Action of human thrombokinase on human prothrombin and p-tosyl-l-arginine methyl ester

Interaction of polylysine with bovine factor Xa: effect of divalent cations

Poly-L-lysine has been demonstrated to partially replace biological cofactors in the activation of prothrombin by factor Xa. The present study was initiated to determine if poly-L-lysine has an effect on the enzymatic activity of factor Xa in the absence of prothrombin. At low ionic strength (50 mM Tris-Cl, pH 8.0, ambient temperature), poly-L-lysine inhibits amidase activity (S-2222) of bovine factor Xa with high affinity (Ki = 7 nM). The inhibition was readily reversed by 100 mM NaCl. The inhibition was also markedly reduced by the addition of 1.0 mM CaCl2 but not by MnCl2 or MgCl2. All three metal ions enhance amidase activity in the absence of poly-L-lysine. Poly-L-lysine also inhibits the amidase activity of factor Xa from which the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid domain has been removed by limited proteolysis with chymotrypsin (factor Xa-GD) but with somewhat lower avidity (Ki = 35 nM). As with native factor Xa, calcium ions reduce the observed inhibition while either manganese or magnesium ions are much less effective. The amidase activity of factor Xa-GD is enhanced with any one of the three divalent cations. These results provide additional support for the existence of a functionally significant binding site for calcium ions outside of the gamma-carboxyglutamic domain of factor Xa.

Isolation and characterization of an active three-chain molecular species of bovine thrombin

Partially purified bovine prothrombin was activated in half-saturated trisodium citrate seeded with thrombin, and the resulting thrombin was chromatographed on Amerblite IRC-50, followed by rechromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50. Five fractions, possessing both esterase and clotting activities, were partially isolated, but fraction VI was shown to be a pure three-chain active species with threonine, isoleucine and lysine, in 1:1:1 molar proportions as N-termini. The amino acid composition and C-termini of fraction VI were determinied. The molecular weights of the isolated chains, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, were 7300, 12000 and 19500 respectively. These data, when taken together with the amino acid sequence of the two-chain thrombin reported by Magnusson et al. (1975) [in Prothrombin and related Coagulation Factors, (Hember, H. C. & Veltkamp, J. J., eds.), pp. 25-46, Leiden University Press, Leiden], indicated that proteolysis occurred at the Arg(78)-Lys(79) peptide bond of the B chain of a precursor molecular species, thus converting this two-chain species into the three-chain active form described here.

Effect of polylysine on the activation of prothrombin. Polylysine substitutes for calcium ions and factor V in the factor Xa catalyzed activation of prothrombin

Polylysine has been demonstrated to dramatically accelerate the rate of the factor Xa catalyzed activation of both prothrombin and prethrombin 1. Under the present experimental conditions (pH 8.0, 23 C), no detectable activation of prothrombin or prethrombin 1 occurs with either factor Xa or polylysine alone. The activation of prethrombin 2, the direct precursor of alpha-thrombin, by factor Xa is not stimulated by polylysine. The activation of either prothrombin or prethrombin 1 by factor Xa in the presence of polylysine is partially inhibited by the presence of 5 mM CaCl2. Electrophoretic analysis in sodium dodecyl sulfate showed that the products that were formed in the above activation system comigrated with the reaction products derived from prothrombin activated by factor Xa in the presence of calcium ions and phospholipid. It is suggested that polylysine stimulates the factor Xa-catalyzes activation of prothrombin by replacing the combination of calcium ions and factor V.