Effect of transforming growth factor-beta 1 and basic fibroblast growth factor on the expression of cell surface proteoglycans in human lung fibroblasts. Enhanced glycanation and fibronectin-binding of CD44 proteoglycan, and down-regulation of glypican.

We have tested the effects of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and TGF-beta 1 + bFGF on the expression of the cell surface proteoglycans (CD44, syndecans and glypican) in cultures of human lung fibroblasts (HLF). Cell surface proteoglycan expression was monitored by quantitative immunoprecipitation from metabolically labelled cells. Western and Northern blotting and evaluation of the glycanation of the proteoglycans. Stimulation of the cells with TGF-beta 1 increased the length of the chondroitin sulphate (CS) chains on CD44 (approximately 1.6-fold). bFGF, administered solely, also increased the length of the CS chains on CD44 (approximately 1.4-fold), whereas the combination of TGF-beta 1 + bFGF nearly doubled both the length and the number of the CS chains on CD44. None of these treatments lead to changes in CD44 message or core-protein expression. This enhanced glycanation of CD44 after the TGF-beta 1, bFGF and combined treatments correlated with a 2-fold increase in the affinity of the proteoglycan for fibronectin but had no influence on the binding to type I collagen. TGF-beta 1, alone or in combination with bFGF, also stimulated the CS content of syndecan-1, but none of the other syndecans was significantly affected by any of the factors or combinations tested. The expression of glypican however was significantly decreased (nearly halved) by the combination of TGF-beta 1 + bFGF, less so by TGF-beta 1 and not at all by bFGF. This decrease occurred both at the level of the message and of the core protein. These data demonstrate specific and differential effects of TGF-beta 1 and bFGF on the structure, expression and interactions of the cell surface proteoglycans of HLF.