%0 Journal Article
%A Heiss, A.
%A Pipich, V.
%A Jahnen-Dechent, W.
%A Schwahn, D.
%T Fetuin-A is a mineral carrier protein: Small angle neutron scattering provides new insight on Fetuin-A controlled calcification inhibition
%J Biophysical journal
%V 99
%@ 0006-3495
%C New York, NY
%I Rockefeller Univ. Press
%M PreJuSER-13705
%P 3986 - 3995
%D 2010
%Z This study was supported by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) within the priority program "Principles of Biomineralization. A. Heiss thanks Prof. J. Mayer (GFE, Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule, Aachen University) for supporting the project.
%X Clinical studies and animal experiments have shown that the serum protein fetuin-A is a highly effective inhibitor of soft tissue calcification. This inhibition mechanism was elucidated on the basis of an in vitro fetuin-A-mineral model system. In a previous study, we found that in a two-stage process ∼100-nm sized calciprotein particles (CPPs) were formed whose final stage was stabilized by a compact outer fetuin-A monolayer against further growth. Quantitative small-angle neutron scattering data analysis revealed that even at a fetuin-A concentration close to the stability limit, only approximately one-half of the mineral ions and only 5% of the fetuin-A were contained in the CPPs. To uncover the interplay of the remaining supersaturated mineral ion fraction and of the 95% non-CPP fetuin-A, we explored the fetuin-A monomer fraction in solution by contrast variation small-angle neutron scattering. Our results suggest that the mineral ions coalesce to subnanometer-sized clusters, reminiscent of Posner clusters, which are stabilized by fetuin-A monomers. Hence, our experiments revealed a second mechanism of long-term mineral ion stabilization by the fetuin-A that is complementary to the formation of CPPs.
%K Animals
%K Calcification, Physiologic
%K Calcium: metabolism
%K Calcium Phosphates: metabolism
%K Carrier Proteins: metabolism
%K Cattle
%K Colloids
%K Minerals: metabolism
%K Neutron Diffraction
%K Protein Binding
%K Scattering, Small Angle
%K Time Factors
%K Ultrafiltration
%K alpha-Fetoproteins: metabolism
%K Calcium Phosphates (NLM Chemicals)
%K Carrier Proteins (NLM Chemicals)
%K Colloids (NLM Chemicals)
%K Minerals (NLM Chemicals)
%K alpha-Fetoproteins (NLM Chemicals)
%K Calcium (NLM Chemicals)
%K J (WoSType)
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%$ pmid:21156141
%2 pmc:PMC3000477
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000285438900022
%R 10.1016/j.bpj.2010.10.030
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/13705