Val-Gly-Val-Ala-Pro-Gly, a repeating peptide in elastin, is chemotactic for fibroblasts and monocytes.
Recent studies have demonstrated that tropoelastin and elastin-derived peptides are chemotactic for fibroblasts and monocytes. To identify the chemotactic sites on elastin, we examined the chemotactic activity of Val-Gly-Val-Ala-Pro-Gly (VGVAPG), a repeating peptide in tropoelastin. We observed that VGVAPG was chemotactic for fibroblasts and monocytes, with optimal activity at approximately 10(-8) M, and that the chemotactic activity of VGVAPG was substantial (half or greater) relative to the maximum responses to other chemotactic factors such as platelet-derived growth factor for fibroblasts and formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine for monocytes. The possibility that at least part of the chemotactic activity in tropoelastin and elastin peptides is contained in VGVAPG sequences was supported by the following: (a) polyclonal antibody to bovine elastin selectively blocked the fibroblast and monocyte chemotactic activity of both elastin-derived peptides and VGVAPG; (b) monocyte chemotaxis to VGVAPG was selectively blocked by preexposing the cells to elastin peptides; and (c) undifferentiated (nonelastin producing) bovine ligament fibroblasts, capable of chemotaxis to platelet-derived growth factor, did not show chemotactic responsiveness to either VGVAPG or elastin peptides until after matrix-induced differentiation and the onset of elastin synthesis. These studies suggest that small synthetic peptides may be able to reproduce the chemotactic activity associated with elastin-derived peptides and tropoelastin.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000187:drug effects; D004549:Elastin; D005333:Fetus; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008022:Ligaments; D009000:Monocytes / Q000502:physiology; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology
D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D009842:Oligopeptides; D004549:Elastin; C042635:valyl-glycyl-valyl-alanyl-prolyl-glycine