A comparative analysis of strategies for isolation of matrix vesicles

Matrix vesicles (MVs) are extracellular organelles involved in the initial steps of mineralization. MVs are isolated by two methods. The first isolation method of MVs starts with collagenase digestion of osseous tissues, followed by two differential centrifugations. The second isolation method does not use proteases but rather starts with differential centrifugation, followed by a fractionation on a sucrose gradient. The first method results in a homogeneous population of MVs with higher cholesterol/lipid content, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineral formation rate as compared with MVs isolated by the second method. The second method leads to higher protein diversity as compared with MVs isolated according to the first method. Due to their distinct protein composition, lipid-to-protein and cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratios, and differences in rates of mineral formation, both types of isolated MVs are crucial for proteomic analysis and for understanding the regulation of mineralization process at the molecular level.