Role of cell-surface lysines in plasminogen binding to cells: identification of alpha-enolase as a candidate plasminogen receptor.

Plasminogen binding to cell surfaces results in enhanced plasminogen activation, localization of the proteolytic activity of plasmin on cell surfaces, and protection of plasmin from alpha 2-antiplasmin. We sought to characterize candidate plasminogen binding sites on nucleated cells, using the U937 monocytoid cell as a model, specifically focusing on the role of cell-surface proteins with appropriately placed lysine residues as candidate plasminogen receptors. Lysine derivatives with free alpha-carboxyl groups and peptides with carboxy-terminal lysyl residues were effective inhibitors of plasminogen binding to the cells. One of the peptides, representing the carboxy-terminal 19 amino acids of alpha 2-antiplasmin, was approximately 5-fold more effective than others with carboxy-terminal lysines. Thus, in addition to a carboxy-terminal lysyl residue, other structural features of the cell-surface proteins may influence their affinity for plasminogen. Affinity chromatography has been used to isolate candidate plasminogen receptors from U937 cells. A major protein of Mr 54,000 was recovered and identified as alpha-enolase by immunochemical and functional criteria. alpha-Enolase was present on the cell surface and was capable of binding plasminogen in ligand blotting analyses. Plasminogen binding activity of a molecular weight similar to alpha-enolase also was present in a variety of other cell types. Carboxypeptidase B treatment of alpha-enolase abolished its ability to bind plasminogen, consistent with the presence of a C-terminal lysyl residue. Thus, cell-surface proteins with carboxy-terminal lysyl residues appear to function as plasminogen binding sites, and alpha-enolase has been identified as a prominent representative of this class of receptors.

Gangliosides interact directly with plasminogen and urokinase and may mediate binding of these fibrinolytic components to cells.

Receptors for the fibrinolytic molecules plasminogen and urokinase are expressed at high capacity on a wide variety of peripheral blood cells and transformed cell lines. We have considered whether gangliosides, components of the outer leaflets of cell membranes, may modulate the interactions of these fibrinolytic ligands with cells. Radiolabeled plasminogen and urokinase bound directly to insolubilized gangliosides. The interactions were saturable and were 50% inhibited by 2.2 microM unlabeled plasminogen or 12 nM unlabeled urokinase, respectively. A panel of gangliosides inhibited binding of both ligands to U937 monocytoid cells, and the order of decreasing inhibitory effectiveness was GD1a greater than GM1 greater than GT1b greater than GM2, while GM3 was minimally effective. The individual components of gangliosides, hexoses, hexosamines, sialic acid, GM1 pentasaccharide, ceramides, and glucocerebrosides were ineffective in in inhibiting the binding of plasminogen and urokinase either to cells or to insolubilized gangliosides. Binding of both ligands to endothelial cells and granulocytes and binding of plasminogen to platelets were also inhibited by gangliosides. U937 cells were cultured with gangliosides to allow incorporation of these glycolipids into the cell membranes. After 3 days of culture, both urokinase binding and plasminogen binding to the cells became enhanced. These results suggest that gangliosides can directly bind to these fibrinolytic components and may mediate or modulate the interactions of plasminogen and urokinase with a variety of cell types.

The cell-binding domains of plasminogen and their function in plasma.

Plasminogen binding sites are expressed by a wide variety of cell types and serve to promote fibrinolysis and local proteolysis. In this study, the recognition specificity of cells for plasminogen has been examined, primarily using platelets as models. Analyses with plasminogen fragments implicated residues 79-337 (or 353), comprising the first three kringles of plasminogen, as a primary recognition site for plasminogen binding to both thrombin-stimulated and nonstimulated platelets. Other regions of plasminogen, namely residues 354-439 and 442-790, can also participate in the interaction, and these other regions contribute differentially to the binding of the ligand to stimulated and nonstimulated platelets. Binding to nucleated cells, with U937 cells serving as the prototype, is dependent upon a recognition specificity similar to that of unstimulated platelets. Binding of Glu-plasminogen, the native form of the molecule, to thrombin-stimulated platelets has been shown previously to require platelet fibrin. By comparing the interaction of Glu-plasminogen and its degradation product, Lys-plasminogen, with thrombin-stimulated platelets, it is concluded that the cell surface uniquely enhances the affinity of Glu-, but not Lys-plasminogen, for fibrin. Finally, we have demonstrated that cellular receptors and interactive sites within plasminogen are available in the plasma environment. Thus, the functions ascribed to cellular plasminogen receptors can occur within a physiologic setting.