title: An assay for galactosyltransferase-I activity in articular cartilage.
abstract: UDP-D-Galactose:D-xylose galactosyltransferase (Galactosyltransferase-I) is an enzyme involved in the synthesis of the linkage region of chondroitin sulfate. Measurement of galactosyltransferase-I in mature articular cartilage has depended on milling such tissue in liquid nitrogen to break open the cells and enable interaction of exogenous substrates with galactosyltransferase-I. This process requires large amounts (approximately 1 g wet wt) of cartilage. This paper reports the development of an assay for galactosyltransferase-I in articular cartilage where 10-25 mg (wet wt) of the tissue was extracted with a buffer containing the detergent Thesit. This assay was more time efficient, required less tissue, and was linear for up to 6 h. It was effective on both mature bovine articular cartilage and embryonic chick epiphyseal cartilage, detecting 100 and 68% of total galactosyltransferase-I activity, respectively. The higher number of measurements available allowed kinetic studies to be conducted on bovine articular cartilage explant cultures under conditions of up- and down-regulation. Incubation with fetal calf serum resulted in an increase in galactosyltransferase-I activity. Galactosyltransferase-I activity, however, did not change markedly in cartilage cultured in the absence of fetal calf serum or in the presence of cycloheximide. A soluble preparation of galactosyltransferase-I, extracted from bovine articular cartilage using Thesit, eluted from a Superose-6 column, with a molecular mass of about 55 kDa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Handley
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000201:enzymology*; D002417:Cattle; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003470:Culture Media; D046508:Culture Techniques; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D003902:Detergents; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D005700:Galactosyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D000077423:Polidocanol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D003902:Detergents; D000077423:Polidocanol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D003513:Cycloheximide; D005700:Galactosyltransferases; C063053:xylosylprotein 4-beta-galactosyltransferase