fibrin and hirugen

The adsorption of thrombin to fibrin during clotting defines "Antithrombin I" activity. We confirmed that thrombin generation in afibrinogenemic or in Reptilase defibrinated normal plasma was higher than in normal plasma. Repletion of these fibrinogen-deficient plasmas with fibrinogen 1 (gamma A/gamma A), whose fibrin has two "low affinity" non-substrate thrombin binding sites, resulted in moderately reduced thrombin generation by 29-37%. Repletion with fibrinogen 2 (gamma'/gamma A), which in addition to low affinity thrombin-binding sites in fibrin, has a "high affinity" non-substrate thrombin binding site in the carboxy-terminal region of its gamma' chain, was even more effective and reduced thrombin generation by 57-67%. Adding peptides that compete for thrombin binding to fibrin [S-Hir53-64 (hirugen) or gamma'414-427] caused a transient delay in the onset of otherwise robust thrombin generation, indicating that fibrin formation is necessary for full expression of Antithrombin I activity. Considered together, 1) the increased thrombin generation in afibrinogenemic or fibrinogen-depleted normal plasma that is mitigated by fibrinogen replacement; 2) evidence that prothrombin activation is increased in afibrinogenemia and normalized by fibrinogen replacement; 3) the severe thrombophilia that is associated with defective thrombin-binding in dysfibrinogenemias Naples I and New York I, and 4) the association of afibrinogenemia or hypofibrinogenemia with venous or arterial thromboembolism, indicate that Antithrombin I (fibrin) modulates thromboembolic potential by inhibiting thrombin generation in blood.

Topics: Afibrinogenemia; Antithrombins; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Hirudins; Humans; Peptide Fragments; Protein Binding; Prothrombin; Thrombin; Thrombophilia

Thrombin binds to fibrin at two classes of non-substrate sites, one of high affinity and the other of low affinity. We investigated the location of these thrombin binding sites by assessing the binding of thrombin to fibrin lacking or containing gamma' chains, which are fibrinogen gamma chain variants that contain a highly anionic carboxyl-terminal sequence. We found the high affinity thrombin binding site to be located exclusively in D domains on gamma' chains (Ka, 4.9 x 10(6) M-1; n, 1.05 per gamma' chain), whereas the low affinity thrombin binding site was in the fibrin E domain (Ka, 0.29 x 10(6) M-1; n, 1.69 per molecule). The amino-terminal beta15-42 fibrin sequence is an important constituent of low affinity binding, since thrombin binding at this site is greatly diminished in fibrin molecules lacking this sequence. The tyrosine-sulfated, thrombin exosite-binding hirudin peptide, S-Hir53-64 (hirugen), inhibited both low and high affinity thrombin binding to fibrin (IC50 1.4 and 3.0 microM respectively). The presence of the high affinity gamma' chain site on fibrinogen molecules did not inhibit fibrinogen conversion to fibrin as assessed by thrombin time measurements, and thrombin exosite binding to fibrin at either site did not inhibit its catalytic activity toward a small thrombin substrate, S-2238. We infer from these findings that there are two low affinity non-substrate thrombin binding sites, one in each half of the dimeric fibrin E domain, and that they may represent a residual aspect of thrombin binding and cleavage of its substrate fibrinogen. The high affinity thrombin binding site on gamma' chains is a constitutive feature of fibrin as well as fibrinogen.

Topics: Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; Amino Acid Sequence; Binding Sites; Cross-Linking Reagents; Factor VIII; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Hirudins; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Peptide Fragments; Protein Binding; Thrombin

Kinetic and thermodynamic studies are presented showing that the cofactor activity of fibrin I (polymerized des-A fibrinogen) in the alpha-thrombin-catalyzed proteolysis of activation peptide (AP) from plasma factor XIII can be attributed to formation of a fibrin I-plasma factor XIII complex (Kd = 65 nM), which is processed by alpha-thrombin more efficiently (kcat/Km = 1.2 x 10(7) M-1 s-1) than free, uncomplexed plasma factor XIII (kcat/Km = 1.4 x 10(5) M-1 s-1). The increase in the specificity constant (kcat/Km) is shown to be largely due to an increase in the apparent affinity of alpha-thrombin for the complex of plasma factor XIII and fibrin I, as reflected by the 30-fold decrease in the Michaelis constant observed for fibrin I bound plasma factor XIII relative to that for uncomplexed plasma factor XIII. Analysis of the initial rates of alpha-thrombin-catalyzed hydrolysis of fibrinopeptide B (FPB) from fibrin I polymer in the presence of plasma factor XIII indicated that alpha-thrombin bound to fibrin I in the ternary complex of alpha-thrombin, plasma factor XIII, and fibrin I polymer is competent to catalyze cleavage of both FPB from fibrin I and AP from plasma factor XIII. This observation is consistent with the view that alpha-thrombin within the ternary complex is anchored to fibrin I polymer through a binding site distinct from the active site (an exosite) and that the active site is alternatively complexed with the AP moiety of plasma factor XIII or the FPB moiety of fibrin I. This conclusion is supported by the observation that a 12-residue peptide, which binds to an exosite of alpha-thrombin and blocks the interaction of alpha-thrombin with fibrinogen and fibrin, competitively inhibits alpha-thrombin-catalyzed release of both FPB and AP from the fibrin I-plasma factor XIII complex.

Topics: Binding, Competitive; Fibrin; Fibrinopeptide B; Hirudins; Humans; Hydrolysis; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Kinetics; Peptide Fragments; Peptides; Protein Conformation; Thermodynamics; Thrombin

Propagation of venous thrombi or rethrombosis after coronary thrombolytic therapy can occur despite heparin administration. To explore potential mechanisms, we set out to determine whether clot-bound thrombin is relatively protected from inhibition by heparin-antithrombin III but susceptible to inactivation by antithrombin III-independent inhibitors. Using plasma fibrinopeptide A (FPA) levels as an index of thrombin activity, we compared the ability of thrombin inhibitors to block FPA release mediated by fluid-phase thrombin with their activity against the clot-bound enzyme. Incubation of thrombin with citrated plasma results in concentration-dependent FPA generation, which reaches a plateau within minutes. In contrast, there is progressive FPA generation when fibrin clots are incubated with citrated plasma. Heparin, hirudin, hirudin dodecapeptide (hirugen), and D-phenylalanyl-L-prolyl-L-arginyl chloromethyl ketone (PPACK) produce concentration-dependent inhibition of FPA release mediated by fluid-phase thrombin. However, heparin is much less effective at inhibiting thrombin bound to fibrin because a 20-fold higher concentration is necessary to block 70% of the activity of the clot-bound enzyme than is required for equivalent inhibition of fluid-phase thrombin (2.0 and 0.1 U/ml, respectively). In contrast, hirugen and PPACK are equally effective inhibitors of fluid- and solid-phase thrombin, while hirudin is only 50% as effective against the clot-bound enzyme. None of the inhibitors displace bound 125I-labeled thrombin from the clot. These studies indicate that (a) clot-bound thrombin is relatively protected from inhibition by heparin, possibly because the heparin binding site on thrombin is inaccessible when the enzyme is bound to fibrin, and (b) clot-bound thrombin is susceptible to inactivation by antithrombin III-independent inhibitors because the sites of their interaction are not masked by thrombin binding to fibrin. For these reasons, antithrombin III-independent inhibitors may be more effective than heparin in certain clinical settings.

Topics: Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; Antithrombin III; Blood Coagulation; Fibrin; Fibrinopeptide A; Heparin; Hirudins; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Kinetics; Peptide Fragments; Protease Inhibitors; Protein Binding; Solubility; Thrombin