A New Assay Based on Thrombin Generation Inhibition to Detect Both Protein C and Protein S Deficiencies in Plasma

1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (03) ◽  
pp. 331-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Duchemin ◽  
Jean-Louis Pittet ◽  
Michel Tartary ◽  
Suzette Béguin ◽  
Pascale Gaussem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Contraceptives ◽  
Oral Anticoagulant ◽  
Protein C ◽  
Thrombin Generation ◽  
Normal Values ◽  
Oral Anticoagulant Therapy ◽  
Activated Protein C ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Heparin Therapy ◽  
Inhibition Of Thrombin

SummaryActivated protein C reduces thrombin generation by inactivating factors V and VIII in the presence of protein S. This prompted us to develop an assay which would allow specific exploration of this reaction. The total amount of thrombin formed in plasma after activation by tissue factor and phospholipids was reduced by adding thrombomodulin. This addition allowed protein C to be activated by endogenous thrombin. The inhibition of thrombin generation (ITG) due to protein C activation could be measured by comparing thrombin formation in the presence and in the absence of thrombomodulin. ITG increased with both protein C and protein S concentrations. Normal values of ITG expressed as a percentage were between 40 and 65% and were not influenced by age or sex. ITG increased in patients under heparin therapy, decreased in patients under oral anticoagulant therapy and was decreased in women using oral contraceptives. This method could be used for screening patients for protein C and protein S deficiencies.

A Novel Functional Assay of Protein C in Human Plasma and fts Comparison with Amidolytic and Anticoagulant Assays

1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (01) ◽  
pp. 046-049 ◽  
Author(s):  
H A Guglielmone ◽  
M A Vides
Keyword(s):  
Oral Anticoagulant ◽  
Protein C ◽  
Activated Protein C ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Test Sample ◽  
Functional Assay ◽  
Fast Method ◽  
Factor Va ◽  
Protein C Activity

SummaryA simple and fast method for the quantitative determination of protein C activity in plasma is here described. The first step consists in the conversion of protein C in the test sample into activated protein C by means of an activator isolated from Southern Copperhead venom. Subsequently, the degradation of factor Va, in presence of protein C-deficient plasma, is measured by the prolongation of the prothrombin time which is proportional to the amount of protein C in the sample. The dose-response curve showed a linear relationship from 6 to 150% protein C activity and the inter- and intra-assay reproducibility was 3.5% and 5.6% respectively. In normal subjects, a mean of protein C level of 98 ± 15% of normal pooled plasma was found. Comparison with the anticoagulant assay in samples of patients with oral anticoagulant, liver cirrhosis, disseminated intravascular coagulation and severe preeclampsia revealed an excellent correlation (r = 0.94, p <0.001). Also, a similar correlation (r = 0.93, p <0.001) existed between amidolytic assay and the method here proposed for all the samples studied without including the oral anticoagulant group. These results allowed us to infer that this method evaluates the ability of protein C to interact with protein S, phospholipids, calcium ions and factor Va.

Platelet-mediated proteolytic down regulation of the anticoagulant activity of protein S in individuals with haematological malignancies

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (03) ◽  
pp. 468-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilze Dienava-Verdoold ◽  
Marina R. Marchetti ◽  
Liane C. J. te Boome ◽  
Laura Russo ◽  
Anna Falanga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein C ◽  
Normal Values ◽  
Anticoagulant Activity ◽  
Activated Protein C ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Intact Protein ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Independent Protein

SummaryThe natural anticoagulant protein S contains a so-called thrombin-sensitive region (TSR), which is susceptible to proteolytic cleavage. We have previously shown that a platelet-associated protease is able to cleave protein S under physiological plasma conditions in vitro. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between platelet-associated protein S cleaving activity and in vivo protein S cleavage, and to evaluate the impact of in vivo protein S cleavage on its anticoagulant activity. Protein S cleavage in healthy subjects and in thrombocytopenic and thrombocythaemic patients was evaluated by immunological techniques. Concentration of cleaved and intact protein S was correlated to levels of activated protein C (APC)-dependent and APC-independent protein S anticoagulant activity. In plasma from healthy volunteers 25% of protein S is cleaved in the TSR. While in plasma there was a clear positive correlation between levels of intact protein S and both APC-dependent and APC-independent protein S anticoagulant activities, these correlations were absent for cleaved protein S. Protein S cleavage was significantly increased in patients with essential thrombocythaemia (ET) and significantly reduced in patients with chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. In ET patients on cytoreductive therapy, both platelet count and protein S cleavage returned to normal values. Accordingly, platelet transfusion restored cleavage of protein S to normal values in patients with chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia. In conclusion, proteases from platelets seem to contribute to the presence of cleaved protein S in the circulation and may enhance the coagulation response in vivo by down regulating the anticoagulant activity of protein S.

Inhibition of Activated Protein C Anticoagulant Activity by Prothrombin

Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 94 (11) ◽  
pp. 3839-3846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail D. Smirnov ◽  
Omid Safa ◽  
Naomi L. Esmon ◽  
Charles T. Esmon
Keyword(s):  
Anticoagulant Therapy ◽  
Oral Anticoagulant ◽  
Protein C ◽  
Anticoagulant Activity ◽  
Oral Anticoagulant Therapy ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Activated Protein C ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Thrombotic Risk ◽  
Factor Va

Abstract In this study, we test the hypothesis that prothrombin levels may modulate activated protein C (APC) anticoagulant activity. Prothrombin in purified systems or plasma dramatically inhibited the ability of APC to inactivate factor Va and to anticoagulate plasma. This was not due solely to competition for binding to the membrane surface, as prothrombin also inhibited factor Va inactivation by APC in the absence of a membrane surface. Compared with normal factor Va, inactivation of factor Va Leiden by APC was much less sensitive to prothrombin inhibition. This may account for the observation that the Leiden mutation has less of an effect on plasma-based clotting assays than would be predicted from the purified system. Reduction of protein C levels to 20% of normal constitutes a significant risk of thrombosis, yet these levels are observed in neonates and patients on oral anticoagulant therapy. In both situations, the correspondingly low prothrombin levels would result in an increased effectiveness of the remaining functional APC of ≈5-fold. Thus, while the protein C activation system is impaired by the reduction in protein C levels, the APC that is formed is a more effective anticoagulant, allowing protein C levels to be reduced without significant thrombotic risk. In situations where prothrombin is high and protein C levels are low, as in early stages of oral anticoagulant therapy, the reduction in protein C would result only in impaired function of the anticoagulant system, possibly explaining the tendency for warfarin-induced skin necrosis.

Protein S Released From Stimulated Platelets Has Anticoagulant Activity Independent of Activated Protein C and Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor (TFPI).

Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 1137-1137
Author(s):  
Mary J. Heeb ◽  
Erning Duan
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Protein ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Protein C ◽  
Thrombin Generation ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Anticoagulant Activity ◽  
Activated Protein C ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Platelet Protein ◽  
Presence And Absence

Abstract Abstract 1137 Background: Platelets contain in their alpha granules ∼2.5% of the protein S in blood. It has been suggested that this protein S supports the anticoagulant activity of exogenous activated protein C (APC), but it is not known whether protein S that is released from stimulated platelets can exert anticoagulant activity that is independent of APC and TFPI. We recently showed that at least some of the anticoagulant activity of plasma protein S is independent of APC and TFPI, although data suggested that plasma protein S may also have TFPI-dependent activity. Objective and methods: To determine if platelet protein S has anticoagulant activity that is independent of APC and TFPI, prothrombinase and extrinsic FXase reactions were initiated on the surface of fresh stimulated or unstimulated washed platelets in the presence and absence of blocking antibodies against APC, TFPI, and/or protein S, or in the presence and absence of purified plasma-derived protein S. Platelets were adjusted to a concentration of 0.7 to 2 × 10e8/ml, which contained 2.3–6.5 nM total platelet protein S. The last platelet wash contained negligible amounts of plasma protein S. Results: Neutralizing anti-protein S antibodies allowed up to 5.7-fold (mean: 2.1 ± 1.5 –fold, n=13) more thrombin generation on calcium ionophore-stimulated platelets following supplementation with 50–500 pM FXa and 600 nM prothrombin, and allowed up to 2.5-fold (mean: 1.7 ± 0.7 –fold, n=11) more thrombin generation on platelets that were not ionophore-stimulated but were gradually stimulated following FXa and prothrombin supplementation. Anti-protein S antibodies had no effect on thrombin generation on platelets that were treated with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) to suppress platelet activation and then supplemented with procoagulants. This implies that platelet protein S is released from stimulated platelets and downregulates thrombin generation on platelets, and that neutralizing anti-protein S antibodies block this activity of protein S. Anti-protein S antibodies allowed up to 1.8-fold (mean 1.5 ± 0.2 –fold, n=8) more FXa generation on the surface of stimulated platelets supplemented with 5 pM TF, 100 pM FVIIa, and 160 nM FX, but anti-protein S antibodies had no effect on FXa generation on platelets treated with PGE1. Most of these experiments were performed in the presence of neutralizing antibodies against TFPI and APC, but thrombin and FXa generation on platelets under the varying conditions described were unaffected by the presence of these neutralizing antibodies. Purified plasma-derived zinc-containing protein S downregulated thrombin and FXa generation on platelets (IC50 = 6–18 nM PS) and in plasma >10-fold more potently than zinc-deficient protein S. We could not demonstrate a synergistic anticoagulant effect when TFPI was combined with zinc-deficient protein S in the presence of stimulated platelets and procoagulant proteins. Conclusion: Protein S that is released from stimulated platelets exerts anticoagulant activity that is independent of TFPI and APC. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Protein S levels modulate the activated protein C resistance phenotype induced by elevated prothrombin levels

2006 ◽  
Vol 95 (02) ◽  
pp. 236-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen Brugge ◽  
Guido Tans ◽  
Jan Rosing ◽  
Elisabetta Castoldi
Keyword(s):  
Protein C ◽  
Thrombin Generation ◽  
Activated Protein C ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Resistance Phenotype ◽  
Apc Resistance ◽  
Thrombosis Risk ◽  
Highly Correlated

SummaryElevated plasma prothrombin levels, due to the prothrombin 20210 G/A mutation or to acquired causes, area risk factor for venous thrombosis,partly because of prothrombin-mediated inhibition of the protein C anticoagulant pathway and consequent activated proteinC (APC) resistance. We determined the effect of plasma prothrombin concentration on the APC resistance phenotype and evaluated the role of protein S levels asa modulating variable. The effect of prothrombin and protein S levels on APC resistance was investigated in reconstituted plasma systems and in a population of healthy individuals using both the aPTT-based and the thrombin generation-based APC resistance tests. In reconstituted plasma, APC resistance increased at increasing prothrombin concentration in both assays. Enhanced APC resistance was caused by the effect of prothrombin on the clotting time in the absence of APC in the aPTT-based test, and on thrombin formation in the presence of APC in the thrombin generation-based test. In plasma from healthy individuals prothrombin levels were highly correlated to protein S levels. Since prothrombin and proteinS had opposite effects on the APC resistance phenotype, the prothrombin/protein S ratio was a better predictor of APC resistance than the levels of either protein alone. Prothrombin titrations in plasmas containing different amounts of proteinS confirmed that proteinS levels modulate the ability of prothrombin to induce APC resistance. These findings suggest that carriers of the prothrombin 20210 G/A mutation, who have a high prothrombin/protein S ratio, may experience a higher thrombosis risk than non-carriers with comparable prothrombin levels.

Activated protein C cleaves factor Va more efficiently on endothelium than on platelet surfaces

Blood ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 100 (2) ◽  
pp. 539-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Oliver ◽  
Dougald M. Monroe ◽  
Frank C. Church ◽  
Harold R. Roberts ◽  
Maureane Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Tissue Factor ◽  
Protein C ◽  
Thrombin Generation ◽  
Activated Protein C ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Lipid Vesicles ◽  
Factor Va ◽  
Lipid Surface

Abstract The protein C/protein S system is known to regulate thrombin generation in vivo by cleaving factors Va and VIIIa. We have examined the activity of activated protein C in several tissue factor–initiated models of coagulation. We used 4 models: monocytes as the tissue factor source with platelets as the thrombin-generating surface; endothelial cells as the tissue factor source with platelets as the thrombin-generating surface; endothelial cells as both the tissue factor source and the thrombin-generating surface; and relipidated tissue factor with lipid vesicles providing the surface for thrombin generation. With the lipid surface, activated protein C dose-dependently reduced thrombin generation. Similarly, when endothelial cells provided the only surface for thrombin generation, activated protein C dose-dependently decreased thrombin generation significantly. By contrast, whenever platelets were present, activated protein C only minimally affected the amount of thrombin generated. When endothelial cells were the tissue factor source with platelets providing the surface for thrombin generation, activated protein C did increase the time until the burst of thrombin generation but had minimal effects on the total amount of thrombin generated. Activated protein C had essentially no effect on thrombin generation when monocytes were the tissue factor source with platelets providing the surface for thrombin generation. From the studies reported here, we conclude that in vivo, despite the important role of the protein C system in regulating thrombosis, activated protein C does not serve as a primary regulator of platelet-dependent thrombin generation.

scholarly journals Dissociation of Activated Protein C Functions by Elimination of Protein S Cofactor Enhancement

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 21-21
Author(s):  
Roger JS Preston ◽  
Shona Harmon ◽  
Fionnuala B Ni Ainle ◽  
Jennifer A Johnson ◽  
Moya Cunningham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein C ◽  
Thrombin Generation ◽  
Anticoagulant Activity ◽  
Activated Protein C ◽  
Protein S ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Maximal Inhibition ◽  
Gla Domain ◽  
Anticoagulant Function

Abstract Activated protein C (APC) plays a critical anticoagulant role by inactivating factor Va (FVa) and factor VIIIa (FVIIIa) and thus down-regulating thrombin generation. In addition, APC bound to the endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) can initiate PAR-1 mediated cytoprotective signalling. Although protein S constitutes a critical cofactor for APC anticoagulant function, the molecular basis through which protein S interacts with APC is not fully understood. In this study, we employed a site-directed mutagenesis strategy to characterise the effects of four single amino acid substitutions (D35T, D36A, L38D and A39V) within a region of the APC Gla domain important for protein S cofactor enhancement. To maintain Gla domain structural integrity, each residue was substituted with the corresponding residue of the human prothrombin Gla domain. Protein C variants were expressed in HEK 293 cells and purified by ion-exchange chromatography. Upon activation, the amidolytic activity of each recombinant APC variant was identical to that of wild type APC. The anticoagulant function of recombinant wild type and variant APC was compared in a tissue factor-initiated thrombin generation assay using protein C-deficient plasma. Wild type APC diminished thrombin generation in a concentration-dependent manner as expected. Variants APC-D35T, APC-D36A and APC-A39V exhibited only mildly impaired (&lt;2-fold) anticoagulant activity compared to wild type APC. The anticoagulant activity of APC-L38D, however, was severely impaired. APC-L38D was unable to achieve half-maximal inhibition of endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) at APC concentrations as high as 150nM, compared to wild type APC, which achieved half-maximal inhibition at 7.2nM APC. To clarify the role of Leu-38 in facilitating APC anticoagulant function, we further studied the ability of APC-L38D to be stimulated in protein S-deficient plasma reconstituted with plasma-purified protein S. Co-incubation of wild type APC with increasing protein S concentration (12.5–200nM) caused a corresponding reduction in ETP (IC50 = 24nM protein S). In contrast, APC-L38D was unresponsive to protein S. In the presence of APC-L38D, ETP was reduced only 22% at 1.5μM protein S (10-fold higher than plasma free protein S). In a phospholipid-dependent FVa proteolysis time course assay, both wild type APC and APC-L38D rapidly reduced FVa cofactor activity, indicating that the observed impaired plasma anticoagulant activity of APC-L38D is not mediated by impaired interaction with anionic phospholipids or FVa. In a modified version of this assay, wild type APC-mediated FVa proteolysis was rapidly enhanced by added protein S, with half-maximal inhibition observed at 5nM protein S. In contrast, APC-L38D exhibited no protein S-enhanced FVa proteolysis. Cumulatively, these data confirm that Leu-38 mediates APC anticoagulant function in plasma by facilitating critical protein S cofactor enhancement of FVa proteolysis. Previous studies have shown that APC Gla domain mutations can influence EPCR binding, a pre-requisite for PAR-1 mediated cytoprotective signalling. Consequently, we assessed APC binding to sEPCR using surface plasmon resonance. Binding affinities of APC-L38D and wild type APC were very similar (KD 112±25nM versus 117±36nM). Furthermore, the ability of APC-L38D to protect EAhy926 cells from staurosporine-induced apoptosis was also investigated using RT-PCR quantification of pro- (bax) and anti- (bcl-2) apoptotic gene expression. Pre-incubation with APC-L38D significantly reduced the bax/bcl-2 ratio to the same extent as wild type APC. The EPCR-dependence of these anti-apoptotic activities was confirmed using RCR-252, (an inhibitory anti-EPCR antibody) which ablated the cytoprotective effect of both APC species. In conclusion, we demonstrate that a single amino acid substitution (L38D) can significantly impair APC anticoagulant activity due to elimination of protein S cofactor enhancement. However, despite the location of Leu-38 in the Gla domain, APC-L38D retains its ability to bind EPCR, and trigger PAR-1 mediated cytoprotective signalling in a manner indistinguishable from that of wild type APC. Consequently, elimination of protein S cofactor enhancement of APC anticoagulant function represents a novel and effective strategy by which to dissociate the anticoagulant and cytoprotective functions of APC for potential therapeutic gain.

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