title: Matrix Gla protein inhibits ectopic calcification by a direct interaction with hydroxyapatite crystals.
abstract: Mice lacking the gene encoding matrix gla protein (MGP) exhibit massive mineral deposition in blood vessels and die soon after birth. We hypothesize that MGP prevents arterial calcification by adsorbing to growing hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals. To test this, we have used a combined experimental-computational approach. We synthesized peptides covering the entire sequence of human MGP, which contains three sites of serine phosphorylation and five sites of γ-carboxylation, and studied their effects on HA crystal growth using a constant-composition autotitration assay. In parallel studies, the interactions of these sequences with the {100} and {001} faces of HA were analyzed using atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. YGlapS (amino acids 1-14 of human MGP) and SK-Gla (MGP43-56) adsorbed rapidly to the {100} and {001} faces and strongly inhibited HA growth (IC(50) = 2.96 μg/mL and 4.96 μg/mL, respectively). QR-Gla (MGP29-42) adsorbed more slowly and was a moderate growth inhibitor, while the remaining three (nonpost-translationally modified) peptides had little or no effect in either analysis. Substitution of gla with glutamic acid reduced the adsorption and inhibition activities of SK-Gla and (to a lesser extent) QR-Gla but not YGlapS; substitution of phosphoserine with serine reduced the inhibitory potency of YGlapS. These studies suggest that MGP prevents arterial calcification by a direct interaction with HA crystals that involves both phosphate groups and gla residues of the protein. The strong correlation between simulated adsorption and measured growth inhibition indicates that MD provides a powerful tool to predict the effects of proteins and peptides on crystal formation.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Young
authors.forename: Yinyin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Yizhi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jalkanen
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lajoie
authors.forename: Mikko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karttunen
authors.forename: Harvey A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Graeme K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization; D017886:Durapatite / Q000737:chemistry*; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D000097568:Matrix Gla Protein
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D017886:Durapatite; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D000097568:Matrix Gla Protein