Analysis of fibronectin and vitronectin receptors on human fetal skeletal muscle cells upon differentiation.

The role of fibronectin (FN) and vitronectin (VN) receptors for cell adhesion and matrix assembly was analyzed during human fetal myogenesis in vivo and in vitro. In human fetal muscle at 10 weeks gestational age FN and laminin are present in the extracellular matrix. Analysis of the integrin repertoire at this developmental stage reveals that the differentiated muscle cells in vivo express alpha 5 and alpha 6 integrins, but not alpha v, alpha 1, and alpha 3 integrins. However, in vitro cultured myoblasts (G6) isolated from the same gestational age express alpha v, alpha 1, and alpha 3 integrins in addition to alpha 5 and alpha 6 integrins. A more detailed analysis of FN and VN receptors in vitro shows that the localization of different alpha v heterodimers into focal contacts is differently regulated. Alpha v beta 1, and alpha v beta 3, are present at focal contacts throughout in vitro myogenesis whereas alpha v beta 5 appears to depend on an endogenously produced factor to localize to focal contacts. The alpha v beta 1, alpha v beta 5, and alpha 3 beta 1 heterodimers, often reported not to focalize, did form focal contacts in G6 cells, indicating that these myoblasts possess components facilitating the formation of cytoskeletal linkages containing these integrins. Alpha 5 beta 1 colocalized with FN in myoblast cultures, whereas myotubes lacked both FN and alpha 5 beta 1 on the cell surface. In summary, we show that concomitant with in vitro differentiation of G6 cells, FN matrix contacts are abolished, but vitronectin receptors continue to fulfill an anchoring function during the differentiation process in vitro. Further studies are needed to assess the relative importance of the FN and VN binding integrins for the differentiation process in comparison with the laminin-binding integrins alpha 6 and alpha 7, also present on these cells.

Differential regulation of integrin-mediated proplatelet formation and megakaryocyte spreading.

Guinea pig bone marrow megakaryocytes were cultured on a type I rat tail collagen gel which stimulated proplatelet formation. Proplatelet formation was inhibited by monoclonal antibody LM609 to the alpha v beta 3 integrin (VnR), but not by monoclonal antibodies to the alpha 5, alpha 6, beta 1, or IIb beta 3(GPIIb-IIIa) integrin proteins. Megakaryocytes cultured on a plastic surface and stimulated with thrombin undergo a spreading and an adhesion reaction. This reaction is blocked in a dose-dependent manner by the tetrapeptide RGDS and by the monoclonal antibody PG2 to the GPIIb-IIIa integrin, but not by the monoclonal antibody LM609 to the VnR. Immunoprecipitation and affinity chromatography experiments demonstrate that guinea pig megakaryocytes have distinct GPIIb-IIIa and VnR integrins with similar electrophoretic mobility. Spreading was significantly inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion by drugs which elevate cellular cyclic AMP, including forskolin, dibutyryl cAMP, and isobutylmethylxanthine. In contrast to spreading, megakaryocyte proplatelet formation was stimulated by these agents in a dose-dependent manner. Megakaryocyte spreading was stimulated by the protein kinase C (PKC) activator phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and inhibited by the PKC inhibitors Calphostin C and K5720 in a dose-dependent manner. PKC inhibitors did not inhibit megakaryocyte proplatelet formation. These results demonstrate that the closely related VnR and GPIIb-IIIa integrins regulate different aspects of megakaryocyte morphological change and appear to be associated with different second messenger systems.

Peptide ligands for integrin alpha v beta 3 selected from random phage display libraries.

The integrin alpha v beta 3 binds promiscuously to cell-adhesive proteins: vitronectin, fibronectin, and several others containing the RGD motif. We have explored molecular recognition by alpha v beta 3 through selection of ligands from large random libraries of peptides displayed on phage. Ligands bound by alpha beta 3 consisted primarily of RGD peptides; however, these peptides showed considerable heterogeneity with respect to the identities of amino acids flanking RGD. The tolerance of alpha v beta 3 for RGD peptides of diverse composition is consistent with its role in vivo as a versatile receptor for RGD-containing extracellular matrix proteins. Peptide ligands for alpha v beta 3 also included a novel binding sequence, identical to a tetrapeptide found in vitronectin, which is a candidate for a synergistic site in this adhesive protein that may act in concert with RGD to promote molecular recognition.

Recognition of cryptic sites in human and mouse laminins by rat osteoclasts is mediated by beta 3 and beta 1 integrins.

Laminins may be encountered by osteoclasts and their precursors in basement membranes when they migrate from periosteal vasculature during skeletal development and in pathological situations. We have examined the recognition by osteoclasts of intact laminins and their proteolytic derivatives, and analysed the mechanism of adhesion. Rat osteoclasts fail to bind intact mouse Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) laminin (3% adhesion relative to adhesion to foetal calf serum proteins) and bind only weakly to native human placental laminin (13%) or human merosin (9%). Pepsin treatment of native mouse EHS and human laminins increased osteoclast adhesion. Rat osteoclasts adhered to mouse EHS laminin-derived P1 fragment (70%), but failed to bind the E8 fragment, which contains adhesion sites recognised by some integrins. Binding to human and mouse P1 laminins was abolished by treatment with RGD-containing peptides and required divalent cations, but not by YIGSR peptide. Combinations of monoclonal antibodies to rat beta 3 and alpha v integrins reduced binding to P1 fragment by 91% and to human laminin by 72%, demonstrating that the major integrin involved in rat osteoclast adhesion to proteolysed laminin is alpha v beta 3. Antiserum to beta 1 integrin inhibited adhesion to human laminin by 40%, but to P1 fragment by only 8%; this suggests that beta 1 integrins(s) contribute to osteoclast adhesion to human laminin but probably not to P1 fragment. The involvement of alpha v beta 3 integrin was confirmed using a recombinant human alpha v beta 3 solid phase binding assay, alpha v beta 3 bound to mouse P1 fragment and proteolytically digested human laminin, but not intact laminins.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Reciprocal interactions between human ovarian surface epithelial cells and adjacent extracellular matrix.

The human ovarian surface epithelium (OSE), or ovarian mesothelium, is functionally complex as seen by its capacity to proliferate, migrate, and contribute to ovulation and ovulatory repair in response to cyclic hormonal and environmental changes. We wished to determine whether this phenotypic versatility is reflected in cell-extracellular matrix interactions in primary and low-passage culture. Comparisons of cultures maintained on different substrata revealed that these cells form cohesive monolayers on plastic, while fibrin clots enhance cell dispersion, and thus may provide a migratory cue. The cells invaded Matrigel as multicellular aggregates, while collagen gels mediated a morphologic epithelial-mesenchymal conversion. On plastic, the cells produced extracellular matrix components characteristic of epithelial basement membrane (laminin and collagen type IV), as well as stroma (collagen types I and III). In addition, ovarian surface epithelial cells secreted serine proteases and matrix metalloproteinases. The levels of chymotrypsin- and elastase-like proteases were dictated by the substratum: low levels were secreted by cells grown on plastic, intermediate levels on collagen gels and fibrin clots, and most protease was produced on Matrigel. The rate of cell proliferation varied with the substrata and was inversely related to protease secretion. Integrin expression was greatest on plastic and least on collagen gels where integrins were downregulated with time. alpha 6/beta 4 was absent from all cells while varying levels of alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 5, beta 1, and vitronectin receptor were detected depending on the culture substratum employed. In low-passage cultures of human ovarian surface epithelial cells, then, cell shape, growth, protease production, and integrin expression are modulated by the extracellular matrix. The cells, in turn, alter extracellular matrix by synthesis, lysis, and physical remodeling, and express both stromal and epithelial characteristics. The broad repertoire of these functions may be related to their mesodermal origin, and may reflect the expression of a dual, epithelio-mesenchymal phenotype by relatively immature, uncommitted cells. The results demonstrate the great complexity and versatility of these interactions which render OSE cells capable of participating in numerous physiological and pathological processes.

Tetrafibricin has a high selectivity for GPIIb/IIIa: comparison of the effects of tetrafibricin and RGDS on GPIIb/IIIa and the vitronectin receptor.

The specificity of tetrafibricin was examined by comparing its activities on GPIIb/IIIa and on the vitronectin receptor (alpha v beta 3) with those of Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) on the same receptors. Tetrafibricin, which inhibited fibrinogen-GPIIb/IIIa binding 10 times more potently than RGDS, was three orders of magnitude less potent compared to RGDS on the inhibition of fibrinogen binding to alpha v beta 3. Furthermore, tetrafibricin potently inhibited platelet adhesion to both fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor. Whereas, there was no significant inhibition observed in the GPIIb/IIIa-independent cellular adhesions. These results suggest that tetrafibricin is highly selective for GPIIb/IIIa.

Rous sarcoma virus-transformed cells develop peculiar adhesive structures along the cell periphery.

Alteration of the cell/substratum adhesive structures of rat fibroblasts (3Y1 cells) upon transformation by Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) was investigated by immunofluorescence microscopy. In serum-containing culture medium, 3Y1 cells developed focal adhesions as their main adhesive structures, while BY1 cells expressed peculiar close contacts along the cell periphery with the vitronectin receptor integrin, in addition to podosomes. These peripheral close contacts are referred to as the peripheral adhesions. The peripheral adhesions were observed as a darker region than podosomes by interference reflection microscopy. They were more easily destroyed by incubating the cells with RGD-containing peptide than were the focal adhesions. In contrast to focal adhesions and podosomes, actin bundles were not detected within the peripheral adhesions, where pp60v-src and tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins accumulated. Expression of the integrin was determined by the substratum composition when BY1 cells were cultured in serum-free culture medium. Under such conditions, BY1 cells expressed the peripheral adhesions within 3 hours on adhesion molecule-coated glass. On the other hand, in serum-containing medium, they first developed focal adhesions transiently at their early stage of adhesion, and then the peripheral adhesions were predominantly expressed within 12 hours. Podosomes were formed in a time course similar to that of the peripheral adhesions. These findings suggest that the peripheral adhesion is a class of stable adhesive structure distinct from the focal adhesion or podosome of BY1 cells. Similar close contact-type peripheral adhesions with the integrin were also observed in a variety of cultured cells such as normal fibroblasts at their logarithmic growth phase, phorbol ester-treated fibroblasts, and several malignant tumor cells, with poorly organized focal adhesions and stress fibers. These findings further suggest that the peripheral adhesions may be widely involved in the adhesion of cells that inadequately develop stress fibers and focal adhesions.

Avian integrin alpha v subunit associates with multiple beta subunits and shows tissue-specific variation in its association.

Integrins are heterodimeric cell surface receptors involved in cell adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins and in cell-cell interactions. RGD peptide-specific integrin subunit alpha v and its associated beta subunits were isolated by GRGDSPK-Sepharose affinity chromatography. Using Western blot and immunoprecipitation techniques, the nature of this integrin complexity in the avian system was studied in comparison with that of the human system. As found in human cell systems, in chicken embryo fibroblasts the integrin alpha v subunit is associated with both the 90-kDa beta 3 and the 110-kDa beta 1-like subunits with high specific binding to RGD peptides. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation studies revealed the presence of an unidentified 120-kDa subunit and an 85-kDa beta 5 subunit associated with the alpha v subunit in these cells. No qualitative differences were observed in the beta subunit profile associated with alpha v, as a function of the proliferating nonconfluent or nonproliferating confluent states of the embryonic fibroblast cultures. In adult chicken gizzard, a 110-kDa beta 1-like subunit and a 90-kDa subunit that does not cross-react with anti-H-beta 3 and anti-H-beta 5 are associated with the alpha v subunit. The structure of the novel 120-kDa subunit found in the embryonic fibroblasts and the 90-kDa subunit found in adult chicken gizzard and the ligand specificities of these novel combinations of alpha v are not known at present, but these integrins are RGD specific. It is hypothesized that embryonic fibroblasts, being the primordial proliferating cells, display a wider spectrum of alpha v-associated beta subunits, whose expression may progressively be restricted or highly reduced in favor of one or more beta subunits in subsequent progenies as differentiation progresses.

Mycobacterium avium-M. intracellulare binds to the integrin receptor alpha v beta 3 on human monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages.

Mycobacterium avium-M. intracellulare is an intracellular pathogen responsible for the highest incidence of disseminated bacterial infection in patients with AIDS. Treatment of the infection is difficult and has been of limited efficacy. Attachment of the organism to macrophages is a critical early step in the establishment of the disease. In the present study, we isolated and identified a receptor that mediates attachment of M. avium-M. intracellulare to human peripheral blood monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages. On Western blotting, (immunoblotting), the receptor was found to cross-react with antibodies against a human vitronectin receptor (alpha v beta 3). The receptor could be purified from monocyte extracts by using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the alpha v subunit of vitronectin receptor coupled to CNBr-Sepharose 4B, as well as with the adhesive tripeptide sequence arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) coupled to CNBr-Sepharose 4B. Surface-bound MAbs directed against alpha v beta 3 were found to inhibit the attachment of M. avium-M. intracellulare to monocyte-derived macrophages in an in vitro inhibition assay, while MAbs directed against CD14, CD18, alpha 2 beta 1 and platelet glycoprotein gpIIb/IIIa receptors did not inhibit this attachment. These observations suggest that alpha v beta 3 on the surface of human monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages may function as a receptor for M. avium-M. intracellulare. Identification of a receptor for M. avium-M. intracellulare on macrophages may offer new approaches to the prevention and control of M. avium-M. intracellulare infection at the cellular level.

Inhibition of bovine gingival laminin receptor by bacterial lipopolysaccharide.

A laminin receptor was isolated from bovine gingival epithelial-cell membrane. After solubilization with octylglucoside, the receptor was subjected to affinity chromatography on laminin-coupled Sepharose and eluted with cation-free EDTA buffer yielding on SDS-PAGE a 67 kDa protein band. After radioiodination, the protein was incorporated into liposomes which displayed specific affinity towards laminin-coated surfaces, as well as to tooth cementum. The binding of receptor protein to cementum was inhibited by lipopolysaccharide from Bacteroides gingivalis. Preincubation of cementum with the lipopolysaccharide decreased the binding of the liposomal laminin-receptor preparation by 35.8%, while a 59.2% decrease in binding occurred when the lipopolysaccharide was preincubated with the receptor, suggesting that the lipopolysaccharide interfered with the laminin binding site on the receptor. The results demonstrate the existence of a specific gingival cell-surface laminin receptor, show that it is capable of binding to cementum, and provide evidence for the disruption of this process by bacterial lipopolysaccharide. This mechanism may account for the loss of gingival attachment in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.