title: Versican modulates embryonic chondrocyte morphology via the epidermal growth factor-like motifs in G3.
abstract: This investigation was designed to characterize the effect of the extracellular matrix molecule versican on chondrocyte morphology, using the well-studied chondrocyte cell culture system. When cultured chondrocytes reverted or "dedifferentiated" to a fibroblast-like morphology, we found that versican expression was significantly enhanced. Transfection of chondrocytes, isolated from embryonic chicken sterna, with a chicken miniversican construct accelerated the reversion process, while expression of an antisense construct inhibited it. A mutant miniversican lacking two epidermal growth factor-like motifs (versicanDeltaEGF) promoted differentiation, as shown by morphological changes and changes in the expression of other extracellular matrix molecules. A truncated versican mutant, the G3DeltaEGF, a G3 domain lacking its two epidermal growth factor-like motifs, also enhanced differentiation. This effect is related to G3DeltaEGF-induced change in cytoskeleton, since transfected cells exhibited misassembly of actin filaments. This article thus provides the first evidence that versican modulates chondrocyte morphology via changes in cytoskeletal structure, and may imply that extracellular matrix molecules play an important role in cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kiani
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D009024:Morphogenesis; D010590:Phalloidine / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014162:Transfection; D053675:Versicans
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D011509:Proteoglycans; C508322:VCAN protein, human; D053675:Versicans; D010590:Phalloidine; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor