A novel factor IXa-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detects factor IXa in human plasma.

Background: Factor (F)IXa activity has been detected in human plasma and may impact thrombotic risk. Current FIXa activity assays are complex and cumbersome. Objectives: To develop a reproducible enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a novel monoclonal antibody that detects total FIXa in human plasma. Methods: A monoclonal antibody was raised against the new N-terminus exposed upon activation of FIX to FIXa by cleavage after R226. This antibody is specific for FIXa protease and does not recognize FIX zymogen or FIXα. The antibody was used to develop a FIXa-specific ELISA capable of quantifying total FIXa (free FIXa and FIXa-antithrombin complex) in human plasma. Total FIXa quantified using the ELISA was compared to that of FIXa-antithrombin quantified using modifications of a previously described ELISA. Results: The FIXa-specific ELISA was reproducible and quantified total FIXa in human plasma. Total FIXa levels correlated with FIXa-antithrombin levels. Conclusion: A monoclonal antibody was developed that specifically detects human FIXa protease. A FIXa-specific ELISA using the new antibody is capable of reproducibly measuring total FIXa in human plasma (both free FIXa and FIXa-antithrombin). This assay should facilitate the evaluation of total FIXa levels in a variety of clinical circumstances.

Decreased plasma cartilage acidic protein 1 in COVID-19.

Cartilage acidic protein-1 (CRTAC1) is produced by several cell types, including Type 2 alveolar epithelial (T2AE) cells that are targeted by SARS-CoV2. Plasma CRTAC1 is known based on proteomic surveys to be low in patients with severe COVID-19. Using an ELISA, we found that patients treated for COVID-19 in an ICU almost uniformly had plasma concentrations of CRTAC1 below those of healthy controls. Magnitude of decrease in CRTAC1 distinguished COVID-19 from other causes of acute respiratory decompensation and correlated with established metrics of COVID-19 severity. CRTAC1 concentrations below those of controls were found in some patients a year after hospitalization with COVID-19, long COVID after less severe COVID-19, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Decreases in CRTAC1 in severe COVID-19 correlated (r = 0.37, p = 0.0001) with decreases in CFP (properdin), which interacts with CRTAC1. Thus, decreases of CRTAC1 associated with severe COVID-19 may result from loss of production by T2AE cells or co-depletion with CFP. Determination of significance of and reasons behind decreased CRTAC1 concentration in a subset of patients with long COVID will require analysis of roles of preexisting lung disease, impact of prior acute COVID-19, age, and other confounding variables in a larger number of patients.

Reengaging patients with forgotten filters through an institutional multidisciplinary approach.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the outcomes of a hospital-wide multidisciplinary initiative to reengage and manage patients with unretrieved chronic indwelling inferior vena cava (IVC) filters placed at a large tertiary care center, who had been lost to follow-up. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of outcomes from a completed multidisciplinary quality improvement project. The quality improvement project identified and contacted (via letter) patients with chronic indwelling IVC filters placed at a single tertiary care center from 2008 to 2016 who were alive and without evidence of filter retrieval in the medical records. A total of 316 eligible patients were mailed a letter regarding their chronic indwelling IVC filter and the updated recommendations regarding IVC filter removal. The letter included institutional contact information, and all the patients who responded were offered a clinic visit to discuss potential filter retrieval. In the retrospective review, we assessed the outcomes of the quality improvement project, including the patient response rate, follow-up clinic visits, new imaging studies generated, retrieval rate, procedural success, and complications. The patient demographics and filter characteristics were collected and evaluated for correlations with the response and retrieval rates. RESULTS: The patient response rate to the letter was 32% (101 of 316). Of the 101 patients who responded, 72 (71%) were seen in clinic and 59 (82%) underwent new imaging studies. Using standard and advanced techniques, 34 of 36 filters after a median dwell time of 9.4 years (range, 3.3-13.3 years) were successfully retrieved (94% success rate). The patients with a documented IVC filter complication were more likely to respond to the letter (odds ratio, 4.34) and undergo IVC filter retrieval (odds ratio, 6.04). No moderate or severe procedural complications occurred during filter retrieval. CONCLUSIONS: An institutional, multidisciplinary quality initiative successfully identified and reengaged patients with chronic indwelling IVC filters who had been lost to follow-up. The filter retrieval success rate was high and procedural morbidity low. Institution-wide efforts to identify and retrieve chronic indwelling filters are feasible.

Large-Scale Multi-omic Analysis of COVID-19 Severity.

We performed RNA-seq and high-resolution mass spectrometry on 128 blood samples from COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative patients with diverse disease severities and outcomes. Quantified transcripts, proteins, metabolites, and lipids were associated with clinical outcomes in a curated relational database, uniquely enabling systems analysis and cross-ome correlations to molecules and patient prognoses. We mapped 219 molecular features with high significance to COVID-19 status and severity, many of which were involved in complement activation, dysregulated lipid transport, and neutrophil activation. We identified sets of covarying molecules, e.g., protein gelsolin and metabolite citrate or plasmalogens and apolipoproteins, offering pathophysiological insights and therapeutic suggestions. The observed dysregulation of platelet function, blood coagulation, acute phase response, and endotheliopathy further illuminated the unique COVID-19 phenotype. We present a web-based tool (covid-omics.app) enabling interactive exploration of our compendium and illustrate its utility through a machine learning approach for prediction of COVID-19 severity.

Large-scale Multi-omic Analysis of COVID-19 Severity.

We performed RNA-Seq and high-resolution mass spectrometry on 128 blood samples from COVID-19 positive and negative patients with diverse disease severities. Over 17,000 transcripts, proteins, metabolites, and lipids were quantified and associated with clinical outcomes in a curated relational database, uniquely enabling systems analysis and cross-ome correlations to molecules and patient prognoses. We mapped 219 molecular features with high significance to COVID-19 status and severity, many involved in complement activation, dysregulated lipid transport, and neutrophil activation. We identified sets of covarying molecules, e.g., protein gelsolin and metabolite citrate or plasmalogens and apolipoproteins, offering pathophysiological insights and therapeutic suggestions. The observed dysregulation of platelet function, blood coagulation, acute phase response, and endotheliopathy further illuminated the unique COVID-19 phenotype. We present a web-based tool (covid-omics.app) enabling interactive exploration of our compendium and illustrate its utility through a comparative analysis with published data and a machine learning approach for prediction of COVID-19 severity.

A candidate activation pathway for coagulation factor VII.

The mechanism of generation of factor VIIa, considered the initiating protease in the tissue factor-initiated extrinsic limb of blood coagulation, is obscure. Decreased levels of plasma VIIa in individuals with congenital factor IX deficiency suggest that generation of VIIa is dependent on an activation product of factor IX. Factor VIIa activates IX to IXa by a two-step removal of the activation peptide with cleavages occurring after R191 and R226. Factor IXaα, however, is IX cleaved only after R226, and not after R191. We tested the hypothesis that IXaα activates VII with mutant IX that could be cleaved only at R226 and thus generate only IXaα upon activation. Factor IXaα demonstrated 1.6% the coagulant activity of IXa in a contact activation-based assay of the intrinsic activation limb and was less efficient than IXa at activating factor X in the presence of factor VIIIa. However, IXaα and IXa had indistinguishable amidolytic activity, and, strikingly, both catalyzed the cleavage required to convert VII to VIIa with indistinguishable kinetic parameters that were augmented by phospholipids, but not by factor VIIIa or tissue factor. We propose that IXa and IXaα participate in a pathway of reciprocal activation of VII and IX that does not require a protein cofactor. Since both VIIa and activated IX are equally plausible as the initiating protease for the extrinsic limb of blood coagulation, it might be appropriate to illustrate this key step of hemostasis as currently being unknown.

Neuroserpin Differentiates Between Forms of Tissue Type Plasminogen Activator via pH Dependent Deacylation.

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), initially characterized for its critical role in fibrinolysis, also has key functions in both physiologic and pathologic processes in the CNS. Neuroserpin (NSP) is a t-PA specific serine protease inhibitor (serpin) found almost exclusively in the CNS that regulates t-PA's proteolytic activity and protects against t-PA mediated seizure propagation and blood-brain barrier disruption. This report demonstrates that NSP inhibition of t-PA varies profoundly as a function of pH within the biologically relevant pH range for the CNS, and reflects the stability, rather than the formation of NSP: t-PA acyl-enzyme complexes. Moreover, NSP differentiates between the zymogen-like single chain form (single chain t-PA, sct-PA) and the mature protease form (two chain t-PA, tct-PA) of t-PA, demonstrating different pH profiles for protease inhibition, different pH ranges over which catalytic deacylation occurs, and different pH dependent profiles of deacylation rates for each form of t-PA. NSP's pH dependent inhibition of t-PA is not accounted for by differential acylation, and is specific for the NSP-t-PA serpin-protease pair. These results demonstrate a novel mechanism for the differential regulation of the two forms of t-PA in the CNS, and suggest a potential specific regulatory role for CNS pH in controlling t-PA proteolytic activity.

Germline ETV6 mutations in familial thrombocytopenia and hematologic malignancy.

We report germline missense mutations in ETV6 segregating with the dominant transmission of thrombocytopenia and hematologic malignancy in three unrelated kindreds, defining a new hereditary syndrome featuring thrombocytopenia with susceptibility to diverse hematologic neoplasms. Two variants, p.Arg369Gln and p.Arg399Cys, reside in the highly conserved ETS DNA-binding domain. The third variant, p.Pro214Leu, lies within the internal linker domain, which regulates DNA binding. These three amino acid sites correspond to hotspots for recurrent somatic mutation in malignancies. Functional studies show that the mutations abrogate DNA binding, alter subcellular localization, decrease transcriptional repression in a dominant-negative fashion and impair hematopoiesis. These familial genetic studies identify a central role for ETV6 in hematopoiesis and malignant transformation. The identification of germline predisposition to cytopenias and cancer informs the diagnosis and medical management of at-risk individuals.

Structural differences between active forms of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 revealed by conformationally sensitive ligands.

Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) in which the reactive center loop (RCL) spontaneously inserts into a central beta-sheet, beta-sheet A, resulting in inactive inhibitor. Available x-ray crystallographic studies of PAI-1 in an active conformation relied on the use of stabilizing mutations. Recently it has become evident that these structural models do not adequately explain the behavior of wild-type PAI-1 (wtPAI-1) in solution. To probe the structure of native wtPAI-1, we used three conformationally sensitive ligands: the physiologic cofactor, vitronectin; a monoclonal antibody, 33B8, that binds preferentially to RCL-inserted forms of PAI-1; and RCL-mimicking peptides that insert into beta-sheet A. From patterns of interaction with wtPAI-1 and the stable mutant, 14-1B, we propose a model of the native conformation of wtPAI-1 in which the bottom of the central sheet is closed, whereas the top of the beta-sheet A is open to allow partial insertion of the RCL. Because the incorporation of RCL-mimicking peptides into wtPAI-1 is accelerated by vitronectin, we further propose that vitronectin alters the conformation of the RCL to allow increased accessibility to beta-sheet A, yielding a structural hypothesis that is contradictory to the current structural model of PAI-1 in solution and its interaction with vitronectin.

Maspin binds to urokinase-type and tissue-type plasminogen activator through exosite-exosite interactions.

Maspin is a member of the serpin family with a reactive center loop that is incompatible with proteinase inhibition by the serpin conformational change mechanism. Despite this there are reports that maspin might regulate uPA-dependent processes in vivo. Using exogenous and endogenous fluorescence, we demonstrate here that maspin can bind uPA and tPA in both single-chain and double-chain forms, with K(d) values between 300 and 600 nM. Binding is at an exosite on maspin close to, but outside of, the reactive center loop and is therefore insensitive to mutation of Arg(340) within the reactive center loop. The binding site on tPA does not involve the proteinase active site, with the result that maspin can bind to S195A tPA that is already complexed to plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. The ability of maspin to bind these proteinases without involvement of the reactive center loop leaves the latter free to engage in additional, as yet unidentified, maspin-protein interactions that may serve to regulate the properties of the exosite-bound proteinase. This may help to reconcile apparently conflicting studies that demonstrate the importance of the reactive center loop in certain maspin functions, despite the inability of maspin to directly inhibit tPA or uPA catalytic activity in in vitro assays through engagement between its reactive center loop and the active site of the proteinase.

Profound imbalance of pro-fibrinolytic and anti-fibrinolytic factors (tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1) and severe bleeding diathesis in a patient with cirrhosis: correction by liver transplantation.

A 49-year-old male with alcoholic cirrhosis suffered several spontaneous, life-threatening, deep muscle bleeding episodes. Laboratory evaluation indicated excessive fibrinolysis with low plasminogen, low alpha2-antiplasmin, undetectable plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) activity, high tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity and high t-PA antigen. Treatment with oral anti-fibrinolytic agents prevented further bleeding episodes. Decompensated cirrhosis eventually necessitated orthotopic liver transplantation. Post-operatively, the patient did not require oral anti-fibrinolytic agents, and there were no significant bleeding events. Circulating PAI-1 activity, t-PA activity and antigen normalized by 3 months post transplant. In short, the profound bleeding diathesis, as well as the imbalance in t-PA and PAI-1 levels, corrected after liver transplantation. Recognition of such patients is important, because the bleeding diathesis is an indication rather than a contraindication for orthotopic liver transplantation.

Acyl-enzyme complexes between tissue-type plasminogen activator and neuroserpin are short-lived in vitro.

The serine protease tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) initiates the fibrinolytic protease cascade and plays a significant role in motor learning, memory, and neuronal cell death induced by excitotoxin and ischemia. In the fibrinolytic system, the serpin PAI-1 negatively regulates the enzymatic activity of both single-chain and two-chain t-PA (sct-PA and tct-PA). In the central nervous system, neuroserpin (NSP) is a serpin thought to regulate t-PA enzymatic activity. We report that although both sct-PA and tct-PA rapidly form acyl-enzyme complexes with NSP in vitro, the interactions are short-lived, rapidly progressing to complete cleavage of NSP and regeneration of fully active enzyme. All NSP molecules appear to transit through the detectable acyl-enzyme intermediate and progress to completion of cleavage; no subpopulation that functions as a pure substrate was detected. Likewise, all molecules were reactive, with no evidence of a latent subpopulation. The interactions between NSP and t-PA were distinct from those between plasmin and NSP, wherein the same peptide bond was cleaved but there was no evidence of a detectable plasmin-NSP acyl-enzyme complex. The interactions between t-PA and NSP contrast with the formation of long-lived, physiologically irreversible acyl-enzyme complexes between t-PA and PAI-1, suggesting that the physiologic effect of t-PA-NSP interactions may be more complex than previously thought.