Studies on human high molecular weight (HMW) kininogen. II. Structural change of HMW kininogen by the action of human plasma kallikrein

We have investigated in detail the cleavage of human high molecular weight (HMW) kininogen by human plasma kallikrein and revealed the formation of a nicked kininogen and a novel kinin-free protein (KFP) as intermediate cleavage products. The cleavage of a single chain HMW kininogen (Mr=120,000) by plasma kallikrein was a three-step reaction. The first cleavage yielded a nicked kininogen composed of two disulfide-linked 62,000 and 56,000 daltons chains. The second cleavage yielded kinin and an intermediate kinin-free protein, KFP-I, which was apparently of equal size to the nicked kininogen. The third cleavage yielded a stable kinin-free protein, KFP-II, composed of two disulfide-linked 62,000 and 45,000 daltons chains. The liberation of an 8,000 daltons fragment was identified when the 56,000 daltons chain isolated by SP-Sephadex C-50 chromatography of reduced and alkylated KFP-I was cleaved by plasma kallikrein into the 45,000 daltons chain. Although the antiserum against HMW kininogen cross-reacted with low molecular weight (LMW) kininogen, the antiserum against the 45,000 daltons chain was specific for HMW kininogen. These results suggest that the antigenic determinant groups common to HMW and LMW kininogens are located in the 62,000 daltons heavy chain, while those specific for HMW kininogen are located in the 45,000 daltons light chain, which is known to retain blood coagulation activity.     

Interaction of human calpains I and II with high molecular weight and low molecular weight kininogens and their heavy chain: mechanism of interaction and the role of divalent cations

Calpain I prepared from human erythrocytes was half-maximally and maximally activated at 23 and 35 microM calcium ion, and two preparations of calpain II from human liver and kidney were half-maximally activated at 340 and 220 microM calcium ion and maximally activated at 900 microM calcium ion, respectively. High molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) kininogens isolated from human plasma and the heavy chain prepared from these proteins inhibited calpain I as well as calpain II. The molar ratios of calpains to HMW kininogen to give complete inhibition of calpains were 1.4 for calpain I and 2.0 for calpain II, and those of calpains to heavy chain were 0.40-0.66 for calpain I and 0.85 for calpain II. LMW kininogen did not completely inhibit the calpains even with an excess amount of kininogen. The apparent binding ratio of calpain to HMW kininogen estimated from the disc gel electrophoretic analysis, however, was found to be 2:1, whereas those of calpain to LMW kininogen and of calpain to heavy chain were found to be 1:1. Calpains and kininogens failed to form complexes in the absence of calcium ion. In the presence of calcium ion, however, they formed the complexes, which were dissociable by the addition of ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid. The minimum concentrations of calcium ion required to induce complex formation between calpain I and kininogens and calpain II and kininogens were 70 and 100 microM, respectively. Some other divalent cations such as Mn2+, Sr2+, and Ba2+ were also able to induce the complex formation between calpains and kininogens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Purification and characterization of alpha 1-thiol proteinase inhibitor and its identity with kinin- and fragment 1.2-free high molecular weight kininogen

1. alpha 1-Thiol proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1 TPI) purified from outdated human plasma was a glycoprotein with Mr 83,000 and was composed of heavy and light chains held together with a disulfide bond. 2. The data on amino acid composition, amino terminal sequence of the light chain and carboxyl terminal sequences of the heavy and light chains indicate that alpha 1 TPI is identical with kinin- and fragment 1.2-free HMW kininogen. 3. Purified human plasmin generated a derivative having the same molecular weight (Mr 83,000), same subunit structure (heavy and light chains) and same inhibitory capacity as alpha 1 TPI from HMW kininogen and kinin-free HMW kininogen. This indicated the possibility that alpha 1 TPI is derived from HMW kininogen by plasmin.     

Hypothesis. The molecular 'double-pivot' mechanism for water oxidation

High-molecular-weight (HMW) kininogen was purified from guinea-pig plasma by measuring its ability to correct the prolonged clotting time in human HMW kininogen deficient plasma (Fitzgerald trait). The purified HMW kininogen demonstrated a homogeneous band in disc gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate under reducing or non-reducing conditions with an apparent molecular weight of 100,000. Kinin released from HMW kininogen by treatment with guinea-pig plasma kallikrein was identified as bradykinin by reverse-phase HPLC and amino-acid analysis. The capacity of HMW kininogen as a thiol-proteinase inhibitor was realized by its dose-dependent inhibitory activity to papain. The Ki value for papain was estimated to be 42 pM. The kinin-free HMW kininogen maintained the inhibitor and clotting-factor activities with similar capacities to those of the HMW kininogen molecule. Heavy chain (H-chain) and light chain (L-chain) of HMW kininogen were prepared from reduced and alkylated kinin-free HMW kininogen by HPLC. The S-alkylated H-chain, but not L-chain, demonstrated the inhibitor activity with the Ki value 6.9 nM for papain, whereas the S-alkylated L-chain, but not H-chain, maintained the clotting activity one-third of the capacity of HMW kininogen. Specific antibodies recognized HMW kininogen, but also a probable low-molecular-weight kininogen(s) with an apparent molecular weight of 60,000 in the guinea-pig plasma. All of these properties are consistent with the reports on human, bovine and rat HMW kininogen.     

The role of bovine high-molecular-weight (HMW) kininogen in contact-mediated activation of bovine factor XII: interaction of HMW kininogen with kaolin and plasma prekallikrein

Previous studies from our laboratories (Sugo et al. (1980) Biochemistry 19, 3215-3220) have shown that bovine high-molecular-weight (HMW) kininogen remarkably accelerates the kaolin-mediated activation of Factor XII in the presence of prekallikrein, and that both fragment 1.2 and the light chain regions located in the COOH terminal half of the kininogen molecule are essential for the activation. In the present study, we demonstrate that the accelerating effect of HMW kininogen is mediated through its adsorption on the kaolin surface through the fragment 1.2 region and its complex formation with prekallikrein through the light chain region. The evidence is as follows: 1. HMW kininogen radio-labeled with 125I was adsorbed on kaolin and the adsorption was inhibited by the prior treatment of kaolin with fragment 1.2, fragment 1.2-light chain, kinin-free protein or HMW kininogen, but not with kinin- and fragment 1.2-free protein, light chain or low molecular-weight (LMW) kininogen. 2. The complex formation of HMW kininogen with prekallikrein in bovine plasma or in the purified system was examined by gel-filtration on a column of Sephacryl S-200 In bovine plasma, prekallikrein was eluted in the same fraction as HMW kininogen, showing an apparent molecular weight of 250,000, whereas purified prekallikrein was eluted in the fraction corresponding to an apparent molecular weight of 100,000. When purified prekallikrein was mixed with purified HMW kininogen in a mol ratio of 1 to 2, all prekallikrein was found to be associated with HMW kininogen. Furthermore, purified prekallikrein mixed with kininogen derivatives, such as kinin- and fragment 1.2-free protein, fragment 1.2-light chain or light chain, was eluted in the higher molecular weight fraction. HMW kininogen did not form a complex with prekallikrein. Using the same technique, it was shown that kinin- and fragment 1.2-free protein forms a complex not only with prekallikrein but also with kallikrein.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of cDNAs for human high molecular weight and low molecular weight prekininogens. Primary structures of two human prekininogens

cDNA sequences for both human high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) prekininogens have been isolated by molecular cloning and determined by sequence analysis. The sequence determination together with the S1 nuclease mapping and RNA blot-hybridization analyses indicate that human HMW and LMW prekininogen mRNAs share an identical sequence throughout the 5'-untranslated region and the protein-coding region up to the sequence encoding the 12 amino acids distal to the bradykinin sequence, and the two mRNAs then completely diverge from each other. The signal peptide, the heavy chain (H chain), and the bradykinin moiety, which are common between the two prekininogens, consist of 18, 362, and 9 amino acids, respectively, while the light chains (L chains) of the HMW and LMW prekininogens are composed of 255 and 38 amino acids, respectively. All 17 cysteine residues present in the human and bovine H chains are located at exactly equivalent positions, indicating that the human H chain, like the bovine counterpart, can form 8 loop structures, each connected by two adjacent cysteine residues. The L chains of human and bovine kininogens differ in the protein lengths as well as in some amino acids crucial for the processing of the kininogens by kallikrein. Based upon this finding, we have discussed the molecular basis for the different modes of processing of human and bovine HMW kininogens and for the different kinetics of contact activation reactions exhibited by the two HMW kininogens.     

Human high molecular weight kininogen as a thiol proteinase inhibitor: presence of the entire inhibition capacity in the native form of heavy chain

High molecular weight (HMW) kininogen was purified from fresh human plasma by two successive column chromatographies on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and Zn-chelate Sepharose 4B. The purified HMW kininogen appeared to be a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis in both the presence and absence of beta-mercaptoethanol. However, it gave two bands on nonreduced SDS-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis, a major band of dimeric form (Mr 200 000, ca. 95%) and a minor band of monomeric form (Mr 105 000, ca. 5%). Under reduced conditions, the dimeric form was converted stoichiometrically to a monomeric form (Mr 110 000), and the monomeric form observed under nonreduced conditions (Mr 105 000) was converted to a heavy chain (Mr 60 000) and a light chain (Mr 50 000). The formation of a dimer of HMW kininogen was also confirmed by an immunoblotting experiment. This unique property of intact HMW kininogen to form a dimer was further utilized in studies on the kininogens and their derivatives as thiol proteinase inhibitors. The purified HMW kininogen strongly inhibited the caseinolytic activities of calpain I, calpain II, and papain but not those of trypsin, chymotrypsin, and thermolysin, indicating that it was a group-specific inhibitor for thiol proteinases. When HMW kininogen was reduced with 0.14 or 1.4 M beta-mercaptoethanol, its inhibitory activity was partially or mostly inactivated, but on subsequent air oxidation its activity was almost completely recovered. In addition, kinin-free and fragment 1,2 free HMW kininogen showed higher inhibitory activity than the intact HMW kininogen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Purification and characterization of rat low molecular weight kininogen

Low molecular weight (LMW) kininogen was isolated from pooled rat plasma by chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, CM-Sephadex C-50, Blue-Sepharose CL-6B, and Sephadex G-100. It was shown to be homogeneous by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoelectrophoresis. The molecular weight of rat LMW kininogen was determined to be 72,000 by SDS-PAGE. The LMW kininogen contained 83.5% protein, 4.0% hexose, 5.5% hexosamine, and 2.7% sialic acid. Kinin liberated from LMW kininogen by trypsin treatment was identified as an Ile-Ser-bradykinin(T-kinin) by analysis involving ion exchange column chromatography on CM-Sephadex C-25 and high performance liquid chromatography on a reverse-phase column (ODS-120T). LMW kininogen formed kinin with rat submaxillary gland kallikrein, but the kinin liberated was only 14% of the total kinin content, that is, that released by trypsin. In order to determine the immunochemical properties of LMW kininogen, specific antiserum was prepared in rabbits. The antiserum cross-reacted with high molecular weight (HMW) kininogen, but spur formation was observed between the LMW and HMW kininogens. The kininogen level in rat plasma was estimated to be 433 microgram/ml by a quantitative single radial immunodiffusion test.     

Rat plasma high-molecular-weight kininogen. A simple method for purification and its characterization

High-molecular-weight kininogen has been isolated from rat plasma in three steps in a relatively high yield. The purified preparation gave a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the absence and presence of 2-mercaptoethanol, and the apparent Mr was estimated as 100,000. On incubation with rat plasma kallikrein, rat high Mr kininogen yielded a kinin-free protein consisting of a heavy chain (Mr = 64,000) and a light chain (Mr = 46,000), liberating bradykinin. The kinin-free protein was S-alkylated, and its heavy and light chains were separated by a zinc-chelating Sepharose 6B column. The amino acid compositions of rat high Mr kininogen and its heavy and light chains were very similar to those of bovine high Mr kininogen and its heavy and fragment 1.2-light chains, respectively. A high histidine content in the light chain of rat high Mr kininogen indicated the presence of a histidine-rich region in this protein as in bovine high Mr kininogen, although this region was not cleaved by rat plasma kallikrein. Rat high Mr kininogen corrected to normal values the prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time of Brown-Norway Katholiek rat plasma known to be deficient in high Mr kininogen and of Fitzgerald trait plasma. The kinin-free protein had the same correcting activity as intact high Mr kininogen. Rat high Mr kininogen also accelerated approximately 10-fold the surface-dependent activation of rat factor XII and prekallikrein, which was mediated with kaolin, amylose sulfate, and sulfatide. These results indicate that rat high Mr kininogen is quite similar to human and bovine high Mr kininogens in terms of biochemical and functional properties.     

Determination of the bifunctional properties of high molecular weight kininogen by studies with monoclonal antibodies directed to each of its chains

In normal human plasma two forms of kininogen exist, low molecular weight kininogen (LMWK) and high molecular weight kininogen (HMWK). When these proteins are cleaved they are found to have a common heavy chain and bradykinin, but each has a unique light chain. Monoclonal antibodies to the heavy and light chains of HMWK have been developed, and the effects of each on the function of this protein are defined. Initial studies showed that an antibody, C11C1, completely neutralized the coagulant activity of plasma HMWK whereas another antibody, 2B5, did not. On a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CELISA) the C11C1 antibody was consumed by kininogen antigen in normal plasma but not by kininogen antigen in HMWK-deficient plasma. On immunoblot, the C11C1 antibody recognized one kininogen protein in normal plasma and did not recognize any kininogen antigen in HMWK-deficient plasma. These combined studies indicated that the C11C1 antibody was directed to an epitope on the unique 46-kDa light chain of HMWK. In contrast, the 2B5 antibody on a CELISA was consumed by kininogen antigen in both normal plasma and HMWK-deficient plasma but not by total kininogen-deficient plasma. On immunoblot, the 2B5 antibody recognized both kininogens in normal plasma but only LMWK in HMWK-deficient plasma. These combined studies indicated that the 2B5 antibody was directed to the common 64-kDa heavy chain of the plasma kininogens. Utilizing direct binding studies or competition kinetic experiments, the 2B5 and C11C1 antibodies bound with high affinity (1.71 and 0.77 nM, respectively) to their antigenic determinants on the HMWK molecule. The 2B5 antibody did neutralize the ability of HMWK to inhibit platelet calpain. These studies with monoclonal antibodies directed to each of the HMWK chains indicate that HMWK is a bifunctional molecule that can serve as a cofactor for serine zymogen activation and an inhibitor of cysteine proteases.     

The fragments of bovine high molecular weight kininogen promote osteoblast proliferation in vitro

High molecular weight (HMW) kininogen is known to be a large plasma protein and cleaved by plasma proteinase kallikrein, then it generates four fragments in the blood coagulation cascade: heavy chain, bradykinin, fragment 1.2, and light chain. The fragment 1.2 has also been found in the basic protein fraction of bovine milk as a bioactive protein which promotes osteoblast proliferation. The milk basic protein has been shown to be a multi functional edible protein which promotes bone formation and inhibits bone resorption. In the present study, we purified the fragment 1.2 from bovine plasma and assessed it could promote osteoblast proliferation and posses the activity after pepsin digestion. Purified plasma HMW kininogen did not promote the proliferation, however, the kallikrein-cleaved HMW kininogen promoted the proliferation. The fragment 1.2, purified from the proteolysate, also promoted the proliferation. The pepsin digestion was performed according to the method of the assessment of allergenesity of genetically modified crops. After pepsin digestion, the fragment 1.2 generated resistant fragments and showed the promoting activity of osteoblast proliferation. These results suggest that the enzymatically-digested fragments of bovine HMW kininogen are able to be a naturally occurred active protein that promotes the bone formation by oral administration.     

A new function of kininogens as thiol-proteinase inhibitors: inhibition of papain and cathepsins B, H and L by bovine, rat and human plasma kininogens

The amidolytic activities of papain and rat liver cathepsins B, H and L were strongly inhibited by high (HMM) and low (LMM) molecular mass kininogens from bovine, human and rat plasmas, and their Ki values were estimated to be in the order of 10(-10) - 10(-11)M for papain and 10(-8) - 10(-9)M for cathepsins. The derivatives of bovine kininogens, HMM kinin-free protein, HMM kinin- and fragment 1 X 2-free protein, and LMM kinin-free protein also showed strong inhibitory activity toward these thiol-proteinases. These results suggest that a reactive site which interacts with thiol-proteinases is contained in the heavy chain portion in kininogens.     

Heavy chain of human high molecular weight and low molecular weight kininogens binds calcium ion

An antibody subpopulation, anti high molecular weight (anti-HMW) kininogen-Ca2+ antibody able to bind specifically to the HMW kininogen-Ca2+ complex, was isolated from anti-HMW kininogen antiserum. Partially purified anti-HMW kininogen antibody was applied to a HMW kininogen-Sepharose column equilibrated with 40 mM tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride buffer, pH 7.5, containing 1.0 M NaCl and 1 mM CaCl2, and anti-HMW kininogen-Ca2+ antibody was eluted with 5 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. As a result of characterization by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, this antibody specifically recognized the cyanogen bromide cleaved fragment 1 (CB-1) region (1-160 amino acid sequence) of the heavy chain of kininogen molecules in the presence of Ca2+ or Mg2+. Furthermore, circular dichroism (CD) experiments showed that the conformational changes of HMW kininogen and heavy chain were induced by metal ions such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ and that these changes were due to the conformational change of the CB-1 region of the heavy chain. The dissociation constant (Kd) for the heavy chain-Ca2+ measured by CD analysis at 214 nm was found to be 0.33 +/- 0.09 mM (mean +/- SD). The number of Ca2+-binding sites of heavy chain calculated from the Hill plot was 1.15 +/- 0.04 (mean +/- SD). Then, a possible Ca2+-binding site was found in the amino-terminal portion of the heavy chain of kininogen molecules.     

Immunological characterization of rat kininogens with monoclonal antibodies to T-kininogen. Distinction between the different domains of T-kininogen and the multiple rat kininogens.

A panel of 16 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) were produced against rat T-kininogen to characterize this family of proteins. These mAbs bound 125I-T-kininogen by radioimmunoassay as well as reacting strongly with immobilized T-kininogen in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The reactivity of these antibodies with proteolytic fragments of T-kininogen demonstrated the recognition of several different epitopes. One antibody was specific for the domain 1 of the heavy chain and/or the light chain, twelve antibodies were specific for domain 2 and three antibodies were specific for domain 3. All monoclonal antibodies recognized the two forms of T-kininogen encoded by the two different T-kininogen genes, TI and TII kininogen, except antibody TK 16-3.1 which uniquely reacted with TII kininogen. Two antibodies recognizing domain 2 cross-reacted with the high-molecular-mass kininogen (H-kininogen), whereas all the other monoclonal antibodies were specific to T-kininogen and did not recognize the heavy chain of H-kininogen. None of the antibodies tested altered the thiol protease inhibitory activity of T-kininogen, its partial proteolysis by rat mast cell chymase or the hydrolysis of H-kininogen by rat urinary kallikrein. The use of these antibodies in the development of sensitive ELISA to measure T-kininogen levels in plasma, urine, liver microsomes and hepatocytes is described. Two different forms of T-kininogen were distinguished by these monoclonal antibodies in Western blotting using rat plasma. The localization of T-kininogen was defined using these monoclonal antibodies by immunohistochemistry in rat liver hepatocytes and rat kidney.     

Interaction of factor XII, high-molecular-weight (HMW) kininogen and prekallikrein with sulfatide: analysis by fluorescence polarization

The interaction of high-molecular-weight (HMW) kininogen, Factor XII and prekallikrein with sulfatide was studied by fluorescence polarization. Fluorescein-conjugated derivatives of HMW kininogen, Factor XII and prekallikrein were prepared by reacting the purified bovine factors with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The apparent dissociation constant (Kd) for the binding of FITC-labeled HMW kininogen (F-HMW kininogen) with sulfatide was calculated to be 3.2 (+/- 0.3) X 10(-8) M. This binding was partially inhibited by three kininogen derivatives, fragment 1 X 2, kinin-free protein and fragment 1 X 2-light chain, but not by kinin and fragment 1 X 2-free protein. In the presence of Factor XII, the binding of F-HMW kininogen with sulfatide was strongly inhibited, suggesting that the zymogen and the protein cofactor compete for the same or a closely related binding site on the sulfatide surface. In contrast, the binding of FITC-labeled Factor XII (F-Factor XII) with sulfatide was weakly inhibited by HMW kininogen but not by prekallikrein. The Kd value for binding of F-Factor XII with sulfatide was calculated to be 2.0 (+/- 0.3) X 10(-8) M. F-Prekallikrein did not interact with sulfatide. Moreover, the fluorescence polarization value of F-HMW kininogen decreased in the presence of prekallikrein, leveling off at a one-to-one molar ratio of prekallikrein to F-HMW kininogen. The Kd value for binding of F-HMW kininogen-light chain (F-light chain) with prekallikrein was calculated to be 3.8 (+/- 0.6) X 10(-8) M and the stoichiometry was estimated as 1 to 1.2 on a molar basis from the Scatchard plot.     

Localization of DNA sequences governing alternative mRNA production of rat kininogen genes

The two types of the rat kininogen genes show different modes of mRNA production. The K gene encodes two distinct mRNAs for high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) kininogens. These two mRNAs are generated by differential usage of the 3'-terminal exon (LMW exon) and the one next to this exon (HMW exon) through alternative polyadenylation and splicing. In contrast, the two T genes selectively generate the LMW form of the mRNA, although the T genes are extremely homologous to the K gene, including the sequence (psi HMW region) corresponding to the HMW exon of the K gene. In this study, we constructed a series of chimeric kininogen genes by exchanging equivalent restriction fragments of the K and T genes and examined the sequences and the mechanisms governing the different expression patterns of the kininogen genes by introducing the chimeric genes into heterologous COS cells. The results indicate that the formation of the two forms of the mRNA is controlled by two separate 3' sequences of the kininogen genes. One is located within the internal sequence of the HMW/psi HMW region, whereas the other is within the LMW exon and its preceding region. Our data also suggest that the different expression patterns of the kininogen genes are primarily governed by differing splicing efficiency.     

Activation of factor XII and prekallikrein with polysaccharide sulfates and sulfatides: comparison with kaolin-mediated activation

The activation of Factor XII and prekallikrein by polysaccharide sulfates and sulfatides in the presence of high-molecular-weight (HMW) kininogen was studied, and compared with the kaolin-mediated activation reaction. Among a variety of artificially-sulfated polysaccharides and native polysaccharide sulfates, amylose sulfate (M.W.= 380,000 and sulfur content, 19.1%) and sulfatide were found to have the most efficient ability to trigger the activation of prekallikrein by Factor XII. The effects of these two kinds of negatively-charged surfaces on the following three activation reactions were compared; the activation of prekallikrein by Factor XII (reaction 1), the activation of Factor XII by kallikrein (reaction 2) and the activation of prekallikrein by Factor XIIa (reaction 3). All three reactions mediated by the selected surfaces were strongly accelerated by HMW kininogen and its derivatives, kinin-free protein and fragment 1.2-linked light chain, like the kaolin-mediated activation. However, this accelerating effect of HMW kininogen on the amylose sulfate- and sulfatide-mediated activations (reaction 1) was diminished after treatment with fluorescein iso-thiocyanate, whereas the effect on the kaolin-mediated activation was not influenced by fluorescein-labeling. In addition, reaction 2 mediated by amylose sulfate and sulfatide was extremely slow even in the presence of HMW kininogen, and the results also differed from those with kaolin. The sulfatide-mediated activation of reaction 1 was not inhibited by fragment 1.2 (His-rich fragment), which is released from HMW kininogen by the action of kallikrein, and is known to be a potent inhibitor of the kaolin-dependent activation. These results indicate that the mechanisms responsible for surface activation triggered by soluble amylose sulfate, sulfatide micelles and kaolin differ from each other as regards the molecular interaction with the contact factors.     

Porcine high molecular weight kininogen: its purification and properties as a thiol proteinase inhibitor as compared to human high molecular weight kininogen

1. High mol. wt kininogen (HMW kininogen) was purified to a homogeneous state from porcine plasma. 2. The protein exhibited a strong inhibitory activity for thiol proteinases such as ficin, papain and calpain I, whereas it did not inhibit serine proteinases, trypsin and chymotrypsin. 3. The mol. wt, isoelectric point, amino acid and carbohydrate compositions, stabilities to temperature and pH, kinetic constants, and immunological properties of the porcine HMW kininogen were determined and compared with those of human HMW kininogen.     

Kinin release from kininogens by calpains

During the investigation of inhibitory activity of kininogens toward calpains [EC 3.4.22.17], we found that lysyl-bradykinin was liberated from both high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) kininogens by the action of the calpains. The kinin liberation occurred in a limited range of calpain to kininogen molar ratios of 0.5:1 to 8:1, and in that condition calpains were simultaneously inhibited 20 to 80% by kininogens. The maximum level of kinin release from HMW and LMW kininogens by calpain I was about 25% and that by calpain II was 20%. These results suggest that in case of inflammation the kininogens play two physiologically distinct roles by interaction with calpains: to release lysyl-bradykinin and to inhibit proteinase activity of calpains derived from the damaged tissues.     

Formation of human immunoreactive LMW and HMW-kininogens during coagulation. Comparison with bradykinin activity

Variations of the levels of human HMW and LMW kininogens have been studied in serum and in plasma incubated in vitro during 30 hours, at three different temperatures: 4 degrees, 22 degrees and 37 degrees C. There is a small difference between the level of LMW kininogen in plasma and in serum, but the serum and plasma level of LMW kininogen are almost stable during the time of incubation at the three temperatures. However, HMW kininogen is reduced in serum to about fifty percent of its plasma level. It decreases in plasma and in serum during incubation, overall at 4 degrees C. A strict parallelism stays between the radioimmunoassay and the bioassay.