Changes in glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis during differentiation in vitro of human monocytes

Monocytes isolated from human blood were maintained in vitro on plastic culture dishes. After 3-4 days, adherent cells displayed morphological changes previously attributed to differentiation of the cells into histiocytes. 35S-labelled glycosaminoglycans were isolated after incubation of the cells with inorganic [35S]sulphate. Polysaccharide recovered from the culture medium after labelling from day 0 to day 2 or from day 5 to day 7 in vitro was approximately 90% galactosaminoglycan (resistant to deamination by HNO2), irrespective of labelling period. Whereas day-0-2 material was extensively degraded to disaccharide on incubation with the bacterial eliminase chondroitinase AC, a significant portion, about 30%, of the day-5-7 material resisted degradation under the same conditions. The resistant portion was readily depolymerized by treatment with chondroitinase ABC and may be dermatan sulphate. Paper electrophoresis and paper chromatography of the disaccharides obtained by eliminase digestion identified the day-0-2 labelled galactosaminoglycan as chondroitin 4-sulphate. In contrast, the corresponding day-5-7 material yielded approximately 20% disulphated disaccharide, both on digestion with chondroitinase AC and on subsequent enzymic degradation of the chondroitinase AC-resistant fraction. Further treatment of the disulphated disaccharide with chondro-4-sulphatase and chondro-6-sulphatase indicated that both sulphate groups were located on the N-acetylgalactosamine residue. In accordance with these findings, the day-5-7 polysaccharide showed a higher negative charge density than the day-0-2 material on ion-exchange chromatography. It is concluded that the novel properties acquired by the monocyte during prolonged culturing on plastic include the ability to synthesize glycosaminoglycan(s) containing 4,6-disulphated N-acetylgalactosamine units.