0000000000588132
AUTHOR
Andreas Trindl
Cloning and Targeted Deletion of the Mouse Fetuin Gene
We proposed that the alpha2-Heremans Schmid glycoprotein/fetuin family of serum proteins inhibits unwanted mineralization. To test this hypothesis in animals, we cloned the mouse fetuin gene and generated mice lacking fetuin. The gene consists of seven exons and six introns. The cystatin-like domains D1 and D2 of mouse fetuin are encoded by three exons each, whereas a single terminal exon encodes the carboxyl-terminal domain D3. The promoter structure is well conserved between rat and mouse fetuin genes within the regions shown to bind transcription factors in the rat system. Expression studies demonstrated that mice homozygous for the gene deletion lacked fetuin protein and that mice heter…
Posttranslational Processing of Human α2-HS Glycoprotein (Human Fetuin)
α2-HS glycoprotein (α2-HS) is a major protein occuring in human blood and calciferous tissues. Due to extensive sequence identity, α2-HS has been grouped with the fetuins, a family of proteins that occur in fetal plasma in high concentrations. Native α2-HS undergoes a series of posttranslational modifications including proteolytic processing, multiple N-glycosylations and O-glycosylations, and sulfation of the carbohydrate side chains. Various two-chain forms of α2-HS have been prepared from human plasma, however, the single-chain precursor has not yet been isolated. Here, we have studied the biosynthesis of α2-HS by a human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. We demonstrate that a single-chain form…
Posttranslational processing of human alpha 2-HS glycoprotein (human fetuin). Evidence for the production of a phosphorylated single-chain form by hepatoma cells.
alpha 2-HS glycoprotein (alpha 2-HS) is a major protein occurring in human blood and calciferous tissues. Due to extensive sequence identity, alpha 2-HS has been grouped with the fetuins, a family of proteins that occur in fetal plasma in high concentrations. Native alpha 2-HS undergoes a series of posttranslational modifications including proteolytic processing, multiple N-glycosylations and O-glycosylations, and sulfation of the carbohydrate side chains. Various two-chain forms of alpha 2-HS have been prepared from human plasma, however, the single-chain precursor has not yet been isolated. Here, we have studied the biosynthesis of alpha 2-HS by a human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. We demon…
The Serum Protein α2-HS Glycoprotein/Fetuin Inhibits Apatite Formation in Vitro and in Mineralizing Calvaria Cells
We present data suggesting a function of alpha2-HS glycoproteins/fetuins in serum and in mineralization, namely interference with calcium salt precipitation. Fetuins occur in high serum concentration during fetal life. They accumulate in bones and teeth as a major fraction of noncollagenous bone proteins. The expression pattern in fetal mice confirms that fetuin is predominantly made in the liver and is accumulated in the mineralized matrix of bones. We arrived at a hypothesis on the molecular basis of fetuin function in bones using primary rat calvaria osteoblast cultures and salt precipitation assays. Our results indicate that fetuins inhibit apatite formation both in cell culture and in …