Proteoglycans synthesized by an osteoblast-like cell line (UMR 106-01)

The proteoglycans synthesized by an osteoblast-like cell line of rat origin (UMR 106-01) were defined after biosynthetic labelling with [35S]sulphate and [3H]glucosamine. Newly synthesized labelled proteoglycans were characterized by differential enzymic digestion in combination with analytical gel filtration and SDS/PAGE. UMR 106-01 cells were found to synthesize three major species of proteoglycan: a large chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan of Mr approximately 1 x 10(6), with a core protein of Mr approximately 350,000-400,000; a small chondroitin sulphate-containing species of Mr approximately 120,000 with a core protein of Mr 43,000; and a heparan sulphate proteoglycan of Mr approximately 150,000, with a core protein of Mr approximately 80,000. Over 70% of the newly synthesized intact proteoglycan species are associated with the cell layer of near-confluent cells; however, accessibility to trypsin digestion suggests an extracellular location. Chemical characteristics of the proteoglycans and preliminary mRNA hybridization indicate that the small chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan is probably PG II (decorin). The large chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan is most likely related to a hyaluronate-aggregating species from fibroblasts (versican), and the heparan sulphate proteoglycan bears striking similarities to cell-membrane-intercalated species described for a number of cell types.