J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 261, Issue 24, 11166-11172, 08, 1986
Mechanism for the decreased biosynthesis of cartilage proteoglycan in the scorbutic guinea pig
TA Bird, NB Schwartz and B Peterkofsky
Our previous work showed that vitamin C deficiency caused about a 70- 80%
decrease in the incorporation of [35S]sulfate into proteoglycan of guinea
pig costal cartilage, coordinately with a decrease in collagen synthesis
(Bird, T. A., Spanheimer, R. G., and Peterkofsky, B. (1986) Arch. Biochem.
Biophys. 246, 42-51). We examined the mechanism for decreased proteoglycan
synthesis by labeling normal and scorbutic cartilage in vitro with
radioactive precursors. Proteoglycan monomers from scorbutic tissue were of
a slightly smaller average hydrodynamic size than normal but there was no
difference in the size of the glycosaminoglycan chains isolated after
papain digestion. The type of glycosaminoglycans synthesized and the degree
of sulfation were unaffected as determined by chondroitinase ABC digestion
and duel labeling with [35S]sulfate and [3H]glucosamine. Conversion of
[3H]glucosamine to [3H]galactosamine also was unimpaired. There was about a
40% decrease in core protein synthesis, measured by [14C]serine
incorporation and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis. Nevertheless, decreased incorporation of [35S]sulfate into
scorbutic tissue persisted in the presence of p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-
xyloside and cycloheximide, which indicated that the site of the scorbutic
defect was beyond core protein synthesis and xylosylation.
Galactosyltransferase activity in scorbutic cartilage decreased to about
one-third the levels in control samples in parallel with the decreases in
proteoglycan and collagen synthesis. Our results suggest that the step
catalyzed by this enzyme activity, the addition of galactose to xylose
prior to chondroitin sulfate chain elongation, is the major site of the
scorbutic defect in proteoglycan synthesis. Decreased enzyme activity may
be related to increased cortisol levels in scorbutic serum.