Copyright ©ERS Journals Ltd 2001 Changes in xylosyltransferase activity and in proteoglycan deposition in bleomycin-induced lung injury in ratInstitutes of 1 Physiological Chemistry, and 2 Pathology, 3 Anatomy, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany. 4 Dept of Pathology, Sackler Medical School, Tel-Aviv University, Israel CORRESPONDENCE: R. Koslowski, Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Fiedlerstr. 42,, D-01307, Dresden, Germany. Fax: 49 3514586305 Keywords: lung fibrosis, myofibroblast, proteoglycans, xylosyltransferase
Received: September 28, 2000
This work was supported by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Germany (FKZ 01ZZ5904).
Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis of the involvement of altered proteoglycan deposition in the development of lung diseases. UDP-d-xylose: core protein ß-d-xylosyltransferase (UDP-xylosyltransferase; EC 2.4.2.26
Rats were given, endotracheally, a single dose of bleomycin. Deposition of proteoglycans in lung tissue was assessed by immunohistochemistry and the catalytic activity of xylosyltransferase was determined with an acceptor peptide of the sequence Q-E-E-E-G-S-G-G-G-Q-G-G as a substrate.
The results show coincidence of increasing xylosyltransferase activities in lung tissue with accumulation of versican at alveolar entrance rings and in fibrotic regions in close proximity to
The data suggest a participation of myofibroblasts with increased xylosyltransferase activities in accumulation of versican in fibrotic foci of injured lung tissue at the early stages of development of lung fibrosis.
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