Cervical softening during pregnancy: regulated changes in collagen cross-linking and composition of matricellular proteins in the mouse.

A greater understanding of the parturition process is essential in the prevention of preterm birth, which occurs in 12.7% of infants born in the United States annually. Cervical remodeling is a critical component of this process. Beginning early in pregnancy, remodeling requires cumulative, progressive changes in the cervical extracellular matrix (ECM) that result in reorganization of collagen fibril structure with a gradual loss of tensile strength. In the current study, we undertook a detailed biochemical analysis of factors in the cervix that modulate collagen structure during early mouse pregnancy, including expression of proteins involved in processing of procollagen, assembly of collagen fibrils, cross-link formation, and deposition of collagen in the ECM. Changes in these factors correlated with changes in the types of collagen cross-links formed and packing of collagen fibrils as measured by electron microscopy. Early in pregnancy there is a decline in expression of two matricellular proteins, thrombospondin 2 and tenascin C, as well as a decline in expression of lysyl hydroxylase, which is involved in cross-link formation. These changes are accompanied by a decline in both HP and LP cross-links by gestation Days 12 and 14, respectively, as well as a progressive increase in collagen fibril diameter. In contrast, collagen abundance remains constant over the course of pregnancy. We conclude that early changes in tensile strength during cervical softening result in part from changes in the number and type of collagen cross-links and are associated with a decline in expression of two matricellular proteins thrombospondin 2 and tenascin C.

Intracellular formation of collagen microfibrils in granulation tissue.

It is important to determine the biosynthesis process of collagen fibers to elucidate the mechanism by which granulation tissue is induced after injury. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether collagen microfibrils can be formed not only outside but also inside a cell. Fibroblast-like cells in granulation tissue resulting from incision and ligation were examined. The cells possessed vesicles containing collagen microfibrils. The vesicles were present in connection with Golgi apparatus or the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Furthermore, the vesicles were exhibited to be secretory granules with the secretory granule marker Rab3A. The fibroblast-like cells were also indicated to be myofibroblasts, using conventional transmission electron microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy for the myofibroblast marker alpha smooth muscle actin. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that collagen microfibrils could be formed in the cell in the case of collagen fiber overproduction.

Procollagen trafficking, processing and fibrillogenesis.

Collagen fibrils in the extracellular matrix allow connective tissues such as tendon, skin and bone to withstand tensile forces. The fibrils are indeterminate in length, insoluble and form elaborate three-dimensional arrays that extend over numerous cell lengths. Studies of the molecular basis of collagen fibrillogenesis have provided insight into the trafficking of procollagen (the precursor of collagen) through the cellular secretory pathway, the conversion of procollagen to collagen by the procollagen metalloproteinases, and the directional deposition of fibrils involving the plasma membrane and late secretory pathway. Fibril-associated molecules are targeted to the surface of collagen fibrils, and these molecules play an important role in regulating the diameter and interactions between the fibrils.

Potential modifier role of the R618Q variant of proalpha2(I)collagen in type I collagen fibrillogenesis: in vitro assembly analysis.

An arginine to glutamine substitution in the triple helix of proalpha2(I)collagen (R618Q) was first reported in a patient with a variant of Marfan syndrome and later identified in conjunction with a second mutation in a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The presence of the R618Q proalpha2(I)collagen allele in unaffected or mildly affected family members suggests that the R618Q allele is either a non-affecting polymorphism or a potential genetic modifier. Conservation of arginine618 across species and fibrillar collagen types suggests it is functionally significant. To investigate the functional significance of the R618Q proalpha2(I)collagen allele, we isolated type I collagen from cultured dermal fibroblasts of control and two unrelated individuals heterozygous for the R618Q proalpha2(I)collagen allele and evaluated helical stability and fibrillar assembly. Type I collagen thermal stability analyzed by protease susceptibility and CD spectroscopy demonstrated no statistical difference between control and R618Q containing collagen molecules. In vitro fibril assembly analyses demonstrated that R618Q containing collagen exhibits rapid fibrillar growth with minimal fibril nucleation phase. Further, electron microscopy demonstrated that the diameter of assembled R618Q containing collagen fibrils was approximately 20% of control collagen fibrils. These findings suggest the R618Q variant does not impact triple helical stability but has a role in collagen fibril assembly, supporting the hypothesis that the R618Q proalpha2(I)collagen variant is a modifier of connective tissue structure/function and is potentially involved in disease pathogenesis.

Determination of the complete cDNA sequence of rat type II collagen and evaluation of distinct expression patterns of types IIA and IIB procollagen mRNAs during fracture repair in rats.

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms that underlie fracture healing is crucial to understanding and devising strategies for the management of fractures, especially those associated with a pathological condition such as diabetes or old age. Cartilage formation, and therefore the expression of type II collagen by chondrocytes, is a critical step in frac-ture healing. Two forms of type II collagen, IIA and IIB, are known to be produced by alternative splicing of the Alpha(1) (II) procollagen gene. We have followed the patterns of expression of these two forms of type II collagen to determine the nature of chondrocyte recruitment during fracture healing. First, we sequenced the rat collagen type II cDNA to design the primers. Second, using a competitive quantitative reverse transcription-mediated polymerase chain reaction, we provide evidence that (1) there is a basal level of type IIA collagen expression during the early stages of fracture healing; (2) transient but sharp up-regulation of IIA expression occurs concomitant with chondrogenesis and endochondral ossification; and (3) type IIB collagen is the predominant mRNA variant expressed at virtually all times during fracture repair.

Production in mammalian cells of chimeric human/sea urchin procollagen molecules displaying distinct versions of the minor triple helix.

One of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of the fibril diameter is the retention of the N-propeptide. In sea urchin embryo, thin collagen fibrils harbor numerous extensions at their surface, which we have suggested correspond to the large N-propeptide of the 2alpha collagen chain. To investigate the function of the N-propeptide during fibrillogenesis, we engineered constructs coding for the globular region of the 2alpha N-propeptide. To obtain homotrimeric molecules, the N-telopeptide, the central triple helix and the C-propeptide of the 2alpha chain were replaced by human domains of the proalpha1(I) chain. A single restriction site allowed insertion of distinct versions of the minor triple helix of the N-propeptide. Several human cell lines were transfected, and with one of them we were able to produce intact homotrimeric procollagen molecules. Rotary shadowing of these purified molecules indicates the presence of three large 2alpha N-propeptides that are similar to the extensions present at the surface of the sea urchin thin fibrils. This cassette-vector will be useful in determining the respective contributions of the globular and minor triple helical domains of the N-propeptide in the regulation of fibril diameter.

Increased amount of type III pN-collagen in human abdominal aortic aneurysms: evidence for impaired type III collagen fibrillogenesis.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to characterize the distribution of structural domains of type I and III collagens in the wall of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), by the use of undilated atherosclerotic aortas (aortoiliac occlusive disease [AOD]) and healthy abdominal aortas as controls. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was applied with antibodies for the aminoterminal propeptides of type I (PINP) and type III (PIIINP) procollagens, which represent newly synthesized type I and III pN-collagens. In addition, an antibody against the aminoterminal telopeptide of type III collagen (IIINTP) was used as a means of detecting maturely cross-linked type III collagen fibrils. RESULTS: The newly synthesized type III procollagen detected by means of PIIINP staining was concentrated in the media in aneurysmal aortas, whereas type I pN-collagen was localized in the intima in both AAAs and AODs. The healthy aortas showed no immunoreactivity for either PIIINP or PINP. The cross-linked type III collagen, detected by means of IIINTP staining, stained transmurally in all study groups, but appeared more abundant in the media in AAAs. CONCLUSION: Our results strongly suggest that the metabolism of type III collagen is enhanced in AAAs. Intensive type III pN-collagen staining was present mainly in the media layer in AAAs, suggesting a role of type III collagen in aneurysm formation, whereas type I pN-collagen was present in the intima in both AAAs and AODs, suggesting that type I collagen synthesis is a fibroproliferative response related to the atherosclerotic process. The increased type III pN-collagen in AAAs may result in impaired fibril formation and, thus, in decreased tensile strength of aneurysmal tissue.

A light and electron microscopic study of osteogenesis imperfecta bone samples, with reference to collagen chemistry and clinical phenotype.

A detailed morphological study was carried out using light and electron microscopy on 36 bone specimens from patients suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and 20 age- and site-matched control bone specimens. The findings were grouped into the clinical types of OI according to the Sillence classification. The morphological and ultrastructural alterations observed in OI bone correlate well with clinical severity. Thus, OI type I, the mildest type, showed the least abnormalities in bone ultrastructure. OI type IV closely resembled type I, with only minor abnormalities in the bone cells and osteoid. OI type III showed abnormalities in the structure and distribution of osteoid collagen fibrils, whilst OI type II, the lethal form, revealed many varied abnormalities such as thin cortical bone, sparse trabecular bone, increased numbers of osteoclasts and osteocytes, thin osteoid with thin collagen fibrils, and patchy mineralization.

Intracellular biogenesis of collagen fibrils in 'activated fibroblasts' of tendo Achillis. An ultrastructural study in the New Zealand rabbit.

We have studied the formation of collagen fibrils in 'activated fibroblasts' of tendo Achillis of rabbits. The tendon was in the process of regeneration after experimental partial tenotomy. Samples were taken from the peri-incisional region and analysed by transmission electron microscopy. Ultrastructural examination showed the presence of a 'fine dense granular substance' inside the rough endoplasmic reticulum and procollagen filaments. These come together to form collagen fibrils in the dilated vacuoles of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. The possible intra- and extracellular origin of collagen fibrils is suggested. Within the cell biosynthesis of collagen fibrils take place with the formation of collagen substance which gives rise to procollagen filaments. These make contact in parallel apposition to produce striated 'spindle-shaped bodies' which elongate by the longitudinal attachment of more procollagen filaments and form intracellular nascent collagen fibrils.

Procollagen traverses the Golgi stack without leaving the lumen of cisternae: evidence for cisternal maturation.

Newly synthesized procollagen type I (PC) assembles into 300 nm rigid, rod-like triple helices in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. This oligomeric complex moves to the Golgi and forms large electron-dense aggregates. We have monitored the transport of PC along the secretory pathway. We show that PC moves across the Golgi stacks without ever leaving the lumen of the Golgi cisternae. During transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi, PC is found within tubular-saccular structures greater than 300 nm in length. Thus, supermolecular cargoes such as PC do not utilize the conventional vesicle-mediated transport to traverse the Golgi stacks. Our results imply that PC moves in the anterograde direction across the Golgi complex by a process involving progressive maturation of Golgi cisternae.

Major suppression of pro-alpha1(I) type I collagen gene expression in the dermis after keloid excision and immediate intrawound injection of triamcinolone acetonide.

BACKGROUND: A keloid is a benign tumor that contains excess collagen, primarily type I collagen. A common therapy is intralesional injection of a glucocorticosteroid, such as triamcinolone acetonide (TA). Surgical excision is also common; often a glucocorticosteroid is injected weeks after excision when wound repair has already begun. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the efficacy of TA in reducing the pro-alpha1(I) type I collagen mRNA in the dermis, when TA is injected into the wound bed immediately after surgical excision of the keloid. METHODS: Six patients with previously untreated keloids were studied. Three were treated with 10 mg/ml of TA immediately after excision of the keloid (experimental group); the other three patients were not treated with TA until 2 weeks after excision (control). Punch biopsy specimens were obtained from the TA-treated sites 2 weeks after removal of the keloid and from the wounds of the control group of patients before they were treated with TA. Sections were prepared for in situ hybridization analysis of the pro-alpha1(I) collagen mRNA, as well as for histochemical analysis of collagen fibers. RESULTS: All keloids showed greatly elevated levels of pro-alpha1(I) type I collagen mRNA in the dermis. Postsurgical wounds injected with TA after removal of the keloid expressed decreased pro-alpha1(I) collagen transcripts, compared with skin not treated with TA. The collagen bundles were also thinner and less dense in the TA-treated skin. CONCLUSION: Downregulation of the type I collagen gene expression is elicited by immediate TA injection after keloid excision. This suggests that prevention of recurrent keloid growth is possible if surgical excision is accompanied by immediate TA injection into the wound bed and that healing of the wound is not apparently compromised by inhibition of type I collagen gene expression.

Cleavage of type I procollagen by human mast cell chymase initiates collagen fibril formation and generates a unique carboxyl-terminal propeptide.

The ability of human mast cell chymase and tryptase to process procollagen was examined. Purified human intestinal smooth muscle cell procollagen was incubated with human mast cell tryptase or human mast cell chymase. Purified chymase, but not tryptase, exhibited procollagen proteinase activity in the presence of EDTA. Addition of purified porcine heparin over a range of 0.1-100 microg/ml did not affect either the rate or the products of procollagen chymase cleavage. The cleavage site of chymase on the pro-alpha1(I) collagen carboxyl terminus was found to be in the propeptide region at Leu-1248-Ser-1249. Cleavage at this site suggested that the collagen products would form fibrils and confirmed the production of a unique carboxyl-terminal propeptide. Turbidometric fibril formation assay demonstrated de novo formation of chymase-generated collagen fibrils with characteristic lag, growth, and plateau phases. When observed by dark field microscopy, these fibrils were similar to fibrils formed by the action of procollagen proteinases. Thus, mast cell chymase, but not tryptase, exhibits procollagen peptidase-like activity as evidenced by its ability to process procollagen to fibril-forming collagen with concurrent formation of a unique carboxyl-terminal propeptide. These data demonstrate that mast cell chymase has a potential role in the regulation of collagen biosynthesis and in the pathogenesis of fibrosis.

[The study of the morphology of ultramicrostructure in molecular level of nucleus herniation of lumbar intervertebral disc].

In order to investigate the morphology of ultramicrostructure in molecular level of nucleus herniations, the authors studied the ultramicrostructure of three cases of nucleus herniations of lumbar intervertebral disc which were proved by operations and one case of normal nucleus pulposus of fresh corpse by using of atomic force microscope. The results showed that the arrangement of collagen bundle, collagen fiber and procollagen fiber were different between the two conditions, and the morphology of molecular particles of proteoglycan in nucleus herniations was different from that in the normal condition. In the condition of nucleus herniations, the collagen fiber formed procollagen fiber reticular porous adhering to the molecules of protein and proteoglycan, and the DNA adhering to the monochain of RNA in fiberal cell nuclei, in the form of bichain and multichain three dimensions helix structures. The banded structure (64-78 mm) of the procollagen fiber, and the collagenation and calcification of the degenerated nuclens pulposuses, the quantity of which was significant greater than normal (P < 0.05) indicated that the chronic injury of lumbar intervertebral nucleus pulposuses gave rise to the injury and break of the collagen fiber which resulted in twist (tangle) phenomenon so that nucleus pulposuses lost their normal resistance strength.

Computer model of a bovine type I collagen microfibril.

Collagens are a family of structural proteins of the extracellular matrix. The fibril-forming collagens are the major structural proteins of skin, cartilage, bone, blood vessel walls and internal organs. In addition to biological function, the collagens provide natural structural frameworks that are utilized in the medical, food and leather industries. Many schemes for the organization of type I collagen into triple helices, microfibrils and fibrils have been proposed during the past 30 years. Here, the development of a molecular model of a bovine type I collagen "Smith' microfibril is described. In cross-section, this model exhibits a symmetrical, pentagonal grouping of five triple helices. The model comprises 15 polypeptide chains having 315 residues each. This model is large enough to allow a comparison of its gross structural features with images of stained collagen obtained by electron microscopy, yet small enough to be manipulated on a minicomputer or work-station. The model is useful for (among others) studies of structure-function relationships in collagen, exploring folding pathways, predicting the efficacy of potential crosslinking agents or chemical modifications, and designing synthetic collagen-like materials or modifications for specific applications.

Fine structure of tooth germs during the formation of enameloid matrix in Tilapia nilotica, a teleost fish.

Tooth germs were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy. Collagen fibrils were relatively dispersed and thin at the early and middle stages of formation of the enameloid matrix, when the enameloid layer was thin. At the late stage, the fibrils became thicker, reaching nearly 30 nm dia, and formed the interwoven thick bundles that are characteristic of teleost cap enameloid. Abundant flocculent and/or fine, network-like material, probably representing glycosaminoglycans or proteoglycans, was located between the collagen fibrils. Tall, columnar, inner dental epithelial cells contained abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum and many mitochondria, and a well-developed Golgi apparatus was seen around the nuclei at the late stage. Elongated vesicles enclosing fine, filamentous material that resembled procollagen granules, and large granules containing fibril-like structures that were 150 nm in thickness and had periodic cross-banding at 32-nm intervals, were usually observed near the Golgi apparatus. The contents of the large granules were well stained with phosphotungstic acid, which suggests that inner dental epithelial cells synthesize collagen fibrils. At this time, odontoblasts also contained abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, a well-developed Golgi, several kinds of granule including those that probably contained procollagen, and many microtubules. It is proposed that odontoblasts are involved in the formation of a considerable portion of the enameloid matrix, including collagen fibrils.

Tomographic imaging of collagen-mineral interaction: implications for osteogenesis imperfecta.

The novel method of high voltage electron microscopic tomography (3D) has been applied for the first time to examine ultrastructural features and spatial relations between collagen fibrils and mineral crystals in a mouse mutant (oim/oim) which replicates a moderate to severe form of osteogenesis imperfecta. The animal produces collagen consisting of the alpha1(I) homotrimer and has a brittle calcified skeleton. Three-dimensional image reconstructions of the Achilles tendons, which were found to mineralize in the mutant mice, revealed that their composite crystals were different in their structural appearance and spatial association with collagen compared to that determined in normal calcified tissues. These results indicate that the nature of the organic matrix of a mineralizing tissue critically influences the formation, structure, and location of the constituent mineral and, further, the data are interpreted as suggesting that the unusual structural and organizational interaction between mineral and collagen underlies the inherent brittleness and weakness of calcification in this model of osteogenesis imperfecta.

Mapping the heparin-binding sites on type I collagen monomers and fibrils.

The glycosaminoglycan chains of cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans are believed to regulate cell adhesion, proliferation, and extracellular matrix assembly, through their interactions with heparin-binding proteins (for review see Ruoslahti, E. 1988. Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. 4:229-255; and Bernfield, M., R. Kokenyesi, M. Kato, M. T. Hinkes, J. Spring, R. L. Gallo, and E. J. Lose. 1992. Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. 8:365-393). Heparin-binding sites on many extracellular matrix proteins have been described; however, the heparin-binding site on type I collagen, a ubiquitous heparin-binding protein of the extracellular matrix, remains undescribed. Here we used heparin, a structural and functional analogue of heparan sulfate, as a probe to study the nature of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan-binding site on type I collagen. We used affinity coelectrophoresis to study the binding of heparin to various forms of type I collagen, and electron microscopy to visualize the site(s) of interaction of heparin with type I collagen monomers and fibrils. Using affinity coelectrophoresis it was found that heparin has similar affinities for both procollagen and collagen fibrils (Kd's approximately 60-80 nM), suggesting that functionally similar heparin-binding sites exist in type I collagen independent of its aggregation state. Complexes of heparin-albumin-gold particles and procollagen were visualized by rotary shadowing and electron microscopy, and a preferred site of heparin binding was observed near the NH2 terminus of procollagen. Native or reconstituted type I collagen fibrils showed one region of significant heparin-gold binding within each 67-nm period, present near the division between the overlap and gap zones, within the "a" bands region. According to an accepted model of collagen fibril structure, our data are consistent with the presence of a single preferred heparin-binding site near the NH2 terminus of the collagen monomer. Correlating these data with known type I collagen sequences, we suggest that the heparin-binding site in type I collagen may consist of a highly basic triple helical domain, including several amino acids known sometimes to function as disaccharide acceptor sites. We propose that the heparin-binding site of type I collagen may play a key role in cell adhesion and migration within connective tissues, or in the cell-directed assembly or restructuring of the collagenous extracellular matrix.

Self-assembly of collagen I from a proband homozygous for a mutation that substituted serine for glycine at position 661 in the alpha 2(I) chain. Possible relationship between the effects of mutations on critical concentration and the severity of the phenotype.

Procollagen I was isolated from cultured skin fibroblasts from a proband who was homozygous for a mutation in the COL1A2 gene that substituted a serine codon for a glycine codon at position 661 of the alpha 2(I) chain. The procollagen I was cleaved to pCcollagen I by procollagen N-proteinase and the pCcollagen I was used as a substrate for assay of self-assembly of collagen I into fibrils. The mutated pCcollagen I was cleaved to collagen I by procollagen C-proteinase at the same rate as control pCcollagen I. However, self-assembly of the mutated collagen I had a lag period that was 15-fold greater than the lag period observed with normal collagen I under the same conditions. Also, self-assembly of the mutated collagen I had a propagation rate of about one-fourth of the propagation rate of normal collagen I. In addition, the critical concentration for fibril assembly was slightly increased. Rotary shadowing electron microscopy of the mutated procollagen I did not reveal any increased flexibility of the triple helix as was seen previously with two mutated procollagens I in which there were substitutions of cysteine for glycine residues in the alpha 1(I) chain (Vogel, B. E., Doelz, R., Kadler, K. E., Hojima, Y., Engel, J., and Prockop, D. J. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 19249-19255; Lightfoot, S. J., Holmes, D. F., Brass, A., Grant, M. E., Byers, P. H., and Kadler, K. E. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 25521-25528). However, morphometric analysis by dark-field light microscopy and electron microscopy showed that the fibrils formed from the mutated collagen I appeared thicker in diameter than the fibrils formed from the normal collagen I. Comparison of the results with similar data on four mutated procollagens previously studied raised the possibility that mutations which markedly increase the critical concentration of fibril assembly produce more severe phenotypes than mutations which change other parameters of fibril assembly.

Helical model of nucleation and propagation to account for the growth of type I collagen fibrils from symmetrical pointed tips: a special example of self-assembly of rod-like monomers.

A model was developed to account for the recent observations indicating that type I collagen fibrils assembled in vivo grow from symmetrical pointed tips. The essential features of the model are (i) a distinctive structural nucleus forms at each end of a growing fibril and growth of the fibril then proceeds by propagation of the two structural nuclei, (ii) the two structural nuclei have similar spiral or helical conformations, and (iii) assembly of each structural nucleus requires two kinds of specific binding steps defined as 3.4 D-period and 0.4 D-period overlaps, but propagation of the nucleus requires only the 3.4 D-period binding step.