Alpha 2-antiplasmin Enschede: alanine insertion and abolition of plasmin inhibitory activity.

An abnormal alpha 2-antiplasmin that is associated with a serious bleeding tendency has been found in a Dutch family and is referred to as alpha 2-antiplasmin Enschede. This abnormal alpha 2-antiplasmin is converted from an inhibitor of plasmin to a substrate. The molecular defect of alpha 2-antiplasmin Enschede, as revealed by sequencing of cloned genomic DNA fragments, consists of an alanine insertion near the active site region of the molecule. Substitution of this fragment into complementary DNA for a wild-type alpha 2-antiplasmin yields a translation product with physical and functional properties typical of the abnormal alpha 2-antiplasmin Enschede. The naturally occurring mutant may serve as a model for investigating the structures that determine the properties of an inhibitor versus those of a substrate in serine protease inhibitors.

Human alpha-2-macroglobulin. Studies on the electrophoretic heterogeneity.

Purified alpha-2-macroglobulin may be resolved into as many as five electrophoretic bands on selected polyacrylamide gel systems. The microheterogeneity does not result from prior proteolytic attack but appears to correspond to different conformational states of the inhibitor. Trypsin binding capacity and the extent of subunit cleavage into 120,000 and 70,000 dalton fragments by mild alkaline treatment are related to the proportion of fast and slow electrophoretic forms. Study of proteinase binding after electrophoretic separation by special zymogram techniques confirms that the fastest electrophoretic form has very low binding capacity. No electrophoretic differences conld be observed in alpha-2-macroglobulin derived from cystic fibrosis plasma relative to control alpha-2-macroglobulin. Alpha-2-macroglobulin appears to exist as a simple, slow electrophoretic form in fresh plasma but converts into faster forms upon aging the plasma or during purification. Characterization of the electrophoretic microhetergeneity of alpha-2-macroglobulin preparations should be a prerequisite for the study of its proteinase binding properties.

Biochemical properties of recombinant mutants of nonglycosylated single chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator.

The role of glycosylation on the enzymatic properties of single chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA) was investigated by site-specific mutagenesis of the glycosylated Asn-302 residu to Gln. In addition, the role of the NH2-terminal polypeptide chain and of the Cys-148 to Cys-279 interchain disulphide bond on the activity of non-glycosylated scu-PA was investigated. Therefore, variants of recombinant scu-PA (rscu-PA) were produced by transfecting Chinese hamster ovary cells with cDNA encoding rscu-PA N302Q (rscu-PA with Asn-302 to Gln mutation), rscu-PA C279A,N302Q (rscu-PA with Cys-279 to Ala and Asn-302 to Gln mutations) or rscu-PA del(N2-F157)C279A,N302Q (rscu-PA C279A,N302Q with deletion of Asn-2 through Phe-157). These mutants were purified to homogeneity from conditioned cell culture medium and were obtained essentially as single chain molecules with specific activities on fibrin plates of (mean +/- S.E.; n = 6) 45,000 +/- 5000. IU/mg, 19,000 +/- 800 IU/mg and < or = 100 IU/mg for rscu-PA N302Q, rscu-PA C279A,N302Q and rscu-PA del(N2-F157)C279A,N302Q, respectively, as compared to 64,000 +/- 2600 IU/mg for wild-type rscu-PA obtained in the same expression system. Plasmin quantitatively converts rscu-PA N302Q and rscu-PA C279A,N302Q to amidolytically active two-chain derivatives with a specific activity of 56,000 IU/mg and 32,000 IU/mg, respectively, as compared to 75,000 IU/mg for wild-type rscu-PA. Plasminogen activation as a function of time was comparable for rscu-PA N302Q and wild-type rscu-PA, and somewhat slower for rscu-PA C279A,N302Q. In a human plasma milieu in vitro, consisting of a 125I-fibrin labeled plasma clot submerged in plasma, 50 percent clot lysis in 2 h required 2.2 micrograms/ml rscu-PA N302Q and 6.0 micrograms/ml rscu-PA C279A,N302Q, as compared to 3.2 micrograms/ml wild-type rscu-PA. In contrast, rscu-PA del(N2-F157)C279A,N302Q was not converted to an amidolytically active two chain derivative by plasmin, and did not induce significant plasminogen activation in purified systems or clot lysis in a human plasma milieu. Following bolus injections in hamsters, the initial half-lives (1.8-2.6 min) and the plasma clearances (0.6-1.5 ml min-1) were comparable for wild-type rscu-PA and for the three rscu-PA mutants. These results suggest that the fibrinolytic activity in a plasma milieu in vitro and the in vivo turnover of rscu-PA are not markedly affected by the absence of carbohydrate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The C-terminal domain of Mad-like signal transducers is sufficient for biological activity in the Xenopus embryo and transcriptional activation.

We report the characterization of two vertebrate homologs of Drosophila mothers against dpp (Mad) isolated from the mouse and the Xenopus embryo, named MusMLP (mad-like protein) and XenMLP, respectively, together with a summary of their expression patterns in the embryo. Overexpression of XenMLP causes ventralization of Xenopus embryos and we demonstrate that the C-terminal domain is necessary and sufficient to confer this biological effect. This domain also has the potential for transcriptional activation, as shown in one-hybrid assays in mammalian cells. We further demonstrate that MLPs are multidomain proteins by showing a cis-negative effect of the N-terminal domain on the transactivation by the C-terminal domain and that the proline-rich, middle domain maximizes the activity of the C-terminal domain. We also mapped the MusMLP gene to a region on mouse chromosome 13 that corresponds to a region on human chromosome 5q that contains cancer-related genes.

Inhibition in purified systems and in human plasma of chimaeric plasminogen activators consisting of the NH2-terminal region of tissue-type plasminogen activator and the COOH-terminal region of urokinase-type plasminogen activator.

Recombinant chimaeric molecules between tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and single chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA) or two chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (tcu-PA) have intact enzymatic properties of scu-PA or tcu-PA towards natural and synthetic substrates (Nelles et al., J. Biol Chem 1987; 262: 10855-10862). In the present study, we have compared the reactivity with inhibitors of both the single chain and two chain variants of recombinant u-PA and two recombinant chimaeric molecules between t-PA and scu-PA (t-PA/u-PA-s: amino acids 1-263 of t-PA and 144-411 of u-PA; t-PA/u-PA-e: amino acids 1-274 of t-PA and 138-411 of u-PA). Incubation with human plasma in the absence of a fibrin clot for 3 h at 37 degrees C at equipotent concentrations (50% clot lysis in 2 h), resulted in significant fibrinogen breakdown (to about 40% of the normal value) for all two chain molecules, but not for their single chain counterparts. Preincubation of the plasminogen activators with plasma for 3 h at 37 degrees C, resulted in complete inhibition of the fibrinolytic potency of the two chain molecules but did not alter the potency of the single chain molecules. Inhibition of the two chain molecules occurred with a t1/2 of approximately 45 min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Characterization of domain deletion and/or duplication mutants of a recombinant chimera of tissue-type plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA/u-PA).

Chimeric molecules comprising the A-chain of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and the catalytic domain of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) have intact enzymatic characteristics of u-PA, but only partial fibrin-binding properties of t-PA (Nelles et al., J Biol Chem 1987; 262: 10855-62). The following domain deletion and/or duplication mutants of such a t-PA/u-PA chimera were constructed, purified and characterized: rt-PA-delta FE/u-PA, with deletion of the finger-like (F) and epidermal growth factor-like (E) domains, rt-PA-delta K1 delta K2/u-PA, with kringle 1 (K1) replaced by a second copy of kringle 2 (K2), and rt-PA-delta FEK1 delta K2/u-PA, with F and E domain deletions in rt-PA-delta K1 delta K2/u-PA. The specific activities on fibrin plates of the single-chain (sc) chimeras ranged between 68,000 IU/mg for rt-PA-delta K1 delta K2/scu-PA and 200,000 IU/mg for rt-PA-delta FEK1 delta K2/scu-PA, as compared to 120,000 IU/mg for rscu-PA. The specific activities of their plasmin-generated two-chain (tc) derivatives ranged between 120,000 IU/mg for rt-PA-delta K1 delta K2/tcu-PA and 240,000 IU/mg for rt-PA-delta FEK1 delta K2/tcu-PA, as compared to 100,000 IU/mg for rtcu-PA. All two-chain chimeras activated plasminogen following Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with catalytic efficiencies between 0.072 microM-1s-1 for rt-PA-delta K1 delta K2/tcu-PA and 0.081 microM-1 s-1 for rt-PA-delta FEK1 delta K2/tcu-PA, as compared to 0.088 microM-1 s-1 for rtcu-PA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biochemical, thrombolytic and pharmacokinetic properties of rt-PA P47G, K49N, a substitution variant of human tissue-type plasminogen activator.

rt-PA P47G, K49N, a substitution variant of recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA), in which proline at position 47 and lysine at position 49 were replaced by glycine and asparagine respectively, was previously described by Ahern et al. (J Biol Chem 1990; 265:5540-5) to have an extended in vivo half-life with unaltered in vitro fibrinolytic properties. Because this variant might possess an increased in vivo thrombolytic potency, we have constructed its cDNA, expressed it in Chinese hamster ovary cells and determined its biochemical, thrombolytic and pharmacokinetic properties relative to those of home-made rt-PA and of alteplase (Actilyse). The specific fibrinolytic activities on fibrin plates were 160,000 +/- 17,000, 210,000 +/- 88,000 and 460,000 +/- 72,000 IU/mg (mean +/- SEM) for rt-PA P47G, K49N, rt-PA and alteplase, respectively, while the catalytic efficiencies for plasminogen activation (k2/Km) in the absence of fibrin were comparable (1.1 to 1.7 x 10(-3) microM-1s-1). Fibrin enhanced the rate of plasminogen activation by rt-PA P47G, K49N 100-fold and by both wild-type molecules 390-fold. Binding of the variant rt-PA to fibrin was significantly reduced, but its affinity for lysine-Sepharose was unaltered. In an in vitro clot lysis system, consisting of a radiolabeled human plasma clot submersed in plasma, 50% clot lysis in 2 h required 0.67 +/- 0.14 micrograms/ml rt-PA P47G, K49N, 0.36 +/- 0.01 micrograms/ml rt-PA and 0.17 +/- 0.01 micrograms/ml alteplase, respectively (mean +/- SEM; n = 3 or 4). At these doses residual fibrinogen levels at 2 h were in excess of 80%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Thrombolytic and pharmacokinetic properties of human tissue-type plasminogen activator variants, obtained by deletion and/or duplication of structural/functional domains, in a hamster pulmonary embolism model.

A pulmonary embolism model in hamsters was used for the quantitative evaluation of the thrombolytic and pharmacokinetic properties of variants of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). A 25 microliters 125I-fibrin labeled human plasma clot was made in vitro and injected into the jugular vein of heparinized hamsters. The extent of thrombolysis within 90 min was determined as the difference between the radioactivity injected in the jugular vein and that recovered in the heart and lungs. Recombinant t-PA (home-made rt-PA or Activase) infused intravenously over 60 min caused dose-dependent progressive thrombolysis. The results of thrombolytic potency (clot lysis in percent versus dose administered in mg/kg) and of specific thrombolytic activity (clot lysis in percent versus steady state plasma level in microgram/ml) were fitted with an exponentially transformed sigmoidal function y = 100 c/(1 + e-a(ax-eh] and the maximal percent lysis (c), the dose or plasma level at which maximal rate of lysis is achieved (b) and the maximal rate of lysis (z = 1/4 ac.eb) were determined. With rt-PA, these parameters were c = 72 +/- 6% (mean +/- SEM), b = 0.19 +/- 0.08 mg/kg, z = 68 +/- 25% lysis per mg/kg, with corresponding values of 87 +/- 5%, 0.07 +/- 0.03 mg/kg and 150 +/- 38% lysis per mg/kg for Activase (p = NS). Deletion of the finger and growth factor domains in rt-PA (rt-PA-delta FE) was not associated with marked alteration of the thrombolytic potency (c = 90 +/- 30%, b = 0.34 +/- 0.35 mg/kg, and z = 54 +/- 14% per mg/kg), but was associated with a significant reduction of the specific thrombolytic activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Expression and characterization of clustered charge-to-alanine mutants of low M(r) single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator.

In an effort to modify the fibrinolytic and/or pharmacokinetic properties of recombinant low M(r) single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (rscu-PA-32k), mutants were prepared by site-directed mutagenesis of clusters of charged amino acids with the highest solvent accessibility. The following mutants of rscu-PA-32k were prepared: LUK-2 (Lys 212, Glu 213 and Asp 214 to Ala), LUK-3 (Lys 243 and Asp 244 to Ala), LUK-4 (Arg 262, Lys 264, Glu 265 and Arg 267 to Ala), LUK-5 (Lys 300, Glu 301 and Asp 305 to Ala) and LUK-6 (Arg 400, Lys 404, Glu 405 and Glu 406 to Ala). The rscu-PA-32k moieties were expressed in High Five Trichoplasiani cells, and purified to homogeneity from the conditioned cell culture medium, with recoveries of 0.8 to 3.7 mg/l. The specific fibrinolytic activities (220,000 to 300,000 IU/mg), the rates of plasminogen activation by the single-chain moieties and the rates of conversion to two-chain moieties by plasmin were comparable for mutant and wild-type rscu-PA-32k moieties, with the exception of LUK-5 which was virtually inactive. Equi-effective lysis (50% in 2 h) of 60 microliters 125I-fibrin labeled plasma clots submerged in 0.5 ml normal human plasma was obtained with 0.7 to 0.8 microgram/ml of wild-type or mutant rscu-PA-32k, except with LUK-5 (no significant lysis with 16 micrograms/ml). Following bolus injection in hamsters, all rscu-PA-32k moieties had a comparably rapid plasma clearance (1.3 to 2.7 ml/min), as a result of a short initial half-life (1.4 to 2.5 min).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Transforming growth factor beta signalling in vitro and in vivo: activin ligand-receptor interaction, Smad5 in vasculogenesis, and repression of target genes by the deltaEF1/ZEB-related SIP1 in the vertebrate embryo.

The identification and characterization of components of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) signalling pathway are proceeding at a very fast pace. To illustrate a number of our activities in this field, we first summarize our work aiming at the selection from a large collection of single residue substitution mutants of two activin A polypeptides in which D27 and K102, respectively, have been modified. This work has highlighted the importance of K102 and its positive charge for binding to activin type II receptors. Activin K102E, which did not bind to high-affinity receptor complexes, may be a valuable beta chain, when incorporated in recombinant inhibin to unambiguously detect novel inhibin binding sites at the cell surface. We then illustrate how Smad5 knockout mice and an overexpression approach with a truncated TGFbeta type II receptor in the mouse embryo can contribute to the identification of a novel TGFbeta-->TbetaRII/ALK1-->Smad5 pathway in endothelial cells in the embryo proper and the yolk sac vasculature. We conclude with a summary of our results with a Smad-interacting transcriptional repressor but focus on its biological significance in the vertebrate embryo.

Identical cis-acting elements and related trans-acting factors control activity of nonviral promoter in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and mammalian cells.

We have analyzed the transcriptional activity of the human plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promoter in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. This promoter is active in S. pombe, and the initiation site of transcription corresponds to the site identified previously in mammalian cells. Mutations in the AP-1-binding site (PAI-1 A box) or the HLTF-binding site (the B box), which reduced the basal and phorbol ester-induced levels of PAI-1 expression in human cells, also decreased the transcriptional activity in S. pombe. Gel retardation assays showed that an S. pombe protein binds specifically to this B box element and displays the same B box sequence requirement as HLTF. Furthermore, this yeast protein binds specifically to other HLTF-binding sites in the human immunodeficiency virus-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) and the simian virus 40 (SV40) enhancer. The B box (but not a mutated B box) strongly stimulated transcription when combined with adh downstream promoter elements, indicating that the S. pombe B box-binding protein, like HLTF, is a transcriptional activator. We conclude that the transcriptional activity of the nonviral PAI-1 promoter is controlled by the same promoter elements in S. pombe as in mammalian cells. In addition, mammalian trans-acting factors that bind to these promoter elements were shown to have counterparts with conserved DNA-binding activity in S. pombe. These results further illustrate the conservation of the mechanism of transcription between mammalian cells and fission yeast.

Characterization of a helicase-like transcription factor involved in the expression of the human plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene.

A 5.4-kb cDNA encoding the protein that binds to the B Box of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene was isolated and sequenced. The protein, named helicase-like transcription factor (HLTF), contains a DNA-binding domain, a RING finger domain, and seven helicase domains and is homologous to SWI/SNF proteins. Two HLTF mRNAs of 5.5 and 4.5 kb were detected in most human tissues, a single gene was located on chromosome 3q24-25, and the protein was located in the nucleoplasm. Two HLTF proteins differing in translation start site (Met-1 or Met-123) were obtained by in vitro translation in reticulocyte lysate or by immunoprecipitation from HeLa cell nuclear extracts. In vitro transcription from the PAI-1 promoter in HeLa cell extracts was inhibited by HLTF antibodies and by the HLTF DNA binding domain. Over-expression of HLTF or HLTFMet123 produced a three-fold induction of PAI-1-LUC transient expression in HeLa cells. Mutation of the PAI-1 B Box led to an eight-fold reduction of basal PAI-1-LUC expression in these cell lines, but did not affect the four- to six-fold induction by phorbol esters.

K1K2Pu, a recombinant t-PA/u-PA chimera with increased thrombolytic potency, consisting of amino acids 1 to 3 and 87 to 274 of human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and amino acids 138 to 411 of human single chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA). Purification in centigram quantities and conditioning for use in man.

K1K2Pu, a recombinant t-PA/u-PA chimera with increased thrombolytic potency in animal models of venous and arterial thrombosis, which consists of amino acids 1 to 3 and 87 to 274 of human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and amino acids 138 to 411 of human single chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA), was produced and conditioned for use in patients. Chinese hamster ovary cells were transfected with an expression plasmid containing the K1K2Pu cDNA, high producer cell lines were selected and scaled up in 800 cm2 roller bottles, and 350 ml conditioned cell culture medium was harvested 3 to 7 times at 2 to 5 day intervals. Batches of 21 +/- 4 liter (mean +/- SD, n = 28) containing 1.8 +/- 0.6 mg/l of K1K2Pu related antigen were purified by chromatography on Copper chelate-Sepharose and immunoadsorption on an insolubilized murine monoclonal antibody (MA-1C8). Yields were 8.6 +/- 3.4 mg K1K2Pu per batch with a specific activity of 83,000 +/- 44,000 IU/mg. The final material, obtained at a concentration of approximately 0.7 mg/ml, was dialyzed against 0.3 M NaCl, 0.02 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.5, containing 0.01% Tween 80 and 10 KIU/ml aprotinin. It was homogeneous on SDS-PAGE, contained 6.5 +/- 6.9 percent two chain material and the contamination with murine monoclonal antibody was less than 0.1 percent. After filtration of pools of 3 to 5 selected batches on 0.22 microns Millipore filters the material was sterile and virus free by routine screening; it was obtained at a concentration of approximately 0.5 mg/ml with a specific activity of 110,000 +/- 16,000 IU/mg (mean +/- SD, n = 3) and an endotoxin content of 0.5 to 7 units/mg. Bolus injection at a dose of 1 mg/kg in mice did not produce weight loss within 8 days. Thus, this material appears to be suitable for the investigation on a pilot scale of the pharmacokinetic and thrombolytic properties of K1K2Pu in patients with thromboembolic disease.

Activation of NF-kappaB by Akt upregulates Snail expression and induces epithelium mesenchyme transition.

Carcinoma progression is associated with the loss of epithelial features, and the acquisition of mesenchymal characteristics and invasive properties by tumour cells. The loss of cell-cell contacts may be the first step of the epithelium mesenchyme transition (EMT) and involves the functional inactivation of the cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin. Repression of E-cadherin expression by the transcription factor Snail is a central event during the loss of epithelial phenotype. Akt kinase activation is frequent in human carcinomas, and Akt regulates various cellular mechanisms including EMT. Here, we show that Snail activation and consequent repression of E-cadherin may depend on AKT-mediated nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation, and that NF-kappaB induces Snail expression. Expression of the NF-kappaB subunit p65 is sufficient for EMT induction, validating this signalling module during EMT. NF-kappaB pathway activation is associated with tumour progression and metastasis of several human tumour types; E-cadherin acts as a metastasis suppressor protein. Thus, this signalling and transcriptional network linking AKT, NF-kappaB, Snail and E-cadherin during EMT is a potential target for antimetastatic therapeutics.

Are proteinase inhibitors potentially useful in tumor therapy?

Within the last 15 years a vast literature has arisen, which associates increased levels of proteinase activity with most in vitro transformed malignant cells and many tumor cells in vivo. As a consequence, proteinase inhibitors have been widely proposed as potential candidates for therapeutic use. The present review shows that in some studies proteinase inhibitors produced significant anti-tumor effects, while in most other studies only limited effects or no effects were observed. In some instances, opposite, or tumor enhancing, effects by proteinase inhibitors were observed. The reasons for the lack of a clear-cut success of proteinase inhibitors in tumor therapy may be: (1) proteinases may not be crucially involved in tumor growth and spread; (2) proteinases which may be crucially involved have not yet been identified; (3) lack of potent inhibitors with appropriate specificity, or use of inappropriate inhibitors or regimens.

Subunit structure of the rat alpha-macroglobulin proteinase inhibitors.

Rats produce 2 alpha-macroglobulin (alpha M) proteinase inhibitors, the alpha 1 M, normally found in the plasma, and the alpha 2 M, an acute phase protein. The alpha-macroglobulins were purified from the plasma of rats with adjuvant arthritis by polyethylene glycol precipitation, chromatography on a Zn2+ affinity column, and filtration on Sephacryl S-300 superfine. Comparison of the purified proteins on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis following reduction reveals a 185 000 Da subunit for rat alpha 2 M identical to the human alpha 2 M, but a 167 000 plus a 38 000 Da subunit for rat alpha 1 M. Heat/alkali treatment (pH 11, 37 degrees C for 45 min) prior to reduction results in the appearance of 125 000 Da and 60 000 Da components from rat alpha 2 M analogous to the pattern of human alpha 2 M. In contrast, alpha 1 M showed in addition to the 125 000 Da band (and the unaltered 38 000 Da band), two bands of approx. 25 000 Da. Incubation with trypsin (approximately 1 mol/mol alpha M) prior to reduction causes formation of approximately 90 000 Da components from both rat inhibitors and the human alpha 2 M. The data suggests that only rat alpha 2 M and not rat alpha 1 M is structurally homologous to human alpha 2 M.

Enzymatic production of hydrogen peroxide and acetaldehyde in a pressure reactor.

Alcohol oxidase, an enzyme which exhibits relatively weak substrate specificity among short chain alcohols, forms the corresponding aldehyde and hydrogen peroxide as coproduct. The ability of alcohol oxidase from Pichia pastoris yeast to convert ethanol to acetaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide was examined in an oxygen pressure reactor under conditions, such that oxygen availability was sufficient to permit rapid catalysis. Hydrogen peroxide levels of approximately 1.8/M (6% w/w) were attained in 2-3 h with 2.8 microM enzyme, corresponding to a productivity of approximately 30 g peroxide/g enzyme. Optimal conditions (within equipment limitations) were 900 psi oxygen, 2.6M ethanol, at 4 degrees C. Similar levels of products were reached in the reactor using enzyme immobilized covalently on controlled pore glass and noncovalently on an anion exchange support. Recycle of covalently immobilized enzyme was not possible as a result of enzyme inactivation after a single run. Limited recycle of noncovalently immobilized enzyme was accomplished with substantial decreases in levels of product attainable on each cycle.

Effect of retinoic acid on the synthesis of tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in human endothelial cells.

The synthesis of plasminogen activators and inhibitors in endothelial cells is highly regulated by hormones, drugs and growth factors. The present study evaluates the effect of retinoic acid on the synthesis of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) by cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Retinoic acid produced a time- and concentration-dependent increase in the secretion of t-PA-related antigen but not of PAI-1 related antigen into the culture medium. A maximal sevenfold increase of t-PA antigen after 24 h was observed with 10 microM and a half-maximal increase with 0.1 microM retinoic acid. Retinoic acid induced a time-dependent increase of the t-PA mRNA, with a maximum at 8 h and returning to normal at 24 h. The protein kinase inhibitor H7 decreased the t-PA antigen induced by both retinoic acid and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. These results suggest that treatment of HUVEC with retinoic acid increases t-PA production by a pathway which, at some level, involves protein kinases. Thus, retinoic acid induces t-PA synthesis in the absence of altered PAI-1 synthesis, which may enhance the fibrinolytic potential of the endothelium.

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.

Biochemical and thrombolytic properties of a low molecular weight form (comprising Leu144 through Leu411) of recombinant single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator.

The cDNA encoding a low Mr derivative (residues 144-411) of human single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator was cloned, the recombinant low Mr single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (rscu-PA-32k) was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, and the translation product was purified to homogeneity from conditioned cell culture medium. rscu-PA-32k is very similar to intact recombinant single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator in terms of its very low activity (120 IU/mg) on a chromogenic substrate for urokinase (pyroglutamylglycylarginine p-nitroanilide), its plasminogen-dependent fibrinolytic activity on fibrin plates (specific activity = 170,000 IU/mg), its plasminogen activating potential, and the lack of specific binding to fibrin. In a rabbit jugular vein thrombosis model, comparable thrombolysis was obtained with rscu-PA-32k as compared to low molecular weight two-chain urokinase (50% lysis at 2.1 and 1.6 mg/kg infused over 4 h). Thrombolysis was associated with much less extensive systemic fibrinogen breakdown with rscu-PA-32k than with two-chain urokinase (residual fibrinogen at 50% lysis of 71 and 10%, respectively). It is concluded that the functional properties of rscu-PA-32k, expressed with a high efficiency, are similar to those of its previously characterized natural counterpart.