Isolated Matrix Vesicles Research Articles

Calcific Tendonitis : A Model

Calcific tendonitis is a common clinical condition associated with high rates of tendon rupture, prolonged symptoms, and poor response to therapy. Little is known about the pathogenesis of calcifications in tendons and consequently few effective therapies are available. We hypothesized that tendon calcification, like pathologic calcification in other sites, was generated by extracellular organelles known as matrix vesicles and that isolated matrix vesicles would constitute the basis for a useful model of this process. Tendon matrix vesicles were isolated from adult porcine patellar tendons using enzymatic digestion and differential centrifugation. Vesicle morphology was examined with electron microscopy. Levels of calcium, phosphate, pyrophosphate, ATP, and mineralization-associated enzymes were measured and compared with articular cartilage vesicles from porcine articular cartilage. Vesicles were embedded in agarose gels with or without type I collagen or dermatan sulfate and incubated in calcifying salt solution trace labeled with 45calcium. 45Calcium in the vesicle fraction was measured after 5–7 days. The type of mineral formed was determined by micro-x-ray diffraction. Matrix vesicles isolated from adult porcine tendon were similar morphologically to those obtained from articular cartilage. They contained mineralization-related enzymes and formed hydroxyapatite mineral in vitro. Mineralization was suppressed by levamisole and modulated by extracellular matrix components. Matrix vesicles isolated from tendons mineralize in vitro. This model may aid in the study of the pathogenesis of calcific tendonitis as well as serve as a means to identify effective therapies for this common disorder.

A simple and non-radioactive technique to study the effect of monophosphoesters on matrix vesicle-mediated calcification

A simple and non-radioactive technique based on O-cresolpthalein complexone assay was developed to study in vitro non-radioactive calcium (40Ca) deposition by isolated matrix vesicles. Using this technique, the effect of various phosphoester substrates including ATP, AMP and β-GP on in vitro MV-calcification was studied. O-cresolpthalein complexone assay with non-radioactive calcium demonstrated that AMP or β-GP were more effective in promoting calcium deposition by isolated MVs than ATP. The application of this non-radioactive technique, which is highly sensitive and simple, would offer a useful alternative approach to the routinely used radiometric biomineralization assay which employs radioactive 45Ca.

1α,25(OH)2D3 Regulates Chondrocyte Matrix Vesicle Protein Kinase C (PKC) Directly via G-protein-dependent Mechanisms and Indirectly via Incorporation of PKC during Matrix Vesicle Biogenesis

Matrix vesicles are extracellular organelles involved in mineral formation that are regulated by 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3). Prior studies have shown that protein kinase C (PKC) activity is involved in mediating the effects of 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3) in both matrix vesicles and plasma membranes. Here, we examined the regulation of matrix vesicle PKC by 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3) during biogenesis and after deposition in the matrix. When growth zone costochondral chondrocytes were treated for 9 min with 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3), PKCzeta in matrix vesicles was inhibited, while PKCalpha in plasma membranes was increased. In contrast, after treatment for 12 or 24 h, PKCzeta in matrix vesicles was increased, while PKCalpha in plasma membranes was unchanged. The effect of 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3) was stereospecific and metabolite-specific. Monensin blocked the increase in matrix vesicle PKC after 24 h, suggesting the secosteroid-regulated packaging of PKC. In addition, the 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3) membrane vitamin D receptor (1,25-mVDR) was involved, since a specific antibody blocked the 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3)-dependent changes in PKC after both long and short treatment times. In contrast, antibodies to annexin II had no effect, and there was no evidence for the presence of the nuclear VDR on Western blots. To investigate the signaling pathways involved in regulating matrix vesicle PKC activity after biosynthesis, matrix vesicles were isolated and then treated for 9 min with 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3) in the presence and absence of specific inhibitors. Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C, phospholipase D, or G(i)/G(s) had no effect. However, inhibition of G(q) blocked the effect of 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3). The rapid effect of 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3) also involved the 1,25-mVDR. Moreover, arachidonic acid was found to stimulate PKC when added directly to isolated matrix vesicles. These results indicate that matrix vesicle PKC is regulated by 1alpha,25(OH)(2)D(3) at three levels: 1) during matrix vesicle biogenesis; 2) through direct action on the membrane; and 3) through production of other factors such as arachidonic acid.

Changes in Phospholipid Extractability and Composition Accompany Mineralization of Chicken Growth Plate Cartilage Matrix Vesicles

Matrix vesicles are lipid bilayer-enclosed structures that initiate extracellular mineral formation. Little attention has been given to how newly formed mineral interacts with the lipid constituents and then emerges from the lumen. To explore whether specific lipids bind to the incipient mineral and if breakdown of the membrane is involved, we analyzed changes in lipid composition and extractability during vesicle-induced calcification. Isolated matrix vesicles were incubated in synthetic cartilage lymph to induce mineral formation. At various times, samples of the lipids were taken for analysis, extracted both before and after demineralization to remove deposited mineral. Phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol both rapidly disappeared from extracts made before decalcification, indicating rapid degradation. However, extracts made after demineralization revealed that phosphatidylserine had become complexed with newly forming mineral. Concomitantly, its levels actually increased, apparently by base-exchange with phosphatidylethanolamine. Though partially complexed with the mineral, phosphatidylinositol was nevertheless rapidly broken down. Sphingomyelin and phosphatidylethanolamine also underwent rapid breakdown, but phosphatidylcholine was degraded more slowly, all accompanied by a buildup of free fatty acids. The data indicate that phosphatidylserine forms complexes that accompany mineral formation, while degradation of other membrane phospholipids apparently enables egress of crystalline mineral from the vesicle lumen.

A novel in vitro culture system for analysis of functional role of phosphate transport in endochondral ossification

In vivo expression of the type III sodium-dependent phosphate transporter (NaPiT) Glvr-1 during endochondral ossification, suggests a functional role for inorganic phosphate (Pi) transport in cartilage calcification. For further analysis of this relationship, an in vitro model of endochondral ossification is required. In this context, we investigated the characteristics of Pi transport in the new chondrogenic cell line ATDC5 in relation to extracellular matrix (ECM) formation and mineralization. Pi uptake in ATDC-5 cells and in isolated matrix vesicles (MVs) is mediated by an Na-dependent Pi transporter with a pH dependency characteristic of a type III Pi carrier (lower activity at alkaline pH). Northern blot analysis indicated that ATDC-5 cells express Glvr-1 transcripts during the various stages of their maturation with a maximal level during the proliferating stage. In isolated MVs, Pi transport activity was maximal at day 21, concomitant with the beginning of type X collagen messenger RNA expression. These events preceded the initiation of matrix mineralization, which was apparent at day 25, and then gradually increased until day 47. This temporal relationship between maximal Pi transport activity in MVs and the expression of a marker of mineralizing chondrocytes is compatible with the possible involvement of Pi transport in the ECM calcification observed in ATDC-5 cell cultures. In conclusion, these observations suggest that ATCD-5 cells in culture represent a promising model for the analysis of a functional role of Pi transport in the initial events of endochondral ossification.

1,25-(OH) 2D 3 modulates growth plate chondrocytes via membrane receptor-mediated protein kinase C by a mechanism that involves changes in phospholipid metabolism and the action of arachidonic acid and PGE 2

1,25-(OH) 2D 3 (1,25) exerts its effects on growth plate chondrocytes through classical vitamin D (VDR) receptor-dependent mechanisms, resulting in mineralization of the extracellular matrix. Recent studies have shown that membrane-mediated mechanisms are involved as well. 1,25 targets cells in the prehypertrophic and upper hypertrophic zones of the costochondral cartilage growth plate (GC cells), resulting in increased specific activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). At the cellular level, 1,25 action results in rapid changes in arachidonic acid (AA) release and re-incorporation, alterations in membrane fluidity and Ca ion flux, and increased prostaglandin E 1 and E 2 (PGE 2) production. Protein kinase C (PKC) is activated in a phospholipase C (PLC) dependent-mechanism, due in part to the increased production of diacylglycerol (DAG). In addition, AA acts directly on the cell to increase PKC specific activity. AA also provides a substrate for cyclooxygenase (COX), resulting in PGE 2 production. 1,25 mediates its effects through COX-1, the constitutive enzyme, but not COX-2, the inducible enzyme. Time course studies using specific inhibitors of COX-1 show that AA stimulates PKC activity and PKC then stimulates PGE 2 production. PGE 2 acts as a mediator of 1,25 action on the cells, also stimulating PKC activity. The rapid effects of 1,25 on PKC are nongenomic, occurring within 3 min and reaching maximal activation by 9 min. It promotes translocation of PKC to the plasma membrane. When 1,25 is incubated directly with isolated plasma membranes, PKCα is stimulated although PKCζ is also present. In contrast, when isolated matrix vesicles (MVs) are incubated with 1,25, PKCζ is inhibited and PKCα is unaffected. These membrane-mediated effects are due to the presence of a specific membrane vitamin D receptor (mVDR) that is distinct from the classical cytosolic VDR. Studies using 1,25 analogs with reduced binding affinity for the classical VDR, confirm that rapid activation of PKC by 1,25 is not VDR dependent. The membrane-mediated effects of 1,25 are critical to the regulation of events in the extracellular matrix produced by the chondrocytes. MVs are extracellular organelles associated with maturation of the matrix, preparing it for mineralization. MV composition is under genomic control, involving VDR-mechanisms. In the matrix, no new gene expression or protein synthesis can occur, however. Differential distribution of PKC isoforms and their nongenomic regulation by 1,25 is one way for the chondrocyte to control events at sites distant from the cell. GC cells contain 1α-hydroxylase and produce 1,25; this production is regulated by 1,25, 24,25, and dexamethasone. 1,25 stimulates MMPs in the MVs, resulting in increased proteoglycan degradation in mineralization gels, and increased activation of latent transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1).

Effect of 17β-estradiol on chondrocyte membrane fluidity and phospholipid metabolism is membrane-specific, sex-specific, and cell maturation-dependent

In this study we examined the hypothesis that 17β-estradiol exerts both rapid and direct, nongenomic effects on cells in the endochondral pathway. To do this, we used a cell culture model in which chondrocytes at two distinct stages of cell maturation are isolated from the costochondral cartilage of male and female rats, and examined the short-term effect of 17α- and 17β-estradiol on [ 14C]arachidonic acid turnover in the cell layer and phospholipase A 2 specific activity in plasma membranes and extracellular matrix vesicles isolated from similarly prepared cultures. In addition, the effect of 17α- and 17β-estradiol on plasma membrane and matrix vesicle membrane fluidity was assessed. The effect of hormone on arachidonic acid turnover was rapid, time- and concentration-dependent, stereo-specific, and cell maturation-specific. Only resting zone cells from female rats were affected, and only 17β-estradiol elicited a response. Similarly, only female rat resting zone chondrocytes exhibited a change in phospholipase A 2 activity after a 24 h exposure to hormone, causing an increase in enzyme activity in the matrix vesicles, but not plasma membranes. When isolated membranes were incubated directly with hormone, membrane fluidity was decreased in both plasma membranes and matrix vesicles isolated from female rat resting zone chondrocyte cultures. This nongenomic effect was dose-dependent and stereo-specific and differentially expressed in the two membrane fractions with respect to time course and magnitude of response. These results support the hypothesis that 17β-estradiol has a rapid action on chondrocyte membrane lipid metabolism and suggest that specific membrane components, characteristic of a particular sex and state of cell maturation, are involved in the nongenomic effects of this sex hormone on isolated matrix vesicles and plasma membranes.

The ultrastructure and calcification of matrix vesicles in osteoarthritic articular cartilage

Osteoarthritis progresses through the abrasion of articular cartilage and associated changes, such as those in calcification. In this study, initial cartilage calcification was examined by electron microscopy with microwave fixation to preserve the matrix vesicles. We developed a procedure for the separation of functionally active matrix vesicles from the osteoarthritic cartilage. Isolated matrix vesicles bound with unit membranes possessed osmiophilic properties and were filled with much protein content. Calcium content in matrix vesicle fractions was extremely high compared to that of phosphate content. Elution profiles of the matrix vesicles showed rich calcium content, moderate activity of alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase in a high molecular weight area. The matrix vesicles in osteoarthritis accumulated large amounts of calcium and moderate amounts of phosphate prior to the appearance of crystals.

Mechanisms of initiating calcification. ATP-stimulated Ca- and Pi-depositing activity of isolated matrix vesicles

Mechanisms of initiating calcification. ATP-stimulated Ca- and Pi-depositing activity of isolated matrix vesicles

Nongenomic regulation of extracellular matrix events by vitamin D metabolites.

Vitamin D metabolites appear to regulate chondrocytes and osteoblasts via a combination of genomic and nongenomic mechanisms. Specificity of the nongenomic response to either 1,25-(OH)2D3 or 24,25-(OH)2D3 may be conferred by the chemical composition of the target membrane and its fluid mosaic structure, by the presence of specific membrane receptors, or by the interaction with classic vitamin D receptors. Nongenomic effects have been shown to include changes in membrane fluidity, fatty acid acylation and reacylation, arachidonic acid metabolism and prostaglandin production, calcium ion flux, and protein kinase C activity. Chondrocytes metabolize 25-(OH)D3 to 1,25-(OH)2D3 and 24,25-(OH)2D3; production of these metabolites is regulated by both growth factors and hormones and is dependent on the state of cell maturation. 1,25-(OH)2D3 and 24,25-(OH)2D3 may interact directly with extracellular matrix vesicles to regulate their function in the matrix, including protease activity, resulting in matrix modification and calcification. Isolated matrix vesicles, produced by growth zone chondrocytes, can activate latent transforming growth factor-beta when incubated with exogenous 1,25-(OH)2D3. These observations suggest that nongenomic regulation of matrix vesicle structure and function may be a mechanism by which mesenchymal cells, like osteoblasts and chondrocytes, may modulate events in the extracellular matrix at sites distant from the cell surface.

Nongenomic regulation of chondrocyte membrane fluidity by 1,25-(OH) 2D 3 and 24,25-(OH) 2D 3 is dependent on cell maturation

1,25-(OH) 2D 3 and 24,25-(OH) 2D 3 regulate rat costochondral chondrocyte cultures in a metabolite-specific manner; 1,25-(OH) 2D 3 targets primarily growth zone cells (GC) and 24,25-(OH) 2D 3 targets primarily resting zone cells (RC). Some of the effects are nongenomic, since incubation of isolated membrane fractions with the metabolites results in regulation of enzyme activities comparable to that seen in culture. This study examined whether changes in membrane fluidity might be one mechanism involved in the nongenomic regulatory pathway. Chondrocyte cultures were incubated with the vitamin D metabolites and changes in plasma membrane fluidity monitored using the fluorophore, TMA-DPH, which is specific for membranes exposed to external fluids. Isolated matrix vesicles were also incubated directly with the metabolites and anisotropy of the membrane, as well as alkaline phosphatase-specific activity, determined. 1,25-(OH) 2D 3 caused a rapid and constant increase in alkaline phosphatase-specific activity in GC matrix vesicles; 24,25-(OH) 2D 3 caused an increase in RC matrix vesicle enzyme activity that was both dose- and time-dependent. Matrix vesicles produced by GC had a lower degree of fluidity than their parent plasma membranes or RC plasma membranes and matrix vesicles. Fluidity of the GC membrane fractions was increased by 1,25-(OH) 2D 3 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. 1,25-(OH) 2D 3 had no effect on the fluidity of the RC membranes. 24,25-(OH) 2D 3 caused a decrease in fluidity in GC at later time points. This metabolite caused an increase in fluidity of RC plasma membranes that returned to normal levels by 6 h; however, the increase induced in the matrix vesicles remained elevated throughout the 24-h experimental period. The results demonstrate that vitamin D metabolites can alter membrane fluidity in a cell-, metabolite-, and membrane-specific manner. For GC matrix vesicles, 1,25-(OH) 2D 3-dependent increased fluidity correlates with increased alkaline phosphatase activity. While 24,25-(OH) 2D 3 increases enzyme activity, the relation of this increase to changes in fluidity is less clear, supporting previous observations concerning differential specificity of response to the two metabolites in growth plate chondrocytes.

Regulation of matrix vesicle phospholipid metabolism is cell maturation-dependent

We have developed a chondrocyte culture model for assessing the regulation of matrix vesicles at two different stages of chondrogenic maturation. These chondrocytes, resting zone (RC) and growth zone (GC), retain their phenotypic markers in culture, including production of matrix vesicles with distinctive lipid compositions and enzyme activities. Isolated matrix vesicles incubated in vitro with 1,25-(OH)2D3 (1,25) or 24,25-(OH)2D3 (24,25) respond differentially. 1,25 stimulates phospholipase A2 (PA2) in GC vesicles, but not on those from RC. 24,25 inhibits PA2 in RC vesicles, but has no effect on GC. PA2 activity is required for fatty acid turnover and is the rate-limiting step in prostaglandin production. Plasma membrane phospholipids are more susceptible to the release of arachidonic acid by PA2 than are matrix vesicle phospholipids. Matrix vesicles are distinct from the plasma membrane in terms of lipid composition and arachidonic acid incorporation. 1,25 and 24,25 stimulate arachidonic acid turnover in their target cells, but by different mechanisms. 1,25 has no effect on arachidonic acid turnover in RC; however, 24,25 inhibits turnover in RC and GC. 1,25 and 24,25 also affect isolated matrix vesicle membrane fluidity. These results suggest that vitamin D metabolites modulate PA2 activity, change the composition of membrane phospholipids by altering fatty acid composition, and affect calcium transport. The effects are mediated by altering membrane fluidity and is dependent on the stage of cell differentiation.

Further studies on ATP-mediated CA deposition by isolated matrix vesicles

Summary ATP at serum levels can support matrix vesicle-mediated Ca deposition even though the Ca × P ion product is held at physiological levels

骨端軟骨部の基質小胞に関する酵素学的研究

Matrix vesicles are membrane invested vesicles that initiate mineralization in the extracellular matrix of various calcifying tissues. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) has been used as the marker enzyme of matrix vesicles, because matrix vesicles isolated from mineralizing tissues contain very high level of ALP in association with the plasma membrane of the cell. However, ALP is unsuitable as the marker enzyme of matrix vesicles because of its localization not only in the plasma membrane but also in other subcellular organelle membranes. Recently lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes were found to be located in matrix vesicles of the epiphyseal growth plate of young rabbit leg bones [Hosokawa et al. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 10045-10047]. In the present study, identification of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes in matrix vesicles was carried out with use of the epiphyseal cartilages from 6 different mammals. In some mammals, enzymatic properties of matrix vesicles in the growth cartilages were compared with those in the resting cartilages. 1. Matrix vesicles were isolated from the epiphyseal growth plates of 6 different young mammalian (dog, cat, rat, chicken, pig and monkey) rib bones. LDH activities were detected in the isolated matrix vesicles only in the presence of Triton X-100 but not in the absence of Triton X-100, showing that LDH is located in the matrix of the matrix vesicles. 2. The epiphyseal cartilages of young rat rib bones were divided into the growth zone and the resting zone, followed by the isolation and identification of matrix vesicles after collagenase treatment. Matrix vesicles with both ALP and LDH were also detected in the growth zone but were not detected in the resting zone. In contrast and surprisingly, LDH containing vesicles without ALP were found in the resting zone but not in the growth zone. The same results were obtained with the growth and resting cartilages of other young mammalian (dog, pig and monkey) rib bones, suggesting that LDH containing vesicles without ALP are also present in all mammals including humans. 3. Chondrocytes were prepared from the growth zone and the resting zone of the epiphyseal cartilages of young rat rib bones, homogenized with isotonic solution and subjected to sucrose density gradient centrifugation. In each case, LDH activity was recovered only in the soluble top fraction and not in sediment, showing that LDH is present only in the cytosol of chondrocytes but not in the plasma membrane and intracellular organelles. The results show that LDH in the vesicles is not from the plasma membranes and the membranes of intracellular organelles. 4. In both the growth and resting zone cartilages of young rat rib bones, isoenzyme patterns of LDH in the two different vesicles were identical with those of cytosolic LDH of chondrocytes. 5. Other cytosolic enzymes such as aldolase, aspartate : 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase and alanine : 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase were not detected in the two different vesicles from the growth and resting cartilages, suggesting the presence of a mechanism for the specific uptake of cytosolic LDH.

Identification of Phospholipid-dependent Calcium-binding Proteins as Constituents of Matrix Vesicles

Uptake of mineral ions by isolated matrix vesicles (MV) incubated in synthetic cartilage lymph follows a consistent pattern. After an initial lag period, MV rapidly accumulate large amounts of Ca2+ and Pi before the appearance of crystalline mineral. The ability of MV to accumulate Ca2+ is readily destroyed by proteases, indicating that proteins are important in Ca2+ accumulation. Since MV contain significant amounts of phosphatidylserine (PS), an acidic phospholipid with affinity for Ca2+, it seemed probable that this lipid might also contribute to Ca2+ binding. The development of methods for reproducible isolation of pure active MV enabled us to search for factors responsible for the rapid accumulation of Ca2+. Reported here are studies which reveal that a set of intensely staining MV proteins, extractable with EGTA, selectively bind to Ca2+, but only in the presence of acidic phospholipids. These 30-36-kDa proteins form readily sedimentable insoluble ternary complexes of protein, Ca2+, and lipid in the presence of low levels of Ca2+. With liposomes composed of PS, alone or in combination with phosphatidylethanolamine, submicromolar levels of Ca2+ or certain other divalent cations, but not Mg2+, are sufficient to form the complexes. The physical and chemical properties of these MV proteins appear to be like those of the calpactin family of membrane-associated proteins. In fact, these MV proteins were found to cross-react with antibodies to calpactin II. Thus, calpactins appear to be important protein constituents of avian growth plate MV. This finding helps explain the enrichment in PS previously noted in MV and may also point to the mechanism by which MV rapidly accumulate Ca2+.

Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes are present in matrix vesicles.

Matrix vesicles were isolated from epiphyseal growth plates of young rabbits. Lactate dehydrogenase activity was detected in the isolated matrix vesicles only in the presence of detergents, suggesting that NADH, the cofactor for the assay, does not penetrate the membrane of matrix vesicles. In contrast, the activity of alkaline phosphatase, a marker enzyme of the outer surface of matrix vesicles, was detected in the matrix vesicles using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as the substrate both in the presence and absence of detergents. Lactate dehydrogenase activity was detected only in the cytosol of chondrocytes of the epiphyseal growth plates but not in other subcellular fractions, showing that lactate dehydrogenase is not from the plasma membrane and membranes of intracellular organelles of chondrocytes. The isolated matrix vesicles contained all five lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes but did not possess other cytosolic enzymes. These results show that lactate dehydrogenase is located in the matrix vesicles and suggest the presence of a mechanism for the specific uptake of cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase and the possibility of enzymatic quantification of the matrix vesicles at various calcification sites.

Enhancement by calcium β-glycerophosphate of mineral formation by isolated matrix vesicles in a fibrin clot system

Enhancement by calcium β-glycerophosphate of mineral formation by isolated matrix vesicles in a fibrin clot system

The deposition of calcium pyrophosphate and phosphate by matrix vesicles isolated from fetal bovine epiphyseal cartilage.

Since calcium (Ca) deposition by isolated fetal bovine matrix vesicles is selectively supported by nucleoside triphosphate, and since the Ca deposits appear to be amorphous by transmission electron microscopy, attempts were made to study further the nature of these Ca deposits. Calcification of isolated matrix vesicles was allowed to occur in a calcifying medium in which either inorganic phosphate (Pi) or [gamma-P]ATP was labeled with 32P. 32P in Ca P (pyrophosphate) deposits were analyzed by a Dowex 1 X 10 anion exchange chromatography. The results of the analysis indicate that the (32P) radioactivity was mainly associated with Pi when Pi in the calcifying media was labeled with 32P. In contrast, 32P was found to be associated with inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) when [gamma-32P]ATP was used. Using a specific enzyme coupling assay for PPi, the presence of PPi in the Ca deposits was demonstrated. The amounts of Pi and PPi in the Ca deposits initiated by fetal calf matrix vesicles were found to be approximately equal. To exclude the possibility that the major part of PPi of Ca P deposit existed as adsorbed form, the deposition was performed under the conditions in which Pi was omitted from calcifying medium. The results of these experiments showed that substantial amount of PPi and Ca deposits remained the same and was not correlated to the amount of Pi in these deposits. In contrast, Pi of CaP was decreased if Pi was omitted from the calcifying medium. Thus, it appears that the major portion of PPi exists as mineral rather than adsorbed form.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Solubility properties of alkaline phosphatase from matrix vesicles

Alkaline phosphatase has been extracted from matrix vesicles of a calcifying cartilage with 0.15 M KCl, 0.4 M guanidinium chloride and 0.05 M deoxycholate/50% butanol mixture. The catalytic properties of the three extracts have been compared. Although the highest amount of enzyme activity is extracted with the latter reagent (55%), some of it is also extracted with KCl (11%) and guanidinium (7%). By submitting isolated matrix vesicles to a short time sonication the distribution pattern of the alkaline phosphatase activity in the extracts is clearly modified, as the amount extracted with KCl increases from 14 to 50% and the portion extracted with deoxycholate decreases from 55 to 27% of the total enzyme activity of matrix vesicles. The enzymatic preparations were comparable on the basis of specific activities, affinity for the substrates ( p-nitrophenylphosphate, ATP), thermostability, sensitivity to inhibitors and activators. By electrofocusing a value of p I = 4.15 was found for the alkaline phosphatase of matrix vesicles independently of the extraction medium. These results contradict the concept that alkaline phosphatase is exclusively an intrinsic membrane protein.

Electron microscopic localization of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-hydrolyzing activity in isolated matrix vesicles and reconstituted vesicles from calf cartilage.

The presence and distribution of adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity in isolated matrix vesicles and reconstituted vesicles from fetal calf epiphyseal growth plate cartilage was studied by electron microscopic cytochemical methods to determine whether phosphatase activity would be found concentrated on the inside or the outside of matrix vesicle membranes or on both sides, and whether reconstitution of vesicles from deoxycholate-solubilized substituents would lead to the reassembly of membranes with ATPase incorporated. ATPase activity was observed on both the outer and inner surfaces of the investing membranes of isolated matrix vesicles and reconstituted vesicles. A transmembrane location of ATPase could indicate phosphate transfer across the vesicle membrane. Orthophosphate released by phosphatase activity within the protected microenvironment of the matrix vesicle could combine with membrane- or lipid-bound calcium, known to be present in vesicles, to form the first hydroxyapatite mineral during calcification.