Multiple cell culture factors can affect the glycosylation of Asn-184 in CHO-produced tissue-type plasminogen activator

Human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) contains a variably occupied glycosylation site at Asn-184 in naturally produced t-PA and in t-PA produced in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The presence of an oligosaccharide at this site has previously been shown to reduce specific activity and fibrin binding. In this report, the site occupancy of t-PA is shown to increase gradually over the course of batch and fed-batch CHO cultures. Additional cell culture factors, including butyrate and temperature, are also shown to influence the degree of glycosylation. In each of these cases, conditions with decreased growth rate correlate with increased site occupancy. Investigations using quinidine and thymidine to manipulate the cell cycle distribution of cultures further support this correlation between site occupancy and growth state. Comparison of the cell cycle distribution across the range of cell culture factors investigated shows a consistent relationship between site occupancy and the fraction of cells in the G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle. These results support a correlation between growth state and site occupancy, which fundamentally differs from site occupancy trends previously observed and illustrates the importance of the growth profile of CHO cultures in producing consistently glycosylated recombinant glycoproteins.     

Activity of an enzyme converting single-chain tissue-type plasminogen activator to the two-chain form in preovulatory human follicular fluid

The biological role of the tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA)/plasmin system has long been implicated in ovarian function. We have recently shown that the follicular fluid of human ovaries contains an alpha(2)-macroglobulin/protease complex capable of converting single-chain (sc) tPA to the two-chain (tc) enzyme tPA, suggesting the occurrence of its corresponding enzyme in a free form in the fluid. The aim of the current study is therefore to gain further information about the putative sctPA-converting enzyme present in follicular fluid. Incubation of human recombinant sctPA with the fluid brought about the production of tctPA. It was also demonstrated that tctPA production resulted in the activation of endogenous fluid plasminogen. Production of tctPA and plasmin both was strongly inhibited by aprotinin, suggesting that the enzyme is a serine protease. The sctPA-converting enzyme was partially purified from the fluid by column chromatographies. The enzyme preferably hydrolyzed synthetic peptide substrates containing arginine at the P(1) position. The enzyme preparation had a protease inhibitor profile similar to that observed with the crude fluid sample. These results clearly demonstrated that follicular fluid contains an enzyme capable of efficiently converting sctPA to tctPA. Discovery of this sctPA-converting enzyme strongly suggests that the tPA/plasmin system in the preovulatory follicle of human ovaries is operated through the proteolytic conversion of sctPA to tctPA rather than being regulated by a fibrin-dependent mechanism.     

Fibrin and plasminogen structures essential to stimulation of plasmin formation by tissue-type plasminogen activator

Plasminogen activation catalysed by tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) has been examined in the course of concomitant fibrin formation and degradation. Plasmin generation has been measured by the spectrophotometric method of Petersen et al. (Biochem. J. 225 (1985) 149-158), modified so as to allow for light scattering caused by polymerized fibrin. Glu1-, Lys77- and Val442-plasminogen are activated in the presence of fibrinogen, des A- and des AB-fibrin and the rate of plasmin formation is found to be greatly enhanced by both des A- and des AB-fibrin polymer. Plasmin formation from Glu1- and Lys77-plasminogen yields a sigmoidal curve, whereas a linear increase is obtained with Val442-plasminogen. The rate of plasmin formation from Glu1- and Lys77-plasminogen declines in parallel with decreasing turbidity of the fibrin polymer effector. In order to study the effect of polymerization, this has been inhibited by the synthetic polymerization site analogue Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro, by fibrinogen fragment D1 or by prior methylene blue-dependent photooxidation of the fibrinogen used. Inhibition of polymerization by Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro reduces plasmin generation to the low rate observed in the presence of fibrinogen. Antipolymerization with fragment D1 or photooxidation has the same effect on Glu1-plasminogen activation, but only partially reduces and delays the stimulatory effect on Lys77- and Val442-plasminogen activation. The results suggest that protofibril formation (and probably also gelation) of fibrin following fibrinopeptide release is essential to its stimulatory effect. The gradual increase and subsequent decline in the rate of plasmin formation from Glu1- or Lys77-plasminogen during fibrinolysis may be explained by sequential exposure, modification and destruction of different t-PA and plasminogen binding sites in fibrin polymer.     

Activation with plasmin of tow-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator derived from single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator by treatment with thrombin

Thrombin converts single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA) to an inactive two-chain derivative (thrombin-derived tcu-PA) by hydrolysis of the Arg-156--Phe-157 peptide bond. In the present study, we show that inactive thrombin-derived tcu-PA (specific activity 1000 IU/mg) can be converted with plasmin to active two-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (specific activity 43,000 IU/mg) by hydrolysis of the Lys-158--Ile-159 peptide bond. This conversion follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a Michaelis constant Km of 37 microM and a catalytic rate constant k2 of 0.013 s-1. The catalytic efficiency (k2/Km) for the activation of thrombin-derived tcu-PA by plasmin is about 500-fold lower than that for the conversion of intact scu-PA to tcu-PA. tcu-PA, generated by plasmin treatment of thrombin-derived tcu-PA, has similar properties to tcu-PA obtained by digestion of intact scu-PA with plasmin (plasmin-derived tcu-PA); its plasminogen activating potential and fibrinolytic activity in an in vitro plasma clot lysis system appear to be unaltered. These observations confirm that the structure of the NH2-terminal region of the B chain of u-PA is an important determinant for its enzymatic activity, whereas that of the COOH-terminal region of the A chain is not.     

Synthesis of recombinant human single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator variants resistant to plasmin and thrombin

Single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA), a potential therapeutic reagent for thrombosis, is activated in plasma by plasmin. The activated enzyme is further digested by plasmin to generate low-molecular-weight urokinase (LMW-UK), which has no affinity for fibrin. To circumvent this dual effect of plasmin, we synthesized in Escherichia coli a variant of scu-PA, which is not converted to LMW-UK on treatment with plasmin. In another variant, the activation cleavage site was modified such that activation by plasmin was slowed down and that inactivation by thrombin was greatly diminished. The combination of these variants may be applicable as an effective thrombolytic reagent for clinical use.     

Characterization of a chimeric plasminogen activator consisting of amino acids 1 to 274 of tissue-type plasminogen activator and amino acids 138 to 411 of single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator

A chimeric plasminogen activator (t-PA/scu-PA-s), consisting of amino acids 1-263 of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and 144-411 of single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA), was previously shown to maintain the enzymatic properties of scu-PA but to have only partially acquired the fibrin affinity of t-PA, possibly as a result of steric interaction between the functional domains of t-PA and scu-PA (Nelles, L., Lijnen, H. R., Collen, D., and Holmes, W.E. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 10855-10862). Therefore, we now have constructed an extended chimeric t-PA/scu-PA protein, consisting of amino acids 1-274 of t-PA and 138-411 of scu-PA, which thus has an additional sequence of 17 residues in the region joining the two proteins. The highly purified extended chimeric protein (t-PA/scu-PA-e) was found to have similar specific activity on fibrin film (65,000 IU/mg), kinetic constants for the activation of plasminogen (Km = 1 microM, k2 = 0.0026 s-1), fibrin affinity (50% binding at a fibrin concentration of 3.3 g/liter), and fibrin specificity of clot lysis in a plasma environment (50% lysis in 2 h with 8 nM of the chimer) as the previously characterized chimeric protein (t-PA/scu-PA-s). Thus, unexpectedly, the fibrin affinity of t-PA is also only partially expressed in this extended chimeric protein. Therefore, the NH2-terminal chains (A-chains) of the plasmin-generated two-chain derivatives t-PA/tcu-PA-e, t-PA/tcu-PA-s, and of t-PA were isolated. These A-chain structures of the chimers were found to have lost most of their fibrin affinity, whereas the fibrin affinity of the A-chain of native t-PA was maintained. Differential reactivity of the A-chain structures of both chimeric molecules with monoclonal antibodies directed against the A-chain of t-PA suggested that they were conformationally altered. Sequential fibrin binding experiments with t-PA/scu-PA-e and t-PA/scu-PA-s yielded 45 +/- 8 (n = 11) and 43 +/- 5% (n = 8), respectively, binding in the first cycle and 44 +/- 7 (n = 11) and 27 +/- 10% (n = 8), respectively, binding in the second cycle. This suggests that the low affinity of the chimeric molecules for fibrin is not due to the occurrence of subpopulations of molecules with different fibrin affinity but, instead, to a uniformly decreased fibrin affinity in all molecules.     

The incorporation of a fluorescent probe into the active sites of one- and two-chain tissue-type plasminogen activator

Dansyl-glutamyl-glycyl-arginyl chloromethyl ketone (DEGR-CK) was shown to inactivate both one- and two-chain human, recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). The interaction of DEGR-CK with both forms of t-PA was accompanied by an identical increase in the fluorescence intensity and a blue shift in the wavelength of maximum emission, which suggests that the environment of the incorporated DEGR is similar in both one- and two-chain t-PA. The kinetics of the interaction of t-PA with DEGR-CK could be followed by both loss of activity and increase in fluorescence. The second order rate constants (k2/Ki) obtained with these two methods agreed quite well. With two-chain t-PA the values were 42 X 10(4) M-1 min-1 and 46 X 10(4) M-1 min-1 by the activity loss and fluorescence methods, respectively. With one-chain t-PA the results were 2.5 X 10(4) M-1 min-1 and 3.1 X 10(4) M-1 min-1. The rate at which one-chain t-PA is inactivated by DEGR-CK is 15 times lower than the rate with two-chain t-PA. The results demonstrated, however, that the cleavage of the one-chain protein to the two-chain form is not required for reactivity with DEGR-CK. This fluorescently labeled t-PA should be useful in probing the interactions of one- and two-chain t-PA with other proteins.     

Binding of tissue-type plasminogen activator by the mannose receptor

Previous studies have shown that tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) in blood is cleared by the liver partially through a mannose-specific uptake system. The present study was undertaken to investigate, in a purified system, whether t-PA is recognized by the mannose receptor which is expressed on macrophages and liver sinusoidal cells. The mannose receptor was isolated and purified from bovine alveolar macrophages and migrated as a single protein band at Mr 175,000 on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Ligand blotting revealed that this protein specifically bound t-PA. The t-PA-receptor interaction was further characterized in a binding assay, which showed saturable binding with an apparent dissociation constant of 1 nM. t-PA binding required calcium ions and was negligible in the presence of EDTA or at acid pH. Mannose-albumin was an effective inhibitor, whereas galactose-albumin did not have a significant effect. From a series of monosaccharides tested, D-mannose and L-fucose were the most potent inhibitors, N-acetyl-D-glucosamine was a moderate inhibitor, whereas D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine were ineffective. t-PA, deglycosylated by endoglycosidase H, did not interact with the receptor. It is concluded that the mannose receptor specifically binds t-PA, probably through its high mannose-type oligosaccharide.     

The kringle domain of tissue-type plasminogen activator inhibits in vivo tumor growth

The two-kringle domain of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) has previously been shown to contain anti-angiogenesis activity. In this study, we explored the potential in vivo anti-tumor effects of the recombinant kringle domain (TK1-2) of human t-PA. Anti-tumor effects of purified Pichia-driven TK1-2 were examined in nude mice models by subcutaneous implantation of human lung (A-549) and colon (DLD-1, HCT-116) cancer cell lines. Mice bearing the tumors were injected with PBS or purified TK1-2 (30 mg/kg) i.p. every day for 22 days. TK1-2 treatment suppressed the A-549, DLD-1, and HCT-116 tumor growth by 85.3%, 52.4%, and 62.5%, respectively. Immunohistological examination of the tumor tissues showed that TK1-2 treatment decreased the vessel density and also the expression of angiogenesis-related factors including angiogenin, VEGF, alpha-SMA, vWF, and TNF-alpha, and increased the apoptotic fraction of cells. TK1-2 neither inhibited in vitro growth of these cancer cells nor affected t-PA-mediated fibrin clot lysis. These results suggest that TK1-2 inhibits the tumor growth by suppression of angiogenesis without interfering with fibrinolysis.     

Heterogeneity of human tissue-type plasminogen activator

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) from human melanoma cells (Bowes) was purified by immunosorbent chromatography on affinospecific polyclonal antibodies and gel filtration in the presence of KSCN. The immunosorbent eluate contained three major components of greater than 200, 85 and 65 kDa, respectively. The 65 kDa t-PA component could be separated by gel filtration on Ultrogel AcA44 in the presence of KSCN to a pure preparation yielding a unique N-terminal amino acid sequence. Immunoblot analysis, using affinospecific antibodies against t-PA, was a specific and sensitive method to identify different types of t-PA (I-IV), as well as t-PA-inhibitor complexes and degradation products in unstimulated melanoma cell culture fluids. Furthermore, the t-PA preparations, produced by phorbol ester-treated melanoma cells, were free of type IV and thus differed physiochemically from the constitutively produced t-PA preparations. The composition of t-PA from mammalian cell cultures is thus more complex than hitherto described.     

组织型纤溶酶原激活剂的纯化制备

简述了用于大规模生产组织型纤溶酶原激活剂(tPA)的重组动物细胞及其培养工艺。从重组tPA的大规模、快速纯化的角度考虑,对tPA的纯化制备方法进行了简要评述。     

Trinitrobenzoylated poly(D-lysine) as a stimulator of interactions between plasminogen, plasmin, and tissue-type plasminogen activator

Trinitrobenzyl alkylation of poly(D-lysine) provides a novel powerful stimulator of tissue-type plasminogen activator. Its stimulatory effect on plasminogen activation is far greater than that of the original poly(D-lysine), and even surpasses that of fibrin. Its effect on plasmin-catalysed modification of both tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and native (Glu-1-) plasminogen are also investigated. Cleavage of one-chain t-PA to its two-chain form is monitored by measuring the increase in amidolytic activity which accompanies this transformation. Presupposing apparent first-order reaction kinetics, a theory is developed by which the rate constant, kcat/Km = 1.0 X 10(6) M-1 X s-1 of plasmin cleavage of one-chain t-PA can be calculated. Plasmin-catalysed transformation of 125I-labelled Glu-1- to Lys-77-plasminogen is quantified following separation by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 3.2. A rate constant, kcat/Km = 4.4 X 10(3) M-1 X s-1 is obtained for the reaction between plasmin and Glu-1-plasminogen in the presence of 1 mM trans-4-(aminomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid. Both of the above plasmin-catalysed reactions are strongly enhanced by trinitrobenzoylated poly(D-lysine). The mechanism of action of this stimulator is elucidated by studying its binding to both activator and plasmin(ogen), and by direct comparison of the results with measurements of plasminogen activation kinetics in the presence of the stimulator. Binding studies are performed exploiting the observation that an insoluble yellow complex is formed between plasminogen and modified poly(D-lysine). Protein-polymer interactions are also studied with solubilised components in an aqueous two-phase partition system containing dextran and poly(ethylene glycol). The rate enhancement of plasminogen activation is found to be closely correlated to the association of plasminogen to the stimulator. It is proposed that the stimulator effects of this simple polymer on the enzymatic activities of both plasminogen activator and plasmin are brought about by association of the proteinase and its substrate to a common matrix. Similarities between the action of the artificial and the natural stimulator (fibrin) are stressed. These properties of trinitrobenzoylated poly(D-lysine) makes it useful as a model for the study of the regulatory mechanism of the fibrinolytic process at the molecular level.     

Kinetics of the activation of plasminogen by natural and recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator

The kinetics of the activation of plasminogen by tissue-type plasminogen activator were studied in the presence and the absence of CNBr-digested fibrinogen as a soluble cofactor. Michaelis-Menten kinetics applied and the kinetic parameters obtained were very similar to those previously reported for the activation in the presence of solid phase fibrin (Hoylaerts, M., Rijken, D. C., Lijnen, H. R., and Collen, D. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 2912-2919). The affinity of the enzyme for plasminogen dramatically increases in the presence of the soluble cofactor while the catalytic rate constant does not change significantly (KM drops from 83 to 0.18 microM and kcat increases from 0.07 to 0.28 s-1 for tissue-type plasminogen activator of melanoma origin). Fragments containing the lysine-binding sites of plasminogen compete with plasminogen for interaction with CNBr-digested fibrinogen. The dissociation constant of this interaction was found to be 4.5 microM for the high affinity lysine-binding site. No difference was found in the kinetic parameters for the activation of plasminogen by either tissue-type plasminogen activator of melanoma origin or by glycosylated forms of tissue-type plasminogen activator obtained by recombinant DNA technology. The present findings obtained in a homogenous liquid milieu support the previously proposed mechanism of the activation of plasminogen by tissue-type plasminogen activator in the presence of fibrin. This mechanism involves binding of both tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasminogen to fibrin.     

Enzymatic properties of single-chain and two-chain forms of a Lys158----Glu158 mutant of urokinase-type plasminogen activator

Recombinant single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (rscu-PA), in which the plasmin-sensitive peptide bond Lys158-Ile159 is destroyed by site-specific mutagenesis of Lys158 to Glu (rscu-PA-Glu158), is quantitatively converted to two-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (rtcu-PA-Glu158) by treatment with endoproteinase Glu-C (Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase). The catalytic efficiency (k2/Km) of rscu-PA-Glu158 for the activation of plasminogen is 20 times lower (0.0001 microM-1 s-1) than that of rscu-PA (0.002 microM-1 s-1). In contrast, rtcu-PA-Glu158 has very similar properties to rtcu-PA obtained by digestion of rscu-PA with plasmin, including binding to benzamidine-Sepharose, catalytic efficiency for the activation of plasminogen (0.035 microM-1 s-1 versus 0.046 microM-1 s-1) and fibrinolytic activity in an in vitro plasma clot lysis system. It is concluded that the amino acid in position 158 is a main determinant of the functional properties of single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator but not of the two-chain form.     

Production and characterization of single-chain tissue-type plasminogen activator produced by an established cell line from human uterine muscle

This report describes the purification and characterization of single-chain tissue-type plasminogen activator (sct-PA) present in tissue culture medium of a cell line established from human uterine muscle. The cell line used for the experiment, KW, had estrogen receptor. The PA fraction (KW-PA) was purified from the tissue culture medium of KW employing several steps of affinity chromatography and gel filtration in the presence of aprotinin. The final product (KW-PA) of purification, which predominantly contained the inactive form of sct-PA as well as active sct-PA to a lesser extent, revealed a single band with a molecular weight of 70,000 on sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis both in the absence and presence of reducing agent. Electrophoretic enzymography demonstrated a single lytic zone at Mr 70,000. When KW-sct-PA was treated with plasmin, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed two bands of Mr 37,000 and 33,000 under reduced conditions. Such plasmin treatment of KW-sct-PA enhanced the enzymatic activity as well as the [3H]DFP incorporation significantly. The KW-sct-PA demonstrated a higher affinity for lysine than did melanoma-t-PA, but the fibrin affinity of KW-sct-PA was identical with that of melanoma-t-PA. Circular dichroism (CD) analysis showed that the CD spectra of KW-sct-PA were different from those of melanoma-t-PA. These results suggest that the single-chain inactive form of t-PA which was obtained from the tissue culture medium of the cell line from human uterine muscle is activated to a two-chain form on plasmin treatment, with an accompanying significant increase in enzymatic activity.     

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 binds to fibrin and inhibits tissue-type plasminogen activator-mediated fibrin dissolution.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) accumulates within thrombi and forming whole blood clots. To explore this phenomenon at the molecular level, PAI-1 binding to fibrin was examined. The experiments were performed by adding 125I-PAI-1, which retains its complete tissue-type plasminogen (t-PA) inhibitory activity, to fibrin matrices formed in 2-cm2 tissue culture wells. Guanidine HCl-activated PAI-1 binding was reversible and was inhibited in the presence of excess, unlabeled PAI-1. Activated 125I-PAI-1 recognized 2 sites on fibrin: a very small number of high affinity sites (Kd less than 1 nM) and principally a large number of low affinity sites with an approximate Kd of 3.8 microM. Latent PAI-1 bound to fibrin at a site indistinguishable from the lower affinity site recognized by activated PAI-1. Fibrin, pretreated with activated PAI-1, was protected from t-PA-mediated plasmin degradation in a PAI-1 dose-responsive manner (IC50 = 12.3 nM). Clot protection correlated with partial occupancy of the low affinity PAI-1 binding site on fibrin and was due to the formation of sodium dodecyl sulfate-stable, PAI-1.t-PA complexes. Latent PAI-1 (27 nM) did not protect the fibrin from dissolution. The localization of PAI-1 to a thrombus by virtue of its fibrin binding potential could result in significant protection of the thrombus from the degradative effects of the fibrinolytic system.     

Identification of the domains of tissue-type plasminogen activator involved in the augmented binding to fibrin after limited digestion with plasmin

The binding of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) to fibrin increases upon digestion of fibrin with plasmin. Optimal binding is observed following a limited plasmin digestion of fibrin, coinciding with the generation of fibrin fragment X polymers. We studied the involvement of the separate domains of the amino-terminal "heavy" (H) chain of rt-PA in this augmentation of fibrin binding. The fibrin-binding characteristics of a set of rt-PA deletion mutants, lacking either one or more of the structural domains of the H chain, were determined on intact fibrin matrices and on fibrin matrices that were subjected to limited digestion with plasmin. The augmented fibrin binding of rt-PA is partially abolished when the plasmin-degraded fibrin matrices are subsequently treated with carboxypeptidase B, demonstrating that this increased binding is dependent on the generation of carboxyl-terminal lysine residues in the fibrin matrix. Evidence is provided that this increase of fibrin binding is mediated by the kringle 2 (K2) domain that contains a lysine-binding site. Further increase of the fibrin binding of rt-PA is independent of the presence of carboxyl-terminal lysines. It is shown that the latter increase is not mediated by the K2 domain. Based on our data, we propose that the increase in fibrin binding, unrelated to the presence of carboxyl-terminal lysine residues, is mediated by the finger (F) domain, provided that this domain is correctly exposed in the remainder of the protein.     

On the reversible interaction of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 with tissue-type plasminogen activator and with urokinase-type plasminogen activator

The reaction between plasminogen activators and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 is characterized by an initial rapid formation of an inactive reversible complex. The second-order association rate constant (k1) of complex formation of recombinant two-chain tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) or recombinant two-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (rtcu-PA) by recombinant plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (rPAI-1) is 2.9 +/- 0.4 x 10(7) M-1 s-1 (mean +/- S.D., n = 30) and 2.0 +/- 0.6 x 10(7) M-1 s-1 (n = 12), respectively. Different molecular forms of tissue- or urokinase-type plasminogen activator which do not form covalent complexes with rPAI-1, including rt-PA-Ala478 (rt-PA with the active-site Ser478 mutagenized to Ala) and anhydro-urokinase (rtcu-PA with the active-site Ser356 converted to dehydroalanine) reduced k1 in a concentration-dependent manner, compatible with 1:1 stoichiometric complex formation between rPAI-1 and these ligands. The apparent dissociation constant (KD) of the complex between rPAI-1 and rt-PA-Ala478, determined as the concentration of rt-PA-Ala478 which reduced k1 to 50% of its control value, was 3-5 nM. Corresponding concentrations of active-site-blocked two-chain rt-PA were 150-250-fold higher. The concentration of anhydro-urokinase which reduced k1 to 50% was 4-6 nM, whereas that of active-site-blocked rtcu-PA was 100-250-fold higher. Recombinant single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator had an apparent KD of about 2 microM. These results suggest that inhibition of rt-PA or rtcu-PA by rPAI-1 proceeds via a reversible high affinity interaction which does not require a functional active site but which is markedly reduced following inactivation of the enzymes with active-site titrants.     

Plasminogen and tissue-type plasminogen activator bind to immobilized fibronectin

Fibronectin immobilized onto polystyrene surface was found to bind plasminogen and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) but only slightly the urokinase type as determined using mono- and polyclonal antibodies against the activators. Of the defined fibronectin fragments tested, the Mr 120,000-140,000 fragment was found to bind both plasminogen and t-PA. Proteolytically modified plasminogen (Lys-plasminogen) bound considerably better than the native form (Glu-plasminogen). Experiments with 125I-plasminogen yielded Kd = 9.1 X 10(-8) M for the binding to immobilized fibronectin. The partially or completely inactive single-chain form of t-PA (pro-t-PA) bound considerably better than the activated two-chain form. Lysine at greater than 3 mM inhibited the binding of plasminogen. The interaction was independent of calcium ions. CaCl2 (greater than 0.5 mM) and NaCl (greater than 0.2 M) inhibited the binding of pro-t-PA and of t-PA. Fibronectin-bound t-PA retained its ability to activate plasminogen. The observed interactions may operate in directional proteolysis localizing plasminogen and plasminogen activator to degrade fibronectin-containing extracellular matrix including fibrin clots.