scholarly journals A Method for Measuring Activated Factor VIII in Plasma

1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (04) ◽  
pp. 430-434
Author(s):  
H Kessels ◽  
S Béguin ◽  
R Wagenvoord ◽  
H C Hemker

SummaryA method is described which enables a quantitative measurement of the concentration of activated factor VIII (VIIIa) in plasma. Based on the ability of factor VIIIa to accelerate the activation of factor X by factor IXa, phospholipid and calcium ions, the course of factor X activation in time is measured using a chromogenic substrate. Free factor Xa is able to activate non-activated factor VIII present in a plasma sample, which increases the factor X activation velocity, and thus disturbs the measurement of factor VIIIa. Furthermore, factor Xa was found to be inactivated by serine protease inhibitors from the plasma sample. By adding surplus chromogenic substrate these reactions of factor Xa are inhibited and at the same time the rate of substrate conversion is a measure of the amount of factor Xa present. Factor X activation and amidolysis of chromogenic substrate then take place simultaneously. It is shown that under proper conditions the factor X activation velocity is linearly proportional to the factor VIIIa concentration. This causes the optical density to increase as a parabolic function of time. The concentration of factor VIIIa can be obtained from the quadratic coefficient of the equation describing the parabola. The method is specific for factor VIIIa in that the extrinsic factor X activator is shown to have no influence on the measurement of factor VIIIa in thromboplastin activated plasma. We conclude that a sensitive and reliable method for assessing factor VIIIa concentrations in plasma has been developed on the basis of simultaneous inhibition and measurement of factor Xa by a high concentration of chromogenic substrate.

Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 1761-1770
Author(s):  
P Neuenschwander ◽  
J Jesty

Two aspects of the activation of factor X by the intrinsic clotting pathway have been studied in purified human systems, in the presence of either purified phosphatidylserine:phosphatidylcholine vesicles (PS:PC) or platelets activated with ionophore A23187: (1) the activation of factor VIII by factor Xa and by thrombin, and (2) the activation of factor X by the factor IXa/VIIIa complex. Factor VIII activation by thrombin was unaffected in either rate or extent by the presence of PS:PC or activated platelets. In contrast, factor VIII activation by factor Xa required either PS:PC or platelets. The products of optimal factor VIII activation by the two enzymes, designated factor VIIIa(T) and factor VIIIa(Xa), are kinetically different in the activation of factor X by factor IXa, factor VIIIa(T) being approximately twice as active (in factor X activation) as factor VIIIa(Xa) in the presence of PS:PC or platelets. Factor VIIIa(Xa) can be converted to the more active VIIIa(T) by thrombin treatment, but the activity of factor VIIIa(T) is unchanged by factor Xa treatment. Factor X activation was also studied with optimally activated factor VIIIa(T), in the presence of PS:PC or activated platelets, as a function of factor IXa concentration in order to determine the apparent dissociation constant for the factor IXa-VIIIa interaction in the two cases. Activated platelets increased the apparent affinity more than fivefold.


Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 1761-1770 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Neuenschwander ◽  
J Jesty

Abstract Two aspects of the activation of factor X by the intrinsic clotting pathway have been studied in purified human systems, in the presence of either purified phosphatidylserine:phosphatidylcholine vesicles (PS:PC) or platelets activated with ionophore A23187: (1) the activation of factor VIII by factor Xa and by thrombin, and (2) the activation of factor X by the factor IXa/VIIIa complex. Factor VIII activation by thrombin was unaffected in either rate or extent by the presence of PS:PC or activated platelets. In contrast, factor VIII activation by factor Xa required either PS:PC or platelets. The products of optimal factor VIII activation by the two enzymes, designated factor VIIIa(T) and factor VIIIa(Xa), are kinetically different in the activation of factor X by factor IXa, factor VIIIa(T) being approximately twice as active (in factor X activation) as factor VIIIa(Xa) in the presence of PS:PC or platelets. Factor VIIIa(Xa) can be converted to the more active VIIIa(T) by thrombin treatment, but the activity of factor VIIIa(T) is unchanged by factor Xa treatment. Factor X activation was also studied with optimally activated factor VIIIa(T), in the presence of PS:PC or activated platelets, as a function of factor IXa concentration in order to determine the apparent dissociation constant for the factor IXa-VIIIa interaction in the two cases. Activated platelets increased the apparent affinity more than fivefold.


1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
E van Wijk ◽  
L Kahlé ◽  
J ten Cate

In a system of washed human platelets, Ca2+and purified human factors X anc II, a sufficient amount of thrombin is generated in about 10 minutes to aggregate the platelets. This thrombin is formed through the activation of FX by the platelets. In a system with either FX or FII present, no aggregation occurs. In addition no aggregation is observed when hirudin, a specific thrombin inhibitor, or when soybean trypsin inhibitor, which inhibits factor Xa, are added to the mixture. The formation of factor Xa can be monitored indirectly through the generation of thrombin, in the presence of an excess of prothrombin, using a thrombin sensitive chromogenic substrate. When washed platelets are incubated with FX alone for 10 minutes, no aggregation occurs and after the addition of prothrombin aggregation starts within 6 minutes. These findings confirm that washed platelets possess a factor X activating property. The generation of FXa proceeds in the absence of added Ca2+, whereas in the presence of Ca2+factor Xa activity reaches a maximum in 3 minutes, whereafter the activity progressively decreases. This may be due to the binding of Xa to the platelets in the presence of calcium ions.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Wagenvoord ◽  
H Hendrix ◽  
H C Hemker

We have developed an assay for the determination of factor VIII in human plasma. The criteria that such an assay must fulfil are: the method should be simple, the reagents should be stable for several hours at room temperature, the method should be sensitive and linear in the amount of factor VIII. The assay we have developed fulfils all these criteria.The working procedure is simple. Both a lyophilized factor VIII assay (containing factor IXa, thrombin, phospholipids and Ca++) and lyophilized factor X are reconstituted with water. A reaction tube is filled with 100 pi factor VIII assay, prewarmed at 25° or 37 °C, then 100 pi of a diluted (10-20 times) plasma sample is added (t = 0) and after 30 seconds activation time the reaction is started with 100 pi factor X. After 1-2 minutes a sample is taken and diluted in an EDTA-containing buffer to stop the reaction. The formed factor Xa is meausured with a FXa-substrate from which p-nitroaniline will be split, causing an increase of the A405nm. The lyophilized reagents are stable for several months (at least) and after reconstitution they do not loose activity during a whole working day. The sensitivity of the method Is high. A plasma containing 1% factor VIII gives an increase in absorption of three to four times of a fully factor VIII deficient plasma. Extensive studies have shown that a complete linearity excists between 0 - 200% factor VIII in the plasma and the increase of the A405nm


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 2686-2686
Author(s):  
Jennifer Newell ◽  
Qian Zhou ◽  
Philip J. Fay

Abstract Factor VIIIa acts as an essential cofactor for the serine protease factor IXa, together forming the Xase complex which catalyzes the conversion of factor X to factor Xa. The procofactor, factor VIII circulates as a heterodimeric protein comprised of a heavy chain (A1–A2-B domains) and a light chain (A3-C1-C2 domains) and is activated by proteolytic cleavage by thrombin at Arg372 (A1–A2 junction), Arg740 (A2-B junction), and Arg1689 (near the N-terminus of A3). The regions adjacent to the A1, A2, and A3 domains contain high concentrations of acidic residues and are designated a1 (residues 337–372), a2 (residues 711–740), and a3 (residues 1649–1689). In addition, the N-terminus of the A2 domain (residues 373–395) is rich in acidic residues, and results from a previous study revealed that this region contributes to the rate of thrombin-catalyzed cleavage at Arg740 (Nogami et. al., J. Biol. Chem. 280:18476, 2005). In this study we reveal a role for the acidic region following the A2 domain (a2, residues 717–725) in thrombin-catalyzed cleavage at both Arg372 and Arg1689. The factor VIII mutations Asp717Ala, Glu720Ala, Asp721Ala, Glu724Ala, Asp725Ala, and the double mutations of Glu720Ala/Asp721Ala and Glu724Ala/Asp725Ala were constructed, expressed, and purified from stably-transfected BHK cells as B-domainless protein. Specific activity values for the variants, relative to the wild type value were reduced to 70% for Asp717Ala; ∼50% for Glu720Ala, Asp721Ala, Glu724Ala, and Asp725Ala; and ∼30% for Glu720Ala/Asp721Ala and Glu724Ala/Asp725Ala. SDS-PAGE and western blotting of reactions containing the factor VIII variants and thrombin showed reductions in the rates of thrombin cleavage at both Arg372 and Arg1689 as compared to wild-type factor VIII. The cleavage rates for the single mutations comprising acidic residues 720–724 of factor VIII were reduced from ∼3-5-fold at Arg372, whereas this rate for the Asp717Ala mutant was similar to the wild-type value. The double mutations of Glu720Ala/Asp721Ala and Glu724Ala/Asp725Ala showed rate reductions of ∼7- and ∼27-fold, respectively at Arg372. While the rate for thrombin-catalyzed cleavage at Arg1689 in the Glu720Ala variant was similar to wild-type, rates for cleavage at this site were reduced ∼30-fold compared to wild-type factor VIII for the Asp721Ala, Glu724Ala, Asp725Ala, and Glu720Ala/Asp721Ala mutants, and ∼50-fold for the Glu724Ala/Asp725Ala variant. Furthermore, the generation of factor VIIIa activity following reaction with thrombin as assayed by factor Xa generation showed that all the mutants possessed peak activity values that were ∼2-3-fold reduced compared to wild type factor VIIIa. Moreover, in all the mutants the characteristic peak of activation was replaced with a slower forming, broad plateau of activity, with the double mutants showing the broadest activation profiles. These results suggest that residues Glu720, Asp721, Glu724, and Asp725 following the A2 domain modulate thrombin interactions with factor VIII facilitating cleavage at Arg372 and Arg1689 during procofactor activation.


Blood ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 398-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Rawala-Sheikh ◽  
SS Ahmad ◽  
DM Monroe ◽  
HR Roberts ◽  
PN Walsh

To study the requirements for factor-IXa binding to platelets and factor-X activation, we examined the consequences of chemical modification (factor IXMOD) or enzymatic removal (factor IXDES) of gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues. In the presence of factor VIIIa and factor X, there were 344 (+/- 52) binding sites/platelet for factor IXaMOD (apparent dissociation constant [kdapp] = 4.5 +/- 0.9 nmol/L) and 275 (+/- 35) sites/platelet for factor IXaDES (kdapp = 5.0 +/- 0.8 nmol/L) compared with 580 (+/-65) sites/platelet for normal factor IXa (factor IXaN) (kdapp = 0.61 +/- 0.1 nmol/L) and 300 (+/-62) sites/platelet for factor IX (kdapp = 2.9 +/- 0.29 nmol/L). The concentrations of factor IXaN, factor IXaMOD and factor IXaDES required for half-maximal rates of factor-Xa formation were 0.67 nmol/L, 3.5 nmol/L, and 6.7 nmol/L. Whereas maximal velocities (Vmax) of factor Xa formation by factor IXaMOD (approximately 0.8 nmol/L.min-1) and factor IXaN (approximately 10.5 nmol/L.min-1), turnover numbers (kcat expressed as moles of factor Xa formed per minute per mole of factor IXa bound), and values of catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) were normal, indicating that the decreased rates of factor X activation observed with factor IXaMOD and factor IXaDES are solely a consequence of the abnormal binding of these proteins to thrombin-activated platelets in the presence of factor VIIIa and factor X. Thus, factor IXa binding to platelets is mediated in part, but not exclusively, by high-affinity Ca2+ binding sites in the Gla domain of factor IX.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (08) ◽  
pp. 209-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Celie ◽  
Joost Kolkman ◽  
Peter Lenting ◽  
Koen Mertens

IntroductionThe activation of factor X is one of the steps in the coagulation cascade that is driven by the assembly of an activated serine protease with a membrane-bound cofactor. In the initial phase of coagulation, factor X is activated by the complex of activated factor VII (factor VIIa) and tissue factor. Subsequently, during the so-called propagation phase, factor X activation is catalyzed by the complex of activated factor IX (factor IXa) and activated factor VIII (factor VIIIa). In these complexes, factor VIIa and factor IXa are the factor X-activating enzymes, whereas tissue factor and factor VIIIa serve as non-enzymatic cofactors.1 Factors VIIa and IXa are highly homologous to other cofactor-dependent enzymes, such as activated factor X (factor Xa) and activated protein C, both in amino acid sequence, domain organization, and three-dimensional structure.2 Factor VIIa and IXa further share low or negligible activity towards their natural substrate factor X, unless in complex with their physiological cofactors.Although tissue factor and factor VIIIa serve similar roles as biological amplifiers, they are structurally different. Tissue factor is a small, transmembrane protein with an extracellular part comprising 219 amino acids. Factor VIII is much larger (2,332 amino acids), circulates in plasma, and requires proteolytic processing to exert its biological activity.3 When cofactors are assembled with their respective enzymes, a dramatic increase in enzymatic activity occurs. The underlying molecular mechanism, however, remains poorly understood.During the past few years, remarkable progress has been made in understanding the molecular details of enzyme-cofactor assembly within the coagulation cascade. Crystallography has provided high-resolution structures of tissue factor4 and the various cofactor-dependent coagulation enzymes.2 Moreover, the crystal structure of the factor VIIa—tissue factor complex has been resolved and has allowed the identification of the molecular sites involved in enzyme-cofactor interaction.5,6 Such details are still lacking, however, for the factor IXa—factor VIIIa complex. Current views are derived from three-dimensional models generated by homology modeling based on structurally-related proteins, such as nitrite reductase,7 ceruloplasmin,8 and galactose oxidase.9 Despite their inherent limitations, these models greatly facilitate the interpretation of previous functional studies on factor X activation. As such, the availability of molecular models may be considered an important step toward resolving the structure of the factor IXa—factor VIIIa complex and understanding the role of complex assembly and defects thereof. This chapter provides an overview of the current developments in this field.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (08) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Fay

IntroductionHemophilia A, the most common of the severe, inherited bleeding disorders, results from a deficiency or defect in the plasma protein factor VIII. The activated form of the protein serves as an essential cofactor for factor IXa in the conversion of factor X to factor Xa. This surface-bound complex of enzyme and cofactor is referred to as the intrinsic factor Xase. Factor VIIIa dramatically increases the catalytic rate constant for substrate conversion by an unclear mechanism. The activity and stability of the factor Xase appears to be regulated by the integrity of the cofactor. Factor VIIIa possesses a labile structure, and subunit dissociation results in the decay of Xase activity. Furthermore, factor VIIIa is a substrate for proteolytic inactivation by several enzymes, including factor IXa, the enzyme for which it serves as a cofactor. Although interest in the structure, function, and metabolism of factor VIII is commensurate with its biochemical and clinical importance, the molecular basis for its role in coagulation and the regulation of function through complex intramolecular and intermolecular interactions remain poorly understood.


1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.M. van Wijk ◽  
L.H. Kahlé ◽  
J.W. ten Cate

In a system of washed human platelets, Ca2+ and purified human factors X an. II, a sufficient amount of thrombin is generated in about 10 minutes to aggregate the platelets. This thrombin is formed through the activation of FX by the platelets. In a system with either FX or FII present, no aggregation occurs. In addition no aggregation is observed when hirudin, a specific thrombin inhibitor, or when soybean trypsin inhibitor, which inhibits factor Xa, are added to the mixture. The formation of factor Xa can be monitored indirectly through the generation of thrombin, in the presence of an excess of prothrombin, using a thrombin sensitive chromogenic substrate. When washed platelets are incubated with FX along for 10 minutes, no aggregation occurs and after the addition of prothrombin aggregation starts within 6 minutes. These findings confirm that washed platelets possess a factor X activating property. The generation of FXa proceeds in the absence of added Ca2+, whereas in the presence of Ca2+ factor Xa activity reaches a maximum in 3 minutes, whereafter the activity progressively decreases. This may be due to the binding of Xa to the platelets in the presence of calcium ions.


2001 ◽  
Vol 276 (15) ◽  
pp. 12434-12439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Fay ◽  
Maria Mastri ◽  
Mary E. Koszelak ◽  
Hironao Wakabayashi

Factor VIII circulates as a noncovalent heterodimer consisting of a heavy chain (HC, contiguous A1-A2-B domains) and light chain (LC). Cleavage of HC at the A1-A2 and A2-B junctions generates the A1 and A2 subunits of factor VIIIa. Although the isolated A2 subunit stimulates factor IXa-catalyzed generation of factor Xa by ∼100-fold, the isolated HC, free from the LC, showed no effect in this assay. However, extended reaction of HC with factors IXa and X resulted in an increase in factor IXa activity because of conversion of the HC to A1 and A2 subunits by factor Xa. HC cleavage by thrombin or factor Xa yielded similar products, although factor Xa cleaved at a rate of ∼1% observed for thrombin. HC showed little inhibition of the A2 subunit-dependent stimulation of factor IXa activity, suggesting that factor IXa-interactive sites are masked in the A2 domain of HC. Furthermore, HC showed no effect on the fluorescence anisotropy of fluorescein-Phe-Phe-Arg-factor IXa in the presence of factor X, whereas thrombin-cleaved HC yielded a marked increase in this parameter. These results indicate that HC cleavage by either thrombin or factor Xa is essential to expose the factor IXa-interactive site(s) in the A2 subunit required to modulate protease activity.


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