INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CELLS AND COLLAGEN-V MOLECULES OR SINGLE CHAINS INVOLVE DISTINCT MECHANISMS

Acid-soluble and pepsin-treated collagen V were prepared from fetal human bones or human placenta, respectively, to be tested for potential cell adhesion promoting activity. Out of 14 different collagen I-adhering cell lines, 10 showed distinct adhesion to collagen V. In all cases adhesion was followed by spreading. The activities of intact and pepsin-solubilized collagen V were similar, suggesting that the cell binding sites are restricted to the triple-helical domain of the molecules. Cell adhesion was also induced by the unfolded form of collagen V and after separation of the α chains by heparin affinity chromatography. Isolated α2(V) chains, rich in RGD sequences, were more efficient than isolated α1(V) chains. However, cell adhesion to native or denatured collagen V did not proceed by the same molecular mechanisms as shown by cell adhesion inhibition experiments. Cell adhesion to native collagen V was insensitive to the presence of RGD- containing synthetic peptides while adhesion to denatured collagen V was inhibited by the peptides. Furthermore, the results strongly suggested a major role for α1β1 and α2β1 integrins in the RGD-independent cell adhesion to native collagen V. These data indicate that collagen V is a specific adhesive substrate for different cell types. It also suggests that distinct sets of RGD-dependent and RGD-independent receptors mediate cell attachment to unfolded and native collagen V, respectively. This mechanism is shared by at least the interstitial collagens I and VI, which supports the hypothesis that when included in the triple-helical conformation of collagens, RGD sequences are either not accessible to cells or exhibit specific conformations recognized by different integrins. © 1994 Academic Press, Inc.