Effects of amidination and chemical cross-linking on human factor VIII (antihemophilic factor).

The bifunctional reagent dimethyl suberimidate, reacting with primary amino groups of proteins, was used to cross-link highly purified human factor VIII. Reaction products were reduced with beta-mercaptoethanol or treated with Rhizopus arrhizus triglyceride lipase. The proportions of the dissociated subunits and their oligomers were calculated from the relative staining intensities of individual bands following polyacrylamide electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Low concentrations of dimethyl suberimidate (up to 0.5 mM) produced covalently linked dimers which retained full functional (coagulant and von Willebrand factor) activities. Treatment with increasing concentrations of dimethyl suberimidate resulted in an almost simultaneous appearance of both trimeric and tetrameric species, suggesting the existence of specific intra-dimer contacts. A parallel decrease of functional activities was observed at higher concentrations of dimethyl suberimidate. A monofunctional reagent (ethyl acetimidate), reacting similarly with primary amino groups, amidinated factor VIII at rates similar to dimethyl suberimidate. Up to 40% amidinated factor VIII retained full biological activities. We conclude that the most reactive lysine residues are not involved in the active sites responsible for either coagulant or von Willebrand activity.     

Dry-heat treatment process for enhancing viral safety of an antihemophilic factor VIII concentrate prepared from human plasma

Viral safety is a prerequisite for manufacturing clinical antihemophilic factor VIII concentrates from human plasma. With particular regard to the hepatitis A virus (HAV), a terminal dry-heat treatment (100 degrees for 30 min) process, following lyophilization, was developed to improve the virus safety of a solvent/detergent-treated antihemophilic factor VIII concentrate. The loss of factor VIII activity during dry-heat treatment was of about 5%. No substantial changes were observed in the physical and biochemical characteristics of the dry-heat-treated factor VIII compared with those of the factor VIII before dry-heat treatment. The dry-heat-treated factor VIII was stable for up to 24 months at 4oC. The dry-heat treatment after lyophilization was an effective process for inactivating viruses. The HAV, murine encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were completely inactivated to below detectable levels within 10 min of the dry-heat treatment. Bovine herpes virus (BHV) and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) were potentially sensitive to the treatment. However porcine parvovirus (PPV) was slightly resistant to the treatment. The log reduction factors achieved during lyophilization and dry-heat treatment were > or =5.55 for HAV, > or =5.87 for EMCV, > or =5.15 for HIV, 6.13 for BHV, 4.46 for BVDV, and 1.90 for PPV. These results indicate that dry-heat treatment improves the virus safety of factor VIII concentrates, without destroying the activity. Moreover, the treatment represents an effective measure for the inactivation of non-lipid-enveloped viruses, in particular HAV, which is resistant to solvent/detergent treatment.     

Nucleotide sequence of the gene for human factor IX (antihemophilic factor B)

Two different human genomic DNA libraries were screened for the gene for blood coagulation factor IX by employing a cDNA for the human protein as a hybridization probe. Five overlapping lambda phages were identified that contained the gene for factor IX. The complete DNA sequence of about 38 kilobases for the gene and the adjacent 5' and 3' flanking regions was established by the dideoxy chain termination and chemical degradation methods. The gene contained about 33.5 kilobases of DNA, including seven introns and eight exons within the coding and 3' noncoding regions of the gene. The eight exons code for a prepro leader sequence and 415 amino acids that make up the mature protein circulating in plasma. The intervening sequences range in size from 188 to 9473 nucleotides and contain four Alu repetitive sequences, including one in intron A and three in intron F. A fifth Alu repetitive sequence was found immediately flanking the 3' end of the gene. A 50 base pair insert in intron A was found in a clone from one of the genomic libraries but was absent in clones from the other library. Intron A as well as the 3' noncoding region of the gene also contained alternating purine-pyrimidine sequences that provide potential left-handed helical DNA or Z-DNA structures for the gene. KpnI repetitive sequences were identified in intron D and the region flanking the 5' end of the gene. The 5' flanking region also contained a 1.9-kb HindIII subfamily repeat. The seven introns in the gene for factor IX were located in essentially the same position as the seven introns in the gene for human protein C, while the first three were found in positions identical with those in the gene for human prothrombin.     

Effect of ampholines on blood coagulation: 1. Activation of factor VIII (antihemophilic globulin A)]

Polyaminopolycarboxyl acids (Ampholine, LKB producers Sweden) caused the antihaemophilic globulin (factor VIII) to be activated. This increase of activity revealed a linear dependence on Ampholine concentrations. Only those Ampholine molecules of alkaline pH areas positively charged under test conditions turned out to be efficient. The positive charge, therefore, seems to be significant for an activation. The coagulation activities were measured by determining the partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and the factor VIII in an one-phase test.     

Locations of disulfide bonds and free cysteines in the heavy and light chains of recombinant human factor VIII (antihemophilic factor A).

The locations of disulfide bonds and free cysteines in the heavy and light chains of recombinant human factor VIII were determined by sequence analysis of fragments produced by chemical and enzymatic digestions. The A1 and A2 domains of the heavy chain and the A3 domain of the light chain contain one free cysteine and two disulfide bonds, whereas the C1 and C2 domains of the light chain have one disulfide bond and no free cysteine. The positions of these disulfide bonds are conserved in factor V and ceruloplasmin except that the second disulfide bond in the A3 domain is missing in both factor V and ceruloplasmin. The positions of the three free cysteines of factor VIII are the same as three of the four cysteines present in ceruloplasmin. However, the positions of the free cysteines in factor VIII and ceruloplasmin are not conserved in factor V.     

Separation of immunoreactive lymphocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (CFU-GEMM) by means of counterflow centrifugation

Counterflow centrifugation with continuous monitoring of the output for cell number and cell scatter was used to separate low density (d less than 1.070 g/ml) human bone marrow cells in two fractions: one containing the majority of small size lymphocytes and the other the majority of the larger sized committed progenitor cells. The recovery of the pluripotent stem cells (CFU-GEMM) in the large cell fraction was complete. The mitogenic reactivity of this putative stem cell fraction had decreased to 6% and 11%, of the original value as measured with phytohemagglutinin stimulation and one way mixed lymphocytic culture respectively. Counterflow centrifugation offers a physical separation technique, by which the majority of the immunoreactive cells can be separated from the pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells.     

Reconstitution of human factor VIII from isolated subunits

Human factor VII heterodimers were fractionated into component heavy and light chains using an anti-light chain specific monoclonal antibody immunosorbant. Neither the light chain nor the heavy chain alone possessed activity. Factor VII activity was reconstituted by recombining the subunits in the presence of Mn2+ or Ca2+. Reconstitution of activity also showed ionic strength dependence suggesting the importance of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. All factor VIII heavy chains (93 to 210 kDa) recombined with the 83 kDa light chain as judged by retention of all reconstituted heterodimeric forms by the monoclonal immunosorbant. Maximum specific activity (3 units/micrograms) was obtained at a 1:1 molar ratio of light chain:heavy chain. The presence of von Willebrand factor enhanced the rate of factor VIII reconstitution as much as 5-fold. This effect was both ionic strength-dependent and dose-dependent up to a 25-fold weight excess of von Willebrand factor over factor VIII.     

Purification of factor VIII and von Willebrand factor from human plasma by anion-exchange chromatography

Factor VIII (anti-hemophilia A factor) is isolated from human plasma. Purification is carried out by a combination of precipitation and chromatographic procedures. After precipitation, the first step in virus inactivation is achieved through the effect of a non-ionic detergent such as Tween 80, and a solvent, e.g. tri-n-butylphosphate (TnBP). By subsequent anion-exchange chromatography, a highly enriched product is isolated, consisting of a complex formed by factor VIII and von Willebrand factor (FVIII-vWF). This treatment also removes the virus-inactivating reagents to quantities in the low ppm range. The second step in virus inactivation is aimed specifically at the non-enveloped viruses and consists of pasteurization at temperatures higher than 60°C for 10 h. Through the addition of stabilizers, between 80% and 90% of the initial activity of FVIII is preserved during the modified pasteurisation. Along with the possibly denatured proteins the stabilizers, such as sugars, amino acids and bivalent cations, are subsequently removed by ion-exchange chromatography. The two-fold virus inactivation, by solvent/detergent treatment and subsequent pasteurisation, allows the destruction of both lipid-enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. During the procedure FVIII is stabilized through the high content of vWF. The complex consisting of FVIII and vWF can be dissociated by adding calcium ions. Subsequently both glycoproteins from this complex are separated from one another by further anion-exchange chromatography.     

Determination of human factor VIII (AHG-associated protein)-antigen in endothelial cells from Xenopus laevis (XTH cells)

Summary AHG-associated protein (AHG-a.p.), the antigen of the blood-clotting factor VIII complex, is a specific endothelial cell marker. Primary (p-XTH) and established (XTH-2) endothelial cells from the hearts of Xenopus laevis tadpoles were assayed for the presence of this marker by means of immunological cross-reaction (recognition of common antigenic sites) with antiserum against human AHG-a.p. Radial imtnunodiffusion and rocket immunoelectrophoresis proved to be insufficiently sensitive, whereas immunofluorescence and a newly evaluated ELISA technique gave positive results. The very high sensitivity of the ELISA (less than 1/240000 of the AHG-a.p. in 0.1 ml human standard plasma can be detected) and the removal of interfering proteins by gel filtration also revealed the presence of AHG-a.p. in the fetal calf serum used in the culture medium; earlier investigations into this subject by a one-step radioimmunoassay had reported negative results. Specially adapted XTH-2 cells were grown in a proteinand serum-free hydrolysate medium in order to demonstrate the presence of a Xenopus-derived antigen that was immunoreactive with the anti-human AHG-a.p.