RESUMEN
Fibronectin binds specifically to fibrin and is covalently cross-linked to the fibrin alpha chain by activated factor XIII (XIIIa). This reaction is important for wound healing. Here we investigate XIIIa-catalyzed cross-linking of fibronectin and some of its fragments to a recombinant fragment representing the COOH-terminal 30 kDa of the fibrin alpha chain (alpha C30K:His 368-Val 610). Only fibronectin and those fragments containing an intact NH2-terminus were able to form cross-linked complexes. As many as 10 of the 17 lysines in alpha C30K can serve as amine donors in this reaction. Analysis of the rate of XIIIa-catalyzed cross-linking of fibronectin NH2-terminal peptides and fragments with alpha C30K revealed that the presence of the first type I "finger" module accelerates the cross-linking reaction; addition of fingers 2-5 had no further effect.
Asunto(s)
Reactivos de Enlaces Cruzados/farmacología , Fibrinógeno/metabolismo , Fibronectinas/química , Fibronectinas/metabolismo , Fragmentos de Péptidos/metabolismo , Transglutaminasas/farmacología , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Catálisis , Humanos , Cinética , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismoRESUMEN
Direct measurements of the structure and function of the COOH-terminal portion of the A alpha chain (residues 220-610) of human fibrinogen have been hampered by the difficulty of isolating intact fragments derived from this protease-sensitive region. Here, we overcame this problem by expressing two fragments, alpha C45K (A alpha 221-610) and a truncated version of it, alpha C30K (A alpha 368-610), in Escherichia coli. Both proteins were purified to homogeneous state, and their integrity was confirmed at protein level by sequencing. Upon treatment with factor XIIIa, the alpha C45K fragment but not the alpha C30K fragment formed polymers similar to those derived from fibrin clots. Sequence analysis of cross-linked alpha C45K polymers revealed involvement in the cross-linking reaction of at least three Gln residues (221, 237, 328) in the NH2-terminal region of the fragment and four Lys residues (539, 556, 580, 601) located in the COOH-terminal part of the molecule. In addition, a fraction of alpha C45K fragment was found in an intramolecular cross-linked form, suggesting a high level of flexibility of its polypeptide chain and consistent with the location of its donor and acceptor residues in clusters near the ends of the molecule. The alpha C30K fragment, lacking the NH2-terminal Gln residues, was not able to form polymers or internally cross-linked monomers. Thus, the C-terminal part of the A alpha chain comprises an autonomous, functionally active, and flexible region that plays a key role in alpha polymer formation and stabilization of fibrin clots by factor XIIIa.
Asunto(s)
Fibrinógeno/química , Fibrinógeno/metabolismo , Fragmentos de Péptidos/química , Fragmentos de Péptidos/metabolismo , Transglutaminasas/metabolismo , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Secuencia de Bases , Sitios de Unión , Reactivos de Enlaces Cruzados , Cartilla de ADN/genética , Escherichia coli/genética , Fibrinógeno/genética , Glutamina/química , Humanos , Técnicas In Vitro , Lisina/química , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Estructura Molecular , Fragmentos de Péptidos/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/química , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismoRESUMEN
The major sites of heparin binding by fibronectin are located in fragments of 30 or 40 kDa that contain type III modules 12 through 14 or 15. Various proteolytic or recombinant subfragments and several synthetic peptides derived from this region have been compared with respect to their binding to fluorescein-labeled heparin in solution. Binding was monitored by the change in fluorescence anisotropy at 25 degrees C and pH 7.4 in 0.02 M Tris buffer, alone (TB) or with 0.15M NaCl (TBS). A 23-kDa fragment containing III13 and III14 but lacking III12 had Kd values of 0.3 and 1.8 microM in TB, and TBS, respectively, indistinguishable from the 30-kDa parent. Fragments containing only module III13 bound 2-3-fold weaker than the parent while those containing only III14 bound 6-50-fold weaker depending on the ionic strength. Fragments containing only III12 or III15 failed to bind at all in TBS. A cationic peptide derived from the amino terminus of III13 and containing the Arg-Arg-Ala-Arg consensus sequence, whose integrity was shown by Barkalow and Schwarzbauer [Barkalow, F. J., & Schwarzbauer, J. E. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7812-7818] to be critical, failed to bind in TBS but bound weakly in TB. Two additional cationic peptides derived from the middle and C-terminal regions of III14 showed similar behavior. Thus while the major determinant(s) of heparin binding are located in III13, those determinants are only active when part of a properly folded structure. Furthermore, module III13 when isolated had a slightly lower affinity than fragments containing both III13 and III14.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Asunto(s)
Fibronectinas/química , Heparina/metabolismo , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Sitios de Unión , Cromatografía de Afinidad , Fibronectinas/metabolismo , Polarización de Fluorescencia , Heparina/química , Humanos , Técnicas In Vitro , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Fragmentos de Péptidos/metabolismo , Unión ProteicaRESUMEN
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.