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Engineering topics

Yamauchi, Mitsuo

Publications and source records attributed to Yamauchi, Mitsuo.

Lysine hydroxylation of collagen in a fibroblast cell culture system

The lysine (Lys) hydroxylation pattern of type I collagen produced by human fibroblasts in culture was analyzed and compared. Fibroblasts were cultured from normal human skin (NSF), keloid (KDF), fetal skin (FDF), and skin tissues of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIA and VIB patients (EDS-VIA and -VIB). The type I collagen alpha chains with or without non-helical telopeptides were purified from the insoluble matrix and analyzed. In comparison with NSFs, KDF and FDF showed significantly higher Lys hydroxylation, particularly in the telopeptide domains of both alpha chains. Both EDS-VIA and -VIB showed markedly lower Lys hydroxylation in the helical domains of both alpha chains whereas that in the telopeptides was comparable with those of NSFs. A similar profile was observed in the tissue sample of the EDS-VIB patient. These results demonstrate that the Lys hydroxylation pattern is domain-specific within the collagen molecule and that this method is useful to characterize the cell phenotypes in normal/pathological connective tissues.

NASA Discipline Cell Biology↗

Decorin modulates matrix mineralization in vitro

Decorin (DCN), a member of small leucine-rich proteoglycans, is known to modulate collagen fibrillogenesis. In order to investigate the potential roles of DCN in collagen matrix mineralization, several stable osteoblastic cell clones expressing higher (sense-DCN, S-DCN) and lower (antisense-DCN, As-DCN) levels of DCN were generated and the mineralized nodules formed by these clones were characterized. In comparison with control cells, the onset of mineralization by S-DCN clones was significantly delayed; whereas it was markedly accelerated and the number of mineralized nodules was significantly increased in As-DCN clones. The timing of mineralization was inversely correlated with the level of DCN synthesis. In these clones, the patterns of cell proliferation and differentiation appeared unaffected. These results suggest that DCN may act as an inhibitor of collagen matrix mineralization, thus modulating the timing of matrix mineralization.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗

Regional alterations of type I collagen in rat tibia induced by skeletal unloading

Skeletal unloading induces loss of mineral density in weight-bearing bones that leads to inferior bone mechanical strength. This appears to be caused by a failure of bone formation; however, its mechanisms still are not well understood. The objective of this study was to characterize collagen, the predominant matrix protein in bone, in various regions of tibia of rats that were subjected to skeletal unloading by 4 weeks tail suspension. Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats (4 months old) were divided into tail suspension and ambulatory controls (eight rats each). After the tail suspension, tibias from each animal were collected and divided into five regions and collagen was analyzed. The collagen cross-linking and the extent of lysine (Lys) hydroxylation in unloaded bones were significantly altered in proximal epiphysis, diaphysis, and, in particular, proximal metaphysis but not in distal regions. The pool of immature/nonmineralized collagen measured by its extractability with a chaotropic solvent was significantly increased in proximal metaphysis. These results suggest that skeletal unloading induced an accumulation of post-translationally altered nonmineralized collagen and that these changes are bone region specific. These alterations might be caused by impaired osteoblastic function/differentiation resulting in a mineralization defect.

Non-NASA Center↗