The purpose of the project is to study biochemical and physical properties, biological function and metabolism of proteoglycans under physiological and various pathological conditions using a number of tissues and cell systems. Topics of present interest include: (1) regulation of proteoglycan metabolism by extracellular calcium in a parathyroid cell line; (2) intracellular metabolism of plasma membrane- associated heparan sulfate proteoglycans in rat ovarian granulosa cells; (3) analysis of regulatory-mechanisms of proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid synthesis in the mouse cumulus cell-oocyte complex; (4) analysis of bone specific glycoproteins in a human preosteoclastic cell line during differentiation; and (5) analysis of extracellular matrix formation by adipocytes during their differentiation and maturation.
