The interaction of bovine factor IX, its activation intermediate, factor IX alpha, and its activation products, factor IXa alpha and factor IXa beta, with acidic phospholipid vesicles of various compositions

SAXS analysis of the intrinsic tenase complex bound to a lipid nanodisc highlights intermolecular contacts between factors VIIIa/IXa

The intrinsic tenase (Xase) complex, formed by factors (f) VIIIa and fIXa, forms on activated platelet surfaces and catalyzes the activation of factor X to Xa, stimulating thrombin production in the blood coagulation cascade. The structural organization of the membrane-bound Xase complex remains largely unknown, hindering our understanding of the structural underpinnings that guide Xase complex assembly. Here, we aimed to characterize the Xase complex bound to a lipid nanodisc with biolayer interferometry (BLI), Michaelis-Menten kinetics, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Using immobilized lipid nanodiscs, we measured binding rates and nanomolar affinities for fVIIIa, fIXa, and the Xase complex. Enzyme kinetic measurements demonstrated the assembly of an active enzyme complex in the presence of lipid nanodiscs. An ab initio molecular envelope of the nanodisc-bound Xase complex allowed us to computationally model fVIIIa and fIXa docked onto a flexible lipid membrane and identify protein-protein interactions. Our results highlight multiple points of contact between fVIIIa and fIXa, including a novel interaction with fIXa at the fVIIIa A1-A3 domain interface. Lastly, we identified hemophilia A/B-related mutations with varying severities at the fVIIIa/fIXa interface that may regulate Xase complex assembly. Together, our results support the use of SAXS as an emergent tool to investigate the membrane-bound Xase complex and illustrate how mutations at the fVIIIa/fIXa dimer interface may disrupt or stabilize the activated enzyme complex.

Systems biology of coagulation initiation: kinetics of thrombin generation in resting and activated human blood

Blood function defines bleeding and clotting risks and dictates approaches for clinical intervention. Independent of adding exogenous tissue factor (TF), human blood treated in vitro with corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI, to block Factor XIIa) will generate thrombin after an initiation time (T_i) of 1 to 2 hours (depending on donor), while activation of platelets with the GPVI-activator convulxin reduces T_i to ∼20 minutes. Since current kinetic models fail to generate thrombin in the absence of added TF, we implemented a Platelet-Plasma ODE model accounting for: the Hockin-Mann protease reaction network, thrombin-dependent display of platelet phosphatidylserine, VIIa function on activated platelets, XIIa and XIa generation and function, competitive thrombin substrates (fluorogenic detector and fibrinogen), and thrombin consumption during fibrin polymerization. The kinetic model consisting of 76 ordinary differential equations (76 species, 57 reactions, 105 kinetic parameters) predicted the clotting of resting and convulxin-activated human blood as well as predicted T_i of human blood under 50 different initial conditions that titrated increasing levels of TF, Xa, Va, XIa, IXa, and VIIa. Experiments with combined anti-XI and anti-XII antibodies prevented thrombin production, demonstrating that a leak of XIIa past saturating amounts of CTI (and not “blood-borne TF” alone) was responsible for in vitro initiation without added TF. Clotting was not blocked by antibodies used individually against TF, VII/VIIa, P-selectin, GPIb, protein disulfide isomerase, cathepsin G, nor blocked by the ribosome inhibitor puromycin, the Clk1 kinase inhibitor Tg003, or inhibited VIIa (VIIai). This is the first model to predict the observed behavior of CTI-treated human blood, either resting or stimulated with platelet activators. CTI-treated human blood will clot in vitro due to the combined activity of XIIa and XIa, a process enhanced by platelet activators and which proceeds in the absence of any evidence for kinetically significant blood borne tissue factor.

Clotting of blood involves a series of reactions wherein at each step an inactive zymogen is converted to an active enzyme by the product of the previous step, sometimes in plasma and usually on efficient catalytic surfaces provided by the activating platelet. The protein Tissue Factor (TF) initiates this cascade when blood vessels are disrupted, but how this cascade is triggered in the absence of exogenous TF remains the subject of much debate. First, we validated a high throughput experimental system that allowed the noninvasive quantification of thrombin generation dynamics. Next, we showed that “contact activation,” despite use of the best available inhibitor (CTI) to prevent it, builds up enough autocatalytic strength to trigger coagulation without exogenous TF, particularly upon activated platelets. Further, we build an ODE based model to predict the stability of blood resulting from multiple perturbations with active enzymes at various physiologically realizable concentrations. Unlike existing models, we consider the dynamics of platelet activation on reaction rates due to phosphatiylserine exposure. The “Platelet-Plasma” model lays the groundwork for integration of coagulation reaction kinetics and donor specific descriptions of platelet function.

Factor VIIIa regulates substrate delivery to the intrinsic factor X-activating complex

Activation of coagulation factor X (fX) by activated factors IX (fIXa) and VIII (fVIIIa) requires the assembly of the enzyme-cofactor-substrate fIXa-fVIIIa-fX complex on negatively charged phospholipid membranes. Using flow cytometry, we explored formation of the intermediate membrane-bound binary complexes of fIXa, fVIIIa, and fX. Studies of the coordinate binding of coagulation factors to 0.8-microm phospholipid vesicles (25/75 phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine) showed that fVIII (fVIIIa), fIXa, and fX bind to 32 700 +/- 5000 (33 200 +/- 14 100), 20 000 +/- 4500, and 30 500 +/- 1300 binding sites per vesicle with apparent K(d) values of 76 +/- 23 (71 +/- 5), 1510 +/- 430, and 223 +/- 79 nm, respectively. FVIII at 10 nm induced the appearance of additional high-affinity sites for fIXa (1810 +/- 370, 20 +/- 5 nm) and fX (12 630 +/- 690, 14 +/- 4 nm), whereas fX at 100 nm induced high-affinity sites for fIXa (541 +/- 67, 23 +/- 5 nm). The effects of fVIII and fVIIIa on the binding of fIXa or fX were similar. The apparent Michaelis constant of the fX activation by fIXa was a linear function of the fVIIIa concentration with a slope of 1.00 +/- 0.12 and an intrinsic K(m) value of 8.0 +/- 1.5 nm, in agreement with the hypothesis that the reaction rate is limited by the fVIIIa-fX complex formation. In addition, direct correlation was observed between the fX activation rate and formation of the fVIIIa-fX complex. Titration of fX, fVIIIa, phospholipid concentration and phosphatidylserine content suggested that at high fVIIIa concentration the reaction rate is regulated by the concentration of free fX rather than of membrane-bound fX. The obtained results reveal formation of high-affinity fVIIIa-fX complexes on phospholipid membranes and suggest their role in regulating fX activation by anchoring and delivering fX to the enzymatic complex.

Kinetics of Factor X activation by the membrane-bound complex of Factor IXa and Factor VIIIa

Intrinsic tenase consists of activated Factors IX (IXa) and VIII (VIIIa) assembled on a negatively charged phospholipid surface. In vivo, this surface is mainly provided by activated platelets. In vitro, phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine vesicles are often used to mimic natural pro-coagulant membranes. In the present study, we developed a quantitative mathematical model of Factor X activation by intrinsic tenase. We considered two situations, when complex assembly occurs on either the membrane of phospholipid vesicles or the surface of activated platelets. On the basis of existing experimental evidence, the following mechanism for the complex assembly on activated platelets was suggested: (i) Factors IXa, VIIIa and X bind to their specific platelet receptors; (ii) bound factors form complexes on the membrane: platelet-bound Factor VIIIa provides a high-affinity site for Factor X and platelet-bound Factor IXa provides a high-affinity site for Factor VIIIa; (iii) the enzyme-cofactor-substrate complex is assembled. This mechanism allowed the explanation of co-operative effects in the binding of Factors IXa, VIIIa and X to platelets. The model was reduced to obtain a single equation for the Factor X activation rate as a function of concentrations of Factors IXa, VIIIa, X and phospholipids (or platelets). The equation had a Michaelis-Menten form, where apparent V(max) and K(m) were functions of the factors' concentrations and the internal kinetic constants of the system. The equation obtained can be used in both experimental studies of intrinsic tenase and mathematical modelling of the coagulation cascade. The approach of the present study can be applied to research of other membrane-dependent enzymic reactions.

Binding and orientation of conantokins in PL vesicles and aligned PL multilayers

The association of a ligand with its cognate cell surface receptor can be facilitated by interactions between the ligand and the lipid phase of the cell membrane. With respect to the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), we have previously established a low affinity, nonreceptor-mediated interaction of the peptidic conantokins with synaptic membranes in conjunction with a high affinity binding to the NMDARs present therein [Klein, R. C., Prorok, M., and Castellino, F. J. (2003) J. Pept. Res. 61, 307-317]. In the current study, several techniques including size-exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopies were used to investigate the binding, conformation, and orientation of conantokins and their variants to a variety of phospholipid (PL) vesicles and multilayers. We have found that conantokins bind to PLs and that the effectors Ca(2+) and spermine slightly increase this binding ability. The conantokins preserve a high degree of helical conformation when bound to vesicles in the presence of Ca(2+). In the absence of Ca(2+), only conantokin-G (con-G) manifests an increase in conantokin helicity with increasing vesicle concentration. In solution, the conantokins appear to be localized at the headgroup of vesicles and do not insert into the hydrophobic core of the bilayer. On aligned PL films, the helical axis of the conantokins can either reside normal to the membrane surface or partition in a parallel orientation, depending on the nature of the conantokins and the PLs used. These orientation preferences may be conjoined with the biological activities of the conantokins.

Four hydrophobic amino acids of the factor VIII C2 domain are constituents of both the membrane-binding and von Willebrand factor-binding motifs

Factor VIII binds to phospholipid membranes and to von Willebrand factor (vWf) via its second C domain, which has lectin homology. The crystal structure of the C2 domain has prompted a model in which membrane binding is mediated by two hydrophobic spikes, each composed of a pair of residues displayed on a beta-hairpin turn, and also by net positive charge and specific interactions with phospho-l-serine. To test this model, we prepared 16 factor VIII mutants in which single or multiple amino acids were changed to alanine. Mutants at Arg(2215), Arg(2220), Lys(2227), Lys(2249), Gln(2213), Asn(2217), and Phe(2196)/Thr(2197) had specific activities that were >70% of the wild type. Mutants at Arg(2209), Lys(2227), Trp(2313), and Arg(2320) were degraded within the cell. Hydrophobic spike mutants at Met(2199)/Phe(2200), Leu(2251)/Leu(2252), and Met(2199)/Phe(2200)/Leu(2251)/Leu(2252) (4-Ala) exhibited 43, 59, and 91% reduction in specific activity in the activated partial thromboplastin time assay. In a phospholipid-limiting factor Xa activation assay, these mutants had a 65, 85, and 96% reduction in specific activity. Equilibrium binding of fluorescent, sonicated phospholipid vesicles to mutants immobilized on Superose beads was measured by flow cytometry. The affinities for phospholipid were reduced approximately 20-, 30-, and >35-fold for 2199/2200, 2251/2252, and 4-Ala, respectively. A dimeric form of mature vWf bound to immobilized factor VIII and the same mutants, but the affinities of the mutants were reduced approximately 5-, 10-, and >20-fold, respectively. In a competition, solution phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, plasma vWf bound factor VIII and the same mutants with the affinities for the mutants reduced >5-, >5-, and >50-fold, respectively. We conclude that the two hydrophobic spikes are constituents of both the phospholipid-binding and vWf-binding motifs. In plasma, vWf apparently binds the inherently sticky membrane-binding motif, preventing nonspecific interactions.

Role of phosphatidylethanolamine in assembly and function of the factor IXa-factor VIIIa complex on membrane surfaces

Phospholipid membranes play a significant role during the proteolytic activation of blood coagulation proteins. This investigation identifies a role for phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) during the activation of factor X by the tenase complex, an enzymatic complex composed of the serine protease, factor IXa, a protein cofactor, factor VIIIa, a phospholipid membrane, and Ca(2+). Phospholipid vesicles composed of PE, phosphatidylserine (PS), and phosphatidylcholine support factor Xa generation. The K(m) and k(cat) for factor X activation by the tenase complex are independent of PE in the presence of 20% PS. At lower PS concentrations, the presence of 20 or 35% PE lowers the K(m) and increases the k(cat) as compared to those in vesicles without PE. The effect of PE on the k(cat) of the tenase complex is mediated through factor VIIIa. PE also enhances factor Xa generation by facilitating tenase complex formation; PE lowers the K(d(app)) of factor IXa for both phospholipid/Ca(2+) and phospholipid/Ca(2+)/factor VIIIa complexes in the presence of suboptimal PS. In addition, the K(d)s of factor IXa and factor X were lower for phospholipid vesicles containing PE. N-Methyl-PE increased the k(cat) and decreased the K(d(app)), whereas N,N-dimethyl-PE had no effect on either parameter, indicating the importance of headgroup size. Lyso-PE had no effect on kinetic parameters, indicating the sn-2 acyl chain dependence of the PE effect. Together, these results demonstrate a role for PE in the assembly and activity of the tenase complex and further extend the understanding of the importance of PE-containing membranes in hemostasis.

Partial activation of the factor VIIIa-factor IXa enzyme complex by dihexanoic phosphatidylserine at submicellar concentrations

Phosphatidylserine (PS)-containing membranes increase the kcat of the factor VIIIa-factor IXa enzyme complex by more than 1000-fold. While PS supports specific, high-affinity membrane binding of factor VIIIa and factor IXa, it is not known whether PS is the lipid that activates the membrane-bound complex. It is also not known whether PS or other activating lipids must reside in the two-dimensional membrane matrix for efficacy. We have found that submicellar concentrations of dihexanoic phosphatidylserine (C6PS) increase the activity of the factor VIIIa-factor IXa complex in a biphasic manner with half-maximal concentrations of 0.2 and 1.6 mM while the micelle-forming concentration is 4.0 mM. Increased cleavage of factor X at 0.25 mM C6PS was due to a 25-fold enhancement of the kcat and a 30-fold increase in the affinity of factor VIIIa for factor IXa. C6 phosphatidylethanolamine and C6 phosphatidic acid, but not C6 phosphatidylcholine, also accelerated the Xase complex, indicating that kcat enhancement has less structural specificity than membrane binding. Submicellar C6PS enhanced activity of factor IXa in the absence of factor VIIIa, but the effect was due to a decreased KM rather than an increased kcat. These results suggest that activation of the factor VIIIa-factor IXa complex can result from binding of individual C6PS molecules or small aggregates in the absence of a membrane bilayer. They provide a model system in which the phospholipid-induced activation may be distinguished from membrane-binding of the enzyme complex.

Highly conserved residue arginine-15 is required for the Ca2+-dependent properties of the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid domain of human anticoagulation protein C and activated protein C

The function of the rigidly conserved amino acid residue R15 in the Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent properties of the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-containing domain (GD) of human Protein C (PC) were investigated through site-directed mutagenesis strategies. A series of recombinant (r) mutants, namely r-[R15K]PC, r-[R15H]PC, r-[R15L]PC, and r-[R15W]PC, were constructed, expressed and purified, and their relevant properties investigated. As revealed by intrinsic fluorescence analysis, all of the variant proteins underwent Ca2+-dependent structural transitions. Nonetheless, they displayed altered binding properties to acidic phospholipid vesicles, and also did not interact with a monoclonal antibody specific for the type of Ca2+-dependent conformation of the GD that characterizes the wild-type protein. On conversion into their activated forms, these variant enzymes possessed less than 10% of the ex vivo plasma anticoagulant activity of wild-type r-PC. Similar activities were found when the r-active PC mutants were assayed directly for inactivation of factor Va and factor VIII, in the complete prothrombinase and tenase complexes respectively. We conclude that R15 is a critical residue in allowing the GD of PC, and probably of other proteins of this class, to adopt a Ca2+-dependent conformation that allows functional phospholipid binding, thus explaining the strict conservation of this amino acid residue in GD modules of various proteins. As a result of an analysis of structural models of the Ca2+-GD complex of PC, it is postulated that hydrogen bonds between the side chain of R15 and the functionally important Gla16 residue, as well as between the side chain of R15 and the carbonyl oxygen in the peptide bond of H10, are critical for adoption of a Ca2+-dependent conformation of the GD that allows functional phospholipid binding.

The hydrophobic nature of residue-5 of human protein C is a major determinant of its functional interactions with acidic phospholipid vesicles

We have previously proposed that a cluster of surface-exposed hydrophobic amino acids, viz., F4, L5, and L8, present at the amino-terminus of the Ca(2+)-bound form of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid domain (GD) of human protein C (PC), contributes a substantial portion of the total functional binding energy of PC and its activated form, APC, to acidic phospholipid (PL) vesicles. A deeper understanding of the importance of the hydrophobic nature of sequence position 5, and the particular relevance of leucine at that location, was sought by examination of the properties of a series of mutant proteins containing A5, V5, I5, and W5 as replacements for L5 in recombinant (r)-PC and APC. The Ca(2+)- and PL-dependent plasma-based anticoagulant activities of [L5A]r-APC, [L5V]r-APC, [L5I]r-APC, and [L5W]r-APC were determined to be approximately 28%, 51%, 98%, and 105%, respectively, of that of wild-type r-APC. A similar trend in activities of the mutant enzymes was observed in in vitro factor V/Va and factor VIII/VIIIa inactivation assays. Apparently normal Ca(2+)-dependent conformations were adopted by each of the mutant proteins, but the Ca(2+)-bound form of [L5A]r-PC was relatively the most defective of the mutants in its binding to PL. These results confirm the importance of the hydrophobic character at sequence position 5 as critical to the functional binding of PC to PL.

Activation of the factor VIIIa-factor IXa enzyme complex of blood coagulation by membranes containing phosphatidyl-L-serine

Factor IXa, a serine protease of blood coagulation, functions at least 100,000 times more efficiently when bound to factor VIIIa on a phospholipid membrane than when free in solution. We have utilized the catalytic activity of the factor VIIIa-factor IXa complex to report the effect of phospholipid membranes on binding of factor IXa to factor VIIIa and on enzymatic cleavage of the product. The apparent affinity of factor IXa for factor VIIIa was 10-fold lower in the absence of phospholipid membranes with a KD of 46 nM versus 4.3 nM with phospholipid membranes. The Km for activation of factor X by the factor VIIIa-factor IXa complex was 1700 nM in solution, 70-fold higher than the value of 28 nM when bound to membranes containing phosphatidyl-L-serine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine at a ratio of 4:20:76. The largest effect of phosphatidyl-L-serine-containing membranes on the factor VIIIa-factor IXa complex was the accelerated rate of peptide bond cleavage, with the k(cat) increased by 1,500-fold from 0.022 to 33 min-1. Membranes in which phosphatidyl-L-serine was replaced by phosphatidyl-D-serine, phosphatidic acid, or phosphatidylglycerol were at least 10-fold less effective for enhancing the k(cat). Thus, while membranes containing phosphatidyl-L-serine enhance condensation of the enzyme with its cofactor and substrate, their largest effect is activation of the assembled factor VIIIa-factor IXa enzyme complex.

Hydrophobic amino acid residues of human anticoagulation protein C that contribute to its functional binding to phospholipid Vesicles

The contributions to functional phospholipid (PL) binding of the cluster of amino acid side chains of human protein C (PC) comprising F4, L5, and L8 have been assessed by construction of mutants of PC and activated protein C (APC) designed wherein a hydrophilic side chain replaced the wild-type hydrophobic groups at these positions. The PL-dependent plasma-based anticoagulant activities of [F4Q]-r-APC and [L8Q]r-APC were severely reduced to 5% and < 2%, respectively, of wild-type r-APC. Activity losses of the mutants toward inactivation of coagulation factor VIII, measured in the complete in vitro tenase system, have also been observed. As evidenced through Ca(2+)-induced intrinsic fluorescence changes, both [F4Q]r-PC and [L8Q]r-PC were able to adopt Ca(2+)-dependent conformations that appeared similar to that of wtr-PC, ruling out shortcomings associated with such Ca(2+)-induced transitions as the basis for their anticoagulant activity losses. However, despite this, [L8Q]r-PC showed greatly defective macroscopic binding properties to PL vesicles, as did to a lesser extent [F4Q]r-PC. These findings were similar to those reported previously for [L5Q]r-PC/APC [Zhang, L., & Castellino, F. J. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 3590-3595]. We thus propose that the PL-dependent activity losses of these mutants are related to their suboptimal binding to PL or to their misorientation on the PL surface leading to poor alignment of the active sites of the r-APC mutants with the complementary cleavage sites on fVIII/fVIIIa and fV/fVa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Functions of individual gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues of human protein c. Determination of functionally nonessential Gla residues and correlations with their mode of binding to calcium

Previous studies from this laboratory have been directed toward elucidation of the roles of individual gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues in Gla domain-related Ca(2+)-directed properties of human protein C (PC) and activated protein C (APC). On the basis of results using recombinant variants of PC containing highly conservative (Asp) mutations of individual Gla residues, it was previously proposed that Gla6, Gla14, and Gla19 may not be essential for properties associated with the Ca(2+)-dependent conformation of the Gla domain of these proteins. In this study, we have demonstrated that radical mutations to Val of Gla residues 14 and 19 resulted in 94% and 82%, respectively, of the Gla domain-related, Ca(2+)- and phospholipid- (PL-) dependent anticoagulant (APTT) activity of wild-type recombinant (wtr) APC, while [Gla6-->Val]r-APC showed a complete loss of this same activity. The more conservative mutant [Gla6-->Gln]r-APC possessed 4% of the APTT activity of wtr-APC, whereas [Gla6-->Asp]r-APC was nearly fully active. As with wtr-PC, both [Gla6-->Val]r-PC and [Gla6-->Gln]r-PC displayed Ca(2+)-dependent intrinsic fluorescence quenching, suggesting that they adopted a Ca(2+)-induced conformation. However, Ca2+ titration data suggested that these conformations were not identical to that undergone by wtr-PC. In addition, the Ca(2+)-mediated binding parameters of [Gla6-->Val]r-PC and [Gla6-->Gln]r-PC to acidic PL vesicles were found to be defective. These data were interpreted at the molecular level using a model for the Gla domain of PC based on the X-ray crystal structure of the Ca2+/bovine prothrombin fragment 1 complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Properties of recombinant chimeric human protein C and activated protein C containing the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid and trailing helical stack domains of protein C replaced by those of human coagulation factor IX

The properties of a recombinant (r) chimeric human protein C (PC) containing replacement of its gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) and helical stack (HS) domains by those of human coagulation factor IX (fIX) have been examined. Titration with Ca2+ of the divalent cation-induced intrinsic fluorescence quenching of this chimera (r-GDIX/PC) allowed determination of the [Ca2+], of 1.8 mM, required to produce this alteration in 50% of the protein molecules. These values were 0.41 and 0.61 mM for wtr-PC and fIX, respectively. The chimera did not react with a Ca(2+)-dependent, Gla domain-directed conformational monoclonal antibody (MAb) to r-PC but did interact with a similar MAb (H5B7) to fIX. The [Ca2+] required to induced H5B7 binding to 50% of the r-GDIX/PC molecules was 6.6 mM, while this same value for fIX was a nearly identical 7.2 mM. The [Ca2+] needed for binding of 50% of r-GDIX/PC to acidic phospholipid (PL) vesicles was 0.58 mM, while that for wtr-PC and fIX were 1.2 and 0.55 mM, respectively. The [protein] required for 50% binding of r-GDIX/PC to PL at 20 mM Ca2+ was 0.29 microM. These same values for r-PC and fIX were 0.38 and 1.8 microM, respectively. The Ca(2+)-mediated inhibition of the thrombin-catalyzed activation of r-GDIX/PC was characterized by a Ki of 118 microM, a value similar to that of 125 microM obtained for this same inhibition of wtr-PC activation. The thrombin-catalyzed activation of both r-GDIX/PC and wtr-PC was stimulated by soluble r-thrombomodulin. Similar to the case of wtr-PC, Ca2+ initially enhanced and, at higher concentrations, inhibited the activation of r-GDIX/PC. The Km and kcat values for this latter activation at optimal [Ca2+] (100 microM) were 4.1 microM and 2.5 s-1, respectively. These same kinetic constants for activation of wtr-PC were 4.3 microM and 2.9 s-1, respectively. These results show that many of the features needed for functional integrity of the Ca2+-bound Gla/HS domains of PC are also present in those same modules of fIX, a finding that points to a generalized functional role for the Ca2+-induced conformation of the structural unit consisting of the Gla and HS domains. The data also suggest that the Ca2+-bound form of the Gla/HS region is an independently folded unit in PC and perhaps in fIX.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Binding of annexin V to a human ovarian carcinoma cell line (OC-2008). Contrasting effects on cell surface factor VIIa/tissue factor activity and prothrombinase activity

Proteins of the annexin/lipocortin family bind tightly to anionic phospholipids and platelets and act as in vitro anticoagulants. Annexins may be useful as tools to study the availability of anionic phospholipids on cell surfaces and their role in the regulation of blood coagulation. In the present study, we investigated the binding of annexin V (placental anticoagulant protein I) to a human ovarian carcinoma cell line, OC-2008, that constitutively expresses surface membrane tissue factor activity. Binding of annexin V to cell monolayers was calcium-dependent, specific, saturable and reversible; Scatchard analysis indicated a single class of binding sites with an apparent Kd of 9.4 +/- 3.1 nM and 5.2 +/- 1 x 10(6) sites per cell. Binding was completely inhibited by phospholipid vesicles containing phosphatidylserine, but was not inhibited by vesicles containing phosphatidylcholine. Annexin V inhibited the cell surface-dependent activity of prothrombinase complex, but did not inhibit the activity of the factor VIIa/tissue factor complex. In conclusion, these results suggest that anionic phospholipid is present on the extracellular face of OC-2008 cells; this anionic phospholipid is functionally important for the activity of the prothrombinase complex, but the importance of anionic phospholipid for the cell surface factor VIIa/tissue factor functional activity is unclear.

Anti-human factor IX monoclonal antibodies specific for calcium ion-induced conformations

Four monoclonal antibodies have been produced, which are specific for the Ca2+ or Sr2(+)-induced conformation of human factor IX. Certain, but not all, gamma-carboxy-glutamic acid residues in factor IX are involved in the epitope expression together with the conformation stabilized by the adjacent region of Gla-domain and a disulfide bridge. All the antibodies interfered with the binding of factor IX to phospholipids and inhibited the procoagulant activity of factors IX and IXa beta.

The kinetic assembly of the intrinsic bovine factor X activation system

The activation of bovine factor X by bovine factors IXa alpha and IXa beta has been examined under conditions of progressive assembly of the complete intrinsic activation system, i.e., factor X/factor IXa/Ca2+/phospholipid (PL)/factor VIIIa. In the presence of Ca2+, and the absence of PL and factor VIIIa, factor IXa alpha is a more efficient enzyme than factor IXa beta toward factor X activation, primarily due to the much higher kcat for the factor IXa alpha-catalyzed reaction. Analysis of the steady-state kinetic properties, after addition of PL (mixtures of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine) to the factor X/factor IXa/Ca2+ activation system, shows that the mechanism most closely follows a nonessential activation scheme, where the true substrate is the factor X/Ca2+/PL complex. The presence of PL results in a large (1-2 orders of magnitude) increase of the kcat for factor IXa beta, but does not substantially affect the steady-state kinetic constants of the factor IXa alpha-catalyzed reaction. Examination of the steady-state activation kinetics of factor X, after addition of factor VIIIa to factor X/factor IXa/Ca2+/PL, demonstrates that the mechanism is most consistent with a nonessential activation scheme of fluid phase substrate (factor X) being activated by a PL-bound enzyme system (factor IXa/Ca2+/factor VIIIa/PL). The presence of factor VIIIa stimulated the rates of factor X activation by factor IXa beta/Ca2+/PL by 1-2 orders of magnitude. Qualitatively similar behavior was noted for the factor IXa alpha-catalyzed activation. The results of this manuscript show that, in the presence of Ca2+ and absence of other cofactors, factor IXa alpha is a much more efficient enzyme for factor X activation, as compared to factor IXa beta. This is likely due to effects on the system resulting from covalent retention of the negatively charged activation peptide, by factor IXa alpha. However, the enzymatic activity of factor IXa beta shows a far better response to cofactors, particularly PL, than factor IXa alpha, thereby rendering factor IXa beta the more efficient enzyme in the complete intrinsic activation system.