Adhesive molecules and their receptorsplay an essential role in hemostasis and thrombosis. Platelet thrombi are formed through the interaction of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) with intercellular adhesion molecules (IAMs)and substrate adhesion molecules (SAMs). Platelet CAMs encompass membrane glycoproteins lb, lib, Ilia,and possibly la and IV, which constitutemembrane receptors for IAMs(e.g., fibrinogen) and for SAMs encompassingvon Willebrand Factor (vWF), fibronectin, vitronectin, collagen, and thrcmbospondin. Receptorfunction of platelet CAMs can be specific,i.e., only one adhesive protein among IAMs and SAMs is selected forbinding as exemplified by GPIb and vWF. Alternatively,more than one adhesive protein can interact with platelet CAMs comprising the GPIIb/IIIa complex.This common adhesive receptor mechanism switched on by thrombin, ADP, phorbol ester or ionophore A23187 is turned off by a rise in intraplatelet cyclic AMP which provides a negative control.Fibrinogen, the most abundant adhesiveprotein in plasma, interacts with platelet CAMs via receptor recognition domains on gamma and alpha chains. Pinpointing platelet receptor recognition domain to a carboxy-terminal segment of the gamma chain encompassing residues 400-411gave rise to a series of synthetic peptide analogs which do not interfere with themetabolic pathways of platelets but blockbinding of I fibrinogen to its receptors on stimulated platelets, inhibit their aggregation in vitro, and formation of a platelet thrombus in vivo. The alpha chain of human fibrinogen contains the sequenceRGD (residues 95-97 and 572-574). Synthetpeptide analogs of the RGD sequence, which constitute the "cell adhesion site" of fibronectin, also inhibit binding of 125I-fibrinogen to stimulated platelets. However, these synthetic peptides are not "specific" for fibrinogen chains because thealpha chain of human fibrinogen which hasnosequence homology with gamma 400-411 is prevented by a peptide gamma 400-411 from interaction with platelet receptors. Viceversa, the human gamma chain is blocked by tetrapeptide RGDS not expressed in the human gamma chain. Interaction of human vWF with human platelets is blocked by synthetic peptide analogs of gamma 400-411 (not present in vWF)and of RGD sequence (present in vWF).These synthetic peptides inhibite "common" receptor pathwaystimulated with ADP, thrombin, or phorbolester, but they do not interfere with binding of 125I-vWF via a "specific" pathvoy induced with ristocetin and involving GPIb.The design of synthetic peptide analogs which inhibit platelet receptors for adhesive molecules includes the following considerations: ligand specificity (is thepeptide inhibitory toward binding of one or more adhesive molecules?),cell speciicity (is the peptide specific for platelets or does it perturb the adhesive properties of other cells, e.g.,endothelium?);the hydrophilic character; protection against degradation by peptidases; and a sufficiently long half-life to achieve platelet inhibitory potency in vivo without overloading the blood with excessive amounts of peptide.This is accomplished by constructing a peptide-albumin conjugate with ahalf-life extended at least 30 times.Whenpeptides are modeled with predominantly hydrophilic or hydrophobic residues, only the hydrophilic peptide remained active to block the platelet receptor. This agreed with the general observation that sequences on adhesive molecules that are knownto interact with cellular receptors have a hydrophilic rather than a hydrophobic character. Furthermore, changing the charge of synthetic peptides toward the negative reduced the reactivity, whereas introducing additional arginine residues enhanced the reactivity toward platelet receptors. Localization of the functionally important binding domain in the flexible segment of an adhesive protein increases the likelihood that the synthetic peptide will assume the conformation mimicking such a domain in the native adhesive protein. Structure-function studies of the receptor recognition domains on adhesive molecules led to development of a new class of platelet inhibitors acting at the membranereceptors responsible for anchoring of platelets to the vessel wall and linking them to each other.
The C-terminal sequences of the gamma 57.5 chain of human fibrinogen constitute a plasmin sensitive epitope that is exposed in crosslinked fibrin