Influence of continuous infusion of interleukin-1 alpha on the core protein and the core protein fragments of the small proteoglycan decorin in cartilage.

Decorin, a collagen-binding small proteoglycan, is considered to have a specific function in the organization or stability of the collagen network. Therefore, alteration of its molecular properties may be of pathophysiological relevance during the development of cartilage damage. It is shown here that normal cartilage from rabbit knee-joint contains glycosaminoglycan chain-bearing core protein fragments of 39, 23, and 18 kDa, each one amounting to approximately 5-6% of the intact decorin core protein. Continuous infusion of human recombinant interleukin-1 alpha for 14 days (200 ng/day) into a knee-joint led in condylar cartilage to a reduction in the amount of intact core protein from 2 micrograms/mg wet tissue to about 1.1 micrograms/mg. The increase in its quantity found after infusion of heat-inactivated interleukin-1 was not statistically significant. The concentration of all three core protein fragments became reduced to a similar extent as the intact core protein under the influence of the cytokine, and additional fragments were not found. Surprisingly, there was a much smaller response to interleukin-1-treatment in patellar cartilage.     

Decorin expression is decreased in first trimester placental tissue from pregnancies with small for gestation age infants at birth

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. FGR pregnancies are often associated with histological evidence of placental vascular thrombosis. The proteoglycans are important components and regulators of vascular homeostasis. Previous studies from our laboratory highlighted mRNA and protein expression differences in placental proteoglycan decorin (DCN), within a clinically well-characterised cohort of third-trimester idiopathic FGR compared with gestation-matched uncomplicated control pregnancies. We also showed that decorin contributes to abnormal angiogenesis and increased thrombin generation in vitro. These observations suggest that DCN gene expression may contribute to the etiology of FGR. Small for gestational age (SGA) is frequently used as a proxy for FGR and is defined as a birth weight below the 10th percentile of a birth weight curve. We therefore made use of a unique resource of first trimester tissues obtained via chorionic villus sampling during the first trimester to investigate the temporal relationship between altered DCN expression and any subsequent development of SGA. We hypothesized that placental DCN expression is decreased early in gestation in SGA pregnancies. Surplus chorionic villus specimens from 15 women subsequently diagnosed with FGR and 50 from women with uncomplicated pregnancies were collected. DCN mRNA and DCN protein were determined using real-time PCR and immunoblotting, respectively. Both DCN mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in placentae from first-trimester SGA-pregnancies compared with controls (p < 0.05). This is the first study to report a temporal relationship between altered placental DCN expression and subsequent development of SGA.     

Decorin treatment of spinal cord injury

The scarring response after a penetrant central nervous system injury results from the interaction between invading leptominingeal/pericyte-derived fibroblasts and endogenous reactive astrocytes about the wound margin. Extracellular matrix and scar-derived axon growth inhibitory mole- cules fill the lesion site providing both a physical and chemical barrier to regenerating axons. Dec orin, a small leucine-rich chondroitin-dermatan sulphate proteoglycan expressed by neurons and astrocytes in the central nervous system, is both anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory and attenu- ates the formation and partial dissolution of established and chronic scars. Here, we discuss the potential of using Decorin to antagonise scarring in the central nervous system.     

Ontogeny of Enhanced Decorin Levels and Distribution Within Myocardium of Failing Hearts

The proteoglycan, decorin, is a regulator of collagen fibril organization and its resulting functional properties. The temporal and spatial expression of decorin during the progression to heart failure is not well understood and may play a significant role in extracellular matrix remodeling. Decorin and types I and III collagen levels were measured in male Spontaneously Hypertensive Heart Failure (SHHF) and control Wistar-Furth rats at 2 and 8 mo, and at congestive heart failure (CHF). Decorin levels increased in the SHHF rats relative to the control rats in CHF. Type I collagen levels increased while type III levels decreased in the SHHF rats in CHF relative to the age matched controls. The SHHF rats have 48 and 45 KDa isoforms of the decorin core protein expressed at all ages while control Wistar-Furths produced only a 45 KDa form. Decorin was localized in the outer ventricle wall but during CHF, decorin was expressed throughout the ventricular myocardium. Immunogold localization of decorin demonstrated an increased distribution of decorin along the myocardium collagen fibrils at CHF. The enhanced expression and greater distribution of decorin may be linked to extracellular matrix remodeling which occurs with the development of heart failure.     

泛素特异性修饰酶2-69对大鼠系膜细胞内饰胶蛋白聚糖表达和泛素化降解的调节

目的 研究泛素特异性修饰酶2-69（USP2-69）对系膜细胞（MC）内饰胶蛋白聚糖（DCN）表达和泛素化的调节作用。方法 ①培养MC细胞,采用Western blot法检测大鼠肾MC内USP2-69的表达;②采用免疫共沉淀、激光共聚焦和免疫荧光法,检测MC内USP2-69是否与DCN结合,并观察两者在MC内的定位;③将pRK5-USP2-69-HA质粒瞬时转染MC后,用Western blot法检测HA、USP2-69和DCN的蛋白表达,用免疫共沉淀法检测DCN的泛素化水平;④采用USP2-69 siRNA处理MC,用PCR检测USP2-69和DCN的mRNA表达,用time-course Western blot法检测DCN的半衰期, Western blot法检测DCN的下游效应分子（TGF-β1和Col Ⅳ）的蛋白表达。结果 ① USP2-69在MC、肝细胞（BRL-3A）和足细胞（GEC）内均有表达,其在MC内的基础蛋白表达水平显著高于BRL-3A和GEC［MCs：(0.27±0.05),BRL-3A：(0.035±0.009),GEC：(0.012±0.004), P<0.01］。② MC总蛋白经DCN抗体免疫沉淀后,可检测到USP2-69的表达;经USP2-69抗体免疫沉淀后,可检测到DCN表达;且在MC胞质内,代表USP2-69蛋白的荧光与代表DCN蛋白的荧光存在共定位。③ 转染pRK5-USP2-69-HA质粒的MC内可检测到代表外源性USP2-69表达的HA蛋白,USP2-69和DCN蛋白表达的升高,同时DCN的泛素化水平明显降低。④ 经USP2-69 RNA干扰的MC内DCN的mRNA水平没有明显改变,但其半衰期明显缩短（3 h）,且TGF-β1和Col Ⅳ的蛋白表达均明显升高。结论 大鼠肾MC内USP2-69可与DCN相结合,及两者在胞质内共定位,USP2-69能够降低MC内DCN的泛素化水平及提高DCN蛋白总量并促进其功能。     

Effect of Decorin and Dermatan Sulfate on the Mechanical Properties of a Neocartilage

Decorin is known to influence the size of collagen fibrils in ligaments and tendons and it has been hypothesized to provide a structural link between collagen fibrils in connective tissues, including cartilage. Coincidently, mechanical properties of skin, ligament, and tendons are altered in decorin knockout mice, suggesting it may influence the structural properties of tissue or tissue matrix organization. To further examine the role of decorin in the extracellular matrix development and subsequent material properties of cartilage, tissue (neocartilage) was grown in a 3D culture model using a pure population of genetically modified chondrocytes stably overexpressing decorin (DCN) or decorin lacking dermatan sulfate (MDCN). An empty vector (CON) served as a virus control. Following generation of the cartilage-like tissues, mechanical properties in tension and compression, collagen fibril diameter, matrix organization, and biochemistry of the tissue were determined. There were no differences between CON and DCN tissues in any parameter measured. In contrast, tissue generated in MDCN cultures was thinner, had higher collagen density, and higher elastic moduli as compared to both CON and DCN tissues. Considering there was no difference in stiffness between CON and DCN tissues, the notion that decorin contributes to the mechanical properties via load transfer was refuted in this model. However, contrasts in the mechanical properties of the MDCN tissue suggest that the dermatan sulfate chains on decorin influences the organization/maturation and resultant mechanical properties of the matrix by as an yet-unidentified regulatory mechanism.     

Expression of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans in angiofibroma and fibrous plaque skin lesions from patients with tuberous sclerosis

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a disorder of cell lineage, migration, proliferation and differentiation, characterized by the development of widespread benign hamartomas, which are particularly evident in hamartomatous lesions of the skin. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in gene expression of certain proteoglycans (PGs) and to characterize glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in tissue specimens of normal skin, fibrous plaques and angiofibromas from patients with TSC. The expression of PG mRNA was determined by semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis. Total GAGs were isolated from tissue specimens after lipid extraction and extensive digestion with Pronase and DNase and characterized by treatment with GAG-degrading enzymes followed by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gradient gels and cellulose acetate membranes. Normal skin specimens express versican, decorin and aggrecan and contain hyaluronic acid and dermatan sulphate. In angiofibroma specimens aggrecan is not expressed while versican splice variant with two EGF-like domains and decorin are downregulated. Furthermore, angiofibromas differ from normal skin in that they additionally contain keratan, heparan and chondroitin sulphates and do not contain dermatan sulphate. In fibrous plaque specimens gene expression of PGs was similar to that in normal skin, but with respect to GAGs, they contained a single acidic glycan population that did not share common structural features with known GAGs. The variations of the above ECM molecules between normal and TSC skin may be attributed to TSC-related mutations and, overall, support the TSC-associated pathological manifestations of cell migration, proliferation and differentiation.     

Targeted Disruption of Two Small Leucine-rich Proteoglycans, Biglycan and Decorin, Excerpts Divergent Effects on Enamel and Dentin Formation

Small leucine-rich proteoglycans have been suggested to affect mineralization of dental hard tissues. To determine the functions of two of these small proteoglycans during the early stages of tooth formation, we characterized the dental phenotypes of biglycan (BGN KO) and decorin deficient (DCN KO) mice and compared them to that of wild type mice. Each targeted gene disruption resulted in specific effects on dentin and enamel formation. Dentin was hypomineralized in both knock out mice, although the effect was more prominent in the absence of decorin. Enamel formation was dramatically increased in newborn biglycan knockout mice but delayed in absence of decorin. Increased enamel formation in the former case resulted from an upregulation of amelogenin synthesis whereas delayed enamel formation in the later case was most probably an indirect consequence of the high porosity of the underlying dentin. Enamelin expression was unchanged in BGN KO, and reduced in DCN KO. Dentin sialoprotein (DSP), a member of the family of phosphorylated extracellular matrix proteins that play a role in dentinogenesis, was overexpressed in BGN-KO odontoblasts and in the sub-odontoblastic layer. In contrast, a decreased expression of DSP was detected in DCN KO. Dentin matrix protein-1 (DMP-1), bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteopontin (OPN) were upregulated in BGN KO and downregulated in the DCN KO. Despite the strong effects induced by these deficiencies in newborn mice, no significant difference was detected between the three genotypes in adult mice, suggesting that the effects reported here in newborn mice are transient and subjected to self-repair.     

TGF-β/Extracellular Matrix Interactions in Dentin Matrix: A Role in Regulating Sequestration and Protection of Bioactivity

TGF-β isoforms sequestrated in dentin matrix potentially provide a reservoir of bioactive molecules that may influence cell behavior in the dentin–pulp complex following tissue injury. The association of these growth factors with dentin matrix and the influence of such associations on the bioactivity of growth factors are still unclear. We used surface plasmon resonance technology in the BIAcore^TM 3000 system to investigate the binding of TGF-β isoforms 1 and 3 to purified decorin, biglycan, and EDTA soluble dentin matrix components. TGF-β isoforms 1 and 3 were immobilized on sensorchips CM4 through amine coupling. For kinetic studies of protein binding, purified decorin and biglycan, isolated EDTA soluble dentin matrix, and dentin matrix immunodepleted of decorin and/or biglycan were injected over TGF-β isoforms and allowed to interact. Programmed kinetic analysis software provided sensorgrams for each concentration of proteoglycan or dentin matrix extract injected. Purified decorin and biglycan and dentin matrix extract bound to the TGF-β isoforms. However, the association with TGF-β3 was much weaker than that with TGF-β1. After immunoaffinity depletion of the dentin matrix extract, the level of interaction between the dentin matrix extract and TGF-β was significantly reduced. These results suggest isoform-specific interactions between decorin/biglycan and TGF-β isoforms 1 and 3, which may explain why TGF-β3 is not detected in the dentin matrix despite being expressed at higher levels than TGF-β1 in odontoblasts. These proteoglycans appear to play a significant role in TGF-β/extracellular matrix interactions and may be important in the sequestration of these growth factors in the dentin matrix.     

Expression of decorin and collagens I and III in different layers of human skin in vivo: a laser capture microdissection study

Extracellular matrix (ECM) organization is a complex process that requires the coordinated efforts of many molecules. For the regulation of collagen fiber diameter, the proteoglycan decorin appears to be of major relevance. To investigate the role of decorin in the process of (photo-)aging in more detail, full-thickness punch biopsies were isolated from human buttock skin. Single exposure with two minimal erythemal doses of solar simulated irradiation caused down-regulation of decorin mRNA in young (n = 5) and old subjects (n = 5) after 24 h. Interestingly, decorin mRNA was elevated with age. To test the hypothesis that a decreased collagen-to-decorin-ratio impairs collagen structure we also investigated collagens I and III gene expression. Both were down-regulated with increasing age and after single UV-irradiation. As determined by laser capture microdissection-quantitative real time-Polymerase chain reaction (n = 11), decorin is mostly present in the reticular dermis while being absent from the papillary dermis. Minor expression was also observed in the epidermis. However, in contrast to full-thickness skin biopsies age-dependent changes in collagens I, III, and decorin expression could not be observed with this methodology indicating technical limitations. Together with our finding that collagens I and III mRNA are similarly expressed in the reticular and papillary dermis and are down-regulated by UV, our studies support the idea of a major role of decorin in ECM organization. Altered expression of decorin mRNA in the different dermal strata and a decrease in the collagen-to-decorin ratio inflicted by both age and ultraviolet irradiation possibly affect collagen bundle diameter and subsequently the mechanical properties of human skin.