1

Heparan Sulfate Glycosaminoglycans exhibit binding

specificity with BMP-7 antagonist, Gremlin.

Naomi Rune.

Dr Chris Rider.

2

Table of contents.

Title page…………………………………………………………………………………1

Table of contents………………………………………………………………………….2

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………4

List of figures………………………………………………………………………………5

Introduction

1.0 The TGF – β superfamily and interaction with GAGs ………………………………..6

1.1The biological role of Gremlin and its contribution to kidney fibrosis………………...7

1.2 The structure and biosynthesis of heparin and heparan sulfate………………………...8

1.3 Do protein – heparan sulfate interactions exhibit binding specificity?...........................10

1.4 Studies investigating sulfation structures of heparan sulfate………………………......12

1.5 Competitive binding studies of heparan sulfate variants………………………………13

1.6 Homology modelling of Gremlin antagonist…………………………………………..15

1.7 Gremlin mutagenesis…………………………………………………………………...16

1.8 Rationalisation of method………………………………………………………………17

Materials and methods……………………………………………………………………..19

3

Results……………………………………………………………………………………...22

Discussion:

2.0 HSE, HSA and heparin as competitive inhibitors………………………………………32

2.1What gives rise to the distinctive binding nature of KHS?.............................................. 32

2.2 Characterising KHS binding to GAGs, the next steps………………………………… 33

2.3 Comparison with previous studies investigating mutagenized Gremlin binding……....33

2.4 Gremlin mutagenesis and its influence on GAG binding specificity…………………..34

2.5 Heparin binding and its effect on BMP antagonism……………………………………35

2.6 Closing remarks………………………………………………………………………...35

Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………....37

Reference List ……………………………………………………………………………...38

4

Abstract.

This study has produced strong evidence indicating that the BMP-7 antagonist Gremlin

associates with heparin and heparan sulfate in a specific manner.

Heparin and Heparan sulfate (HS) are linear polysaccharides that belong to a group of

biomolecules called gycosaminoglycans (GAGs). This experiment has employed a selection

of naturally occurring heparan sulfates (HSE, HSA and kidney heparan sulfate) in a

competitive binding assay.

An ELISA technique was used to measure competitive binding activities. A capture plate was

made through coating with covalently coupled heparin-BSA conjugate and each Gremlin

antigen sample was combined with a heparan sulfate to exert binding competition.

The competitive activity of each GAG was compared across 3 different variants of Gremlin.

These variants included the WT form and 2 mutagenised forms (MGR5 and MGR6). For

MGR5 and MGR6, site directed mutagenesis was carried out on 3 basic clusters involved in

heparin binding.

Mutagenesis was shown to result in an alteration in the competitive binding abilities of all

three heparan sulfates. Rather than a quantitative reduction in affinity for all GAGs, there was

a distinct change in binding profile for each mutant. These results indicate that structural

elements of proteins contribute to the interactions made with GAGs. This indicates that

different proteins, exhibiting different surface structures may exhibit unique binding profiles.

It is also clear that a number of different composite features of GAGs can influence their

binding natures. More highly sulfated GAGs may have greater competitive strength whilst

some 3D conformations could reduce steric limitations.

5

List of Figures:

Figure 1: Gremlin signalling and downstream effects in cells………………………………7

Figure 2: Heparan sulfate structure and biosynthesis………………………………………..9

Figure 3: GAG competitive binding experiments for IL-12…………………………………11

Figure 4: Homology modelling of Gremlin with the PRDC monomer………………………15

Figure 5: Ribbon model of Gremlin showing the clusters of 3 basic residues………………16

Figure 6: Graphed absorbance at 405nm wavelength with increasing amounts of WT Gremlin

per well……………………………………………………………………………………….22

Figure 7: Graphed absorbance at 405nm wavelength with increasing amounts of WT Gremlin

per well. (Includes samples coated with x2 immobilised heparin)………………………......23

Figure 8: Graphed absorbance at 405nm wavelength with increasing amounts of

MGR5………………………………………………………………………………………...24

Figure 9: Competitive binding assay for WT and MGR5 with soluble heparin, HSA and

HSE…………………………………………………………………………………………..25

Figure 10: Competitive binding assay for WT, MGR5 and MGR6 with soluble heparin, HSA

and HSE………………………………………………………………………………………26

Figure 11: Competitive binding assay for WT, MGR5 and MGR6 with soluble heparin, HSA,

HSE and kidney heparan sulfate………………………………………………………..........28

Figure 12: Competitive binding assay for WT, MGR5 and MGR6 with increasing amounts of

heparin and soluble kidney heparan sulfate………………………………………………….30

Table 1: Sulfation ratios of HAS and HSE as determined by NMR spectroscopy………….13

6

Introduction.

1.0 The TGF – β superfamily and interaction with GAGs.

The BMPs (bone morphogenic proteins) together with the GDFs (growth and differentiation

factors) constitute one family of cytokine proteins. Both BMP and GDF possess the

characteristic “cysteine knot” fold, placing them within the TGF-β cytokine superfamily

(Rider and Mulloy, 2010). The BMPs, as their name indicates, have a specified role in bone

formation through primary osteoblast differentiation. Besides this, BMPs have additional

developmental roles in other tissues. For example, BMP-7 is essential for kidney

development and BMP-10 has a role in cardiomyocyte proliferation (Rider and Mulloy,

2010).

So far a quarter of cytokines have been shown to bind to the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)

heparin and heparan sulfate (Rider, 2006). The interactions of BMPs with heparin and

heparan sulfate have been discussed in a wide breadth of literature demonstrating the

influence this has on the protein’s biological effects. A primary role of glycosaminoglycan

binding is to localise the activity of the protein to a desired area (Rider and Mulloy, 2006),

thus aiding paracrine activity. Furthermore, TGF-β has been shown to bind to both heparin

and its receptor simultaneously, resulting in a co-operative potentiating effect (Rider, 2006).

Therefore, in many cases GAG binding acts to enhance the effects of the cytokine activity.

The activity of BMPs is regulated by their antagonists which have also been shown to form

associations with heparin and heparan sulfate. This results in the localisation of BMP and

antagonist in close proximity (Rider and Mulloy, 2010) allowing the antagonist to bind to

BMP; this binding prevents BMP receptor activation (Brazil et al., 2015). Through a finely

controlled balance of BMP/ antagonist activity, cellular processes may be regulated to suit the

developmental context (Brazil et al.,2015). Therefore an imbalance of the two leads to

disease states (see section 1.1).

Interestingly, many cytokine antagonists are also members of the TGF-β superfamily as they

share the same cysteine knot. A particular group of antagonists bearing this domain are

referred to as the CAN (Cerebrus and DAN) family of antagonists (Rider and Mulloy, 2010)

(See section 1.6). This includes the BMP-7 antagonist, Gremlin.

7

1.1 The biological role of Gremlin and its contribution to kidney fibrosis.

BMP-7 and its antagonist demand attention due their roles in in tissue fibrosis. As shown in

figure 1, Gremlin inhibits the activity of BMP-7 through protein binding thus preventing

BMP-7’s association with its cellular receptor (Ali and Brazil, 2014).

.

Figure 1. Gremlin signalling and downstream effects in cells. (A). Gremlin associates with

BMP in order to prevent its association with receptors type I and II. (B.) Gremlin associates

with VEGFRs to promote angiogenesis. Image is adapted from Brazil et al 2015.

Gremlin has an important role in organogenesis within the embryo and adult levels of this

protein should be far reduced post development. High levels of Gremlin have been found to

be elevated in tissues affected by fibrotic disease (Ali and Brazil 2014). It has been

demonstrated by Carvajal et al (2008) that Gremlin is a mediator in the epidermal to

mesenchymal transition (EMT) signalling pathway which ultimately leads to the generation

of activated fibroblasts. This study evaluated biopsy samples of patients with chronic

8

allograft nephropathy and showed that the expression of Gremlin mRNA had a strong

correlation with tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Biopsies of control patients contained no

expression of Gremlin. Furthermore, BMP-7 has been shown to relieve the state of tissue

fibrosis in an asbestos model of pulmonary fibrosis (Myllarniemi et al., 2008).

Pharmacological agents have already been used to reduce the activity of Gremlin in the form

of anti- Gremlin monoclonal antibodies. These were shown to be effective in ameliorating

hypoxic tissue damage in mouse models (Ciuclan et al, 2013).

Gremlin also has its own cell- signalling role in angiogenesis which requires binding to

vascular endothelial factors (VEGF) as demonstrated in figure 1. This activity can lead to the

generation of highly vascularised tumours. In homeostasis however, these receptors play a

role in blood and lymphatic system development (Chiodelli et al., 2011). This process is

dependent on the presence of heparin and heparan sulfate on endothelial cells (Brazil et al.,

2015)

Due to Gremlin’s role in tissue fibrosis and tumorigenesis it is therefore of great interest to

better define binding characteristics that mediate its association to GAGs.

In order to appreciate this association, the structure of both the protein and

glycosaminoglycans will be explained:

1.2 The structure and biosynthesis of heparin and heparan sulfate.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are long linear polymers usually attached to a protein core to

constitute ECM proteoglycans. The polymers are constructed from repeating disaccharide

units of a particular nature which give rise to several major forms: heparan sulfate,

chondroitin sulfate, keratin sulfate and dermatan sulfate. Each of the sugar residues may be

sulfated at different positions or epimerised differently at the C5 position, thus giving rise to

distinct disaccharide units. When polymerised, the constituent units provide the molecules

with distinctive functions that provide its identity as one of the 4 above forms (Lodish,

Molecular cell Biology). Unlike most biological macromolecules, the biosynthesis of GAGs

is not underpinned by any genetic instruction or “blueprint”. These molecules are assembled

within the golgi body and the polymer is subject to a number of enzymatic modifications that

sulfate and epimerise the sugar units. The heparan sulfate and heparin polymers are both

largely composed of the same disaccharide unit (see below) and are exposed to the same

9

groups of enzymes for modification. However, it is the overall proportion of highly sulfated

units that distinguishes the two GAGs; heparin is a hypersulfated form of heparan sulfate.

In figure 2, B constitutes 50% of the heparin polymer. By contrast, this is a minor structural

unit in heparan sulfate.

Figure 2. Heparan sulfate structure and biosynthesis. Heparan sulfate and heparin share this

same repeating structural disaccharide unit of glucuronic acid and N- acetyl glucosamine.

Image A represents the initial, unmodified disaccharide unit. B represents a fully sulfated and

epimerised disaccharide unit. Stars denote the points of sulfation before enzymatic

modification (Khan et al., 2013). Image is adapted from Khan et al 2013.

Enzymatic modification occurs in a variable sequential pattern for the generation of heparan

sulfate and heparin. First, a bifunctional enzyme (N- deacetylase/ N- sulfotransferase)

converts GlcNAc to GlcNSO3. Then, followng this sulfation event, an epimerisation enzyme

converts glucuronic acid to iduronic acid. Further sulfation events then follow at the 2-O of

glucuronic acid and at the C6 position of GlcNSO3 (Mulloy et al., 2010). To demonstrate the

extent of variability that can be generated along the polymer, consider: the amino group of

the glucosamine residue may exist in either of the 3 states: acetylated, sulfated or free amino;

the last however occurs rarely in nature. Furthermore, these 3 forms may exist in either of the

4 states: epimerised/ non- epimerised and 2-O sulfated/ 2-O non –sulfated (Mulloy and Rider,

2006). It is now easy to see how within both the heparin and heparan sulfate groups of

polymers, there is extensive heterogeneity that results from this enzymatic modification. As

10

heparin sulfate is subject to lower sulfation events it exhibits more variability along the

polymer chain.

Due to the decoration of sugar units with acidic sulfate groups at conserved positions, this

provides an overall negative charge to the polymeric molecule. Proteins that associate with

GAGs are found to form ionic interactions at physiological PH via basic residues on the

surface of the protein (Rider and Mulloy 2006). For example, Follisatin is known to form a

high affinity association with heparin and heparan sulfate. Crystallographic studies have

revealed that Follistatin’s binding site is rich in basic amino acid residues (Rider and Mulloy,

2006). There is further evidence in the abolishment of protein- GAG association in

transfected cells expressing the sulfyl-transferase competitive inhibitor, chlorate. The ionic

interaction, in this case, is lost as conserved acidic substituent groups are no longer present

(Chiodelli et al., 2011).

Of all the GAGs, heparin and heparan sulfate exhibit the highest level of sulfation. Due to

their high negative charge they have been subject to many studies with an interest in GAG-

cytokine interaction (Mulloy and Rider, 2006). It should be noted that heparin does not bind

to Gremlin in a biological context and it is not expressed on cells or secreted into the ECM

like heparan sulfate. Heparin is released from mast cells but is used experimentally due to its

wide availability.

1.3 Do protein – heparan sulfate interactions exhibit binding specificity?

The extensive variability exhibited between GAG structures, as generated by an organised

array of enzymes, suggests that there could be some intrinsic role in the biosynthetic pathway

to generate unique binding patches. This could confer specificity for particular proteins. It is

also reasonable to suggest that different GAG compositions will vary depending upon the

tissues where they are found, providing specified affinities to particular target molecules. For

example, heparin is produced mostly in mast cells and plays a role in blood clotting through

its binding to the anti – coagulation factor Antithrombin III (Lodish, Molecular Cell

Biology).

Many studies have demonstrated that the high affinity binding of Antithrombin III with

heparin is dependent upon a specific pentasaccharide sequence that contains a tri-sulfated

glucosamine. A small deviation in this pentasaccharide sequence has been found to greatly

reduce binding affinity (Rudd et al, 2010). This seems to suggest that the associations made

11

between GAG and proteins may require a higher complexity than ionic interactions alone.

Antithrombin III is however, unique in its possession of such a well- defined binding site, no

such sequence has been found in any other morphogen of the TGF-β family (Mulloy and

Rider 2006). However, it seems likely that certain proteins will have binding preferences

towards particular GAG sequences or “footprints”. Despite there being very few defined

crystallographic structures of GAG- cytokine interactions, it has been calculated that a typical

“binding footprint” is composed of roughly 6 saccharide residues (Mulloy and Rider, 2006).

The sulfation events during biosynthesis do not occur uniformly along the length of the

polymer. Therefore, a pattern emerges where alternating S- domains of high sulfur

concentration and N- domains of low concentration appear (Khan et al, 2013). Heparan

sulfate contains regions of high sulfation interspaced with long regions of lower sulfation.

Heparin however has long regions of high sulfation interspaced with short regions of low

sulfation. As it is the anionic S- regions that interact with the protein, particular arrangements

of these regions may exist which are more permissive for interactions with protein dimeric

units (Mulloy et al., 2010). An example of this can be demonstrated by what are referred to as

“SAS” structures. These are composed of 2 short sulfated regions with an interspacing

acetylated sequence. In the case of platelet factor 4 binding, this intervening sequence allows

for a flexible central portion of the polymer, permitting heparan sulfate to wrap around the

positively charged binding surface (Stringer and Gallagher., 1997). In contrast, a long

sulfation region may not allow for the association with more than one domain on a

multimeric protein (Khan et al., 2013).

Interestingly, these N and S domain regions may further contribute to the 3D conformation of

heparin and heparan sulfate as a degree of “bending” has been shown to result from the

arrangement of N- domains and S- domains. Heparan sulfate has been shown to exhibit a

good degree of bending flexibility due to its more frequent alteration of ionic S- domains

with non-sulfated N domains (Khan et al 2013). In comparison, the heparin molecule is more

rigid. This rigidity is generated by the repulsion exhibited between negatively charged S-

groups. As a result, the occasional occurrence of an unsulfated unit manifests as a “kink”

along the polymer as opposed to the bending seen in heparan sulfate (Khan et al., 2010). X –

ray scattering, carried out by Khan et al (2013) has confirmed that heparan sulfate indeed has

a more bent structure than heparin. This was a highly comprehensive study which utilised

12

constrained modelling in combination with solution scattering techniques in order to increase

the resolution of the structure. This rigidity exhibited by heparin may provide a limitation to

the degree of conformational change the molecule undergoes in order to form associations

with the Gremlin binding motif (Khan et al., 2010).

Here is substantial experimental evidence that a three dimensional level of variability exists

among GAGs. This could bear a strong influence a GAG’s sterical capability to bind to a

particular protein. In many cases the appropriate residues on the protein surface may be

physically inaccessible to the largely rigid polysaccharide (Gahndi et al., 2009). A degree of

flexibility may allow the polymer to reach residues difficult to access on the protein surface.

It therefore seems that the binding affinity of cytokines to heparin and heparan sulfate may be

influenced by the 3D structure and its sulfation pattern. The overall protein interactions are

therefore more complex than simple ionic interactions and charge density. This study aims to

experimentally encompass all the factors that lead to an overall protein interaction with

heparin and heparan sulfate. This shall be referred to as the “totality” of binding.

1.4 Studies investigating sulfation structures of heparan sulfate.

This research project explores the ability of 2 mutagenized forms of Gremlin along with wild

type to associate with a select group of naturally occurring heparan sulfates and heparin.

They are the following: Bovine lung heparin, bovine kidney heparan sulphate, HSE and HSA.

“HSA” and “HSE” are derived from 2 separate fractions isolated from porcine intestinal

mucosa. Their Mrs are 20kDa and 8kDa respectively (Hasan et al., 1999). The structural

details of HSE and HSA have been determined through the use of NMR and the ratios of the

various substituent groups are summarised in the Table 1 (refer to figure 2 for positional

details on the disaccharide):

13

N- acetyl/ N-

sulfate.

2-O-sulfate/ N-sulfate. 6-O-sulfate/N-

sulfate.

HSA 0.9 0.4 0.6

HSE 0.3 1.0 0.5

Heparin 0.2 0.7 0.6

Table 1. Sulfation ratios of HSA and HSE as determined by NMR spectroscopy. The two

heparan sulfates are compared with the highly sulfated heparin, 5th international standard.

This table has been adapted from Rickard et al., 2003

As can be seen in table 1, HSE is highly N- deacetylated and N- sulfated (similar to heparin)

whilst HSA has a much larger proportion of glucosamine residues in its unmodified

acetylated form. This provides the polymer with a lower charge density. Studies have

demonstrated that although removal of all 3 sulfation groups impairs interaction, 2- O

sulfation is crucial for GDNF association with heparin (Rickard et al., 2003, Rider 2003).

This suggests that protein binding can be sensitive to particular GAG sulfation patterns. As

this study is investigating GAG binding in its totality it will be difficult to distinguish the

contribution disaccharide positional sulfation has on protein binding. Nevertheless, a

comparison can be drawn on this basis of overall level of sulfation/ charge density of HSA

and HSE.

1.5 Competitive binding studies of heparan sulfate variants.

This current investigation shall use a method of competitive binding to compare the ability of

different heparan sulfates to associate with Gremlin captured on immobilised heparin.

Previous experiments have also explored the binding abilities of HSE and HSA with the use

of competitive binding. Hasan et al. (1999) demonstrated IL-12’s GAG binding specificity

with the failure of chondroitin sulfate to compete for binding with immobilised heparin. This

same experiment demonstrated that HSA provided no significant inhibition whilst HSE

performed well as a competitive binder (results are shown in figure 3).

14

Figure 3. GAG competitive binding experiments for IL-12. IL-12 has been pre- incubated

with a number of GAG variants before incubation with immobilised heparin. Graph is from a

paper by Hasan et al (1999).

A separate study by Rickard et al (2003) investigated the binding effects of heparan sulfates

to Glial cell derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) using chemically modified GAGs with

known sulfation patterns. This method was useful in investigating specifically the influence

of sulfation structures on GAG binding and was successful in identifying binding specificity

to O- sulfated groups. This study was compared with the Hasan et al (1999) study with IL-12

and was able to identify that different cytokines have different binding specificities for

glycosaminoglycans.

Currently no such GAG sulfation pattern has been identified which is unique to Gremlin

binding. As unique specificity has been exhibited by these other proteins it can be expected

that Gremlin will also exhibit its own distinct binding pattern.

Unlike the studies by Rickard et al., this current study will investigate the competitive

binding with naturally occurring GAGs, including kidney heparan sulfate, the natural binding

partner for Gremlin. This may provide better insight in a biological context than synthetic

GAG studies.

15

1.6 Homology modelling of Gremlin antagonist.

Unlike the family of TGF- β proteins, their antagonists are highly diverse in their structures.

Some may be multidomained structures while others remain in single domain form (Nolan et

al. 2013). In order to better understand how these proteins form such associations with

heparin sulfates it is necessary to elucidate their structure.

Until recently, the best structural model for Gremlin was based upon homology modelling of

a solution structure of Sclerostin. Since then however, the crystallographic structure of a

more structurally similar protein: Protein Related to DAN and Cererbrus (PRDC) has been

solved in studies by Nolan et al (2013). PRDC is sometimes referred to as Gremlin -2 as it

shares 69% amino acid identity in the cysteine rich motif. This modelling revealed the

characteristic – growth factor like fold that is described as a two- finger- wrist model where a

series of β- strands originate from the N- terminus (See figure 4).

A.

Figure 4. Homology modelling of Gremlin with the PRDC monomer. A. Image is of the

crystallographic monomer of PRDC. Alpha helices are in red and beta strands in blue. Finger

regions are denoted as “F1” and “F2” and the wrist, “W”. B. Figure is of the predicted

Gremlin structure. Structure is based on PRDC X- crystallographic structure. Although this

image is inverted with respect to the PRDC structure, note the structural similarity and the

B.

16

presentation of two- finger wrist structure in each. Modelling of Gremlin was carried out by

Professor Barbara Mulloy using Swiss Model. A is adapted from Nolan et al 2013. B is

Adapted from Tatsinkam 2014 PhD thesis.

1.7 Gremlin mutagenesis.

Utilising this new structure of Gremlin, as shown in figure 4, three clusters of basic residues

were identified on its surface that were thought to contribute to the heparin binding site.

These, like those found in IL-12 in the Hasan et al (1999) study consisted of largely lysine

and arginine basic residues. Using site directed mutagenesis, functional residues were

replaced with alanine; this did not result in misfolding within the protein. Gremlin mutants

were then expressed in Chinese hamster cell ovaries (Tatsinkam 2014, PhD thesis). A number

of different proteins were expressed, but the ones used in this particular study are MGR5 and

MGR6. Their targeted clusters for mutagenesis are as follows:

MGR5: II and IIIb.

MGR6: I and II. (See figure 5).

Figure 5. Ribbon model of Gremlin showing the 3 clusters of basic residues. Green chains

indicate the relevant amino acid residues. Figure is adapted from Tatsinkam 2014, PhD

thesis.

17

Previous studies have also investigated the effects of mutagenizing proteins in order to

investigate their GAG binding. In a study carried out by Severin et al (2010), the researchers

were able to identify a crucial region involved in heparin binding for chemokine CXCL11.

Four individual basic clusters thought to be primarily involved in heparin binding, were

altered by the replacement of Arg and Lys with Ala. The Ec50 value of the one mutant

showed a 10 fold decrease in binding affinity compared with WT. The respective region was

deemed “a key epitope”. This study strongly indicates that proteins will associate with GAGs

using specific surface residues. Again this further supports the idea that associations between

GAGs and their proteins are dependent upon the polyanionic nature of heparin interacting

with cationic patches on the protein.

1.8 Rationalisation of method.

This study utilises a method of competitive binding to demonstrate the ability of heparan

sulfate variants to displace Gremlin binding with an immobilised heparin- BSA complex.

The quantity of Gremlin remaining on the capture plate after washing is measured using an

ELISA technique. This method is useful for measuring the totality of heparin sulfate binding.

As discussed, binding affinity is thought to be determined by a number factors which include

the sulfation pattern, 3D structure and charge density, these combined can be termed the

”totality” of binding. By measuring the affinity of protein binding in its totality this may

provide an idea of how GAGs associate in a biological context. Previous experiments have

investigated Gremlin- heparin binding using column chromatography. In this procedure

however, only the ionic affinity can be measured as elution of Gremlin from the heparin lined

column occurs through salt washing (Tatsinkam et al., 2014).

Alterations have been made to the purification technique of recombinant Gremlin since the

discovery that histidine tags provide artefactual heparin binding (Lacy et al., 2002). The

ELISA method used in this investigation does not require the protein to be covalently bound

to any tags that may present this issue.

Unlike The ELISA method proposed for this investigation, other studies exist where the

protein of interest has been immobilised on the capture plate itself (Marson et al., 2009). This

however may perturb the structure of the protein and influence its binding to the GAG. To

circumvent this issue, this current study shall generate capture plates coated with heparin.

The heparin shall be coupled to BSA to allow for immobilisation on the plate; Gremlin is

then applied to this.

18

As described in section 1.3, heparan sulfates may vary depending upon their tissue of origin.

This study will therefore investigate the binding of Gremlin to heparan sulfates derived from

different tissues. Kidney heparan sulphate (KHS) is of particular interest as Gremlin is known

to provide functional activities for kidney development, also contributing to kidney fibrotic

disease. Therefore, KHS is a GAG that Gremlin binds to in vivo; intestine derived HSA and

HSE are used for comparison.

Aims and Hypotheses.

As demonstrated in the literature, GAGs exhibit highly variable structural and chemical

properties that contribute to their protein binding, therefore, it is expected that they shall each

associate with Gremlin with different affinities. This study aims to demonstrate this using a

competitive binding assay with different variants of heparan sulfates.

This investigation also aims to examine how mutagenesis of surface residues of wild type

Gremlin can affect the strength of its binding to each individual GAG. From this, it can be

elucidated whether perturbation results in a quantitative reduction in binding, equal for all

heparan sulfates or whether there is a qualitative alteration to the specificity of binding to

each. If the latter is true, we can assume that the complexity of binding involves more than

just ionic interactions but involves “key epitopes” and structural features which confer

binding specificity.

This study serves to investigate the hypothesis that Gremlin will bind to heparan sulfates with

structural specificity rather than ionic interaction alone. Thus, further implying that Gremlin

binding is distinctive from other proteins.

19

Materials and Methods.

This experiment uses an ELISA technique to measure competitive binding. Remaining

Gremlin was detected using a specific antibody then followed by an appropriately enzyme

tagged secondary antibody.

Reagents:

Mouse anti- Gremlin Biotinylated Affinity Purified Ab Goat IgG and Streptavidin Alkaline

Phosphatase conjugated Ab were purchased from R&D systems.

Heparin BSA conjugate was generated previously in the lab by treatment with

cyanoborohydride which covalently couples the reducing end of heparin to BSA.

Bovine lung heparin and kidney HS were both purchased from Sigma – Aldrich.

Two HS’s isolated from porcine intestinal mucosa were previously isolated in the lab by

fractionation (HSA and HSE) (indicated in Table 1.)

For recombinant Gremlin synthesis, see section 1.7.

All above reagents were kept below 4 ̊ C.

Stock of 10 x PBS (PH 6.87) buffer and stock of TRIS- EDTA (PH 7.4) were both previously

made in the lab and kept at room temperature. (In an effort to generate conditions similar to

nature, buffer PH has been matched to biological PH.)

96 well plates are purchased from Sigma – Aldrich.

Method

5ng of heparin –BSA conjugate, was diluted in TRIS- EDTA (PH 7.4) buffer and 100μl

added to each well of a 96 well plate. The plate was left to incubate at 4 ̊ C overnight on a

rotating platform. An additional set of 4 “blank” wells which was not exposed to any reagents

was measured for background absorbance.

Following incubation the plate was washed three times with 250μl 1 x PBS. Wells were then

blocked with 2% BSA- PBS, 200μl per well. Plates were covered and left for an hour at room

temperature on a rotating platform.

20

Blocker was then removed and wells were washed three times with 250μl of 0.05% BSA 1x

PBS solution. 100μl of Gremlin antigen was added to each well. Plates were covered and left

at room temperature for 90 minutes on a rotating platform.

Gremlin was prepared in 0.05% BSA- 1x PBS to the desired concentration, in 100μl volume.

(The exact protein weight is unknown as Gremlin samples are suspended in the supernatant

so samples are given volume units.)

Gremlin was then removed and wells were washed three times with 250μl of 0.05% BSA-1x

PBS solution. 100μl of Biotinylated anti – gremlin antibody was added to each well. Plates

were covered and left at room temperature for 90 minutes on a rotating platform.

Biotinylated primary antibody was diluted to 1:250 with 0.05% - BSA 1X PBS before adding

to plate.

Primary antibody was removed and wells were washed three times with 250 μl of 0.05%

Tween 20 -1 x PBS. 100μl of streptavidin alkaline phosphatase conjugated antibody was

added to each well. Plates were covered and left at room temperature for 30 minutes on a

rotating platform.

Streptavidin Alkaline Phosphatase conjugated secondary antibody was diluted to 1:100 in

0.05% -BSA 1x PBS before adding to plate.

Secondary antibody was removed and wells were washed with 250μl of 0.05% Tween 20- 1x

PBS. Then washed twice with 1x PBS. (This second set of washes is important to remove any

bubbles that may have formed in the detergent wash.)

100μl of P- nitrolphenol substrate was added to each well. Plates were covered and left to

incubate at 37 ̊ C on a rotating platform for 25-30 minutes.

Substrate was prepared as directed by manufacturer.

Plates were read at 405nm wavelength using an ELISA plate reader. The absorbance value

indicates the remaining quantity of Gremlin on the capture plate.

This experiment used 4 repeat wells for each Gremlin sample and the negative control.

Negative control consisted of wells coated with BSA prepared without heparin conjugation.

21

Statistical Analysis.

Data typical of figures 9 and 10 was analysed using student’s t-test. The comparison was

made between the “no GAG” condition and each GAG competitor individually.

For data typical of figure 11, statistical analysis was completed using the mean values of 3

identical competitive binding experiments individually, then an analysis was carried out using

the combined mean values of the 3 experiments: Data was analysed using ANOVA or

Kruskal- Wallis testing (Levene’s test was used to indicate which test was suitable based

upon variance.) This was followed by post- hoc Bonferronni test. This testing allowed for the

determination of the performance of each GAG as a competitive inhibitor, relative to one

other.

Both ANOVA and Kruskall- Wallis tests have more power than the T- test when the number

of conditions compared is greater than 2.

22

Results

This experiment has aimed to recreate, as best possible, the process of heparan sulfate –

Gremlin binding as it occurs in a biological system. However, it must be kept in mind, the

conditions that influence binding can vary greatly in a biological system. Therefore, the data

represented in this report only accounts for experimental conditions.

Before competitive binding assays are carried out, a suitable fixed concentration of Gremlin

antigen to use must first be determined. A significant portion of antigen may be removed

during competitive assays so ideally, a high initial absorbance should be present before

addition of competing GAG.

A titration of increasing amounts of WT Gremlin was carried out to find a suitable value:

Gremlin was prepared in 0.05% BSA- 1x PBS to achieve 10μl, 15μl, 20μl and 25μl in each

well in 100μl volume.

Figure 6. Absorbance at 405nm wavelength with increasing amounts of WT Gremlin per well (Mean+- SEM values are plotted, although bars are smaller than symbol diameter). Each data point is the mean of 4 repeat wells. Red points denote negative control, blue points denote immobilised heparin binding.

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Ab

sorb

ance

(40

5nm

).

Greml in per well (µl).

23

As may be seen in figure 6, the negative control values indicate that Gremlin is only

associating with the immobilised heparin and only a low background level of binding is

observable. These negative control wells were made using 5 ng per well of mock- BSA

conjugate. This has been treated with the same chemicals for heparin conjugation but in the

absence of heparin.

In figure 6, a plateau is reached at 20µl per well of Wild type Gremlin. This indicates that the

immobilised heparin binding sites have become saturated. In order to determine if this is true,

the experiment was repeated with an additional set of wells with twice as much immobilised

heparin (10ng per well) for Gremlin concentrations 0μl and 25μl.

Figure 7. Absorbance at 405nm wavelength with increasing amounts of WT Gremlin per well (Mean+- SEM values are plotted, although are smaller than symbol diameter). Each data point is the mean of 4 repeat wells. Red points denote negative control, blue points denote immobilised heparin binding. Grey points denote Gremlin samples in wells coated with twice the heparin (10ng) as other samples. Data labels are included to distinguish between overlapping points.

0.1295

0.13

0.5995

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Ab

sorb

ance

(4

05 n

m).

Greml in per well (μl)

24

As can be seen in figure 7, the same maximal absorbance is obtained for 25μl Gremlin in

wells coated with twice as much heparin (10ng) as the standard wells (5ng). Therefore, it is

unlikely that immobilised heparin has become saturated and more likely that “levelling off”

in figure 6 is due to the detection limit having been reached on the reader or because all

substrate has been consumed.

As the WT curve in figure 7 is irregular, a 3rd titration experiment of this sort was carried out

which was similar to of that in figure 6. From this data a 10µl per well was selected as the

most appropriate quantity of Gremlin to be used in competitive binding assays. This value

provides a high enough absorbance to allow for significant competitive binding without

existing in the “plateau” region in figure 6.

Next, the same procedure was carried out for mutagenized MGR5 in place of WT in order to

determine a suitable quantity of Gremlin for competitive binding assays.

These results in figure 8 are typical of 2 similar experiments that show a plateau reached at

25µl per well of MGR5. This is likely to occur for the same reasons proposed for WT. Note

Figure 8. Absorbance value at 405nm wavelength with increasing amounts of MGR5 per well (plotted as Mean+- SEM). Each data point is the mean of 4 repeat wells. Red points denote negative control, blue pints denote immobilised heparin binding.

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Ab

sorb

ance

(40

5 n

m).

Greml in per well (µl)

25

that a range of higher concentrations was used than for WT, as binding strength is expected to

be reduced for this mutant.

From this data 10µl per well was selected as the most appropriate quantity of Gremlin to be

used in MGR5 competitive binding assays.

Competitive binding assays.

In order to investigate how the structure of Gremlin contributes to its association with

different GAGs, the recombinant form of Gremlin (MGR5) was compared with WT in a

competitive binding assay

Both WT and MGR5 were combined with soluble forms of either 0µg/ml GAG, 50µg/ml

heparin, 50µg/ml HSA or 50µg/ml HSE. This concentration was selected as previous

experiments indicated that 50μg/ ml of soluble heparin exerted maximum inhibition on these

capture plates.

As indicated by the “No GAG” value in the right panel of figure 9, MGR5 has an absorbance

approximately a third of WT. In the left panel, where the data has been normalised, the

Figure 9. Absorbance values at 405nm wavelength. Left panel: Normalised data. Right panel: Raw data. Data plotted as mean +/- SEM. Each data point is the mean of 4 repeats. Blue represents WT and red is MGR5. A t- test was carried out on the data:

*** -.significant at p< 0.001, **** - significant at p< 0.0001

****

*******

********

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

No GAG Heparin HSA HSE

Ab

sorb

an

ce (

40

5 n

m).

Soluble GAG.

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

No GAG Heparin HSA HSE

No

rma

lise

d a

bso

rba

nce

.

Soluble GAG.

26

competitive binding of each GAG can be better compared. Here it can be seen that HSA has a

poor competitive ability whilst HSE competes for Gremlin binding well.

It should be kept in mind that HSE, HSA and heparin are not natural binders for Gremlin as

these are not found in tissues where Gremlin is expressed. However, HSE and heparin still

exhibit strong binding and are useful in observing variation in GAG structure derived from

different tissues.

Some caution should be taken when interpreting the results as the MGR5 “No GAG”

absorbance values appear unusually low, compared with previous experiments and

conversely WT is unusually high. This may indicate some discrepancy which may present

after normalisation of the results.

It was decided that the experiment should repeated to obtain a more meaningful result. The

following experiment also investigates competitive binding of MGR6.

This set of data shown in figure 10 is typical of 1 other similar experiment. This is also in

accordance with the data in figure 9. The right panel “No GAG” value shows that both

MGR5 and MGR6 have an overall reduced affinity to immobilised heparin. As can be seen in

the normalised data (left panel) all competing GAGs are able to successfully compete for

Figure 10. Absorbance at 405nm wavelength. Left panel: Normalised data. Right panel: Raw data. Data plotted as mean +/- SEM. Each mean value is calculated from 4 repeats. Blue represents WT, red is MGR5 and grey is MGR6.

A two tailed, paired t- test was carried out on raw data.

*** -.significant at p< 0.001, **** - significant at p< 0.0001

****

****

****

***

********

***

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

No GAG Heparin HSA HSE

Ab

sorb

an

ce (

40

5 n

m)

Soluble GAG.

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

No GAG Heparin HSA HSE

Rem

ain

ing

ab

sorb

an

ce (4

05

nm

)

Solube GAG.

27

MGR5 binding to immobilised heparin. Interestingly, MGR6 plate binding is poorly

competed for by the soluble GAGs.

The left panel shows HSA is only able to notably influence MGR5’s binding to immobilised

heparin. In contrast, HSE offers considerably more competition than HSA for both mutants;

MGR5 showing particular sensitivity to HSE competitive binding. As expected, soluble

heparin is able to eliminate immobilised heparin binding to background absorbance levels

due to its high charge/ sulfation density.

The following experiment explores the competitive binding ability of kidney heparin sulfate.

This should broaden the analysis of Gremlin binding across the HS variants. This may help to

further indicate whether mutagenesis of Gremlin has resulted in a qualitative reduction in

affinity or whether any distinct binding profile is exhibited by the protein variants.

28

Figure 11 is typical of 3 similar experiments where a consistent binding pattern is

demonstrated for the 3 Gremlin variants. As can be seen in the normalised data (upper panel),

kidney heparan sulfate (KHS) has a similar competitive binding activity to HSE and serves as

a good competitor. Statistical analysis of the 3 combined experiments (as explained in

Figure 11.Absorbance at 405nm wavelength. Upper panel: Normalised data. Lower panel: Raw data. Data plotted as mean +/- SEM. Each mean value is calculated from 4 repeats. Blue represents wildtype, red is MGR5 and grey is MGR6. Stars indicate the significance of inhibition P< 0.001 as calculated by ANOVA or Kruskal- Wallis testing (Variance was

measured using Levene’s test.) This was followed by post- hoc Bonferronni test.

*

* *

**

*

*

*

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

No GAG Heparin HSA HSE Kidney HS

Ab

sorb

an

ce (4

05

nm

).

Soluble GAG.

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

No GAG Heparin HSA HSE Kidney HS

Rem

ain

ing

ab

sorb

an

ce (

40

5n

m).

Soluble GAG.

29

methods) demonstrated that the inhibition observed in the data, typical of figure 11, was

significant for all the soluble GAGs except for HSA. HSA may therefore be considered a

non- competitor. Heparin however, always reduces the absorbance value to nearly

background levels. It should be kept in mind, HSA’s low sulfation density, this data indicates

that ionic charge density contributes strongly to binding.

Interestingly, the normalised data (upper panel) reveals KHS has a poorer competitive

binding ability for MGR5 than HSE does; this was not the case for WT or MGR6. As shown

in the lower panel, for all three conditions of competitive binding: (No GAG, HSA and

KHS), MGR5’s absorbance has remained around a half of WT’s, however, the remaining

absorbance was lower in comparison, following HSE competitive binding. Therefore, the

reduction in affinity exhibited by MGR5, relative to WT has not been equal for all GAGs; a

new binding pattern is exhibited.

In the lower panel of figure 11, note the “No GAG” raw data value for MGR6 which

indicates that it has around 60% of WT absorbance. Therefore a significant amount of affinity

for immobilised heparin has been lost. However, MGR6 appears to bind more strongly to

immobilised heparin than any soluble heparan sulfate, all of which displace this binding

poorly (shown in the upper panel). Compared with the wild type condition, the range of GAG

binding partners that MGR6 will associate with successfully, appears to be limited. Thus, like

MGR5 there has not been an equal reduction in GAG binding affinity for all GAG variants as

a result of mutagenesis. This was also evident in figure 10.

Some caution should be taken when interpreting the data in figure 11. As can be seen in the

lower panel, the value for MGR6 with soluble HSA exceeds that of the MGR6 with no GAG.

This may indicate that the uninhibited value is anomalously low which may influence the

normalised data. This however, seems to have minimal effect as data is still consistent with

the other experiments

The experiment to follow this examines more closely the ability of kidney heparan sulfate as

a competitive binder.

30

Titration experiments for KHS and WT.

A titration experiment was conducted for MGR5, MGR6 and WT individually where soluble

heparin and kidney heparan sulfate were added in the following concentrations:

0 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml, 20 μg/ml, 50 μg/ml, 100 μg/ml. (MGR5 only.)

0 μg/ml, 5 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml, 25 μg/ml, 50 μg/ml. (with WT and MGR6).

This range of concentrations was selected based on the knowledge that 50μg/ ml of soluble

heparin has previously shown to provide maximum binding inhibition.

WT and MGR6 titrations were carried out over a smaller range as inhibition shown in the

MGR5 experiment indicated that inhibition was substantial at lower concentrations.

It should be kept in mind that previous competitive assays used a fixed concentration of

50μg/ml soluble GAG. As shown in figure 12, KHS is a much poorer competitive binder than

heparin for all Gremlin mutants. Maximal inhibition for heparin is reached at around 10μg/ml

for all Gremlin variants whilst KHS reaches maximal inhibition between 50 μg /ml and 100

Figure 12. Normalised absorbance at 405nm wavelength. Data points are the mean of 4 repeat

values. Please refer to the legend above.

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Re

ma

inin

g ab

sorb

ance

.

GAG Concentration (μg/ml)

WT Heparin

WT KHS

MGR5 Heparin

MGR5 KHS

MGR6 Heparin

MGR6 KHS

31

μg /ml for all Gremlin variants. It appears from the slope of the curve that further increase in

KHS concentration would not reduce bound Gremlin levels to those seen with soluble

heparin.

Soluble heparin has displaced the binding of all 3 Gremlins quite equally. Take note that

MGR6 binding to immobilised heparin is poorly competed for by soluble KHS when

compared with WT and MGR5. Interestingly, MGR5 and WT appear to behave quite

similarly with competitive inhibition from KHS. Similar behaviour was previously observed

in experiments that looked at competitive binding at fixed concentrations (See figure 11,

upper panel).

Following examination of all the data, of particular interest is the observable change in

binding profile for both MGR5 and MGR6 from the wild type condition. In figure 11, upper

panel, the data shows MGR5 and WT to bare a similar resemblance in competitive behaviour

with all GAGs except for HSE; here there is a significant difference. Furthermore, MGR6 is

shown to have a limited preference towards heparin over all other GAGs.

Mutagenesis has not only resulted in a quantitative reduction in binding affinity to all GAGs

but the binding behaviour has changed relative to the WT. This observation was consistent

over many experiments.

32

Discussion

2.0 HSE, HSA and Heparin as competitive inhibitors.

As supported by statistical analysis, all the GAGs except HSA provide a significant

competition for Gremlin binding with immobilised heparin. HSE was a strong competitor for

all 3 Gremlins and heparin was able to reduce absorbance to background levels. As HSE and

heparin are more densely sulfated whereas HSA has lower N and O sulfation (Rickard et al.,

2003) (See table 1) this indicates that the ionic interactions made between ionic sulfate

groups on GAGs and basic protein residues bear a strong contribution to binding. This

however, is contrary to the binding of HSA with human Betacellulin where significant

activity is shown (Mummery et al., 2007). This indicates that the binding nature observed in

our experiment is unique to Gremlin.

Furthermore, as heparin is hypersulfated, this allows for an improved “furnishing” of the

polymer thus increasing the chances of presenting the appropriate binding motif to the

protein; this occurs in addition to increased ionic interactions. Despite the molecule having

increased overall rigidity compared with heparan sulfate, the ability to present more moieties

means that bending to accommodate sterically is unnecessary.

2.1 What gives rise to the distinctive binding nature of KHS?

KHS was shown to demonstrate binding activity that was distinct from HSA and HSE. As

can be seen in the results, KHS exhibits similar binding activity to HSE for WT and MGR6

however, it competes more poorly for MGR5 binding than HSE does. It must now be

considered what provides this distinct binding nature that distinguishes KHS from HSA and

HSE and does it possess structural features that are unique to KHS? As mentioned earlier,

heparan sulfates derived from different tissues may be subject to different enzymatic

synthesis and as a result are composed of different disaccharide units. Therefore, it may be

the case that a structural feature, for which MGR5 is dependent, is less frequently expressed

on KHS than the intestinal mucosa derived HSE. A concept similar to that of the

pentasaccharide motif in heparin –Antithrombin binding. Furthermore, perhaps the regulation

of spacing of the S – N domains varies in KHS from that of HSE, making it less flexible to

shape to MGR5’s surface.

33

2.2 Characterising KHS binding to GAGs, the next steps.

As HSE and KHS have similar binding activities for all except for MGR5 it would be of

interest to examine the binding features of these two GAGs more closely. In order to

elucidate what distinguishes HSE binding to MGR5 from KHS it would be of benefit to

examine the structural features of KHS in more detail. This may include, investigation of

sulfation patterning along the polymer through spectroscopy and x-ray scattering to

determine conformation and “bending” of the polymer. These details could then be compared

with HSE.

Elucidation of KHS binding features would be of particular interest as KHS is what Gremlin

proteins would associate with in vivo.

2.3 Comparison with Previous Studies investigating mutagenized Gremlin binding.

Previous experiments exploring the binding affinities of mutagenized Gremlin against wild

type were in agreement with the results of this investigation. Most of these studies

demonstrated an overall reduction in binding affinity to heparin with mutagenesis. An

example of this are the heparin affinity column experiments where mutagenized Gremlin was

observed to elute sooner than wild type (mentioned in section 1.8). A novel experiment

demonstrating the reduction in KHS affinity for Gremlin mutants was carried out by Joy

Askew (MSc) at Royal Holloway, University of London. This investigation utilised KHS

present within kidney tissue: Tagged WT Gremlin was incubated with the C57B1/6 derived

renal tissue overnight. Incubation with secondary antibody then revealed WT Gremlin indeed

binds to specific cell types within the glomerulus. This binding was able to be blocked by

heparinise digestion. The same experiment was repeated with 3 mutants: MGR3, MGR5 and

MGR6 (generated using the same method as described in section 1.7). This investigation

demonstrated that Gremlin does indeed localise in kidney with kidney HS but loses this

natural ability in mutants. A competitive binding assay with soluble heparin was also carried

out.

Askew’s investigation was useful in observing the biological activity of KHS in situ and the

competitive binding results were in agreement with the immobilised heparin method used in

this experiment. This should affirm that the results obtained from the immobilised heparin

method have biological credibility. However what has been possible with the immobilised

heparin method is to cross compare the mutants in their ability to bind to a range of GAGs as

34

opposed to just KHS. This has been more revealing of how their binding specificities to

different GAG structures have altered.

2.4 Gremlin mutagenesis and its influence on GAG binding specificity.

As established from normalising the data, although MGR5 has experienced an overall

reduction in affinity to immobilised heparin, the lower sulfated GAGs can still compete for

its binding. Although the lower sulfation ratios of HSs result in a less frequent presentation

of binding motif on the molecule, each of the soluble heparan sulfate samples is composed of

a heterogenous mix of molecules. Therefore, a portion of these molecules will present to

MGR5 an appropriate binding site. Furthermore, heparan sulfate may be able to bend to

accommodate binding whereas the immobilised heparin is too rigid to permit this (See

section 1.3). It may be the case that mutagenesis has altered the surface structure of Gremlin

in such a way that necessitates the respective GAG have a degree of flexibility to

accommodate binding to a particular patch. Thus, some of the Gremlin will be able to

preferably bind to the competing heparan sulfate and is removed from the immobilised

heparin. Now, it must be considered whether MGR5 mutagenesis has altered binding in such

a way that changes the nature of specificity towards certain GAGs:

It is evident that MGR5’s overall lower affinity for GAGs has not resulted in an equal

reduction for all. Whilst the competitive nature for KHS remains virtually the same as WT,

the competitive nature with HSE is comparatively greater with respect to the WT. This

indicates that mutagenesis has resulted in an alteration in the specificity of the protein to bind

to particular GAGs. It may be of interest to perform a titration experiment comparing HSE

competitive binding for WT and MGR5 to investigate further whether this behaviour is true.

If this is the case, it would be expected that HSE more successfully competes for MGR5

binding than it does for WT on a heparin capture plate.

As mentioned earlier, MGR6 has also exhibits an overall reduction in affinity to immobilised

heparin. Despite this, the data indicates that soluble GAGs have very poor competitive

activity for MGR6’s binding to the immobilised heparin. As a result, MGR6 is retained well

on the plate. It seems that mutagenesis at the binding clusters for MGR6 has limited the

selectivity of protein binding to a particular structural feature which may be presented in

more abundance on a highly sulfated heparin. It may also be the case that mutagenesis has

reduced the surface ionic nature of Gremlin and so binding is more preferential towards the

35

more highly anionic charge of heparin. The result is that MGR6 will bind to fewer GAG

molecules overall and will be more likely to bind to heparin molecules.

It can therefore be confirmed that surface residues on Gremlin proteins contribute to their

ability to associate with particular GAGs. This concept could potentially be extrapolated to

the binding activity of other proteins. As each protein exhibits different surface structures,

they will exhibit different binding strengths for different GAGs. This further supports the

concept that Gremlin exhibits binding specificity distinct from other proteins.

2.5 Heparin binding and its effect on BMP antagonism.

It would now be of interest to determine the biological importance of heparin binding and

what effect this has on BMP activity. Experiments have already been conducted that explore

this in vivo however, in a cellular context Gremlin’s activity is highly complex. Although

glycosaminoglycans may localise Gremlin to bind to BMPs closer to cell receptors, making

inhibition more effective, this also brings Gremlin closer to recycling entities present on the

cell. This may increase endocytosis of Gremlin, removing its activity. What can be inferred

from GAG affinity binding as to how this affects biological states must therefore be used

with caution.

2.6 Closing remarks.

The results are in support of the hypothesis that heparan sulfates associate with proteins with

specificity rather than simple ionic interaction alone. This has been demonstrated as

mutagenesis results in a different GAG binding profile to WT.

There seems to be no discrepancies in the results of this investigation with the literature so

there can be confidence in these findings. Furthermore, previously proposed mechanisms of

GAG-protein associations can be successfully used to infer why these results are observed.

Structural GAG elements such as flexibility and sulfation pattern of the molecule may well

underlie the binding events that have been observed in this investigation. Therefore binding

interactions between GAGs and proteins encompass far more than ionic interactions alone.

Instead all these elements summit to a “totality” that determines the binding strength.As

GAGs exist as highly polymeric molecules, each molecule will possess, to different degrees,

these composite elements. Therefore, Gremlin interactions will vary widely in nature for all

36

GAGs which may give rise to this specificity demonstrated in this investigation. As this

investigation only observed GAG binding in its totality, further investigations should now be

carried out which isolate factors that give rise to Gremlin – GAG binding. This may include,

comparing GAGs with different sulfation patterns or GAGs with different degrees of

“flexibility”. Currently, it is unclear the degree of contribution each of these features

provided to binding. From further studies, more conclusive evidence of GAG binding

behaviour may be drawn.

As predicted, both composite elements of GAGs and surface residues on Gremlin contribute

towards a unique binding activity. This concept may be applied to other protein- GAG

interactions and therefore it is reasonable to suggest that the unique surface structure of

Gremlin gives rise to a unique binding activity which is distinct from other proteins.

Furthermore, some GAG interactions have reported different binding profiles with other

cytokines such as Betacellulin (See section 2.0).

This investigation has been the first to examine the effects of perturbation towards Gremlin

surface residues in binding activity for a number of heparan sulfate variants. Therefore, this

investigation has presented new findings in the way in which Gremlin associates with

different GAGS.

37

Acknowledgements.

I would like to thank first and foremost Nkola Tatsinkam, or as I have come to know as

“Arnold Junior”. Without whom, I would have struggled endlessly with calculations. Your

explanations were always so clear and I feel that I have mastered a skill that I never thought I

could. Despite having a mountain of work to complete for your own PhD you always had

time to help me out when I hit a problem or to just have a chat about life! It was a pleasure

sharing the lab with and I wish you all the best with your work in Switzerland. Thank you.

I would also like to thank Dr Rider for his constant support. I felt very privileged to be so

included in the larger research project. This really helped me to see the bigger picture and

value my work beyond just my own project. Thank you for time spent explaining where my

small contribution stood in the wider world of research and thank you for helping me learn

that project handbooks are not to be scrutinised to the last detail.

Also thank you to the kind masters student that worked in the lab next to me for your patience

when I urgently needed a plate reader and for the time when I needed a calibrated pipette. I

hope I didn’t cause too much disruption!

38

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Tatsinkam 2014, PhD thesis. Royal Holloway, University of London.