Further localization of the gelatin-binding determinants within fibronectin. Active fragments devoid of type II homologous repeat modules

Digestion of a 42-kDa gelatin-binding fragment (GBF) of fibronectin with pepsin followed by affinity chromatography on gelatin-Sepharose produces three fractions, a drop-through non-binding fraction, a retarded fraction that is dominated by a 13-kDa fragment whose NH2 terminus is identical to that of 42-kDa GBF, and a binding fraction that contains a homogeneous fragment of apparent mass 21 kDa with an NH2 terminus corresponding to Arg484. This 21-kDa GBF binds repeatedly to gelatin-Sepharose, eluting near 2.6 M in a urea gradient. It also binds in the fluid phase to a fluorescent-labeled collagen peptide with Kd = 10 microM and inhibits the binding of 42-kDa GBF to the same peptide with KI = 7.3 microM. Thus, major gelatin-binding determinants of fibronectin are located within a 21-kDa region that contains two type I homologous "finger" modules and is devoid of the type II "kringle-like" modules that were previously thought to be essential for this activity.