Proteoglycans (PGs) are a family of molecules that undergo extensive post-translational modifications that include addition of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains as well as N-and O-linked oligosaccharides to the protein core. PG composition and structure have been reported to alter with age. To test whether the post-translational modifications to PGs can serve as in vitro surrogate end point markers for chronological age, the extent of GAG modifications was determined for PGs derived from normal human bone cells of 14 donors (age range, fetal to 60 years). Isolated cells were steady state radiolabeled with 35 SO 4 2؊ and [ 3 H]GlcN. For biglycan and decorin, iduronate content was linearly correlated with age (increased 1.5؋ between fetal and age 60 years). For the syndecan-like heparan sulfate PG, the N-sulfation of post-natal cells increased over 3.5-fold until reaching a plateau during the 4th decade of life. The amount of O-linked oligosaccharides was also found to decrease as a function of increasing normal donor age, whereas the specific activity of the metabolic precursor pool remained constant regardless of donor age. These age-related changes in post-translational modifications were then used to demonstrate that osteoblasts derived from patients with osteogenesis imperfecta did not exhibit facets of a pre-mature aging, but rather were arrested in a fetallike phenotypic state. A growth matrix rich in thrombospondin altered PG metabolism in osteoblastic cells, resulting in the production and secretion of the fetal-like (rich in O-linked oligosaccharides) forms of decorin and biglycan. This effect was qualitatively different from the effect of transforming growth factor-, which predominantly altered GAGs rather than O-linked oligosaccharides. No other Arg-Gly-Asp protein (fibronectin, vitronectin, type I collagen, osteopontin, and bone sialoprotein) showed any detectable effect on PG metabolism in bone cells. These results indicate that a proper matrix stoichiometry is critical for metabolism of PGs.
Cannabinoid Receptors, CB1 and CB2, are therapeutic targets in the treatment of anxiety, obesity, movement disorders, glaucoma and pain. We have developed an on-line screening method for CB1 and CB2 ligands, where cellular membrane fragments of a chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line, (KU-812), were immobilized onto the surface of an open tubular capillary to create a CB1/CB2-OT column. The binding activities of the immobilized CB1/CB2 receptors were established using frontal affinity chromatographic techniques. This is the first report that confirms the presence of functional CB1 and CB2 receptors on KU-812 cells. The data from this study confirm that the CB1/CB2-OT column can be used to determine the binding affinities (K i values) for a single compound and to screen individual or a mixture of multiple compounds. The CB1/ CB2-OT column was also used to screen a botanical matrix, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, where preliminary results suggest the presence of a high affinity phytocannabinoid.
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