Hyaluronic Acid Stimulates Protein Kinase Activity in Intact Cells and in an Isolated Protein Complex

Hyaluronan Functions in Wound Repair That Are Captured to Fuel Breast Cancer Progression

Signaling from an actively remodeling extracellular matrix (ECM) has emerged as a critical factor in regulating both the repair of tissue injuries and the progression of diseases such as metastatic cancer. Hyaluronan (HA) is a major component of the ECM that normally functions in tissue injury to sequentially promote then suppress inflammation and fibrosis, a duality in which is featured, and regulated in, wound repair. These essential response-to-injury functions of HA in the microenvironment are hijacked by tumor cells for invasion and avoidance of immune detection. In this review, we first discuss the numerous size-dependent functions of HA and emphasize the multifunctional nature of two of its receptors (CD44 and RHAMM) in regulating the signaling duality of HA in excisional wound healing. This is followed by a discussion of how HA metabolism is de-regulated in malignant progression and how targeting HA might be used to better manage breast cancer progression.

Improving translational research in sex-specific effects of comorbidities and risk factors in ischaemic heart disease and cardioprotection: position paper and recommendations of the ESC Working Group on Cellular Biology of the Heart

Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is a complex disorder and a leading cause of death and morbidity in both men and women. Sex, however, affects several aspects of IHD, including pathophysiology, incidence, clinical presentation, diagnosis as well as treatment and outcome. Several diseases or risk factors frequently associated with IHD can modify cellular signalling cascades, thus affecting ischaemia/reperfusion injury as well as responses to cardioprotective interventions. Importantly, the prevalence and impact of risk factors and several comorbidities differ between males and females, and their effects on IHD development and prognosis might differ according to sex. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these differences are still poorly understood, and their identification might have important translational implications in the prediction or prevention of risk of IHD in men and women. Despite this, most experimental studies on IHD are still undertaken in animal models in the absence of risk factors and comorbidities, and assessment of potential sex-specific differences are largely missing. This ESC WG Position Paper will discuss: (i) the importance of sex as a biological variable in cardiovascular research, (ii) major biological mechanisms underlying sex-related differences relevant to IHD risk factors and comorbidities, (iii) prospects and pitfalls of preclinical models to investigate these associations, and finally (iv) will provide recommendations to guide future research. Although gender differences also affect IHD risk in the clinical setting, they will not be discussed in detail here.

Hyaluronan in immune dysregulation and autoimmune diseases

The tissue microenvironment contributes to local immunity and to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases - a diverse set of conditions characterized by sterile inflammation, immunity against self-antigens, and destruction of tissues. However, the specific factors within the tissue microenvironment that contribute to local immune dysregulation in autoimmunity are poorly understood. One particular tissue component implicated in multiple autoimmune diseases is hyaluronan (HA), an extracellular matrix (ECM) polymer. HA is abundant in settings of chronic inflammation and contributes to lymphocyte activation, polarization, and migration. Here, we first describe what is known about the size, amount, and distribution of HA at sites of autoimmunity and in associated lymphoid structures in type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Next, we examine the recent literature on HA and its impact on adaptive immunity, particularly in regards to the biology of lymphocytes and Foxp3+ regulatory T-cells (Treg), a T-cell subset that maintains immune tolerance in healthy individuals. We propose that HA accumulation at sites of chronic inflammation creates a permissive environment for autoimmunity, characterized by CD44-mediated inhibition of Treg expansion. Finally, we address potential tools and strategies for targeting HA and its receptor CD44 in chronic inflammation and autoimmunity.

Identification of potential biophysical and molecular signalling mechanisms underlying hyaluronic acid enhancement of cartilage formation

This study determined the effects of exogenous hyaluronic acid (HA) on the biomechanical and biochemical properties of self-assembled bovine chondrocytes, and investigated biophysical and genetic mechanisms underlying these effects. The effects of HA commencement time, concentration, application duration and molecular weight were examined using histology, biomechanics and biochemistry. Additionally, the effects of HA application on sulphated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) retention were assessed. To investigate the influence of HA on gene expression, microarray analysis was conducted. HA treatment of developing neocartilage increased compressive stiffness onefold and increased sulphated GAG content by 35 per cent. These effects were dependent on HA molecular weight, concentration and application commencement time. Additionally, applying HA increased sulphated GAG retention within self-assembled neotissue. HA administration also upregulated 503 genes, including multiple genes associated with TGF-β1 signalling. Increased sulphated GAG retention indicated that HA could enhance compressive stiffness by increasing the osmotic pressure that negatively charged GAGs create. The gene expression data demonstrate that HA treatment differentially regulates genes related to TGF-β1 signalling, revealing a potential mechanism for altering matrix composition. These results illustrate the potential use of HA to improve cartilage regeneration efforts and better understand cartilage development.

The role of a cell-associated hyaluronan-binding protein in fibroblast behaviour

In a model culture system hyaluronan has been shown to promote cell ruffling and random cell locomotion. At the same time it promotes both protein tyrosine phosphorylation and phospholipid breakdown. These results indicate that this glycosaminoglycan, in addition to its previously described role as a regulator of adhesion and cytoskeletal organization, may also influence cell behaviour via second messenger formation. A cell-associated hyaluronan-binding protein (cell-HABP) has been isolated from locomoting fibroblasts that may represent one binding site that transduces these effects of hyaluronan. This protein is concentrated in the lamellae and ruffles of migrating fibroblasts but is lost from the cell surface as cell locomotion slows. It is a large (molecular mass estimated at 1-2 x 10(6) daltons) complex of proteins that includes a hyaluronan-binding site and a protein kinase. The protein kinase is responsive to hyaluronan and is related, antigenically, to the pp60src protein kinase. The function of cell-HABP has not been characterized but its location, regulated distribution and enzyme characteristics suggest that it may be involved in hyaluronan-regulated cell locomotion.

Engineering of Biomaterials Surfaces by Hyaluronan

This review addresses the area of study that defines the field of surface modification of biomedical materials and devices by hyaluronan (HA), as related to the exploitation of HA biological properties. To provide a comprehensive view of the subject matter, initial sections give a quick introduction to basic information on HA-protein and HA-cell interactions, together with some discussion on the bioactive role of HA in wound healing and related phenomena. This is followed by a description of current theories that correlate HA properties to its molecular structure in aqueous media, underlying how HA molecular details are crucial for its biological interaction and role. Finally, existing approaches to surface modification by HA are reviewed, stressing the need for HA-surface engineering founded on the knowledge and control of the surface-linked HA molecular conformation at the solid/aqueous interface.

Potential mechanism of action of intra-articular hyaluronan therapy in osteoarthritis: are the effects molecular weight dependent?

BACKGROUND

Hyaluronan, or hyaluronic acid (HA), is the major hydrodynamic nonprotein component of joint synovial fluid (SF). Its unique viscoelastic properties confer remarkable shock absorbing and lubricating abilities to SF, while its enormous macromolecular size and hydrophilicity serve to retain fluid in the joint cavity during articulation. HA restricts the entry of large plasma proteins and cells into SF but facilitates solute exchange between the synovial capillaries and cartilage and other joint tissues. In addition, HA can form a pericellular coat around cells, interact with proinflammatory mediators, and bind to cell receptors, such as cluster determinant (CD)44 and receptor for hyaluronate-mediated motility (RHAMM), where it modulates cell proliferation, migration, and gene expression. All these physicochemical and biologic properties of HA have been shown to be molecular weight (MW) dependent.

OBJECTIVE

Intra-articular (IA) HA therapy has been used for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) for more than 30 years. However, the mechanisms responsible for the reported beneficial clinical effects of this form of treatment remain contentious. Furthermore, there are a variety of pharmaceutic HA preparations of different MW available for the treatment of OA, but the significance of their MWs with respect to their pharmacologic activities have not been reviewed previously. The objective of the present review is to redress this deficiency.

METHODS

We reviewed in vitro and in vivo reports to identify those pharmacologic activities of HA that were considered relevant to the ability of this agent to relieve symptoms and protect joint tissues in OA. Where possible, reports were selected for inclusion when the pharmacologic effects of HA had been studied in relation to its MW. In many studies, only a single HA preparation had been investigated. In these instances, the experimental outcomes reported were compared with similar studies undertaken with HAs of different MWs.

RESULTS

Although in vitro studies have generally indicated that high MW-HA preparations were more biologically active than HAs of lower MW, this finding was not confirmed using animal models of OA. The discrepancy may be partly explained by the enhanced penetration of the lower MW HA preparation through the extracellular matrix of the synovium, thereby maximizing its concentration and facilitating its interaction with target synovial cells. However, there is accumulating experimental evidence to show that the binding of HAs to their cellular receptors is dependent on their molecular size; the smaller HA molecular species often elicits an opposite cellular response to that produced by the higher MW preparations. Studies using large animal models of OA have shown that HAs with MWs within the range of 0.5 x 10(6)-1.0 x 10(6) Da were generally more effective in reducing indices of synovial inflammation and restoring the rheological properties of SF (visco-induction) than HAs with MW > 2.3 x 10(6) Da. These experimental findings were consistent with light and electron microscopic studies of synovial membrane and cartilage biopsy specimens obtained from OA patients administered 5 weekly IA injections of HA of MW = 0.5 x 10(6)-0.73 x 10(6) Da in which evidence of partial restoration of normal joint tissue metabolism was obtained.

CONCLUSIONS

By mitigating the activities of proinflammatory mediators and pain producing neuropeptides released by activated synovial cells, HA may improve the symptoms of OA. In addition, HAs within the MW range of 0.5 x 10(6)-1.0 x 10(6) Da partially restore SF rheological properties and synovial fibroblast metabolism in animal models. These pharmacologic activities of HA could account for the reported long-term clinical benefits of this OA therapy. However, clinical evidence has yet to be described to support the animal studies that indicated that HAs with MW > 2.3 x 10(6) Da may be less effective in restoring SF rheology than HAs of half this size.

The dual functions of GPI-anchored PH-20: hyaluronidase and intracellular signaling

The ovulated mammalian oocyte is surrounded by the "cumulus ECM", composed of cells embedded in an extracellular matrix that is rich in hyaluronic acid (HA). The cumulus ECM is a viscoelastic gel that sperm must traverse prior to fertilization. Mammalian sperm have a GPI-anchored hyaluronidase which is known as PH-20 and also as SPAM 1. PH-20 is located on the sperm surface, and in the lysosome-derived acrosome, where it is bound to the inner acrosomal membrane. PH-20 appears to be a multifunctional protein; it is a hyaluronidase, a receptor for HA-induced cell signaling, and a receptor for the zona pellucida surrounding the oocyte. The zona pellucida recognition function of PH-20 was discovered first. This function is ascribed to the inner acrosomal membrane PH-20, which appears to differ biochemically from the PH-20 on the sperm surface. Later, when bee venom hyaluronidase was cloned, a marked cDNA sequence homology with PH-20 was recognized, and it is now apparent that PH-20 is the hyaluronidase of mammalian sperm. PH-20 is unique among the hyaluronidases in that it has enzyme activity at both acid and neutral pH, and these activities appear to involve two different domains in the protein. The neutral enzyme activity of plasma membrane PH-20 is responsible for local degradation of the cumulus ECM during sperm penetration. Plasma membrane PH-20 mediates HA-induced sperm signaling via a HA binding domain that is separate from the hyaluronidase domains. This signaling is associated with an increase in intracellular calcium and as a consequence, the responsiveness of sperm to induction of the acrosome reaction by the zona pellucida is increased. There is extensive evidence that GPI-anchored proteins are involved in signal transduction initiated by a diverse group of cell surface receptors. GPI-anchored proteins involved in signaling are often associated with signaling proteins bound to the cytoplasmic leaflet of the plasma membrane, typically Src family, non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases. PH-20 appears to initiate intracellular signaling by aggregating in the plasma membrane, and a 92-kDa protein may be the cell signaling molecule linked to PH-20.

Structural and functional comparison of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes

Sugar molecules as well as enzymes degrading them are ubiquitously present in physiological systems, especially for vertebrates. Polysaccharides have at least two aspects to their function, one due to their mechanical properties and the second one involves multiple regulatory processes or interactions between molecules, cells, or extracellular space. Various bacteria exert exogenous pressures on their host organism to diversity glycans and their structures in order for the host organism to evade the destructive function of such microbes. Many bacterial organism produce glycan-degrading enzymes in order to facilitate their invasion of host tissues. Such polysaccharide degrading enzymes utilize mainly two modes of polysaccharide-degradation, a hydrolysis and a beta-elimination process. The three-dimensional structures of several of these enzymes have been elucidated recently using X-ray crystallography. There are many common structural motifs among these enzymes, mainly the presence of an elongated cleft transversing these molecules which functions as a polysaccharide substrate binding site as well as the catalytic site for these enzymes. The detailed structural information obtained about these enzymes allowed formulation of proposed mechanisms of their action. The polysaccharide lyases utilize a proton acceptance and donation mechanism (PAD), whereas polysaccharide hydrolases use a direct double displacement (DD) mechanism to degrade their substrates.

Evidence for receptors for hyaluronan in discrete nerve cell populations of the brain

Evidence is presented, based on immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry and double immunolabelling procedures, for the existence of hyaluronan receptor immunoreactivity in discrete nerve cell populations of the rat brain, present within the zona compacta and the zona reticulata of the substantia nigra, the ventral tegmental area the locus coeruleus, the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus, the nucleus of the trapezoid body, the motor trigeminal nucleus and the lateral cerebellar nucleus. With preimmune serum control, this hyaluronan receptor immunoreactivity could not be demonstrated. Double immunofluorescence immunocytochemistry, using a well-characterized hyaluronan receptor antiserum, together with the tyrosine hydroxylase antiserum, in the presence or absence of detergent, demonstrated the existence of hyaluronan receptor immunoreactivity in dopamine nerve cells of the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area and in noradrenaline nerve cells of the locus coeruleus, previously shown not to stain for hyaluronan. In all the nerve cells, the immunoreactivity had the appearance of punctate bodies mainly located in the cytoplasm of the perikarya of the above nerve cell populations as also shown by confocal laser microscopy in the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus. Based on these observations, it is concluded that hyaluronan receptors exist in discrete nerve cell populations of the brain, including many noradrenaline and dopamine neurones. In all nerve cells, it is located intracellularly in bodies possibly representing clustered hyaluronan receptors undergoing endocytosis. The results open up the possibility that hyaluronan receptors may reduce high concentrations of hyaluronic acid in the surrounding matrix, thereby facilitating communication between adjacent neurones. Intracytoplasmatic hyaluronic acid may also be of special importance for neuronal plasticity, in view of the ability of hyaluronic acid to activate protein kinase activity and/or by influencing the architecture of the cytoskeleton.

The interdependent modulation of hyaluronan synthesis by TGF-beta 1 and extracellular matrix: consequences for the control of cell migration

The principal objective of this communication has been to determine the manner in which two tissue culture substrata (plastic dishes and type I collagen gels) modulate the response of adult skin fibroblasts to TGF-beta 1 with respect to hyaluronan (HA) synthesis. Our results indicate that (a) fibroblasts cultured on collagen gels synthesised more HA compared to cells plated at the same density on plastic dishes, (b) this up-regulation in total HA synthesis by collagen-cultured cells was accompanied by an increase in the relative proportion of high molecular mass species of newly synthesised HA, and (c) the specific effect of TGF-beta 1 on HA synthesis was dependent upon the substratum: i.e. TGF-beta 1 inhibited HA synthesis by subconfluent fibroblasts cultured on both substrata, had no apparent effect on confluent cells cultured on collagen gels, and stimulated HA synthesis by confluent cells cultured on plastic dishes. The TGF beta-stimulated of HA synthesis by confluent fibroblasts cultured on plastic dishes persisted when these cells were transferred to collagen gels in the absence of further TGF-beta 1: interestingly, a second exposure of these plastic pre-incubated cells to TGF-beta 1 whilst growing on collagen resulted in a down-regulation in HA synthesis. Confluent fibroblasts pre-incubated with TGF-beta 1 for 24 h on plastic dishes (i.e. under conditions which stimulate HA synthesis) also displayed an HA-dependent stimulation in cell migration when subsequently plated onto collagen gels in the absence of further cytokine.

Influence of polysaccharides on neutrophil function: specific antagonists suggest a model for cooperative saccharide-associated inhibition of immune complex-triggered superoxide production

We have previously shown that certain monosaccharides (N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and mannose) could cooperatively inhibit the ability of neutrophils to release superoxide anions in response to immune complexes. To test the possible origins of the cooperative inhibition of superoxide release, we have examined the effect of a panel of polysaccharides on superoxide release in the presence or absence of immune complexes. Although exposure to particulate beta-glucan and hyaluronan triggered superoxide release from neutrophils, other polysaccharides including chitin and mannan were without effect. Both chitin and mannan, but not other polysaccharides, inhibited the immune complex-mediated stimulation of superoxide release in a dose-dependent fashion. In sharp contrast to the cooperative inhibition mediated by monosaccharides, chitin and mannan exhibited Hill coefficients of 1. This inhibition of superoxide production was not due to simple blockage of Fc receptors since fluorescent immune complexes bound equally well to neutrophils in the presence or absence of mannan or chitin as shown by epifluorescence microscopy and quantitative fluorometry. Furthermore, this inhibition of superoxide release was not observed when neutrophils were stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate and ionophore A23187 or hyaluronan. Therefore, the specific inhibition of superoxide production by mannan and chitin could not be explained by either receptor blockage or by some nonspecific effect on cells. We suggest that these molecules interfere with a step in transmembrane signaling, presumably involving the integrin CR3. The observed Hill coefficients suggest the possibility that one polysaccharide may simultaneously bind to two monosaccharide binding sites yielding a Hill coefficient of 1, whereas individual monosaccharides separately bind yielding a Hill coefficient of 2.

RHAMM, a receptor for hyaluronan-mediated motility, on normal human lymphocytes, thymocytes and malignant B cells: a mediator in B cell malignancy?

RHAMM (Receptor for HA Mediated Motility) is a novel HA receptor that has been linked to regulating cell locomotion and density dependent contact inhibition of fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, astrocytes and sperm. The ubiquitous expression of RHAMM suggests the existence of multiple isoforms, and indeed, RHAMM is found in various cellular compartments, namely nuclear, cytosolic, membrane-bound and extracellular. In this review, we emphasize the evolving role of RHAMM in B cell malignancies, and examine the function of RHAMM in T cell development in the thymic microenvironment. Both the motile behaviour of progenitor thymocytes (CD3-CD4-CD8-) and malignant B cells from multiple myeloma (MM), plasma cell leukemia, and hairy cell leukemia was blocked by monoclonal antibodies to RHAMM, suggesting that motility may correlate with increased expression of RHAMM at the cell surface. Interestingly, the soluble form of RHAMM is able to inhibit fibroblast locomotion, and it is likely that a balance between expression of both forms determines, in part the motility of cells. RHAMM appears to play a fundamental role in the immune system and the ability of RHAMM to function as a motility receptor is likely to be due to complex variables including the extent to which soluble RHAMM is secreted. RHAMM expression characterizes circulating monoclonal B cells as abnormal. potentially invasive and/or metastatic components of myeloma and may underlie the malignant behavior of these cells.

The regulation of sperm motility by a novel hyaluronan receptor

OBJECTIVE

To determine if a novel receptor for hyaluronan, termed RHAMM, is responsible for the previously observed increase in sperm locomotion in response to hyaluronan and to assess whether expression of the RHAMM protein is involved in sperm motility.

DESIGN

The RHAMM protein was localized on human sperm by immunofluorescence of fixed cells, fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) of cell surface phenotype, and Western transblot analysis of cell proteins. The effect of monospecific antibodies on sperm motility was examined using computer-assisted image analysis. Results of motility studies were assessed statistically with analysis of variance.

SETTING

Samples were collected from donors from the University of Manitoba donor insemination program.

SUBJECTS

Semen was collected twice from four participants and a total of 10,000 sperm per sample were evaluated.

RESULTS

A hyaluronan receptor, RHAMM, was localized by immunofluorescence along the tail, the midpiece, and the head of sperm. Positive staining obtained with FACS analysis indicated that RHAMM occurred on the surface of sperm, whereas immunoblot analysis of sperm cell lysates revealed RHAMM proteins of MWE 58 and 64 kd, consistent with the size of RHAMM localized from fibroblasts. A polyclonal antibody specific to a peptide encoded in the fibroblast RHAMM complementary DNA significantly decreased the motility of sperm. Analysis of this inhibition is consistent with an effect of the antibody on flagellar function.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of RHAMM on sperm surfaces and the ability of monospecific antibodies to inhibit sperm motility suggest an important role for this novel glycoprotein in sperm motility.

High-molecular-weight hyaluronic acids inhibit chemotaxis and phagocytosis but not lysosomal enzyme release induced by receptor-mediated stimulations in guinea pig phagocytes

The effects of high-molecular-weight (HMW) hyaluronic acids (HAs) of 1.9 x 10(6) Da, 8 x 10(5) Da and 3 x 10(5) Da on the receptor-mediated functions of guinea pig peritoneal phagocytes were studied. HMW-HAs of 1.9 x 10(6) Da (HA190) and 8 x 10(5) Da (HA80) effectively inhibited the chemotactic activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) for formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP). The degree of inhibition was dose-dependent and the concentrations of HA190 and HA80 required for 50% inhibition were 0.5-1.5 mg/ml and 1.5-2.5 mg/ml, respectively. HMW-HA of 3 x 10(5) Da (HA30) hardly affected the chemotaxis within a concentration range of 0.5-5.0 mg/ml. The phagocytic activities of PMNs and macrophages (Mphis) for serum-opsonized zymosan (SOZ) and polystyrene latex particles were also inhibited by these HAs in a dose- and molecular-weight-dependent manner and HA190 was again the most inhibitory. By contrast, the release of lysosomal enzyme from Mphis stimulated with SOZ was not significantly affected by HMW-HAs at any concentration used. Furthermore, the binding of [3H]fMLP with PMNs and the rosette formation of Mphis with SOZ were not influenced by the presence of HMW-HAs. These findings suggested that the binding of HMW-HAs to the HA receptors on PMNs and M phi s might produce certain intracellular signals which would be responsible for the suppression of the chemotaxis and the phagocytosis but not for the release of lysosomal enzyme. For the generation of such signals, higher-molecular-weight HMW-HAs would be more effective than lower one.

Hyaluronan and CD44 in psoriatic skin. Intense staining for hyaluronan on dermal capillary loops and reduced expression of CD44 and hyaluronan in keratinocyte-leukocyte interfaces

The distributions of hyaluronan (HA) and its presumptive receptor, CD44, were studied in skin samples from 13 psoriasis vulgaris patients, using an HA-specific probe (HABC), and monoclonal antibodies, respectively. The general distribution of HA and CD44 in psoriatic lesional epidermis resembled that in normal epidermis. However, areas of epidermis invaded by leukocytes showed a local depletion of HA and CD44, particularly at the contact areas of keratinocytes to lymphocytes and neutrophils. Removal by cellular uptake or extracellular degradation of CD44 and HA may be required for tight adherence between a keratinocyte and a leukocyte. On the dermal side, the tips of the prolonged dermal papillae in psoriatic lesions were intensively stained with HABC. The dilated capillaries and the space below the tip basal lamina, in particular, were heavily covered with HA. Occasionally, a similar intense staining was seen around an enlarged capillary in uninvolved psoriatic skin. CD44-positive leukocytes were found around the affected capillaries. The accumulation of HA in the dermal papillae may support the growth of psoriatic lesions, since HA stimulates the growth of capillaries as well as attracting inflammatory cells.

Effects of extracellular matrix components on cell locomotion

The extracellular matrix (ecm), which is composed of collagens, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans, has emerged as an important regulator of cell locomotion. This review describes some of the mechanisms by which the ecm may regulate locomotion, focusing primarily on cell extension and lamellae formation. Ecm-receptor interactions form an important part of cell recognition of ecm. Such interactions can result in altered cell adhesion, signal transduction, and cytoskeletal organization, all of which impact on cell locomotion. It is important to note that although the effects of single ecm components have been studied, generally, the cell is likely to perceive ecm in vivo as a macromolecular complex. It will fall to future work to define how complexes of ecm regulate cell behavior. Because of our own particular research bias, we focus on reviewing the role of fibronectin, integrins, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronan, and hyaluronan receptors in the regulation of cell locomotion and examine their effect on adhesion, signal transduction, and cytoskeletal integrity. Cytoskeleton assembly mechanisms, particularly those that might be regulated by the ecm, are also described. These events are summarized in a working model of ecm-promoted locomotion.

Effects of hyaluronic acid on the release of proteoglycan from the cell matrix in rabbit chondrocyte cultures in the presence and absence of cytokines

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA) on the release of proteoglycan by cultured rabbit chondrocytes.

METHODS

Articular cartilage chondrocytes were isolated from the knee joints of New Zealand white rabbits. Proteoglycan synthesis after incubation with HA was determined by measuring 35S-sulfate incorporation. Cells incubated with HA were labeled with 3H-glucosamine and applied to a Sepharose CL-2B column. After incubation of confluent cells with 35S-sulfate and then with HA in various concentrations in the presence or absence of cytokines, proteoglycan release from the cell matrix layer was measured.

RESULTS

HA (M(r) 3 x 10(5) to 19 x 10(5)), at 10 micrograms/ml to 1 mg/ml, had little effect on the incorporation of 35S-sulfate or 3H-glucosamine into cartilage matrix proteoglycans, or on the hydrodynamic size of proteoglycan monomers, in rabbit chondrocyte cultures. However, at 10-1,000 micrograms/ml, HA suppressed the release of 35S-proteoglycans from the cell matrix layer into the medium in the presence and absence of interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor alpha, or basic fibroblast growth factor.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that HA is a potent inhibitor of the displacement of matrix proteoglycan into culture medium.

Stimulation of cell proliferation by hyaluronidase during in vitro aging of human skin fibroblasts

The effect of the degradation of extracellular hyaluronan on the proliferation of human skin fibroblasts in serial cultures during in vitro aging was investigated. Human skin fibroblasts at different time intervals from 3rd to 36th passages were exposed after plating to bovine testicular hyaluronidase. The enzyme treatment resulted in an increase in cell proliferation (cell number vs. time) as compared to the untreated control fibroblasts. The effect was dose dependent, reversible, and was independent of the type of the glycosidic linkage cleaved in hyaluronan. The increased proliferation was observed at all passages when untreated cells underwent mitosis. The degradation of hyaluronan induced cell proliferation up to the presenescent phase. Depletion of hyaluronan did not induce proliferation of postmitotic fibroblasts. The incorporation of 3H-glucosamine into hyaluronan decreased with increasing cell passages (increase of the number of population doublings). Twenty-fourth passage fibroblasts accumulated about two time less hyaluronan in the medium than ninth passage cultures. Following hyaluronidase treatment, the amount of newly synthesized, labeled hyaluronan increased in the medium. Accordingly, the fibroblasts restored the degraded hyaluronan even in the declining phase of proliferation (phase III according to Hayflick).

Correlation of hyaluronic acid accumulation and the growth of preneoplastic mammary cells in collagen: a longitudinal study

Hyaluronic acid accumulation is characteristic of mammary tumor cells, and the amount that accumulates seems to correlate with the degree of malignancy of the producing cells. We have tested directly the relationship between hyaluronic acid accumulation and the replication rate of preneoplastic mammary cells in culture. We used nontumorigenic but immortal CL-S1 mouse mammary cells that were derived from a hyperplastic alveolar nodule. Using a collagen gel culture system, we found clear differences in the growth properties of cells before and after Passages 68 to 70. Late passage cells replicated earlier and faster than early passage cells in collagen and on plastic. The rate of cycling resembled that of tumorigenic mouse mammary cells during the first week of culture. Cells seeded at low densities cycled faster than those seeded at high densities during the second week in culture. Exogenous hyaluronic acid, at 10 to 1000 micrograms/ml, neither enhanced nor inhibited CL-S1 cell growth significantly in collagen, regardless of passage. However, by the third day in collagen, late passage cells produced 7 times more total glycosaminoglycans and 12 times more hyaluronic acid per cell than did early passage cells. Late passage cells also deposited 12 times more labeled hyaluronic acid in the matrix than did early passage cells, on a per-cell basis. After a decline in the deposition of hyaluronic acid in the extracellular matrix, growth ceased. The late passage cells did not grow in soft agar, indicating that they had not become neoplastic spontaneously during passage. However, their accelerated growth rate, coupled with the synthesis and secretion of large amounts of hyaluronic acid into the extracellular matrix, may characterize a distinct step in tumor progression in preneoplastic CL-S1 cells.

Hyaluronan and cell locomotion

Hyaluronan (HA), a glycosaminoglycan, has long been implicated in cell locomotion. We have shown that HA production regulates the locomotion of H-ras-transformed cells. This autocrine motility mechanism is mediated by a novel HA receptor termed RHAMM, an acronym for Receptor for HA Mediated Motility. HA:RHAMM interactions regulate directional locomotion of tumor cells and result in enhanced protein tyrosine phosphorylation that may be a critical messenger mechanism for initiation of locomotion.

Growth-related production of proteoglycans and hyaluronic acid in synchronous arterial smooth muscle cells

1. The growth-stimulating effect of serum on the proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid production in arterial smooth muscle cells was investigated, using cells synchronized by serum deprivation. 2. After stimulation, synthesis of [35S]sulfated proteoglycans and [14C]hyaluronic acid increased during G1 and G2 phases (about 2- and 5-fold, respectively, in the culture medium), in comparison with quiescent cells. 3. Neither the size, nor the charge, nor the relative proportions of [35S]glycosaminoglycans of the proteoglycans were modified. 4. However, when the cells were stimulated to divide, increased synthesis of large [14C]hyaluronic acid was observed concomitantly with the production of higher hydrodynamic size [35S]proteoglycans, which aggregated with hyaluronic acid (20%).

Evidence for autophosphorylation of hyaluronate binding protein and its enhanced phosphorylation in rat histiocytoma

This report documents for the first time the in vitro autophosphorylation of purified 68 kDa hyaluronate binding protein in presence of [32P] ATP. The rate of phosphorylation is proportional to the concentration of protein and to the time of incubation up to 5 min. By both phosphoamino acid and western blot analysis with antiphosphotyrosine antibodies, we have confirmed that the phosphorylation occurs at tyrosine residues. Immunoprecipitation with anti HA binding protein antibody shows a 5 fold increase in the phosphorylation in macrophage histiocytoma compared to normal macrophage. Supplementing hyaluronate with hyaluronate binding protein in the medium is further shown to enhance total protein phosphorylation in rat histiocytoma.

Fibronectin, hyaluronan, and a hyaluronan binding protein contribute to increased ductus arteriosus smooth muscle cell migration

"Intimal cushions" which develop in the late gestation lamb ductus arteriosus (DA) are characterized by smooth muscle cells migrating into a large subendothelial space. Our previous in vitro studies, comparing DA cells with those from the aorta (Ao), have shown, even in early gestation, a 10-fold increase in DA endothelial incorporation of hyaluronan into the subendothelial matrix, a 2-fold increase in smooth muscle fibronectin synthesis and, in response to endothelial conditioned medium, a 2-fold increase in chondroitin sulfate. To determine whether these extracellular matrix components may be playing a role in inducing DA smooth muscle migration, we seeded Da or Ao smooth muscle cells onto three-dimensional collagen (2.0 mg/ml) gels and assessed migration 2, 5, and 8 days later. After 8 days, significantly greater numbers of DA compared to Ao cells were found invading the gels (23.1 +/- 3.1% vs 16.2 +/- 2.3%, P less than 0.01). Addition of GRGDS peptides (0.5 mM) or antibodies against fibronectin significantly decreased migration in the DA cells, but had no effect on migration in the Ao. Addition of endothelial conditioned medium to induce smooth muscle chondroitin sulfate production had no effect on DA cell migration. Inclusion of hyaluronan in the gel (0.5-1.5 mg), however, further enhanced DA cell migration, being greatest (31.9 +/- 3.1%) at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. Hyaluronan was without effect on Ao smooth muscle cell migration. The ability of hyaluronan to promote migration in cultures of DA smooth muscle cells was blocked completely by the addition of antibodies (1:100 dilution, 1 micrograms/ml) to a cell surface hyaluronan binding protein (HABP). As well, addition of anti-HABP to cells on gels containing collagen only significantly reduced migration in the DA but not the Ao. Immunofluorescent staining revealed that in DA cells, HABP was more concentrated in lamellipodia and leading edges than in Ao cells. As well, DA smooth muscle cells synthesized greater amounts of HABP as determined by Western immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation using polyclonal antisera to HABP. Thus, our studies indicate that both increased fibronectin and HABP contribute to the enhanced migration of DA smooth muscle cells. These results, together with our previous studies showing a 10-fold increase in hyaluronan accumulation in the DA endothelial matrix, would suggest a mechanism for increased DA smooth muscle migration into the subendothelial matrix observed in vivo.

Glycosaminoglycans in porcine follicular fluid promoting viability of oocytes in culture

The viability of oocytes cultured in vitro was determined by the trypan blue exclusion test. Isolated porcine oocytes with or without cumulus cells cultured in modified Krebs-Ringer medium undergo cell death after 48 h. The addition of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) prepared from porcine follicular fluid (pFF) to the medium delayed or prevented the onset of cell death in vitro. GAGs at concentrations of 0.25 mg/ml or greater prevented cell death in a dose-dependent manner. To identify the active factor, GAGs were purified from pFF by ethanol precipitation, chromatography on Dowex 1-x2, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on TSK gel DEAE-2 SW column. The fraction with a retention time nearly coincident with that of hyaluronic acid possessed high oocyte viability promoting activity. The present results suggest that the viability of oocytes in vitro is influenced by the presence of specific GAGs separated from follicular fluid.

A hyaluronan-binding protein shows a partial and temporally regulated codistribution with actin on locomoting chick heart fibroblasts

The ultrastructural distribution of a hyaluronan-binding protein (HABP) and its relationship to actin-containing microfilaments were studied with immunocytochemistry. Ultrastructural analysis localized HABP to the cell coat and demonstrated that it occurred largely in cell processes where the apical surfaces were immunopositive. The codistribution of HABP with actin-containing microfilaments in cell processes was demonstrated with double immunolabeling using monoclonal antibodies to actin and monospecific, polyclonal antibodies to HABP. Both the topological localization of HABP and its cytoskeletal coassociations were modulated by cells during different cellular phases. Thus, in cells exhibiting large lamellae and few actin fibrils, typical of rapidly locomoting cells, HABP codistributed primarily with the actin meshwork occurring in cell processes, although some codistribution between the two proteins occurred over the cell body. In cells containing prominent stress fibers and less obvious lamellae, HABP was absent in cell processes but, rather, was aligned primarily along actin fibrils occurring in the cell body. A functional association between HABP and the actin-containing cytoskeleton was suggested by the ability of cytochalasin D to coordinately alter the distribution of HABP and disrupt its coassociation with actin. As well, the addition of hyaluronan to monolayers increased the association of HABP with a Triton-insoluble cytoskeleton. The possible roles of HABP in cell motility and cytoskeletal organization are discussed.