A Comparative Study of the Composition of Discs and of Proteoglycans from Different Spinal Levels of Sheep

J. Melrose; P. Ghosh; T. K. F. Taylor; Louise McAuley

doi:10.1055/s-0038-1633098

Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Table of Contents

Vet Comp Orthop Traumatol 1994; 07(02): 70-76
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1633098

Original Research

Schattauer GmbH

A Comparative Study of the Composition of Discs and of Proteoglycans from Different Spinal Levels of Sheep

J. Melrose

¹From the Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Research Laboratories (University of Sydney) at the Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, N.S.W., Australia

,

P. Ghosh

¹From the Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Research Laboratories (University of Sydney) at the Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, N.S.W., Australia

,

T. K. F. Taylor

¹From the Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Research Laboratories (University of Sydney) at the Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, N.S.W., Australia

,

Louise McAuley

¹From the Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Research Laboratories (University of Sydney) at the Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, N.S.W., Australia

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Summary

Compositional analyses were undertaken on lumbar (L2L3 - L5L6) and lumbosacral (L6S1) intervertebral disc tissues from young adult (2-year-old) merino wethers. The proteoglycan level in the nucleus pulposus of the lumbosacral disc was significantly lower than that found in the nucleus pulposus of lumbar levels (p<0.05). The annulus fibrosus was richer in collagen compared to the nucleus pulposus in all discs examined, and the lumbosacral disc consistently had both higher annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus collagen levels than lumbar discs (p<0.05). Aggregation of the high buoyant density proteoglycans, with hyaluronic acid, was generally higher in annulus fibrosus proteogly-cans than nucleus pulposus proteogly-cans irrespective of the spinal level examined. Examination of the inter-vertebral disc proteoglycans, by composite agarose polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, demonstrated three proteoglycan subpopulations and that the nucleus pulposus generally contained a greater proportion of higher mobility more polydisperse proteoglycan species than the annulus fibrosus.

Ovine intervertebral disc collagen and proteoglycan composition varies with spinal level. Lumbosacral intervertebral discs contain greater levels of non-aggregatable more polydisperse proteoglycan species than lumbar discs, which may reflect their relative proximities to the pelvis and the variable levels of stress experienced by the respective tissues.

Keywords

Intervertebral disc - proteoglycan heterogeneity - ovine disc

Full Text

References

REFERENCES
1 Adams MA, Hutton WC. Mechanics of the intervertebral disc. In: Biology of the Inter-vertebral Disc, Vol II. Ghosh P. (ed). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 1988: 39-72.
2 Hukins DWL. Disc structure and function. In: Biology of the Intervertebral Disc, Vol I. Ghosh P. (ed). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 1988: 1-38.
3 Humzah MD, Soames RW. Human inter-vertebral disc: structure and function. Anat Rec 1988; 220: 337-56.
4 Taylor TKF, Souter WA. Sulphated acid mucopolysaccharide metabolism in the rabbit intervertebral disc. J Bone Joint Surg 1970; 52B: 317-84.
5 Eyre DR. Biochemistry of the intervertebral disc. Int Rev Connect Tiss Res 1979; 19: 103-20.
6 Eyre DR. Collagens in the disc. In: Biology of the Intervertebral Disc, Vol I. Ghosh P. (ed). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 1988: 171-88.
7 Adams P, Eyre DR, Muir H. Biochemical aspects of development and ageing of human intervertebral discs. Rheum Rehab 1977; 16: 22-9.
8 Lyons G, Eisenstein SM, Sweet MBWE. Biochemical changes in intervertebral disc degeneration. Biochim Biophys Acta 1981; 673: 443-53.
9 Vernon-Roberts B. Disc pathology and disease states. In: Biology of the Intervertebral Disc, Vol II. Ghosh P. (ed). Boca Raton, FL: CTC Press; 1988: 73-120.
10 Vernon-Roberts B, Pirie CJ. Degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine and their sequelae. Rheum Rehab 1977; 16: 13-21.
11 Key JA, Ford LT. Experimental intervertebral disc lesions. J Bone Joint Surg [Am] 1948; 60: 41-55.
12 Smith JW, Walmsley R. Experimental incision of the intervertebral disc. J Bone Joint Surg [Br] 1951; 33: 612-25.
13 Lipson SJ, Muir H. Proteoglycans in experi-mental disc degeneration. Spine 1980; 6: 194-210.
14 Lipson SJ, Muir H. Vertebral osteophyte formation in experimental disc degeneration. Arthritis Rheum 1980; 23: 319-24.
15 Lipson SJ, Muir H. Experimental intervertebral disc degeneration. Arthritis Rheum 1981; 24: 12-21.
16 Melrose J, Ghosh P, Taylor TKF. et al. A longitudinal study of the matrix changes induced in the intervertebral disc by surgical damage to the annulus fibrosus. J Orthop Res 1992; 10: 665-76.
17 Osti OL, Vernon-Roberts B, Fraser RD. Annulus tears and intervertebral disc degeneration. Spine 1990; 15: 762-7.
18 Cole T-C, Ghosh P, Taylor TKF. Variation of the proteoglycans of the canine intervertebral disc with ageing. Biochim Biophys Acta 1986; 880: 209-19.
19 Smith PK, Krohn RI, Hermanson T. et al. Measurement of protein using bicinchoninic acid. Anal Biochem 1985; 150: 76-85.
20 Blumenkrantz N, Ascoe-Hansen GA. A new method for the quantitative determination of uronic acid. Anal Biochem 1973; 54: 484-9.
21 Farndale RW, Buttle DJ, Barrett AJ. Improved quantitation and discrimination of sulfated glycosaminoglycans by use of dimethylmethylene blue. Biochim Biophys Acta 1986; 883: 173-7.
22 Stegeman H, Stalder K. Determination of hydroxyproline. Clinica Chimica Acta 1967; 18: 267-73.
23 DiFabio JL, Pearce RH, Caterson B, Hughes H. The heterogeneity of the non-aggregating proteoglycans of the human intervertebral disc. Biochem J 1987; 244: 27-33.
24 Ghosh P, Taylor TKF, Braund KG, Larsen LH. The collagenous and non-collagenous proteins of the canine intervertebral disc and their variation with age spinal level and breed. Gerontology 1976; 22: 124-34.
25 Ghosh P, Taylor TKF, Braund KG. Variation of the glycosaminoglycans of the canine intervertebral disc with ageing. I Chondrodystrophoid breed. Gerontology 1977; 23: 87-98.
26 Ghosh P, Taylor TKF, Braund KG. Variation of the glycosaminoglycans of the canine intervertebral disc with ageing. II Nonchondrodystrophoid breed. Gerontology 1977; 23: 99-109.
27 Ghosh P, Melrose J, Cole T-C, Taylor TKF. A comparison of the high buoyant density proteoglycans isolated from the intervertebral discs of chondrodystrophoid and nonchondrodystrophoid dogs. Matrix 1992; 12: 99-109.
28 Jahnke ME, McDevitt CA. Proteoglycans of the human intervertebral disc, electrophoretic heterogeneity of the aggregating proteoglycans of the nucleus pulposus. Biochem J 1988; 251: 347-56.
29 Gurr E, Schubert R, Delbruck A. A sensitive method for the analysis of the glycosaminoglycan distribution pattern applied to 9 intervertebral discs. J Clin Chem Clin Biochem 1982; 20: 723-9.
30 Gurr E, Hafkemeyer P, Delbruck A. Iduronic acid in human articular cartilage and human intervertebral disc. Fresenius Z Anal Chem 1988; 330: 455-6.
31 Melrose J, Ghosh P, Taylor TKF. Proteoglycan heterogeneity in the normal adult ovine intervertebral disc. Matrix 1993 (in press).
32 Stanescu V, Maroteaux P, Sobczak E. Proteoglycan populations of baboon (Papio papio) cartilages from different anatomical sites. Biochim Biophys Acta 1980; 629: 371-81.
33 Cole T-C, Burkhardt D, Frost L, Ghosh P. The proteoglycans of the canine intervertebral disc. Biochim Biophys Acta 1985; 839: 127-38.
34 McAuley LP, Ghosh P, Taylor TKF. Invitro biosynthesis of proteoglycans by inter-vertebral disc cells entrapped in alginate beads - a new experimental model. Immunol Cell Biol 1992; 70: S19.
35 Cole T-C, Ghosh P, Hannan NJ, Taylor TKF, Bellenger CR. The response of the canine intervertebral disc to immobilisation produced by spinal arthrodesis is dependent on constitutional factors. J Orthop Res 1987; 5: 337-47.
36 Cole T-C, Burkhardt D, Ghosh P, Ryan M, Taylor TKF. Effects of spinal immobilisation on the proteoglycans of the canine intervertebral disc. J Orthop Res 1986; 3: 277-91.
37 Braund KG, Taylor TKF, Ghosh P, Sherwood AA. Lumbar spinal mobility in the canine. A study in chondrodystrophoid and non-chondrodystrophoid animals. Res Vet Sci 1977; 22: 78-82.
38 Taylor TKF, Ghosh P, Braund KG. et al. The effect of spinal fusion on intervertebral disc composition: An experimental study. J Surg Res 1976; 21: 91-104.