rhodostomin and echistatin

The polymorphism Leu(33)-->Pro (platelet-specific antigen; Pl(A1/A2)) of platelet GPIIIa is a potential risk factor for arterial thrombosis. However, its influence on platelet function remains controversial and little is known about its impact on platelet sensitivity to GPIIb-IIIa antagonists. Our objective was to compare the effectiveness of various GPIIb-IIIa antagonists in Pl(A2)(+) and Pl(A2)(-) carriers. Platelet aggregation was monitored in healthy donors including Pl(A2)(-) (N=31) and Pl(A2)(+) subjects (N=27; 23 Pl(A1/A2), 4 Pl(A2)/(A2)) using the impedance and turbidimetric aggregation techniques. We evaluated the inhibition of ADP- and collagen-induced aggregation by disintegrins, kistrin and echistatin, and the low-molecular-weight blockers, GR144053F ((4-[4-[4-(aminoiminomethyl]-1-piperazinyl]-1-piperidineacetic acid, hydrochloride trihydrate) and eptifibatide (N(6)-(aminoiminomethyl)-N(2)-(3-mercapto-1-oxopropyl-L-lysylglycyl-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-tryptophyl-L-propyl-L-cysteinamide, cyclic (1-->6)-disulfide). Kistrin (10-30 nmol/l) inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced aggregation stronger in Pl(A2)(-) donors than in Pl(A2)(+) donors; there was a significant difference between 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)). The same tendency occurred with moderate concentrations of eptifibatide (40-100 nmol/l) and also at low concentrations of GR144053F (5-10 nmol/l) and high concentrations of echistatin (80-150 nmol/l), although in the case of the two latter inhibitors, the estimated IC(50) values were not significantly different. In conclusion, GPIIb-IIIa blockers representing various classes are less effective inhibitors of platelet aggregation in Pl(A2)(+) carriers; however, the effect of the genotype is both agonist- and antagonist-dependent.

Topics: Adult; Eptifibatide; Female; Genotype; Humans; Integrin beta3; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Male; Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; Peptides; Piperazines; Piperidines; Platelet Aggregation; Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex; Polymorphism, Genetic; Receptors, Fibrinogen

Topics: Adenosine Diphosphate; Animals; Blood Platelets; Buffaloes; Crotalid Venoms; Disintegrins; Dogs; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fibrinolytic Agents; Horses; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Peptides; Platelet Aggregation; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Species Specificity

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) have been shown to migrate in response to insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). However, the mechanism mediating this response has not been determined. The migration rates of porcine and human vascular SMCs were assessed in a monolayer wounding assay. IGF-I and IGF-II induced increases of 141% and 97%, respectively, in the number of cells that migrated in 4 days. The presence of 0.2% fetal bovine serum in the culture medium was necessary for the IGFs to stimulate migration over uncoated plastic surfaces. However, if vitronectin was used as the substratum, IGF-I stimulated migration by 162% even in the absence of serum. To determine the role of integrins in mediating this migration, SMC surface proteins were labeled with 125I and immunoprecipitated with specific anti-integrin antibodies. Integrins containing alpha-V (vitronectin receptor), alpha5 (fibronectin receptor), and alpha3 (collagen/laminin receptor) subunits were the most abundant. IGF-I treatment caused a 73% reduction in alpha5-integrin subunit protein and a 25% increase in alpha-V subunit. More importantly, ligand binding of alpha-V-beta3 was increased by 2.4-fold. We therefore examined whether the function of the alpha-V-beta3 integrin was important for IGF-I-mediated migration. The disintegrin kistrin was shown by affinity crosslinking to specifically bind with high affinity to alpha-V-beta3 and not to alpha5-beta1 or other abundant integrins. The related disintegrin echistatin specifically inhibited 125I-labeled kistrin binding to alpha-V-beta3, while a structurally distinct disintegrin, decorsin, had 1000-fold lower affinity. The addition of increasing concentrations of either kistrin or echistatin inhibited IGF-I-induced migration, whereas decorsin had a minimal effect. The potency of these disintegrins in inhibiting IGF-I-induced migration paralleled their apparent affinity for the alpha-V integrin. Furthermore, an alpha-V-beta3 blocking antibody inhibited SMC migration by 80%. In summary, vitronectin receptor activation is a necessary component of IGF-I-mediated stimulation of smooth muscle migration, and alpha-V-beta3 integrin antagonists appear to be important reagents for modulating this process.

Topics: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Antigens, CD; Cell Movement; Chemotaxis; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Integrin alphaV; Integrin beta3; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Ligands; Muscle, Smooth; Peptides; Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins; Receptor, IGF Type 1; Receptors, Vitronectin; Swine; Vitronectin

Two new variants of short disintegrins were purified from the venom of Echis carinatus leakeyi and named echistatin beta and gamma. These proteins were found to be about 85% similar in amino acid sequence to echistatin alpha which has been well studied. The disulphide pattern of echistatin gamma appeared to be identical with that of echistatin alpha. They all contain the adhesive recognition sequence Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) but inhibit the aggregation of platelets from human and other mammals with different potencies. Echistatin beta and alpha are far more effective on platelets from humans and guinea pigs than those from rabbits and rats whereas echistatin gamma is less discriminating of the platelets of the species tested. This species-dependent platelet sensitivity to echistatin beta and gamma could be attributed to the variations in residues 15, 21, 22 and 27, which are close to or within the RGD loop, rather than to the C-terminal variations after residue 46. Taking advantage of the presence of methionine residues flanking both sides of the ARGDDM motif in echistatin gamma, we deleted this hexapeptide by CNBr cleavage to produce des-(23-28)-echistatin gamma. The modified protein showed c.d. and fluorescent spectra grossly similar to the intact echistatin but its antiplatelet potency decreased more than 200-fold. We thus propose that a favourable conformation of the RGD region is responsible mainly for the high-affinity binding of echistatin to the platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa as shown previously for the binding of medium-size disintegrin.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Binding, Competitive; Disintegrins; Disulfides; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; Guinea Pigs; Humans; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Methionine; Molecular Sequence Data; Oxidation-Reduction; Peptides; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sequence Analysis; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Species Specificity; Structure-Activity Relationship; Viper Venoms

Albolabrin is a naturally occurring peptide from snake venom containing the sequence Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD). It inhibits platelet aggregation by blocking the binding of fibrinogen to the glycoprotein Gp IIb-IIIa, on the surface of activated platelets. Albolabrin consists of 73 residues with six intramolecular disulphide bonds. The 1H-NMR spectrum of albolabrin has been assigned using homonuclear two-dimensional techniques and its secondary structure determined. Like kistrin and echistatin, two related peptides from snake venom, albolabrin appears to have little regular secondary structure in solution. Several bends and two short distorted beta sheets are observed. The RGD sequence, important for binding to the receptor, lies in a mobile loop joining two strands of one of these beta sheets. This loop undergoes a pH-dependent conformational change.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Crotalid Venoms; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Sequence Data; Peptides; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Protein Structure, Secondary; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Snake Venoms; Ultracentrifugation; Viper Venoms

The pairing of the cysteines in disulfide bonds was investigated for the 68-residue RGD-containing protein kistrin, a potent antagonist of the integrin GP IIbIIIa and an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Kistrin belongs to a family of homologous proteins found in snake venoms termed disintegrins, all of which have a cysteine content. The disulfide pairing of the 12 cysteines was investigated by chemical analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and distance geometry calculations. The data show that the disulfide pairs are 4-19, 6-14, 13-36, 27-33, 32-57, and 45-64. The various means for assigning the disulfide bonds are described, and the results are compared with the cysteine pairings reported for other disintegrin proteins.

Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry, Physical; Crotalid Venoms; Cysteine; Disulfides; Endopeptidases; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular Structure; Peptide Fragments; Peptides; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins; Protein Structure, Secondary; Viper Venoms