The effect of calcium (II) on the binding of anticoagulation factor I with activated coagulation factor X

Ca(II)- and Tb(III)-induced stabilization and refolding of anticoagulation factor I from the venom of Agkistrodon acutus

Anticoagulation factor I (ACF I) isolated from the venom of Agkistrodon acutus is an activated coagulation factor X-binding protein in a Ca(2+)-dependent fashion with marked anticoagulant activity. The equilibrium unfolding/refolding of apo-ACF I, holo-ACF I, and Tb(3+)-reconstituted ACF I in guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) solutions was studied by following the fluorescence and circular dichroism. Metal ions were found to increase the structural stability of ACF I against GdnHCl and thermal denaturation and, furthermore, influence its unfolding/refolding behavior. The GdnHCl-induced unfolding/refolding of both apo-ACF I and Tb(3+)-ACF I is a two-state process with no detectable intermediate state(s), whereas the GdnHCl-induced unfolding/refolding of holo-ACF I in the presence of 1 mM Ca(2+) follows a three-step transition, with intermediate state a (Ia) and intermediate state b (Ib). Ca(2+) ions play an important role in the stabilization of the Ia and Ib states. The decalcification of holo-ACF I shifts the ending zone of unfolding/refolding curve toward lower GdnHCl concentration, whereas the reconstitution of apo-ACF I with Tb(3+) ions shifts the initial zone of denaturation curve toward higher GdnHCl concentration. Therefore, it is possible to find a denaturant concentration (2.0 M GdnHCl) at which refolding from the fully denatured state of apo-ACF I to the Ib state of holo-ACF I or to the native state of Tb(3+)-ACF I can be initiated merely by adding the 1 mM Ca(2+) ions or 10 microM Tb(3+) ions to the unfolded state of apo-ACF I, respectively, without changing the concentration of the denaturant. Using Tb(3+) as a fluorescence probe of Ca(2+), the kinetic results of metal ions-induced refolding provide evidence that the compact Tb(3+)-binding region forms first, and subsequently, the protein undergoes further conformational rearrangements to form the native structure.

Terbium(III) fluorescence probe studies on metal ion-binding sites in anticoagulation factor I from Agkistrodon acutus venom

Anticoagulation factor I (ACF I) isolated from the venom of Agkistrodon acutus is an activated coagulation factor X-binding protein with marked anticoagulant activity. Present studies show that holo-ACF I assumes a compactly folded structure in the range of pH 5-6, in which the most interior Trp residues and quenchers are adjacent. Tb3+ ions can completely replace both Ca2+ ions in holo-ACF I, as determined by equilibrium dialysis. Although the two Tb3+ ions in Tb3+-ACF I have slightly different luminescence efficiencies, both have similar quenching effects on the intrinsic fluorescence, suggesting that probably there are same numbers of Trp residues close to both Tb3+-binding sites. Two Tb3+-binding sites with similar apparent Tb3+ association constant values, (1.69 +/- 0.02) x 10(7) M(-1) and (1.42 +/- 0.01) x 10(7) M(-1), respectively, were further identified through Tb3+ fluorescence titration. In addition, it has been confirmed from the titration of holo-ACF I and Tb3+-ACF I with NBS that only interior Trp residues are involved in the energy transfer to Tb3+ ions and that all accessible Trp residues located in the surface of holo-ACF I have similar affinity to NBS, while those located in the surface of Tb3+-ACF I have two different kinds of affinity to NBS, which strongly suggests a conformational change of holo-ACF I upon substitution of Tb3+ for Ca2+. The results show that although the Tb3+-altered conformation of ACF I cannot support the binding of Tb3+-ACF I with FXa, determined by nondenaturing PAGE, Tb3+ ions are effective and useful fluorescence probes to analyze the structures and properties of Ca2+-binding sites in ACF I.