title: Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan modulates the permeability of hyaluronan-containing coats around normal human mesothelial cells.
abstract: The composition and permeability of the pericellular coat surrounding normal human mesothelial (NHM) cells have been studied in vitro. NHM cells were grown in the presence of 3H-glucosamine and the amount of label recovered in hyaluronan and chondroitin sulfate was determined after selective enzymatic digestion of the polysaccharides in medium, pericellular, and intracellular pools. For comparison a similar analysis was carried out on mesothelioma cells (Mero-14). Of the labeled polysaccharides in the medium and pericellular pools of NHM cells about 80-90% could be ascribed to hyaluronan and only 3-5% to chondroitin sulfate. In contrast, Mero-14 synthesized only minute amounts of hyaluronan whereas chondroitin sulfate corresponded to 61% of the total glycosaminoglycans in the culture. The results exclude a structure of the pericellular layer of NHM cells similar to the hyaluronan-proteoglycan aggregates found in cartilage. The permeability of the pericellular layer was tested by the exclusion of polystyrene microspheres and bacteria of diameter 0.1-3.0 microns, as well as erythrocytes of diameter 7 microns. While the erythrocytes were excluded the smaller particles penetrated the coat. By adding 0.5 mg/ml of aggregating cartilage proteoglycan to the medium particles of 0.3 microns or larger were also excluded. Thus exogenous proteoglycans can reinforce the structure of the pericellular layer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Physiological Chemistry, University of Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heldin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Teder
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pertoft
mesh_terms: D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010539:Permeability
chemical_list: D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid