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Short Communication |
From the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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Endostatin was recently identified as a potent endogenous inhibitor of angiogenesis.2 The molecule induces unprecedented anti-tumor responses in several in vivo models.2,3 Mouse endostatin consists of 184 amino acids at the noncollagenous carboxy terminus of collagen XVIII and is released through proteolytic cleavage. Human serum and tissue forms of endostatin have also been identified.4,5 The origin from a larger precursor molecule is shared by angiostatin, another potent suppressor of angiogenesis.6 Angiostatin is an internal fragment of the plasma protein plasminogen. This mechanism to activate potent suppressors of angiogenesis might provide a rapid response to unwanted angiogenic stimuli, similar to the activation of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis factors.
The mechanism behind endostatin is unknown, but recent physical-chemical data have provided leads. Three-dimensional analysis of the molecule by x-ray crystallography predicts a prominent heparan sulfate binding site.7 The observation is supported by an affinity of endostatin for heparin, which has been exploited for its purification by affinity chromatography.2 This property has also led to the hypothesis that endostatin may competitively inhibit the binding of angiogenic stimulators to cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs).7 Interestingly, the strongest promoters of angiogenesis, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), not only bind HSPGs but also require them as cofactors for signaling.8,9 Alternative mechanisms of endostatin action include binding to its own putative signaling receptor, interference with endothelial cell adhesion/migration, or prevention of proteolytic degradation of the extracellular matrix.
As a first step toward investigating endostatin's mechanism of action, we have mapped its binding sites in intact human tissues using an in situ assay. This approach allowed us to successfully map HSPG binding sites of different members of the FGF family.10 Endostatin binds predominantly to its functional target, blood vessels. Specifically, it binds to the subendothelial matrix of the vasculature and co-localizes with a subset of FGF-2 binding sites. Surprisingly, in contrast to FGF-2, binding of endostatin is resistant to treatment of the tissues with heparan sulfate lyases, demonstrating that binding is not mediated through heparan sulfates. Furthermore, endostatin does not compete with FGF-2 for tissue binding. These results show that competitive displacement of FGF-2 by endostatin is an unlikely mechanism of action.
| Materials and Methods |
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The vector (pSec) containing the entire murine endostatin cDNA
(encoding the 184 carboxyl-terminal amino acids of collagen XVIII
-chain) with an amino-terminal influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA)
tag was kindly provided by Dr. Judah Folkman (Harvard University). This
expression vector contains an immunoglobulin signal peptide enabling
efficient secretion of the recombinant protein. The accuracy of the
endostatin insert was confirmed by DNA sequencing. The construct was
transfected into COS-7 cells using lipofectamine (Gibco-BRL,
Gaithersburg, MD). Conditioned medium was collected both after
transient transfection and after selection of populations with zeocin
(Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA). Tissue culture reagents were from
Gibco-BRL. HA-endostatin was enriched by heparin-affinity
chromatography using heparin-agarose beads (Sigma Chemical Co., St.
Louis, MO). The identity of the molecule was verified by
SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and probing the blots with
anti-HA antibody (clone 12CA5, Boehringer-Mannheim, Indianapolis, IN)
and with rabbit anti-endostatin serum (gift from Dr. J. Folkman). The
concentration of endostatin was determined by Western analysis using
MultiTag marker protein (Boehringer-Mannheim) as standards.
In Situ Binding and Labeling Assays
Tissue was obtained fresh from the operating room, embedded in OCT compound, snap frozen, and stored at -70°C. National Institutes of Health guidelines for the use of human material were followed, and institutional review board approval was obtained. The in situ binding assay was performed essentially as described previously for FGF-2 and FGF-7.10 Briefly, after fixation and treatment steps to reduce autofluorescence, the frozen sections were placed in Sequenza immunohistochemistry staining racks (Shandon, Pittsburgh, PA). After blocking with Tris-buffered saline plus bovine serum albumin (room temperature for 30 minutes), sections were incubated with the ligand (endostatin or FGF-2). HA-endostatin was added at a concentration of 2.6 to 130 nmol/L for 60 minutes at room temperature. We used both unprocessed conditioned medium and material enriched on heparin columns. In addition, in situ binding of unlabeled endostatin (200 nmol/L) expressed in the yeast Piscia pastoris was measured, detecting bound reagent with rabbit anti-endostatin antiserum (both kindly provided by Dr. J. Folkman). These experiments were done to rule out an effect of the epitope tag on in situ binding. FGF-2 was applied at a concentration of 10 nmol/L for 60 minutes. After washing, primary antibody was added for 60 minutes at room temperature. Anti-HA antibody (clone 12CA5, Boehringer-Mannheim) was used at a dilution of 1:400 and anti-FGF-2 (clone DE-6, gift from Dupont, Wilmington, DE) at a dilution of 1:100. Secondary Alexa-546-conjugated donkey anti-mouse antibody (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR) was used in both cases for visualization. Immunolabeling with antibody to factor-VIII-related antigen (anti-von Willebrand factor antibody, DAKO, Carpinteria, CA) was performed at a dilution of 1:1000 to co-localize endothelial cells. Co-localization of HA-endostatin binding with the basement membrane component perlecan was carried out using anti-perlecan antiserum (gift from Dr. J. Hassell, Tampa, FL) at a dilution of 1:100. Both anti-factor-VIII-related antigen and anti-perlecan antibodies were visualized with Alexa-488-conjugated donkey anti-rabbit antibody (Molecular Probes). Sections were examined using a Nikon Microphot FX microscope equipped for epifluorescence. Images were acquired with a Photometrics CCD camera (Tucson, AZ) and Image-Pro-Plus analysis software (Media Cybernetics, Silver Springs, MD).
Heparitinase Digestion
Tissue sections were exposed to heparitinase enzymes to distinguish heparan sulfate from non-heparan-sulfate binding sites. Heparitinase (mixture of 95% heparitinase I and 5% heparitinase II) and pure heparitinase II (purchased from Seikagaku, Ijamsville, MD, and ICN Pharmaceuticals, Costa Mesa, CA, respectively) were reconstituted and diluted in heparitinase buffer (50 mmol/L Hepes, 50 mmol/L sodium acetate, 150 mmol/L NaCl, 9 mmol/L CaCl2, 0.1% bovine serum albumin, pH 6.5). Both enzymes were incubated at a final concentration of 4 mIU/ml in the Sequenza racks at 37°C for 4 hours, replacing the enzyme after 2 hours.
Competition Experiments and Additional Controls
The specificity and saturability of the in situ binding interaction was tested by comparing binding of HA-endostatin (30 nmol/L) in the presence and absence of unlabeled P. pastoris-derived endostatin (3 µmol/L = 100-fold excess). Reciprocal competition experiments between endostatin and FGF-2 were performed. A 100-fold excess (5 µmol/L) of FGF-2 was used to compete with HA-endostatin (50 nmol/L) binding and 300-fold excess endostatin (1 µmol/L) to compete with FGF-2 binding (3 nmol/L). In a separate experiment, the tissue sections were preincubated with excess competitor for 30 minutes before adding the binding ligand of interest. Heparin was tested as possible competitor of endostatin by preincubating endostatin with 0.1 mg/ml heparin overnight at 4°C. In addition, we examined the possibility that COS-7 cell-derived heparan sulfate might occupy the heparan sulfate binding site on the recombinant endostatin, masking potential interactions with tissue heparan sulfate proteoglycans. For this purpose, equimolar HA-endostatin preparations of heparin column eluates and flow-through with and without preincubation with heparin were used on tissue sections with and without heparitinase pretreatment.
| Results and Discussion |
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On tissue sections, HA-endostatin binds to localized regions in a
specific manner, providing a fluorescence signal of relatively high
intensity. There is no difference in the location of endostatin binding
whether HA-endostatin is used at 13 nmol/L or 130 nmol/L, although the
signal increases at the higher concentration. Only a weak fluorescence
signal is detected at 2.6 nmol/L. HA-endostatin binding is completely
eliminated in the presence of 100-fold unlabeled endostatin,
demonstrating specificity/saturability of the in situ
binding interaction (not shown). Endostatin binding is predominantly
seen on blood vessels in all organs examined. Binding sites are present
in blood vessels of all calibers ranging from larger muscular arteries
to the smallest capillaries and also including venules and veins.
Endostatin binds in a linear pattern consistent with binding to
vascular basement membrane. The subendothelial location of endostatin
binding sites is confirmed by double labeling with antibody to
factor-VIII-related antigen. Endothelial cells show cell surface and
granular cytoplasmic labeling with this antibody contrasting with
subjacent linear binding of endostatin (Figure 1A)
. Furthermore, the
location of endostatin binding sites within basement membranes is
demonstrated by co-localization with perlecan, a well characterized
basement membrane proteoglycan (Figure 1B)
.11,12
The
possibility that the HA tag might have altered endostatin's binding
characteristics was examined by a binding experiment with recombinant
unlabeled P. pastoris endostatin. The binding pattern is
identical to that of tagged endostatin (not shown), excluding the
possibility that basement membrane binding is an artifact caused by the
HA epitope. Neither does this experiment reveal additional
binding sites, dismissing concerns that the HA tag might have
masked binding interactions at a different tissue site.
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As both the angiogenic FGF-2 and the anti-angiogenic endostatin share
an affinity for heparan sulfate, we compared their binding on tissues
in situ. In skin, FGF-2 localizes strongly to epidermal
basement membrane, to basement membranes of the dermal vasculature, and
to keratinocyte surfaces (Figure 1M)
. Endostatin binding is similar to
that of FGF-2 except that epidermal basement membrane binding is less
pronounced and that epidermal keratinocyte binding is absent (Figure 1J)
. In breast cancer tissue, the binding patterns of endostatin and
FGF-2 are similar, with blood vessels as conspicuous binding targets
(Figure 1, K and N)
. FGF-2 binding sites consist entirely of heparan
sulfate glycosaminoglycan chains, proven by their susceptibility to
digestion by heparitinase enzyme (Figure 1O)
. In contrast, endostatin
binding is not affected by heparitinase treatment (Figure 1L)
.
Similarly, chondroitinase digestion has no effect on endostatin binding
(not shown). The discreteness of the binding sites is proven further by
reciprocal competition experiments between FGF-2 and endostatin. The
presence of a 300-fold excess of endostatin does not prevent or
reduce binding of FGF-2 to blood vessels within breast carcinoma
tissue, even when the tissue sections are preincubated with the
competitor for 30 minutes (Figure 1, H and I)
. Similarly, the addition
of 100-fold excess FGF-2 does not reduce the binding of HA-endostatin
to its target sites (not shown). In addition, preincubating endostatin
with high concentrations of heparin diminishes the binding signal only
marginally (likely a nonspecific blocking effect), whereas FGF-2
binding is completely eliminated (not shown). A comparison of equimolar
preparations of raw conditioned medium, heparin-column eluate, and
heparin column flow-through reveals no apparent differences in tissue
binding. The latter observation supports the notion that COS-7
cell-derived heparan sulfates play no role in masking potential
endostatin-tissue heparan sulfate interactions. These results indicate
that endostatin binding in situ is not heparan sulfate
or chondroitin sulfate dependent despite the prominent heparan sulfate
binding site predicted by three-dimensional modeling.7
Endostatin has been reported to inhibit FGF-2-induced endothelial cell
proliferation.2
The discreteness of FGF-2 and endostatin
binding demonstrated in situ makes it appear unlikely that
competitive displacement of FGF-2 by endostatin could be responsible
for that effect.
In summary, we show that on tissue sections, recombinant endostatin binds predominantly to its functional target, ie, blood vessels, in a pattern consistent with binding to basement membranes. However, binding to the basal aspect of endothelial cells or additional low levels of binding to endothelial cell surface cannot be excluded. We further show that these binding sites are not heparan sulfates. Efforts to positively identify the nature of the endostatin binding partner(s) are currently ongoing. Other investigators have identified in vitro binding of endostatin and of the entire noncollagenous domain of collagen XVIII to laminin-1, the proteoglycan perlecan, and fibulin-1 and 2.5 These molecules are present in basement membranes, with laminin-1 being one of the most abundant components of the basement membrane.17
The biological significance of endostatin binding sites identified in situ is unknown. However, the localization primarily to blood vessels, including angiogenic hot spots, makes an important role in mediating endostatin's anti-angiogenic effect likely. Angiostatin has a potency similar to endostatin as an inhibitor of angiogenesis. Indeed, these agents show synergism when co-administered to animals.3 Angiostatin has been shown to induce endothelial cell apoptosis, potentially by hindering the formation of a proper adhesion complex.18 Despite structural differences between the two molecules, interference with cell adhesion appears to be an attractive theory for endostatin activity also, especially in light of its binding to subendothelial matrix. On the other hand, a recent interpretation of crystallographic data has revealed a zinc binding site, possibly involved in homodimer formation and resembling metal ion binding sites in metalloproteases.19 This domain occupied by a zinc ion is required for in vivo activity of endostatin.20
| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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Accepted for publication March 26, 1999.
| References |
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