synthesizing system by reducing the translation of procollagen mRNA. These findings prompted us to explore the fate of exogenous Col 1(I) in the cellular processing of human skin fibroblasts using colloidal gold labeled protein (Col 1(I)-Au). Distribution of Col 1(I)-Au on the cell surface was studied by the platinum-carbon replication technique. Three different types of binding pattern could be observed: 1) Binding sites in the form of a fibrillar network, 2) those in the form of clusters, and 3) solitary bound gold conjugates. The latter two cases were determined to be specific. The intracellular routing of Col 1(I)-Au was studied by thin sections. Specifically bound gold conjugates were found in coated pits and after the initiation of the internalization process in coated vesicles and endosomes. Acid phosphatase cytochemistry revealed that only a small amount of Col 1(I)-Au is delivered to lysosomes. The bulk of gold conjugates is present even after prolonged incubation at 37 degrees C in acid phosphatase-negative compartments of the cell. Our data suggest a mechanism in which Col 1(I) initially is bound to the cell surface and subsequently internalized via the coated pit-coated vesicle pathway.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Platelet-reactive sites in collagen. Collagens I and III possess different aggregatory sites.

Collagen type III possesses a highly reactive platelet-aggregatory site at a locus which in type I is essentially inactive whilst the latter collagen possesses reactive sites absent in type III. It is proposed that platelet aggregation by collagen involves the sequence GK[or R]PG(EY)GPK[or R]G(EY) or, less favourably, GPK[or R]G(EY)G(XY)GK[or R]PG(EY), one basic residue acting in combination with the second in an adjacent alpha-chain.

Arginine↗

Concentrations of 7S collagen and laminin P1 in sera of patients with diabetes mellitus.

Specific radioimmunoassays were used to quantify two basement membrane components, 7S collagen and laminin P1, in sera of 70 patients suffering from diabetes mellitus types I and II with and without clinical signs of chronic diabetic complications. Serum levels of both antigens were increased in diabetics compared to controls (p less than 0.001). Concentrations of 7S collagen were significantly different in diabetics with signs of microvascular damage compared to those without small vessel disease (p less than 0.05). The difference between laminin P1 concentrations in the two groups of diabetics was not significant (p less than 0.2). The augmented levels of circulating 7S collagen and laminin P1 may reflect alterations of basement membrane metabolism. Thus, the measurement of concentrations of these basement membrane components in serum may be a useful tool for monitoring the development of chronic diabetic complications.

Adolescent↗

Localization of collagen types I, III, IV and V, fibronectin and laminin in human arteries by the indirect immunofluorescence method.

The distribution of types I, III, IV and V collagen and of the glycoproteins fibronectin and laminin in sections of human aortas, arteries and atherosclerotic plaques were studied using monospecific antibodies and indirect fluorescence microscopy. Types IV and V collagen and laminin were present in a narrow zone, representing the basement membrane, apposed to the endothelial layers of all these tissues. Types I and III collagen and fibronectin were located in the interstitial spaces of the intima and the media of blood vessels walls, whereas types IV and V collagen and laminin were found in the basement membranes underlying smooth muscle cells in these areas. Two types of atherosclerotic plaques were observed. Lipid-rich plaques contained less collagen and reduced amounts of the glycoproteins. Fibrous plaques consisted of regions deficient in types I and III collagen and collagen-rich regions with elevated levels of these two collagens as well as more fibronectin. The collagen-rich regions of fibrous plaques contained, however, little type IV and type V collagen and little of the glycoproteins laminin and fibronectin. This may be due to the reduced number of cells involved in the biosynthesis of these basement membrane proteins.

Aorta↗

Basement membrane components (7S collagen, laminin P1) are increased in sera of diabetics and activate platelets in vitro.

Serum concentrations of two basement membrane components (7S collagen and laminin P1) were detected by specific radioimmunoassays in 70 patients suffering from diabetes mellitus type I and II with and without clinical signs of microangiopathy. Serum levels of both antigens were increased compared to controls. 7S collagen concentrations were significantly different between the diabetics with signs of microvascular damage and those without small-vessel disease (p less than 0.05). Laminin P1 concentrations were also elevated, but the difference between the two groups of diabetics was not significant (p less than 0.2). Raised levels of circulating basement membrane proteins may indicate connective tissue activity and development of diabetic microangiopathy. In vitro 7S collagen is a moderate platelet activator inducing platelet spreading, aggregation, and malondialdehyde production. Laminin activates platelet spreading. As a part of the altered hemostatic system the activation of basement membrane components may contribute to the development of microvascular damage.

Adult↗