Construction, expression, and characterization of a chimera of factor IX and factor X. The role of the second epidermal growth factor domain and serine protease domain in factor Va binding.

The prothrombinase complex, which catalyzes the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin, consists of activated Factor X, Factor Va, a membrane surface and Ca2+. To examine the structures that support Factor Va binding to Factor X, we used in vitro mutagenesis to construct a chimeric molecule that includes regions of Factor IX and Factor X. This chimera (IXGla,E1XE2,SP) was prepared from cDNA encoding the second epidermal growth factor (EGF) and serine protease domains of Factor X linked downstream from the cDNA encoding the signal peptide, propeptide, Gla domain, and first EGF domain of Factor IX. The cDNAs encoding the Factor IX/X chimera and wild-type Factor X were each expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and the secreted proteins purified by affinity chromatography using polyclonal anti-Factor X antibodies. The chimera migrated as a single major band corresponding to a molecular weight of 68,000. By Western blotting, the chimeric protein stained with both polyclonal anti-Factor X and anti-Factor IX antibodies. gamma-Carboxyglutamic acid analysis demonstrated near complete carboxylation of both the wild-type Factor X and the Factor IX/X chimera. Compared with Factor X, the rate of zymogen activation of the Factor IX/X chimera was about 50% that of Factor X when activated by Factor IXa, Factor VIIIa, phospholipid, and Ca2+. The enzyme form of the Factor IX/X chimera, activated Factor IX/X, generated using the coagulant protein of Russell's viper venom, expressed full amidolytic activity compared with Factor Xa. The activated Factor IX/X chimera had about 14% of the activity of Factor Xa when employed in a prothrombinase assay; this activity reached 100% with increasing concentrations of Factor Va. A binding assay was employed to test the ability of the active site-inactivated Factor IX/Xa chimera to inhibit the binding of Factor Xa to the Factor Va-phospholipid complex, thus inhibiting the activation of prothrombin to thrombin. In this assay the active site-inactivated form of the chimera competed with Factor Xa completely but with decreased affinity for the Factor Va-phospholipid complex. These data indicate that the second EGF domain and the serine protease domain of Factor Xa are sufficient to interact with Factor Va. The Factor IX/X chimera is a good substrate for the tenase complex; the defective enzymatic activity of the activated Factor IX/X chimera can be accounted for by its decreased affinity for Factor Va relative to Factor Xa.