Summary
Using cuprolinic blue as a stain along with enzymic digestion, heparan sulphate has been identified as the main glycosaminoglycan in the basement membrane of human gallbladder epithelium. The amount of glycosaminoglycans was quantified by counting the number of molecular profiles cm−2 in electron micrographs of mildly, moderately and severely inflamed gallbladders. There is a significant increase (P=0.009) in the amount of glycosaminoglycans in the basement membranes of severely inflamed gallbladders compared with cases of mild chronic cholecystitis. Differences, although present, are less significant when mild and moderate or moderate and severe cholecystitis are compared. The findings suggest that there is a continuous accumulation of heparan sulphate in the basement membrane in chronic cholecystitis which increases in amount with the severity of inflammation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramson, D. R. (1986) Recent studies on the structure and pathology of basement membranes.J. Pathol. 149, 257–78.
Bernfield, M. R., Banerjee, S. D. &Cohn, R. H. (1972) Dependence of salivary epithelial morphology and branching upon acid mucopolysaccharide-protein (proteoglycans) on the epithelial surface.J. Cell. Biol. 52, 674.
Brennan, M. J., Oldberg, A., Pierschbacher, M. D. &Rhostahate, E. (1984) Chondroitin/Dermatan sulphate proteoglycan in human fetal membranes: demonstration of antigenically similar proteoglycan in fibroblasts.J. Biol. Chem. 259, 13742–50.
Caulfield, J. P. &Farquhar, M. G. (1976) Distribution of anionic in filtration and attachment.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 73, 1646–50.
Caulfield, J. P. &Farquhar, M. G. (1978) Loss of anionic sites from the glomerular basement membrane in aminonucleoside nephrosis.Lab. Invest. 39, 505–12.
Fujiwara, S., Weidman, H., Timpl, R., Lustig, A. &Engel, J. (1984) Structure and interactions of heparan sulphate proteoglycans from a mouse tumour basement membrane.Eur. J. Biochem. 143, 145–57.
Hassell, J. R., Leyshon, W. C., Ledbetter, S. R., Tyree, B., Suzuki, S., Kato, M., Kimata, K. &Kleinmann, H. K. (1985) Isolation of two forms of basement membrane proteoglycans.J. Biol. Chem. 260, 8098–150.
Hay, E. D. &Meier, S. (1974) Glycosaminoglycan synthesis by embryonic inductors: neural tube, notochord and lens.J. Cell. Biol. 62, 889–98.
Hopwood, D., Milne, G., Khan, M. A., Crisp, M. &Walker, M. (1983) Anionic groups in basement membranes.Histochem. J. 15, 491–4.
Hudson, I. &Hopwood, D. (1986) Macrophages and mast cells in chronic cholecystitis and normal gallbladders.J. Clin. Pathol. 39, 1082–7.
Izzo, R. V. (1985) Proteoglycans: structure, function and role in neoplasia.Lab. Invest. 53, 373–96.
Jones, D. B. (1969) Mucosubstances of the glomerulus.Lab. Invest. 21, 119–25.
Kanwar, Y. S. &Farquhar, M. G. (1979a) Anionic sites in the glomerular basement membrane.In vivo andin vitro localisation of the laminae rarae by cationic probes.J. Cell. Biol. 81, 137.
Kanwar, Y. S. &Farquhar, M. G. (1979b) Partial characterisation of newly synthesised proteoglycans from the glomerular basement membrane.J. Cell. Biol. 90, 150a.
Kanwar, Y. S., Linekar, A. &Farquhar, M. G. (1980) Increased permeability of glomerular basement membrane to ferritin after removal of glycosaminoglycans (heparan sulphate) by enzyme digestion.J. Cell. Biol. 86, 688–93.
Kleinmann, H. K., McGarvey, M. L., Hassell, J. R. &Martin, G. R. (1983) Formation of a supramolecular complex is involved in the reconstruction of basement membrane components.Biochemistry 22, 4969–74.
Laurie, A. W., Leblond, C. P. &Martin, G. R. (1982) Localisation of type IV collagen, laminin, heparan sulfate proteoglycans and fibronectin to the basal lamina of basement membranes.J. Cell. Biol. 95, 340–4.
Ledbetter, S. R., Tyree, B. Hassell, J. R. &Morison, E. A. (1985) Identification of the precursor protein to basement membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans.J. Biol. Chem. 260, 8106–13.
Martinez-Hernandez, A. (1983) The basement membrane in pathology.Lab. Invest. 48, 656–77.
Melnick, G. F., Ladontis, C. T. &Carallo, T. (1981) Decreased anionic groups and increased permeability precedes deposition of immune complexes in the glomerular capillary wall.Am. J. Pathol. 105, 114–20.
Miettenen, A., Stow, J. L., Mentone, S. &Farquhar, M. G. (1986) Antibodies to basement membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans bind to the laminae rarae of the glomerular basement membrane (GMN) and induce subepithelial glomerular basement membrane thickening.J. Exp. Med. 163, (5), 1064–84.
Scott, J. E. (1980) Collagen-proteoglycan interactions. Localization of proteoglycans in tendon by electron microscopy.Biochem. J. 187, 887–91.
Simionescu, M., Simeonescu, N. &Palade, G. E. (1982) Preferential distribution of anionic sites on the basement membrane and the abluminal aspect of the endothelium in fenestrated capillaries.J. Cell. Biol. 95, 425–34.
Stow, I. L., Sawada, H. &Farquhar, M. G. (1985) Basement membrane heparan sulphate proteoglycans are concentrated in the laminae rarae.Sci. USA 82, 3296–300.
Took, B. P., Jackson, G. &Gross, J. (1972) Hyaluronate in morphogenesis. Inhibition of chondrogenesisin vitro.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 69, 1384–86.
Van Kuppevelt, T. H. M. S. M., Domen, J. G. W., Gremers, F. P. M. &Kuyper, C. M. A. (1984a) Staining of proteoglycans in mouse lung alveoli I. Ultrastructural localization of anionic sites.Histochem. J. 16, 657–69.
Van Kuppevelt, T. H. M. S. M., Domen, J. G. W., Gremers, F. P. M. &Kuyper, C. M. A. (1984b) Staining of proteoglycans in mouse lung alveoli II. Characterisation of the cuprolinic blue positive anionic sites.Histochem. J. 16, 671–86.
Van Kuppevelt, T. H. M. S. M., Rutten, T. L. M. &Kuyper, C. M. A. (1987) Ultrastructural localization of proteoglycans in tissue using cuprolinic blue according to the critical electrolyte concentration method; comparison with the biochemical data from the literature.Histochem. J. 19, 520–6.
Vacarro, C. A. &Brody, J. S. (1979) Ultrastructural localisation and characterisation of proteoglycans in the pulmonary alveolus.Am Rev. Resp. Dis. 120, 901–10.
Woodley, D. I., Rao, C. N., Hassell, J. R., Liotta, L. A., Martin, G. R. &Kleinmann, H. K. (1983) Interactions of basement membrane components.Biochem. Biophys. Acta 761, 278–83.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hussein, K.A., Milne, G. & Hopwood, D. Glycosaminoglycans in human gallbladder basement membrane: nature and quantitative changes in chronic cholecystitis. Histochem J 20, 449–454 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01002431
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01002431