scholarly journals In Hemophilia Α Plasma Treated with Emicizumab, Factor IX Activation By Factor VIIa Drives Thrombin Generation

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 17-17
Author(s):  
Dougald Monroe ◽  
Mirella Ezban ◽  
Maureane Hoffman

Background.Recently a novel bifunctional antibody (emicizumab) that binds both factor IXa (FIXa) and factor X (FX) has been used to treat hemophilia A. Emicizumab has proven remarkably effective as a prophylactic treatment for hemophilia A; however there are patients that still experience bleeding. An approach to safely and effectively treating this bleeding in hemophilia A patients with inhibitors is recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa). When given at therapeutic levels, rFVIIa can enhance tissue factor (TF) dependent activation of FX as well as activating FX independently of TF. At therapeutic levels rFVIIa can also activate FIX. The goal of this study was to assess the role of the FIXa activated by rFVIIa when emicizumab is added to hemophilia A plasma. Methods. Thrombin generation assays were done in plasma using 100 µM lipid and 420 µM Z-Gly-Gly-Arg-AMC with or without emicizumab at 55 µg/mL which is the clinical steady state level. The reactions were initiated with low (1 pM) tissue factor (TF). rFVIIa was added at concentrations of 25-100 nM with 25 nM corresponding to the plasma levels achieved by a single clinical dose of 90 µg/mL. To study to the role of factor IX in the absence of factor VIII, it was necessary to create a double deficient plasma (factors VIII and IX deficient). This was done by taking antigen negative hemophilia B plasma and adding a neutralizing antibody to factor VIII (Haematologic Technologies, Essex Junction, VT, USA). Now varying concentrations of factor IX could be reconstituted into the plasma to give hemophilia A plasma. Results. As expected, in the double deficient plasma with low TF there was essentially no thrombin generation. Also as expected from previous studies, addition of rFVIIa to double deficient plasma gave a dose dependent increase in thrombin generation through activation of FX. Interestingly addition of plasma levels of FIX to the rFVIIa did not increase thrombin generation. Starting from double deficient plasma, as expected emicizumab did not increase thrombin generation since no factor IX was present. Also, in double deficient plasma with rFVIIa, emicizumab did not increase thrombin generation. But in double deficient plasma with FIX and rFVIIa, emicizumab significantly increased thrombin generation. The levels of thrombin generation increased in a dose dependent fashion with higher concentrations of rFVIIa giving higher levels of thrombin generation. Conclusion. Since addition of FIX to the double deficient plasma with rFVIIa did not increase thrombin generation, it suggests that rFVIIa activation of FX is the only source of the FXa needed for thrombin generation. So in the absence of factor VIII (or emicizumab) FIX activation does not contribute to thrombin generation. However, in the presence of emicizumab, while rFVIIa can still activate FX, FIXa formed by rFVIIa can complex with emicizumab to provide an additional source of FX activation. Thus rFVIIa activation of FIX explains the synergistic effect in thrombin generation observed when combining rFVIIa with emicizumab. The generation of FIXa at a site of injury is consistent with the safety profile observed in clinical use. Disclosures Monroe: Novo Nordisk:Research Funding.Ezban:Novo Nordisk:Current Employment.Hoffman:Novo Nordisk:Research Funding.

Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 1330-1335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelis van 't Veer ◽  
Neal J. Golden ◽  
Kenneth G. Mann

Factor VII circulates as a single chain inactive zymogen (10 nmol/L) and a trace (∼10-100 pmol/L) circulates as the 2-chain form, factor VIIa. Factor VII and factor VIIa were studied in a coagulation model using plasma concentrations of purified coagulation factors with reactions initiated with relipidated tissue factor (TF). Factor VII (10 nmol/L) extended the lag phase of thrombin generation initiated by 100 pmol/L factor VIIa and low TF. With the coagulation inhibitors TFPI and AT-III present, factor VII both extended the lag phase of the reaction and depressed the rate of thrombin generation. The inhibition of factor Xa generation by factor VII is consistent with its competition with factor VIIa for TF. Thrombin generation with TF concentrations >100 pmol/L was not inhibited by factor VII. At low tissue factor concentrations (<25 pmol/L) thrombin generation becomes sensitive to the absence of factor VIII. In the absence of factor VIII, factor VII significantly inhibits TF-initiated thrombin generation by 100 pmol/L factor VIIa. In this hemophilia A model, approximately 2 nmol/L factor VIIa is needed to overcome the inhibition of physiologic (10 nmol/L) factor VII. At 10 nmol/L, factor VIIa provided a thrombin generation response in the hemophilia model (0% factor VIII, 10 nmol/L factor VII) equivalent to that observed with normal plasma, (100% factor VIII, 10 nmol/L factor VII, 100 pmol/L factor VIIa). These results suggest that the therapeutic efficacy of factor VIIa in the medical treatment of hemophiliacs with inhibitors is, in part, based on overcoming the factor VII inhibitory effect.


Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 88 (10) ◽  
pp. 3815-3823 ◽  
Author(s):  
GJ Jr Broze ◽  
DA Higuchi

Coagulation is initiated by the binding of factor VIIa to tissue factor, with resultant limited factor IX and X activation and thrombin production. Owing to the feedback inhibition of the factor VIIa/tissue factor complex by tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), additional factor X activation and thrombin generation must proceed through a pathway involving factors VIII, IX, and XI. Experiments designed to elucidate the requirement for amplified factor Xa and thrombin generation in normal hemostasis show that the resistance of plasma clots to tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)- and urokinase-induced fibrinolysis is related to the extent of thrombin generation. Inhibition of fibrinolysis is mediated in part by plasma carboxypeptidase-U ([CPU] carboxypeptidase-R, procarboxypeptidase-B, thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor), a proenzyme that is proteolytically activated by thrombin in a process enhanced dramatically by the cofactor thrombomodulin. A clot induced in factor IX-deficient plasma with limited amounts of tissue factor in the presence of urokinase (100 U/mL) lyses prematurely, and this defect is corrected by supplementation of the deficient plasma with factor IX (5 micrograms/mL) or thrombomodulin (20 ng/mL). These additions enhance the rate and extent of CPU activation: in the case of factor IX, presumably by permitting amplified generation of factor Xa and thrombin, and in the case of thrombomodulin, presumably by increasing the degree of CPU activation produced by the low levels of thrombin generated in the absence of factor IX. Pretreatment of the factor IX-deficient plasma with specific anti-CPU antibodies prevents the increased resistance to fibrinolysis produced by addition of factor IX and thrombomodulin. Likewise, when coagulation is induced by thrombin (2 U/mL) in the presence of tPA (60 U/mL), clots formed from plasmas deficient in factors VIII, IX, X, or XI lyse prematurely unless the missing factor is replaced or thrombomodulin (20 ng/mL) is added.


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.


Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 90 (8) ◽  
pp. 3067-3072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelis van ‘t Veer ◽  
Neal J. Golden ◽  
Michael Kalafatis ◽  
Paolo Simioni ◽  
Rogier M. Bertina ◽  
...  

Abstract The classification of factor VIII deficiency, generally used based on plasma levels of factor VIII, consists of severe (<1% normal factor VIII activity), moderate (1% to 4% factor VIII activity), or mild (5% to 25% factor VIII activity). A recent communication described four individuals bearing identical factor VIII mutations. This resulted in a severe bleeding disorder in two patients who carried a normal factor V gene, whereas the two patients who did not display severe hemophilia were heterozygous for the factor VLEIDEN mutation, which leads to the substitution of Arg506 → Gln mutation in the factor V molecule. Based on the factor VIII level measured using factor VIII–deficient plasma, these two patients were classified as mild/moderate hemophiliacs. We studied the condition of moderate to severe hemophilia A combined with the factor VLEIDEN mutation in vitro in a reconstituted model of the tissue factor pathway to thrombin. In the model, thrombin generation was initiated by relipidated tissue factor and factor VIIa in the presence of the coagulation factors X, IX, II, V, and VIII and the inhibitors tissue factor pathway inhibitor, antithrombin-III, and protein C. At 5 pmol/L initiating factor VIIa⋅tissue factor, a 10-fold higher peak level of thrombin formation (350 nmol/L), was observed in the system in the presence of plasma levels of factor VIII compared with reactions without factor VIII. Significant increase in thrombin formation was observed at factor VIII concentrations less than 42 pmol/L (∼6% of the normal factor VIII plasma concentration). In reactions without factor VIII, in which thrombin generation was downregulated by the addition of protein C and thrombomodulin, an increase of thrombin formation was observed with the factor VLEIDEN mutation. The level of increase in thrombin generation in the hemophilia A situation was found to be dependent on the factor VLEIDEN concentration. When the factor VLEIDEN concentration was varied from 50% to 150% of the normal plasma concentration, the increase in thrombin generation ranged from threefold to sevenfold. The data suggested that the analysis of the factor V genotype should be accompanied by a quantitative analysis of the plasma factor VLEIDEN level to understand the effect of factor VLEIDEN in hemophilia A patients. The presented data support the hypothesis that the factor VLEIDEN mutation can increase thrombin formation in severe hemophilia A.


Haematologica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (9) ◽  
pp. 2335-2340
Author(s):  
Toufik Abache ◽  
Alexandre Fontayne ◽  
Dominique Grenier ◽  
Emilie Jacque ◽  
Alain Longue ◽  
...  

Rendering coagulation factor X sensitive to thrombin was proposed as a strategy that can bypass the need for factor VIII. In this paper, this non-replacement strategy was evaluated in vitro and in vivo in its ability to correct factor VIII but also factor IX, X and XI deficiencies. A novel modified factor X, named Actiten, was generated and produced in the HEK293F cell line. The molecule possesses the required post-translational modifications, partially keeps its ability to be activated by RVV-X, factor VIIa/tissue factor, factor VIIIa/factor IXa and acquires the ability to be activated by thrombin. The potency of the molecule was evaluated in respective deficient plasmas or hemophilia A plasmas, for some with inhibitors. Actiten corrects dose dependently all the assayed deficient plasmas. It is able to normalize the thrombin generation at 20 μg/mL showing however an increased lagtime. It was then assayed in a rabbit antibody-induced model of hemophilia A where, in contrast to recombinant factor X wild-type, it normalized the bleeding time and the loss of hemoglobin. No sign of thrombogenicity was observed and the generation of activated factor X was controlled by the anticoagulation pathway in all performed coagulation assays. This data indicates that Actiten may be considered as a possible non replacement factor to treat hemophilia's with the advantage of being a zymogen correcting bleedings only when needed.


Blood ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 1794-1801 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Hoffman ◽  
DM Monroe ◽  
JA Oliver ◽  
HR Roberts

Tissue factor is the major initiator of coagulation. Both factor IX and factor X are activated by the complex of factor VIIa and tissue factor (VIIa/TF). The goal of this study was to determine the specific roles of factors IXa and Xa in initiating coagulation. We used a model system of in vitro coagulation initiated by VIIa/TF and that included unactivated platelets and plasma concentrations of factors II, V, VIII, IX, and X, tissue factor pathway inhibitor, and antithrombin III. In some cases, factor IX and/or factor X were activated by tissue factor- bearing monocytes, but in some experiments, picomolar concentrations of preactivated factor IX or factor X were used to initiate the reactions. Timed samples were assayed for both platelet activation and thrombin activity. Factor Xa was 10 times more potent than factor IXa in initiating platelet activation, but factor IXa was much more effective in promoting thrombin generation than was factor Xa. In the presence of VIIa/TF, factor X was required for both platelet activation and thrombin generation, while factor IX was only required for thrombin generation. We conclude that VIIa/TF-activated factors IXa and Xa have distinct physiologic roles. The main role of factor Xa that is initially activated by VIIa/TF is to activate platelets by generating an initial, small amount of thrombin in the vicinity of platelets. Factor IXa, on the other hand, enhances thrombin generation by providing factor Xa on the platelet surface, leading to prothrombinase formation. Only tiny amounts of factors IX and X need to be activated by VIIa/TF to perform these distinct functions. Our experiments show that initiation of coagulation is highly dependent on activation of small amounts of factors IXa and Xa in proximity to platelet surfaces and that these factors play distinct roles in subsequent events, leading to an explosion of thrombin generation. Furthermore, the specific roles of factors IXa and Xa generated by VIIa/TF are not necessarily reflected by the kinetics of factor IXa and Xa generation.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (08) ◽  
pp. 201-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Pipe ◽  
Randal Kaufman

IntroductionHemostasis requires a cascade of proteolytic reactions that occurs on the surfaces of damaged or activated cells, such as platelets, white blood cells, and endothelial cells. Initial damage to a blood vessel results in platelet adhesion to the subendothelium mediated by von Willebrand factor (vWF). Subsequently, platelet activation and aggregation occur. Protease complexes assemble on the surface of activated cells and are converted sequentially to their proteolytically active forms to result in a localized burst of thrombin generation and the conversion of soluble fibrinogen to insoluble fibrin. Activation of the extrinsic coagulation pathway occurs to form a factor VIIa—tissue factor complex on activated or damaged endothelial cells. In turn, factor VIIa activates the intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation by activating factor IXa, which in turn interacts with activated factor VIIIa, in the presence of calcium and negatively-charged phospholipids, to convert factor X to factor Xa. Factor Xa then acts with its cofactor factor Va, in the presence of calcium and negatively-charged phospholipids, to convert prothrombin to thrombin. Initial factor Xa and thrombin generation feeds back to activate cofactors VIII and V. Activation of these cofactors in the intrinsic pathway serves to amplify thrombin generation. The importance of this cascade in hemostasis is evident from the characterization of individuals who are defective in proteins that function in this cascade. The most common of these disorders, a deficiency of factor VIII that results in hemophilia A, was documented more than 1,700 years ago in the Talmud.1 The genetics of hemophilia A was described in the early 1800s, and transfusion of whole blood was shown to successfully treat a hemophilia A-associated bleeding episode by 1840.2,3 Although the presence of factor VIII in plasma was demonstrated in 19114 and its role in hemostasis was described in 1937,5 a detailed biochemical and structural characterization of factor VIII was achieved only within the last 20 years. Prior to 1980, the relationship between hemophilia A and von Willebrand’s disease generated a great deal of confusion because the autosomally-inherited von Willebrand’s disease is associated with some degree of factor VIII deficiency, although hemophilia is an X-linked disease. In addition, early preparations of antihemophilia factor not only corrected the clotting time of hemophilic plasma, but also restored platelet adhesion and aggregation defects in the plasma of patients with von Willebrand’s disease. It is now appreciated that factor VIII and vWF are two separate proteins that exist as a complex in plasma. They are under separate genetic control, have distinct biochemical and immunological properties, and have unique and essential physiological functions (Table 1). Factor VIII is the X-linked gene product that accelerates the factor IXa-mediated activation of factor X by four orders of magnitude. vWF is an autosomal gene product that is essential for platelet adhesion to the subendothelium and for ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation. In addition, vWF plays a critical role in the regulation of factor VIII activity by 1) stabilizing factor VIII on secretion from the cell;6,7 2) requiring the survival of factor VIII in plasma,8,9 3) protecting factor VIII from activation by factor Xa and inactivation by activated protein C;10,11 and 4) preventing factor VIII from binding to phospholipids and activated platelets.3,12 It is likely that vWF mediates its inhibitory properties on factor VIII by preventing factor VIII from binding to phospholipids, an interaction required for both factor Xa- and APC-mediated cleavage of factor VIII. Because vWF and factor VIII are found in plasma as a complex and vWF stabilizes factor VIII and regulates its activity, the activities of these two proteins are intimately intertwined.


Blood ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 204-212
Author(s):  
NL Sanders ◽  
SP Bajaj ◽  
A Zivelin ◽  
SI Rapaport

A study was carried out to explore requirements for the inhibition of tissue factor-factor VIIa enzymatic activity in plasma. Reaction mixtures contained plasma, 3H-factor IX or 3H-factor X, tissue factor (vol/vol 2.4% to 24%), and calcium. Tissue factor-factor VIIa activity was evaluated from progress curves of activation of factor IX or factor X, plotted from tritiated activation peptide release data. With normal plasma, progress curves exhibited initial limited activation followed by a plateau indicative of loss of tissue factor-factor VIIa activity. With hereditary factor X-deficient plasma treated with factor X antibodies, progress curves revealed full factor IX activation. Adding only 0.4 micrograms/mL factor X (final concentration) could restore inhibition. Inhibition was not observed in purified systems containing 6% to 24% tissue factor, factor VII, 0.5 micrograms/mL, factor IX, 13 micrograms/mL, and factor X up to 0.8 micrograms/mL, but could be induced by adding barium-absorbed plasma to the reaction mixture. Thus, both factor X and an additional material in plasma were required for inhibition. The amount of factor X needed appeared related to the concentration of tissue factor; adding more tissue factor at the plateau of a progress curve induced further activation. These results also indicate that inhibited reaction mixtures contained active free factor VII(a). Preliminary data suggest that inhibition may stem from loss of activity of the tissue factor component of the tissue factor- factor VII(a) complex.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 16-17
Author(s):  
Dougald Monroe ◽  
Mirella Ezban ◽  
Maureane Hoffman

Background. Recently a novel bifunctional antibody (emicizumab) that binds both factor IXa and factor X has been used to treat hemophilia A. Emicizumab has proven remarkably effective as a prophylactic treatment for hemophilia A; however there are patients that still experience bleeding. An approach to treating this bleeding in hemophilia A patients with inhibitors is to give an activated prothrombin complex concentrate (APCC; FEIBA) (disfavored in NHF MASAC #255). APCC contains a number of coaguation factors including prothrombin, factor X (FX), and factor IX (FIX). APCC also contains activated factor X (FXa) and factor IX (FIXa). Previous work has shown that when APCCs are added to hemophilia A plasma containing emicizumab there is a significant increase in thrombin generation [J Thromb Haemost 2018;16:1580-1591]. The goal of this work was to study thrombin generation in hemophilia A plasma with emicizumab and to examine the role of the zymogen and activated components of an APCC in the increased thrombin generation. Methods. In hemophilia A plasma, thrombin generation assays were done using 100 µM lipid and 420 µM Z-Gly-Gly-Arg-AMC with or without emicizumab at 55 µg/mL which is the clinical steady state level. The reactions were initiated with low (1 pM) tissue factor (TF). The components of APCC were studied at concentrations that should mimic the levels seen in the plasma of a patient given a dose of 50 U/kg: prothrombin 1800 nM; FX 130 nM; FIX 90 nM; and FIXa 0.4 nM. Results. When initiated with low TF, hemophilia A plasma alone had essentially no thrombin generation. As expected, adding emicizumab enhanced thrombin generation. The addition of zymogen coagulation factors, prothrombin, FIX, and FX, separately or together gave a small increase in thrombin generation. However, addition of FIXa to emicizumab gave a large increase in peak thrombin. In hemophilia A plasma with emicizumab and FIXa, addition of prothrombin further increased thrombin generation and specifically increased the peak level of thrombin. Further addition of FX or FIX, separately or together, only minimally increased thrombin generation. Discussion. The strong contribution of factor IXa to the effects of APCCs on thrombin generation in hemophilia A plasma depends on the presence of emicizumab. In the absence of emicizumab, a study of the individual components of APCC showed that a combination of FXa and prothrombin at levels found in APCCs had the major effect on thrombin generation [Haemophilia. 2016;22:615-24]. That study found that FIXa did not increase thrombin generation. However, in the presence of emicizumab, despite the weak solution phase affinity of the bifunctional antibody for FIXa, small amounts of FIXa were the most significant contributor to thrombin generation. Disclosures Monroe: Novo Nordisk:Research Funding.Ezban:Novo Nordisk:Current Employment.Hoffman:Novo Nordisk:Research Funding.


Blood ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 204-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
NL Sanders ◽  
SP Bajaj ◽  
A Zivelin ◽  
SI Rapaport

Abstract A study was carried out to explore requirements for the inhibition of tissue factor-factor VIIa enzymatic activity in plasma. Reaction mixtures contained plasma, 3H-factor IX or 3H-factor X, tissue factor (vol/vol 2.4% to 24%), and calcium. Tissue factor-factor VIIa activity was evaluated from progress curves of activation of factor IX or factor X, plotted from tritiated activation peptide release data. With normal plasma, progress curves exhibited initial limited activation followed by a plateau indicative of loss of tissue factor-factor VIIa activity. With hereditary factor X-deficient plasma treated with factor X antibodies, progress curves revealed full factor IX activation. Adding only 0.4 micrograms/mL factor X (final concentration) could restore inhibition. Inhibition was not observed in purified systems containing 6% to 24% tissue factor, factor VII, 0.5 micrograms/mL, factor IX, 13 micrograms/mL, and factor X up to 0.8 micrograms/mL, but could be induced by adding barium-absorbed plasma to the reaction mixture. Thus, both factor X and an additional material in plasma were required for inhibition. The amount of factor X needed appeared related to the concentration of tissue factor; adding more tissue factor at the plateau of a progress curve induced further activation. These results also indicate that inhibited reaction mixtures contained active free factor VII(a). Preliminary data suggest that inhibition may stem from loss of activity of the tissue factor component of the tissue factor- factor VII(a) complex.


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