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J.Health Sci., 51(5), 576-583, 2005
Proteoglycans Predominantly Synthesized by Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells in Culture are Perlecan and Biglycan
Chika Yamamoto,a, b Xingyun Deng,a Yasuyuki Fujiwara,a and Toshiyuki Kaji*, a, b
aDepartment of Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and bOrganization for Frontier Research in Preventive Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokuriku University, Ho-3 Kanagawa-machi, Kanazawa 920-1181, Japan
It has been suggested that the properties of vascular endothelial cells differ depending on the type of blood vessel. Proteoglycans are macromolecules that contribute to vascular properties through regulation of endothelial cell functions. In this study, we characterized proteoglycans synthesized by cultured human brain microvascular endothelial cells by biochemical techniques. The experiments indicated that the cells synthesize and secrete two types of proteoglycans: large heparan sulfate proteoglycans bearing heparan sulfate chains of approximately Mr~68000 and chondroitin/dermatan sulfate proteoglycans bearing chondroitin/dermatan sulfate chains of approximately Mr~48000. The heparan and chondroitin/dermatan sulfate proteoglycans were identified as perlecan and biglycan, respectively, by Western blot analysis. A part of perlecan was associated with the cell layer, while most of biglycan was secreted into the medium. These results suggest that the characteristics of proteoglycans synthesized by brain microvascular endothelial cells are similar to the characteristics of those synthesized by previously reported arterial endothelial cells. Regulation of endothelial cell functions by proteoglycans may be independent of blood vessel types.
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