title: Link protein shows species variation in its susceptibility to proteolysis.
abstract: Human cartilage link protein exists as three native components, while equine, bovine, and porcine cartilage link protein exist as two and Swarm rat chondrosarcoma link protein exists as only one component. These nonhuman link protein components represent intact protein structures, and there is little evidence for proteolytically modified forms in nonhuman tissues. In human cartilage, the proteolytic production of modified link proteins increases with age, whereas high amounts of such products were not seen in the nonhuman tissues. However, the small amounts of link protein fragments that were observed in the nonhuman cartilages were of a similar size to their human counterparts. On digestion of human proteoglycan aggregate with stromelysin, rapid modification of the link protein components occurred, whereas the aggregates from nonhuman cartilages showed incomplete cleavage of their link protein components. The relative resistance of nonhuman link protein to stromelysin may in part be due to a unique amino acid substitution present near the enzymic cleave site.
authors.affiliation: Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cassidy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Neame
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Mort
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Roughley
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001344:Autopsy; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D002417:Cattle; D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000737:chemistry; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine; D000099249:Proteoglycan Link Protein
chemical_list: D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D011506:Proteins; D011509:Proteoglycans; D000099249:Proteoglycan Link Protein