A Direct, Plasmin Independent Assay For Plasminogen Activation

1981 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Mussoni ◽  
Dan Lawrence ◽  
David Loskutoff

We have modified the direct, 125I-plasminogen cleavage assay for plasminogen activator (PA) and employed it to compare urokinase (UK), tissue activator (TA), and PAs produced by cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. The assay is based on conversion of single chain plasminogen to two chain plasmin as revealed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of SDS andβ-mercapto- ethanol. Inclusion of Triton X-100, albumin and trasylol in the reaction mixture reduced the adsorptive and hydrolytic loss of reactants, and increased the linearity and sensitivity of the assay. Under these conditions, plasmin formation was linear for at least 6 hrs, dose- dependent over a 20-fold range of UK concentrations, and at least 100-fold more sensitive (0.01 units/ml) than previously reported direct assays for UK. In preliminary experiments, we determined a Km value of 10yM for UK and plasminogen. Activation of plasminogen by TA was minimal in the absence of fibrin, and independent of the concentration of activator. However, in the presence of fibrin, (1) the initial rate of activation increased dramatically, (2) 100-1000 fold less TA was required, and (3) activation was proportional to the concentration of both TA and fibrin. Surprisingly, activation by UK and cellular PAs was partially inhibited by fibrin. Epsilon amino caproic acid (EACA; 0.5-100mM) stimulated activation by UK both in the presence and absence of fibrin by 30-40%. In contrast, EACA (0.1-100mM) inhibited TA activity in the presence of fibrin by over 90%. However, in the absence of fibrin, TA was inhibited by only 50%, even at high EACA concentrations (lOOmM). These results indicate that cleavage of 1251- plasminogen can be employed as a direct, sensitive and quantitative assay for various PAs, and offers a new approach for studying plasminogen activation and agents that stimulate or inhibit it.

Blood ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Pannell ◽  
V Gurewich

Abstract Single-chain urokinase (SC-UK) has an intrinsic amidolytic activity, as measured with synthetic substrate (Kabi S-2444; pyro-Glu-Gly-Arg- pNitroanalide), which was found to be 0.1% to 0.2% that of its plasmin- activated derivative, two-chain UK (TC-UK). A study of the reaction of SC-UK with plasminogen is complicated by the effect of the reaction product, plasmin, on both reactants. The resultant generation of TC-UK and Lys-plasminogen produces secondary reactions which greatly augment plasminogen activation. To confine enzymatic activity to the primary reaction, after pretreatment to eliminate trace TC-UK contaminants, SC- UK was incubated with Glu- or Lys-plasminogen in the presence of aprotinin (500 KIU/mL) to inhibit generated plasmin and dansyl-glutamyl- glycyl-arginyl-chloromethylketone (20 mumol/L), which irreversibly inhibited TC-UK but not SC-UK. Analysis by reducing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed a plasminogen-activating activity for SC-UK that was approximately 0.4% that of TC-UK. Both SC-UK and TC-UK preferentially activated Lys- plasminogen over Glu-plasminogen. Similarly, Glu-plasminogen activation was augmented by lysine or soluble fibrin. The ratio of the reaction rates of SC-UK and TC-UK were comparable for Glu- and Lys-plasminogen. It is concluded that there is a major difference in the catalytic activities of SC-UK and TC-UK against plasminogen that is comparable to that against synthetic substrate.


Blood ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Pannell ◽  
V Gurewich

Single-chain urokinase (SC-UK) has an intrinsic amidolytic activity, as measured with synthetic substrate (Kabi S-2444; pyro-Glu-Gly-Arg- pNitroanalide), which was found to be 0.1% to 0.2% that of its plasmin- activated derivative, two-chain UK (TC-UK). A study of the reaction of SC-UK with plasminogen is complicated by the effect of the reaction product, plasmin, on both reactants. The resultant generation of TC-UK and Lys-plasminogen produces secondary reactions which greatly augment plasminogen activation. To confine enzymatic activity to the primary reaction, after pretreatment to eliminate trace TC-UK contaminants, SC- UK was incubated with Glu- or Lys-plasminogen in the presence of aprotinin (500 KIU/mL) to inhibit generated plasmin and dansyl-glutamyl- glycyl-arginyl-chloromethylketone (20 mumol/L), which irreversibly inhibited TC-UK but not SC-UK. Analysis by reducing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed a plasminogen-activating activity for SC-UK that was approximately 0.4% that of TC-UK. Both SC-UK and TC-UK preferentially activated Lys- plasminogen over Glu-plasminogen. Similarly, Glu-plasminogen activation was augmented by lysine or soluble fibrin. The ratio of the reaction rates of SC-UK and TC-UK were comparable for Glu- and Lys-plasminogen. It is concluded that there is a major difference in the catalytic activities of SC-UK and TC-UK against plasminogen that is comparable to that against synthetic substrate.


1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (06) ◽  
pp. 906-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
D C Rijken ◽  
E Groeneveld ◽  
M M Barrett-Bergshoeff

SummaryBM 06.022 is a non-glycosylated mutant of human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) comprising only the kringle-2 and proteinase domains. The in vivo half-life of BM 06.022 antigen is 4- to 5-fold longer than that of t-PA antigen. The in vitro half-life of the activity of BM 06.022 at therapeutic concentrations in plasma is shorter than that of t-PA. In this study the inactivation of BM 06.022 in plasma was further investigated.Varying concentrations of BM 06.022 were incubated in plasma for 0-150 min. Activity assays on serial samples showed a dose-dependent decline of BM 06.022 activity with a half-life from 72 min at 0.3 μg/ml to 38 min at 10 μg/ml. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) followed by fibrin autography showed the generation of several BM 06.022-complexes. These complexes could be completely precipitated with antibodies against Cl-inactivator, α2-antiplasmin and α1-antitrypsin.During the incubation of BM 06.022 in plasma, plasmin was generated dose-dependently as revealed by varying degrees of a2-anti-plasmin consumption and fibrinogen degradation. SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting showed that single-chain BM 06.022 was rapidly (i. e. within 45 min) converted into its two-chain form at concentrations of 5 μg/ml BM 06.022 and higher.In conclusion, BM 06.022 at therapeutic concentrations in plasma was inactivated by Cl-inactivator, a2-antiplasmin and a j-antitrypsin. The half-life of the activity decreased at increasing BM 06.022 concentrations, probably as a result of the generation of two-chain BM 06.022 which may be inactivated faster than the single-chain form.


Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 508-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
EI Peerschke

Abstract Previous studies indicated a correlation between the formation of EDTA- resistant (irreversible) platelet-fibrinogen interactions and platelet cytoskeleton formation. The present study explored the direct association of membrane-bound fibrinogen with the Triton X-100 (Sigma Chemical Co, St Louis, MO) insoluble cytoskeleton of aspirin-treated, gel-filtered platelets, activated but not aggregated with 20 mumol/L adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or 150 mU/mL human thrombin (THR) when bound fibrinogen had become resistant to dissociation by EDTA. Conversion of exogenous 125I-fibrinogen to fibrin was prevented by adding Gly-Pro-Arg and neutralizing THR with hirudin before initiating binding studies. After 60 minutes at 22 degrees C, the cytoskeleton of ADP-treated platelets contained 20% +/- 12% (mean +/- SD, n = 14) of membrane-bound 125I-fibrinogen, representing 10% to 50% of EDTA- resistant fibrinogen binding. The THR-activated cytoskeleton contained 45% +/- 15% of platelet bound fibrinogen, comprising 80% to 100% of EDTA-resistant fibrinogen binding. 125I-fibrinogen was not recovered with platelet cytoskeletons if binding was inhibited by the RGDS peptide, excess unlabeled fibrinogen, or disruption of the glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa complex by EDTA-treatment. Both development of EDTA- resistant fibrinogen binding and fibrinogen association with the cytoskeleton were time dependent and reached maxima 45 to 60 minutes after fibrinogen binding to stimulated platelets. Although a larger cytoskeleton formed after platelet stimulation with thrombin as compared with ADP, no change in cytoskeleton composition was noted with development of EDTA-resistant fibrinogen binding. Examination of platelet cytoskeletons using monoclonal antibodies, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and Western blotting showed the presence of only traces of GP IIb-IIIa in the cytoskeletons of resting platelets, with no detectable increases after platelet activation or development of EDTA-resistant fibrinogen binding. These data suggest that GP IIb-IIIa-mediated fibrinogen binding to activated platelets is accompanied by time-dependent alterations in platelet- fibrinogen interactions leading to the GP IIb-IIIa independent association between bound fibrinogen and the platelet cytoskeleton.


Parasitology ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Howard ◽  
J. W. Barnwell

SUMMARYPlasmodium knowlesi malaria-infected erythrocytes were radio-iodinated and several non-ionic, anionic and zwitterionic detergents were compared in their capacity to extract the labelled membrane proteins. The use of these detergents for antigen identification was tested by immunoprecipitation, after addition of Triton X-100 to some detergent extracts, using hyperimmune monkey antiserum and protein A-Sepharose. 125I-labelled antigens were specifically immunoprecipitated with all detergents tested, including the anionic detergents sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), deoxycholate and cholate; the zwitterions Zwittergent-312 and -314, CHAPS and Empigen BB, as well as several non-ionic detergents. The SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis patterns of 125I-labelled antigens varied after extraction with different detergents, there being no consistent pattern for detergents of a particular class. A total of 14 125I-labelled antigens were identified, 11 of them using Triton X-100. Some minor antigens identified with Triton X-100 were immunoprecipitated in greater amount after extraction in other detergents. Most importantly, two antigens Mr 200000 and 180000 were detected only after extraction with deoxycholate or SDS.


2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 546-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyan Wei ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Songchuan Yang ◽  
Junjie Xu ◽  
Hangtian Kong ◽  
...  

A novel gene, testes-specific protease 50 ( TSP50), is abnormally activated and differentially expressed in most patients with breast cancer, suggesting it as a novel biomarker for this disease. The possibility that TSP50 may be an oncogene is presently under investigation. In this study, the single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) against TSP50 were panned from a phage display antibody library using TSP50-specific peptide, pep-50, as a target antigen. After 4 rounds of panning, 3 clones (A1, A11, and C8) from the library were verified to show strong binding affinities for TSP50 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and to contain the variable region genes of the light and heavy chains of scFv antibodies but different complementary determining regions by sequencing. The genes of scFv-A1 and scFv-A11 were cloned into expression vector pPELB and successfully expressed as a soluble protein in Escherichia coli Rosetta. The yields of expressions were about 4.0 to 5.0 mg of protein from 1 L of culture. The expressed proteins were purified by a 2-step procedure consisting of ion-exchange chromatography, followed by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. The purified proteins were shown a single band at the position of 31 KDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Sandwich ELISA demonstrated that the expressed scFv proteins were able to specifically react with pep-50, laying a foundation for the investigation of the function of TSP50 in the development and treatment of breast cancer.


2003 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 625-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Masini d'Avila-Levy ◽  
Rodrigo F Souza ◽  
Rosana C Gomes ◽  
Alane B Vermelho ◽  
Marta H Branquinha

Actively motile cells from a cured strain of Crithidia deanei released proteins in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The molecular mass of the released polypeptides, which included some proteinases, ranged from 19 to 116 kDa. One of the major protein bands was purified to homogeneity by a combination of anion-exchange and gel filtration chromatographs. The apparent molecular mass of this protein was estimated to be 62 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE). The incorporation of gelatin into SDS–PAGE showed that the purified protein presented proteolytic activity in a position corresponding to a molecular mass of 60 kDa. The enzyme was optimally active at 37 °C and pH 6.0 and showed 25% of residual activity at 28 °C for 30 min. The proteinase was inhibited by 1,10-phenanthroline and EDTA, showing that it belonged to the metalloproteinase class. A polyclonal antibody to the leishmanial gp63 reacted strongly with the released C. deanei protease. After Triton X-114 extraction, an enzyme similar to the purified metalloproteinase was detected in aqueous and detergent-rich phases. The detection of an extracellular metalloproteinase produced by C. deanei and some other Crithidia species suggests a potential role of this released enzyme in substrate degradation that may be relevant to the survival of trypanosomatids in the host.Key words: endosymbiont, trypanosomatid, extracellular, proteinase.


Author(s):  
Béatrice Gulbis ◽  
Faustin Kagambega ◽  
Léon Tshilolo ◽  
Françoise Vertongen

To improve the resolution and rapidity of globin chains separation, we have modified the basic technique of globin chain electrophoresis in urea—acetic acid—Triton X-100. Haemolysates from anticoagulated cord or adult blood samples were submitted to urea—acetic acid-Triton X-100 Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using a 15% Polyacrylamide gel cast in a mini slab cell which allows a rapid analysis of globin chains samples. After staining proteins with Coomassie brilliant blue R-250, the relative amounts of globin chains were determined by scanning. This new procedure has allowed us to obtain a better separation of the normal and abnormal globin chains than described previously. All the normal globin chains, i.e. Aγ, Gγ, δ, β and α, are well separated by this modified technique. Semi-quantification of the Gγ/Aγ ratio has been performed. This simple and rapid method is also suitable for the global identification of the globin chain involved in the most common abnormal haemoglobin variants, except β-S.


Blood ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 810-817
Author(s):  
KJ Balazovich ◽  
JE Smolen ◽  
LA Boxer

Ca2+-dependent and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (PKC) is a receptor for and is activated by phorbol esters. This enzyme is reportedly involved in the mechanism of superoxide anion (O2-) production and the release of intracellular granule contents from human neutrophils. As previously reported by others, we found that greater than 75% of the total cellular PKC activity existed in a soluble form in untreated neutrophils and that this activity was enhanced in a dose- dependent manner by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and by phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu). Furthermore, mezerein, an analogue of PMA that is thought to be a competitive inhibitor, did not activate PKC, and on the contrary, inhibited PMA-stimulated activity in a dose- dependent manner. Pretreatment of intact neutrophils with PMA or PDBu caused the “translocation” of PKC activity to the insoluble cell fraction; PKC translocation was not detected after mezerein stimulation at any of the tested concentrations. Neither did mezerein cause an increase in intracellular Ca2+, as monitored by Quin 2 fluorescence. Both phorbol esters and mezerein stimulated intact neutrophils to generate O2- and release lysosomal enzymes into the extracellular medium. Finally sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis demonstrated key differences in the patterns of endogenous phosphoproteins of neutrophils stimulated with phorbol as compared with mezerein. We therefore suggest that PKC activation may not be the only pathway required to elicit neutrophil responses.


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