phenylmercuric-acetate and Arthritis--Rheumatoid

Progressive destruction of articular cartilage is a hallmark of osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Age-related changes in cartilage may influence tissue destruction and thus progression of the disease. Therefore, the effect of age-related accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on cartilage susceptibility to proteolytic degradation by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) present in synovial fluid (SF) of OA and RA patients was studied.. Cartilage was incubated with APMA-activated SF obtained from OA or RA patients, and tissue degradation was assessed by colorimetric measurement of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) release. Cartilage degradation was related to the level of AGEs in cartilage from donors of different ages (33-83 years) and in cartilage with in vitro-enhanced AGE levels (by incubation with ribose). MMP activity in SF was measured using a fluorogenic substrate. AGE levels were assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography measurement of the glycation product pentosidine.. In cartilage from donors ages 33-83 years, a strong correlation was found between the age-related increase in pentosidine and the decrease in MMP-mediated tissue degradation (r = -0.74, P < 0.0005). Multiple regression analysis showed pentosidine to be the strongest predictor of the decreased GAG release (P < 0.0005); age did not contribute (P > 0.8). In addition, decreased MMP-mediated GAG release was proportional to increased pentosidine levels after in vitro enhancement of glycation (r = -0.27, P < 0.01). This was demonstrated for both OA and RA SF (for control versus glycated, P < 0.002 for all SF samples tested).. Increased cartilage AGEs resulted in decreased cartilage degradation by MMPs from SF, indicating that aged cartilage is less sensitive than young cartilage to MMP-mediated cartilage degradation, such as occurs in OA and RA. Therefore, the level of cartilage glycation may influence the progression of these diseases.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Animals; Arginine; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Cartilage, Articular; Cattle; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Glycosaminoglycans; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Knee Joint; Lysine; Matrix Metalloproteinases; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Phenylmercuric Acetate; Ribose; Synovial Fluid

The zymogens of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1: tissue collagenase), MMP-2 (gelatinase/type IV collagenase) and MMP-3 (stromelysin) were purified from the culture medium of human rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts and the mechanisms of activation of each zymogen by proteinases and 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA) were studied by kinetic and sequence analyses. The treatment of proMMP-1 (M(r) = 52,000) with proteinases or APMA converted the zymogen to M(r) = 43,000, but it exhibited only 14-25% of the maximal activity. Incubation of a partially active MMP-1 with MMP-3 resulted in rapid, full activation by generating the 41,000-M(r) MMP-1 with Phe81 as the NH2-terminus. MMP-3 directly activated proMMP-1 by cleaving the Gln80-Phe81 bond, but this reaction was extremely slow, indicating that the Gln80-Phe81 bond is not readily available to MMP-3 in the native proMMP-1 molecule. ProMMP-2 (M(r) = 72,000) was activated only by APMA, but not by proteinases. The activation by APMA was rapid and generated an active MMP-2 of M(r) 68,000, but the enzymic activity declined rapidly after activation by autolysis. The NH2-terminal sequence analysis of active MMP-2 indicated that the Asn80-Tyr81 bond was cleaved upon APMA treatment. In contrast, proMMP-3 (M(r) = 57,000) was activated by a variety of proteinases with different specificities. The initial attacks of these proteinases are on a stretch of highly charged groups at the position 34-39 in the propeptide.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Collagenases; Endopeptidases; Enzyme Activation; Enzyme Precursors; Fibroblasts; Humans; Matrix Metalloproteinase 1; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Metalloendopeptidases; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Weight; Phenylmercuric Acetate; Sequence Alignment; Synovial Fluid

Topics: Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Artifacts; Chromatography, Affinity; Collagenases; Enzyme Activation; Glycoproteins; Humans; Phenylmercuric Acetate; Synovial Fluid; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases

Topics: Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Collagenases; Enzyme Activation; Fibroblasts; Humans; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Metalloendopeptidases; Molecular Weight; Monocytes; Neoplasm Proteins; Phenylmercuric Acetate; Substrate Specificity; Synovial Fluid; Trypsin

The treatment of crude culture medium from human rheumatoid synovial cells with 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA) or trypsin results in the activation of procollagenase. This process was shown to be dependent on the presence of matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3). MMP-3 can directly activate procollagenase without changing the apparent molecular weight of procollagenase. This activity was accelerated in the presence of APMA. We propose that MMP-3 plays an important role in connective tissue destruction through the activation of procollagenase in addition to its direct action on components of the extracellular matrix.

Topics: Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Cells, Cultured; Collagenases; Enzyme Activation; Enzyme Precursors; Humans; Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; Metalloendopeptidases; Microbial Collagenase; Molecular Weight; Phenylmercuric Acetate; Synovial Membrane; Trypsin

Two active forms (Mr 45,000 and 28,000) of a metalloendopeptidase that digest proteoglycans and other extracellular matrix components of connective tissues have previously been purified from rheumatoid synovial cells and characterized [Okada, Nagase & Harris (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 14245-14255]. To study the mechanisms of activation the precursor of this metalloendopeptidase has now been purified. The final products are homogeneous on SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and identified as a set of zymogens of Mr 57,000 and 59,000, in which the latter form is probably the product of post-translational glycosylation of the Mr 57,000 zymogen, as it binds to concanavalin A. The zymogen can be activated by trypsin, chymotrypsin, plasma kallikrein, plasmin and thermolysin, but not by thrombin. Although the activated metalloendopeptidase is further degraded by trypsin, plasma kallikrein and thermolysin during a prolonged incubation, it is relatively stable against plasmin and chymotrypsin. Activation with 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate is dependent on its concentration. It requires the reaction with the zymogen, possibly through thiol groups, and the continued presence of the agent. During this treatment the zymogen undergoes a sequential processing; first it becomes active without changing its apparent molecular mass, and then it is processed to low-Mr species of Mr 46,000, 45,000 (HMM) and 28,000 (LMM). The rate of conversion of the precursor into an initial intermediate of Mr 46,000 follows first-order kinetics (t1/2 2.0 h with 1.5 mM-4-amino-phenylmercuric acetate at 37 degrees C) and is independent of the initial concentration of the zymogen or the presence of up to a 676-fold molar excess of substrate, whereas the generation of HMM and LMM species is affected by these parameters. These results indicate that activation of the prometalloendopeptidase by an organomercurial compound is initiated by the molecular perturbation of the zymogen that results in conversion into the 46,000-Mr intermediate by an intramolecular action; the subsequent processing of this intermediate in HMM and LMM species is a bimolecular reaction. In vivo it is probable that the precursor of this metalloendopeptidase is activated either by direct limited proteolysis by tissue or plasma endopeptidases, or, alternatively, by factors that cause certain conformational changes in the zymogen molecule.

Topics: Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Endopeptidases; Enzyme Activation; Enzyme Precursors; Fibroblasts; Humans; Kinetics; Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; Metalloendopeptidases; Phenylmercuric Acetate; Protein Conformation; Sulfhydryl Reagents; Synovial Fluid; Trypsin

Human rheumatoid synovial cells in culture stimulated with the conditioned culture medium of rabbit macrophages secrete three distinct latent metalloproteinases. One of them, a proteinase that digests proteoglycan and other connective tissue matrix components, was purified as two active forms after activation with 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate. The two forms were homogeneous on sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis with Mr = 45,000 and Mr = 28,000, whereas the latent precursor was estimated to have Mr = 51,000 by gel permeation chromatography. Both active enzymes had optimal activity at pH 7.5-7.8 and were inhibited by EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline but not by inhibitors for cysteine, serine, or aspartic proteinases. Removal of Ca2+ from the enzyme solution resulted in a complete loss of activity that could be fully restored by the addition of 1 mM Ca2+. The activity of the apoenzyme was restored by the addition of 0.5 mM Zn2+, 5 mM Co2+, or 5 mM Mn2+ in the presence of Ca2+ but not by each metal ion alone. The identical digestion patterns of reduced, carboxymethylated protein substrates indicated that both active forms of the enzyme have the same substrate specificity. The enzyme degraded cartilage proteoglycans, type I gelatin, type IV collagen, laminin, and fibronectin, and removed the NH2-terminal propeptides from chick type I procollagen. This enzyme may play a role in the normal turnover of the connective tissue matrix as well as in the joint destruction of chronic synovitis.

Topics: Animals; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Calcium; Cobalt; Connective Tissue; Culture Media; Edetic Acid; Endopeptidases; Extracellular Matrix; Fibroblasts; Humans; Lead; Macrophages; Manganese; Metalloendopeptidases; Molecular Weight; Phenanthrolines; Phenylmercuric Acetate; Protease Inhibitors; Proteoglycans; Rabbits; Synovial Membrane; Zinc