title: Extracellular depolymerization of hyaluronic acid in cultured human skin fibroblasts.
abstract: The chain length of [3H]hyaluronic acid synthesized by cultivating human skin fibroblasts in the presence of [3H]glucosamine was investigated. [3H]Hyaluronic acid obtained from the matrix fraction was excluded from a Sepharose CL-2B column irrespective of the incubation period, whereas that from the medium was depolymerized into a constant chain length (Mr = 40,000). The reducing and non-reducing terminals of the depolymerized hyaluronic acid were N-acetylglucosamine and glucuronic acid, respectively. Prolonged incubation produced no oligosaccharides as shown by examination of hyaluronidase digests, suggesting the presence of a novel endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase in cultured human skin fibroblasts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takagaki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endo
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D002854:Chromatography, Paper; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; D007700:Kinetics; D008970:Molecular Weight; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D014316:Tritium; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D006026:Glycoside Hydrolases; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase