Purification and characterization of a coagulant enzyme, okinaxobin I, from the venom of Trimeresurus okinavensis (Himehabu snake) which releases fibrinopeptide B

A coagulant enzyme, named okinaxobin I, has been purified to homogeneity from the venom of Trimeresurus okinavensis (Himehabu) by chromatographies on Sephadex G-100 and CM-Toyopearl 650M columns. The enzyme was a monomer with a molecular weight of 37,000 and its isoelectric point was 5.4. The enzyme acted on fibrinogen to form fibrin clots with a specific activity of 77 NIH units/mg. Fibrinopeptide B was released at a rate much faster than fibrinopeptide A. The enzyme exhibited 2 to 3 times higher activity toward tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester and benzoyl-L-arginine p-nitroanilide than bovine thrombin. The esterase activity was strongly inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, and to a lesser extent by tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone, indicating that the enzyme is a serine protease like thrombin. The N-terminal sequence was highly homologous to those of coagulant enzymes from T. flavoviridis and Bothrops atrox, moojeni venoms which preferentially release fibrinopeptide A. In order to remove most, if not all, of the bonded carbohydrates, the enzyme was treated with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (HF), thereby reducing the molecular weight to 30,000. The protein contained approximately 260 amino acid residues when computation was based on this value. The HF-treated enzyme retained about 50% of the clotting and esterolytic (TAME) activities and preferentially released fibrinopeptide B from fibrinogen. The carbohydrate moiety is not crucial for enzyme activity but might be necessary for eliciting full activity.     

Review of some unusual effects of calcium binding to fibrinogen

Calcium binding curves of human and bovine fibrinogen were obtained by using a calcium sensitive electrode. The two were identical and showed 2 high, 2-3 medium and more than 15 low affinity sites. Differential scanning calorimetry at neutral pH demonstrated the presence of the D and E domains of fibrinogen; however, at pH 3.5 the D-domain was split into two. The presence of the subdomains was demonstrated also by digestion by pepsin at this pH. Combination of digestion of fibrinogen and of its fragments with different enzymes and temperatures identified up to 12 subdomains in the original molecule. Clotting of fibrinogen by thrombin at pH 7.0 was investigated also by differential scanning calorimetry. In the absence of Ca2+ clotting elicited a 40% increase in the enthalpy of thermal denaturation of the D domain of fibrinogen, but the position of the peak increased only by 0.4 degrees C. However, with clotting in the presence of 10(-3) M calcium the former increased by 70-75% and the latter by 11.0 degrees C, while these parameters of the E-domain remained unchanged. Changes of bound calcium during clotting were also measured with the calcium sensitive electrode. These had to be corrected, because the drop in free calcium was partly compensated by release of some calcium that was already bound to fibrinogen. Log of the half time of calcium uptake plotted against log thrombin concentration indicated a first order process with respect to thrombin concentration, moreover, the rate determined corresponded to that of the conformation change measured by calorimetry. The calcium uptake was correlated with release of the fibrinopeptides. Release of fibrinopeptide B follows parallel to binding of calcium and that of fibrinopeptide A is about fourfold faster. Polymerization and formation of thick bundles of fibrin is connected with release of fibrinopeptide A. Clotting with Ancrod, an enzyme that releases only fibrinopeptide A, showed only minimal binding of calcium. The polymerization inhibiting tetrapeptide Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro also depressed binding of calcium. These data suggest that a calcium-binding site must be in the proximity of the site of release of fibrinopeptide B and of a polymerization site.     

Inhibition of human thrombin assessed with different substrates and inhibitors. Characterization of fibrinopeptide binding interaction.

The activity of human thrombin has been assessed with fibrinogen, N-alpha-benzoyl-phenylalanyl-valyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide, N-alpha-benzoyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide, N-alpha-carbobenzoxy-tyrosine-p-nitrophenyl ester and p-nitrophenylacetate: increased rates of hydrolysis were found for N-alpha-carbobenzoxy-tyrosine-p-nitrophenyl ester and N-alpha-benzoyl-phenylalanyl-valyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide compared to N-alpha-benzoyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide and p-nitrophenylacetate. Phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride and N-alpha-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone inhibited, to the same degree, the activity toward each substrate. Inclusion of N-alpha-tosyl-arginine methyl ester in the phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride reaction mixtures protected the enzyme from inhibition as shown with N-alpha-benzoyl-phenylalanyl-valyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide and N-alpha-carbobenzoxy-tyrosine-p-nitrophenyl ester. N-Acetylimidazole inhibited the activity towards fibrinogen, N-alphrosine-p-nitrophenyl ester to varying degrees. Inhibition of N-alpha-benzoyl-phenylalanyl-valyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide was completely reversible with neutral hydroxylamine, whereas coagulant activity towards fibrinogen was only partially regained. Human fibrinopeptide A inhibited activity toward N-alpha-benzoyl-phenylalanyl-valyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide and N-alpha-carbobenzoxy-tyrosine-p-nitrophenyl ester. The mode of inhibition of N-alpha-benzoyl-phenylalanyl-valyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide by fibrinopeptide A was non=competitive (K1 = 3.02.10(-5) M), whereas N-alpha-toysyl-arginine methyl ester was a competitive inhibitor of this substrate (K1 = 2.6.10(-5) M). These studies demonstrate more than one binding domain for fibrinogen on human thrombin.     

The modification of tryptophan in bovine thrombin.

2-Hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide, at a 100-fold molar excess, was observed to react withthrombin at pH 4.0 to give a modified enzyme which possessed 20% of the fibrinogen clotting activity and 80% of the esterase activity compared to a control preparation. Spectrophotometric analysis of the modified protein indicated that this effect on catalytic activity was associated with the incorporation of 1 mol of reagent per mol of thrombin. Amino acid analysis showed no loss of amino acids other than tryptophan. The reaction of N-bromosuccinimide with thrombin at 2-fold molar excess resulted in the modification of one tryptophan per mol of enzyme with the loss of 80% of the fibrinogen clotting activity with, as above, a considerably smaller loss of esterase activity. Oxidation of thrombin with N-bromosuccinimide decreased the extent of subsequent tryptophan modification with 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide. Thrombin modified with 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide showed a 3-4 fold increase in Km and a decrease in V for the ester substrate. The reaction of thrombin with 2-acetoxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide, a substrate analogue, also resulted in the inactivation of the enzyme. The data are interpreted to show the presence of a tryptophan residue at or near the enzyme's substrate binding site.     

Recombinant fibrinogen studies reveal that thrombin specificity dictates order of fibrinopeptide release

During cleavage of fibrinogen by thrombin, fibrinopeptide A (FpA) release precedes fibrinopeptide B (FpB) release. To examine the basis for this ordered release, we synthesized A'beta fibrinogen, replacing FpB with a fibrinopeptide A-like peptide, FpA' (G14V). Analyses of fibrinopeptide release from A'beta fibrinogen showed that FpA release and FpA' release were similar; the release of either peptide followed simple first-order kinetics. Specificity constants for FpA and FpA' were similar, demonstrating that these peptides are equally competitive substrates for thrombin. In the presence of Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro, an inhibitor of fibrin polymerization, the rate of FpB release from normal fibrinogen was reduced 3-fold, consistent with previous data; in contrast, the rate of FpA' release from A'beta fibrinogen was unaffected. Thus, with A'beta fibrinogen, fibrinopeptide release from the beta chain is similar to fibrinopeptide release from the alpha chain. We conclude that the ordered release of fibrinopeptides is dictated by the specificity of thrombin for its substrates. We analyzed polymerization, following changes in turbidity, and found that polymerization of A'beta fibrinogen was similar to that of normal fibrinogen. We analyzed clot structure by scanning electron microscopy and found that clots from A'beta fibrinogen were similar to clots from normal fibrinogen. We conclude that premature release of the fibrinopeptide from the N terminus of the beta chain does not affect polymerization of fibrinogen.     

Purification and properties of a coagulant thrombin-like enzyme from the venom of Bothrops leucurus

A thrombin-like enzyme from Bothrops leucurus venom, named leucurobin (leuc), was purified by gel filtration, affinity and ion exchange chromatographies. Physicochemical studies indicated that the purified enzyme is a 35 kDa monomeric glycoprotein on SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions, which decreased to 29 kDa after deglycosylation with N-glycosidase F (PNGase F). The amino acid sequence of leuc was determined by automated sequencing of the intact native protein and peptides produced by digestion of the S-pyridyl-ethylated protein with trypsin. The protein sequence exhibits significant similarities with other serine proteases reported from snake venoms, and contains two potential sites of N-linked glycosylation. The proteinase split off fibrinopeptide A (FPA) rapidly from human fibrinogen; however, only negligible traces of fibrinopeptide B (FPB) were observed. In addition, the enzyme released the N-terminal peptide (Mr=4572) containing the first 42 residues from the Bbeta-chain. Leuc could neither activate factor XIII nor release kinins from heat-treated bovine plasma. Its specific clotting activity was equivalent to 198 NIH thrombin U/mg on human fibrinogen. Kinetic properties of leuc were determined using representative chromogenic substrates. The enzyme evoked the gyroxin syndrome when injected into the tail veins of mice at levels of 0.143 microg/g mouse. The inhibitory effects of PMSF and benzamidine on the amidolytic activity suggest that leuc is a serine proteinase, and inhibition by beta-mercaptoethanol revealed the important role of the disulfide bonds in the stabilization of the native structure. Antibothropic serum, SBTI and EDTA had little or no effect on its amidolytic activity. However, the clotting effect of the enzyme was strongly inhibited by antibothropic serum. A Dixon plot showed that the hydrolysis of Bz-L-Arg-pNA by leuc was competitively inhibited by benzamidine (Ki=1.61+/-0.25 mM).     

Purification and characterization of a fibrinogenase from the venom of Western Diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

A fibrinogenolytic enzyme was isolated from the venom of Western Diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) by a three-step procedure involving gel filtration and anion-exchange chromatography. The molecular weight was estimated as 22 900 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The isoelectric point was found to be pH 4.65. The enzyme rapidly destroyed the ability of bovine fibrinogen to form a clot on incubation with thrombin. Incubation of fibrinogen with the fibrinogenolytic enzyme for 5 min resulted in the disappearance of the beta-chain of fibrinogen and the appearance of lower molecular weight fragments. Thus the enzyme can be classified as a beta-fibrinogenase. However, on prolonged incubation of the fibrinogen there was also a partial digestion of the alpha-chain. The fibrinogenase showed no activity towards fibrin or casein or arginine esters. The fibrinogenolytic activity was inhibited by phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride (PMSF) but was unaffected by EDTA.     

Differences in the clotting of lamprey fibrinogen by lamprey and bovine thrombins

1. Improved methods for the purification of lamprey thrombin and fibrinogen are presented. 2. Lamprey thrombin releases two fibrinopeptides from lamprey fibrinogen during the transformation into fibrin. Bovine thrombin releases only one of these, a peptide referred to as fibrinopeptide B. The differences in the by-products of fibrin formation are reflected in the different N-terminal amino acid compositions of the two types of fibrin. 3. The fibrinopeptide that is not removed from the lamprey fibrinogen by bovine thrombin can subsequently be released by treatment of that fibrin with lamprey thrombin. 4. Under the conditions used, lamprey thrombin releases both fibrinopeptides at about the same rate. 5. The differences in interaction among these pairs of related proteins are extreme manifestations of the phenomenon loosely referred to as `species specificity'.     

Antithrombin properties of C-terminus of hirudin using synthetic unsulfated N alpha-acetyl-hirudin45-65

Unsulfated N alpha-acetyl-hirudin45-65 (MDL 27 589), which corresponds to the C-terminus of hirudin1-65, was synthesized by solid-phase methods. The synthetic peptide was able to inhibit fibrin formation and the release of fibrinopeptide A from fibrinogen by thrombin. The catalytic site of thrombin was not perturbed by the synthetic peptide as H-D-Phe-Pip-Arg-pNA hydrolysis (amidase activity) was not affected. The binding of synthetic peptide and thrombin was assessed by isolation of the complex on gel-filtration chromatography. A single binding site with a binding affinity (Ka) of approx. 1.0 X 10(5) M-1 was observed for thrombin-hirudin45-65 interaction. The data suggest that the C-terminal residues 45-65 of hirudin contain a binding domain which recognizes thrombin and yet does not bind to the catalytic site of the enzyme.     

The interaction of thrombin with fibrinogen. A structural basis for its specificity.

The structure of the ternary complex of human alpha-thrombin with a covalently bound analogue of fibrinopeptide A and a C-terminal hirudin peptide has been determined by X-ray diffraction methods at 0.25 nm resolution. Fibrinopeptide A folds in a compact manner, bringing together hydrophobic residues that slot into the apolar binding site of human alpha-thrombin. Fibrinogen residue Phe8 occupies the aryl-binding site of thrombin, adjacent to fibrinogen residues Leu9 and Val15 in the S2 subsite. The species diversity of fibrinopeptide A is analysed with respect to its conformation and its interaction with thrombin. The non-covalently attached peptide fragment hirudin(54-65) exhibits an identical conformation to that observed in the hirudin-thrombin complex. The occupancy of the secondary fibrinogen-recognition exosite by this peptide imposes restrictions on the manner of fibrinogen binding. The surface topology of the thrombin molecule indicates positions P1'-P3', differ from those of the canonical serine-proteinase inhibitors, suggesting a mechanical model for the switching of thrombin activity from fibrinogen cleavage to protein-C activation on thrombomodulin complex formation. The multiple interactions between thrombin and fibrinogen provide an explanation for the narrow specificity of thrombin. Structural grounds can be put forward for certain congenital clotting disorders.     

Inhibition of the enzymatic activity of thrombin by concanavalin A

Concanavalin A, a carbohydrate lectin derived from the jack bean, prolongs the thrombin clotting time of human plasma or purified fibrinogen. Prolongation is due to delay in peptide release from fibrinogen. The rate of fibrin monomer polymerization is not affected. Hydrolysis of protamine sulfate by thrombin is inhibited by concanavalin A. All inhibitory effects are prevented by α-methyl-D-mannoside. Concanavalin A does not delay clotting of fibrinogen by reptilase (releases fibrinopeptide A only) or by Ancistrodon contortrix contortrix (releases fibrinopeptide B initially followed by a small amount of A). It is concluded that concanavalin A binds to a carbohydrate on the thrombin molecule thus inhibiting its enzymatic activity.     

Thrombin-induced fibrinopeptide release from a fibrinogen variant (fibrinogen Sydney I) with an Aalpha Arg-16----His substitution

Fibrinogen, purified from a recently identified case of dysfibrinogenaemia, fibrinogen Sydney I, was shown by thrombin digestion, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and amino acid analysis to be a heterozygous case of an A alpha Arg-16----His substitution. Kinetic studies have been carried out on the thrombin-induced release of fibrinopeptide A (FPA), fibrinopeptide B (FPB) and the variant peptide [His16]FPA. When thrombin was added to fibrinogen Sydney I at a concentration of 0.2 U/ml release of FPA was rapid and there was a 79-fold reduced rate of release of [His16]FPA, but the rate of release of FPB was not appreciably reduced. In contrast, at lower thrombin concentrations the rate of FPB release was reduced in proportion to the rate of total FPA release, supporting the view that release of fibrinopeptides is a sequential process. The second-order kinetic constant kcat/Km for hydrolysis of the abnormal A alpha chain by thrombin was calculated from Lineweaver-Burk plots to be 16-30-fold less than that for the normal A alpha chain. Molecular modelling studies, using a refined model of the trypsin-pancreatic-trypsin-inhibitor complex have been used to suggest how the histidine at the P1 site can be accommodated within the enzyme hydrophobic active-site pocket.     

Purification and characterization of the anticoagulant principle of Trimeresurus mucrosqualatus venom

By means of CM-Sephadex column chromatography, Trimeresurus mucrosquamatus venom was separated into 20 fractions. Fraction XX had the marked anticoagulant action. This fraction was refractionated three times on Sephadex G-75, and a single peak was obtained. The patterns of microzone and disc electrophoresis also showed a single band. A single, symmetrical boundary with a value of 1.61 S was obtained by ultracentrifugation. It was a single peptide chain with a molecular weight of 11 700. The isoelectric point was higher than pH 10.The anticoagulant principle possesses phospholipase A activity and was calcium ion dependent. It did not possess proteolytic, tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester esterase, phosphodiesterase and alkaline phosphomonoesterase activities of the crude venom. The phospholipase A activity was heat-labile at pH 7.4, but was heat-stable at pH 5.6. The anticoagulant activity was more resistant to heat treatment as compared with phospholipase A activity.The anticoagulant action of the purified principle was competitively inhibited by platelet phospholipid, tissue thromboplastin and cephalin, and was neutralized by antiserum. The anticoaugulant principle inhibited platelet aggregation induced by ADP. It did not destroy fibrinogen, Factor X, prothrombin and thrombin; nor did it induce fibrinolysis nor interfere with the interaction between thrombin and fibrinogen. It is concluded that the anticoagulant action of this phospholipase A was due to the inhibition of the activations of Factors X and II through the activation of the procoagulant activity of phospholipids mediated partly by phospholipid-binding activity of this venom enzyme and partly by its enzymatic hydrolysis of phospholipids.     

Fibrinolytic and antithrombotic protease from Spirodela polyrhiza

A fibrinolytic protease was purified from a Chinese herb (Spirodela polyrhiza). The protease has a molecular mass of 145 kDa and 70 kDa in gel filtration and SDS-polyacrlamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), respectively, implying it is a dimer. Its optimum pH was 4.5-5.0. The enzyme was stable below 42 degrees C and after lyophilization. The enzyme activity was inhibited significantly by leupeptin and aprotinin. The protease hydrolyzed not only fibrin but also fibrinogen, cleaving Aalpha and Bbeta without affecting the gamma chain of fibrinogen. It preferentially cleaved the peptide bond of Arg or Lys of synthetic substrates (P1 position). The enzyme had an anticoagulating activity measured with activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), and prothrombin time (PT) tests. It delayed APTT, TT, and PT two times at the concentration of 36, 39, and 128 nM, respectively and this was drastically reduced after heat treatment.     

Affinity chromatography of human gamma-thrombin on fibrin-agarose

gamma-Thrombin was produced during autolysis or limited proteolysis of coagulant gamma-thrombin. This thrombin form loses its ability to coagulate fibrinogen but preserves the esterase and amidase activity on the low-molecular-weight synthetic substrates. This evidences for the integrity of the active site of gamma-thrombin and for the integrity break of the enzyme molecule region responsible for the binding with fibrinogen. gamma-Thrombin with the minimal coagulating activity, possessing high esterase and amidase activity is obtained. Fibrin-agarose possessing affinity to gamma-thrombin and specifically not binding gamma-thrombin was used to remove admixtures of the coagulant gamma-thrombin from the preparations of gamma-thrombin obtained during the enzyme autolysis.     

Purification and characterization of a serine protease with fibrinolytic activity from Tenodera sinensis (praying mantis)

Mantis egg fibrolase (MEF) was purified from the egg cases of Tenodera sinensis using ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-60 and affinity chromatography on DEAE Affi-Gel blue gel. The protease was assessed homogeneous by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and has a molecular mass of 31500 Da. An isoelectric point of 6.1 was determined by isoelectric focusing. Amino acid sequencing of the N-terminal region established a primary structure composed of Ala-Asp-Val-Val-Gln-Gly-Asp-Ala-Pro-Ser. MEF readily digested the Aalpha- and Bbeta-chains of fibrinogen and more slowly the gamma-chain. The nonspecific action of the enzyme results in extensive hydrolysis of fibrinogen and fibrin releasing a variety of fibrinopeptide. The enzyme is inactivated by Cu2+ and Zn2+ and inhibited by PMSF and chymostatin, yet elastinal, aprotinin, TLCK, TPCK, EDTA, EGTA, cysteine, beta-mercaptoethanol, iodoacetate, E64, benzamidine and soybean trypsin inhibitor do not affect activity. Antiplasmin was not sensitive to MEF but antithrombin III inhibited the enzymatic activity of MEF. Among chromogenic protease substrates, the most sensitive to MEF hydrolysis was benzoyl-Phe-Val-Arg-p-nitroanilide with maximal activity at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C. MEF preferentially cleaved the oxidized B-chain of insulin between Leu15 and Tyr16. D-Dimer concentrations increased on incubation of cross-linked fibrin with MEF, indicating the enzyme has a strong fibrinolytic activity.     

The reaction of bovine alpha-thrombin with tetranitromethane. Characterization of the modified protein

Previous studies from several laboratories have shown that thrombin is inactivated by tetranitromethane with the formation of nitrotyrosine. The inactivation is characterized by an apparently greater loss of fibrinogen-clotting activity than activity toward synthetic ester substrates, suggesting that the residues modified by tetranitromethane are involved in the interaction of thrombin with fibrinogen. This study was designed 1) to determine the effect of solvent conditions on the rate of modification and the stoichiometry of the reaction of tetranitromethane with bovine alpha-thrombin; 2) to identify the residue(s) modified; and 3) to characterize the modified enzyme with respect to its interaction with peptide nitroanilide substrates and fibrinogen. The inactivation of thrombin by tetranitromethane proceeded more rapidly in 50 mM Tris, pH 8.0, than in 50 mM sodium phosphate, 100 mM NaCl, pH 8.0. Approximately 10% fibrinogen-clotting activity remained at maximal inactivation. A study of the effect of tetranitromethane concentration on the rate of inactivation suggested that the loss of activity was the result of the modification of 1 mol of tyrosine/mol of thrombin. A similar result was obtained from the analysis of the extent of inactivation as a function of the extent of protein modification. Structural analysis of the modified protein showed substantial modification at both Tyr71 and Tyr85. Enzyme kinetic studies were performed with the modified protein and a control thrombin with N2-tosylglycylprolylarginine p-nitroanilide. H-D-phenylalanylpipecolylarginine p-nitronailide, and purified bovine fibrinogen. With all three substrates, a substantial decrease in kcat was observed, whereas there was essentially no change in Km. These results suggest that, contrary to previous suggestions, the modification of Tyr71 and Tyr85 in thrombin does not influence the binding of substrates, but rather influences active site reactivity.     

Identification of the primary structural defect in the dysthrombin thrombin Quick I: substitution of cysteine for arginine-382

A congenitally dysfunctional form of prothrombin, prothrombin Quick, was isolated from the plasma of an individual with less than 2% of normal prothrombin activity. Following activation of prothrombin Quick, two dysfunctional thrombins, thrombin Quick I and thrombin Quick II, were isolated. Functional characterization of thrombin Quick I indicated an increase in KM and a decrease in kcat, relative to thrombin, for release of fibrinopeptide A. Comparison of kcat/KM for thrombin Quick I to the value obtained for thrombin yielded a relative catalytic efficiency of 0.012 for thrombin Quick I [Henriksen, R. A., & Owen, W. G. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 4664-4669]. Lysyl endopeptidase digestor of reduced and S-carboxymethylated thrombin and thrombin Quick I has resulted in the identification of an altered peptide in this dysthrombin. Edman degradation of the isolated peptide has shown that the altered residue in this protein is Arg-382 which is replaced by Cys. This could result from a point mutation in the Arg codon, CGC, to yield TGC. Together, these results indicate that Arg-382 is a critical residue in determining the specificity of thrombin toward fibrinogen. Similar relative activities for thrombin Quick I in stimulating platelet aggregation, in the release of prostacyclin from human umbilical vein endothelium, and in the release of fibrinopeptide A suggest that these activities of thrombin share the same specificity determinants.     

Localization of a fibrin polymerization site

The formation of a fibrin clot is initiated after the proteolytic cleavage of fibrinogen by thrombin. The enzyme removes fibrinopeptides A and B and generates fibrin monomer which spontaneously polymerizes. Polymerization appears to occur though the interaction of complementary binding sites on the NH2-terminal and COOH-terminal (Fragment D) regions of the molecule. A peptide has been isolated from the gamma chain remnant of fibrinogen Fragment D1 which has the ability to bind to the NH2-terminal region of fibrinogen as well as to inhibit fibrin monomer polymerization. The peptide reduces the maximum rate and extent of the polymerization of thrombin or batroxobin fibrin monomer and increases the lag time. The D1 peptide does not interact with disulfide knot, fibrinogen, or Fragment D1, but it binds to thrombin-treated disulfide knot with a Kd of 1.45 X 10(-6) M at approximately two binding sites per molecule of disulfide knot. Fibrin monomer formed either by thrombin or batroxobin binds approximately two molecules of D1 peptide per molecule of fibrin monomer, indicating that the complementary site is revealed by the loss of fibrinopeptide A. The NH2-terminal sequence (Thr-Arg-Trp) and COOH-terminal sequence (Ala-Gly-Asp-Val) of the D1 peptide were determined. Therefore the gamma 373-410 region of fibrinogen contains a polymerization site which is complementary to the thrombin-activated site on the NH2-terminal region of fibrinogen.     

Thrombin-like enzyme from the venom of Bitis gabonica. Purification, properties, and coagulant actions

Gabonase, an enzyme which acts on fibrinogen and factor XIII in uniquely thrombin-like ways, was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from the venom of Bitis gabonica. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis, the reduced protein behaved as a single chain with Mr = 30,600. The enzyme contains 20.6% carbohydrate, no free sulfhydryl groups and hence, from amino acid analysis, five disulfide bonds. Its extinction coefficient (E1%1cm) at 280 nm is 9.6. Its pI is 5.3. Gabonase has an active serine residue, is inactivated by phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, and has an active histidine which reacts with the chloromethyl ketone of tosyl-L-lysine. Its NH2-terminal amino acid sequence (Val-Val-Gly-Gly-Ala-Glu-Cys-Lys-Ile-Asp-Gly-His-Arg-Cys-Leu-Ala-Leu-Leu -Tyr-) is homologous to the B chain of thrombin. The activity of the enzyme is stabilized by calcium ion. It exhibits strong N alpha-p-tosyl-L-arginine methyl esterase activity, hydrolyzes tripeptide nitroanilide derivatives weakly or not at all, and cleaves no peptide bonds in insulin, glucagon, or the S peptide of ribonuclease. Gabonase clots fibrinogen with a specific activity of 45 NIH thrombin-equivalent units/mg, releasing both fibrinopeptides A and B and showing substrate inhibition at fibrinogen concentrations of 3 mg/ml or greater. The enzyme also activates factor XIII. It is not inactivated by either heparin or hirudin.