Procollagen and collagen produced by a teratocarcinoma-derived cell line, TSD4: evidence for a new molecular form of collagen.

Procollagen and collagen were isolated from the culture medium and cell layer of line TSD4 (obtained from mouse teratocarcinoma OTT6050). SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the highly purified procollagen fraction demonstrated that the fraction is composed of theta chains (150,000 daltons), pro alpha chains (130,000 daltons), and alpha chains (100,000 daltons). Limited pepsin digestion of this fraction yielded a single species of collagen molecules having a chain composition (alpha1)3, as did collagen isolated from the cell layer. Each alpha1 chain appears to be slightly larger than alpha1 chains from calf or human type I and type III collagen. Amino acid analysis and cyanogen bromide peptide profiles of pepsin-treated TSD4 collagen demonstrated significant differences from those of other collagens (II, III, IV) of the type alpha1(X)3, although similar to that of the alpha1 chain of type I collagen, [alpha1(1)]2alpha2. Taken together, acrylamide gel electrophoresis, amino acid composition, electron microscopy, and cyanogen bromide peptide analysis indicate that this material represents a new molecular species of collagen not previously characterized, probably related to [alpha1(I)]3.