Brain Expression of CPB2 and Effects of Cpb2 Deficiency in Mouse Models of Behavior.

BACKGROUND: Procarboxypeptidase B2 (proCPB2 or TAFI) is a zymogen that after activation cleaves C-terminal basic residues from peptides or proteins with many identified targets. A splice variant of CPB2 has been found in the brain lacking essential residues for its carboxypeptidase function. The aim was to determine CPB2 expression in the brain and effects of CPB2 deficiency (Cpb2 -/-) on behavior. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Behavioral effects were tested by comparing Cpb2 -/- mice in short-term (open field and elevated zero maze tests) and long-term (Phenotyper) observations with wild-type (WT) controls. RESULTS: Long-term observation compared day 1 (acclimatizing to novel environment) to day 4 (fully acclimatized) with the inactive (day) and active (night) periods analyzed separately. Brain expression of CPB2 mRNA and protein was interrogated in publicly available databases. Long-term observation demonstrated differences between WT and Cpb2 -/- mice in several parameters. For example, Cpb2 -/- mice moved more frequently on both days 1 and 4, especially in the normally inactive periods. Cpb2 -/- mice spent more time on the shelter and less time in it. Differences were more pronounced on day 4 after the mice had fully acclimatized. In short-term observations, no differences were observed between Cpb2 -/- mice and WT mice. Brain expression of CBP2 was not detectable in the human protein atlas. Databases of single-cell RNAseq did not show expression of CPB2 mRNA in either human or mouse brain. CONCLUSION: Continuous observation of home-cage behavior suggests that Cpb2 -/- mice are more active than WT mice, show different day-night activity levels, and might have a different way of processing information.

Binding characteristics of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor to streptococcal surface collagen-like proteins A and B.

Streptococcus pyogenes is the causative agent in a wide range of diseases in humans. Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) binds to collagen-like proteins SclA and SclB at the surface of S. pyogenes. Activation of TAFI at this surface redirects inflammation from a transient to chronic state by modulation of the kallikrein/kinin system. We investigated TAFI binding characteristics to SclA/SclB. Thirty-four overlapping TAFI peptides of ~20 amino acids were generated. Two of these peptides (P18: residues G205-S221, and P19: R214-D232) specifically bound to SclA/SclB with high affinity, and competed in a dose-dependent manner with TAFI binding to SclA/SclB. In another series of experiments, the binding properties of activated TAFI (TAFIa) to SclA/SclB were studied with a quadruple TAFI mutant (TAFI-IIYQ) that after activation is a 70-fold more stable enzyme than wild-type TAFIa. TAFI and TAFI-IIYQ bound to the bacterial proteins with similar affinities. The rate of dissociation was different between the proenzyme (both TAFI and TAFI-IIYQ) and the stable enzyme TAFIa-IIYQ. TAFIa-IIYQ bound to SclA/SclB, but dissociated faster than TAFI-IIYQ. In conclusion, the bacterial proteins SclA and SclB bind to a TAFI fragment encompassing residues G205-D232. Binding of TAFI to the bacteria may allow activation of TAFI, whereafter the enzyme easily dissociates.

The hemostatic system in patients with type 2 diabetes with and without cardiovascular disease.

The contribution of the hemostatic system in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes is not completely defined. The aim of this study was to elucidate associations of hemostatic factors with the development of CVD in patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients with type 2 diabetes without CVD (n = 113), with CVD (n = 94), and controls without CVD (n = 100) were enrolled in this study. Several hemostatic markers were measured. A disturbed hemostatic balance in patients with type 2 diabetes was observed as illustrated by hypofibrinolysis and increased levels of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and plasminogen-activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1). Patients with type 2 diabetes with CVD have more thrombin generation compared to patients without CVD. This hemostatic imbalance might contribute to the development of CVD in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The role of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor in diabetic wound healing.

INTRODUCTION: One of the major complications in patients with diabetes mellitus is impaired wound healing. The fibrinolytic system is involved in parts of the wound healing process and deficiency of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) results in delayed wound closure. Moreover, levels of TAFI are affected by diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of hyperglycaemia on TAFI and to determine the effect of deficiency of TAFI on wound healing under hyperglycaemic conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hyperglycaemia was induced with streptozotocin (STZ) and used as a model for diabetes mellitus. TAFI plasma levels and TAFI gene expression in the liver were determined. Incisional and excisional wound healing were studied in non-treated and STZ-treated wild-type and TAFI-deficient mice. Wound closure was scored daily as open or closed. RESULTS: Mice treated with STZ showed hyperglycaemia, and TAFI plasma levels and TAFI gene expression were increased in diabetic mice. TAFI-deficient mice and diabetic wild-type and diabetic TAFI-deficient mice showed delayed wound healing of incisional wounds. No differences were observed between diabetic and non-diabetic TAFI-deficient mice and between diabetic wild-type and diabetic TAFI-deficient mice. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrated that TAFI was affected by hyperglycaemia and confirmed that TAFI is involved in wound healing. No additional effect was observed under hyperglycaemic conditions, indicating that deficiency of TAFI did not have an additive or synergistic effect in diabetic wound healing. Further research has to elucidate if TAFI and hyperglycemia affect wound healing via similar mechanisms.

The effects of hyperglycaemia on thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor.

Epidemiological studies have shown a strong association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, and hypofibrinolysis may contribute to this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hyperglycaemia on thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI). Hyperglycaemia was mimicked in vitro by incubation of TAFI with glyceraldehyde and in vivo by hyperglycaemic clamping of healthy volunteers. The effects of long-term hyperglycaemia in vivo on TAFI were investigated by comparing TAFI from poorly regulated and tightly regulated patients with type 2 diabetes. In vitro glycated TAFI showed an altered migration pattern on SDS-PAGE due to aggregation. Glycated TAFI showed decreased activity after activation by thrombin-thrombomodulin in a glyceraldehyde-dose-dependent manner and a reduced anti-fibrinolytic potential. In vivo, no differences in TAFI parameters were found after hyperglycaemic clamping of healthy volunteers and between tightly and poorly regulated patients with type 2 diabetes. Moreover, TAFI purified from poorly regulated and tightly regulated patients with type 2 diabetes migrated similarly on SDS-PAGE, indicating little or no glycation of the protein. Despite the deleterious effects of glycation of TAFI in vitro on its function, TAFI was neither affected by hyperglycaemic clamping, nor by long-term hyperglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. This is in contrast to fibrinolytic factors as plasminogen-activator inhibitor I and tissue-type plasminogen activator, which are affected. We therefore hypothesise that a normally functioning TAFI under hyperglycaemic conditions may tip the haemostatic balance towards hypofibrinolysis, which may contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetic patients.

Recent developments in thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor research.

Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) provides an important molecular link between the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems. In this review, recent major advances in TAFI research, including the elucidation of crystal structures, the development of small inhibitors and the role of TAFI in systems other than hemostasis, are described and discussed.

Activation of TAFI on the surface of Streptococcus pyogenes evokes inflammatory reactions by modulating the kallikrein/kinin system.

Bacteria-controlled regulation of host responses to infection is an important virulence mechanism that has been demonstrated to contribute to disease progression. Here we report that the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes employs the procarboxypeptidase TAFI (thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor) to modulate the kallikrein/kinin system. To this end, bacteria initiate a chain of events starting with the recruitment and activation of TAFI. This is followed by the assembly and induction of the contact system at the streptococcal surface, eventually triggering the release of bradykinin (BK). BK is then carboxyterminally truncated by activated TAFI, which converts the peptide from a kinin B(2) receptor ligand to a kinin B(1) receptor (B1R) agonist. Finally, we show that streptococcal supernatants indirectly amplify the B1R response as they act on peripheral blood mononuclear cells to secrete inflammatory cytokines that in turn stimulate upregulation of the B1R on human fibroblasts. Taken together our findings implicate a critical and novel role for streptococci-bound TAFI, as it processes BK to a B1R agonist at the bacterial surface and thereby may redirect inflammation from a transient to a chronic state.

Crystal structures of TAFI elucidate the inactivation mechanism of activated TAFI: a novel mechanism for enzyme autoregulation.

Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a pro-metallocarboxypeptidase that can be proteolytically activated (TAFIa). TAFIa is unique among carboxypeptidases in that it spontaneously inactivates with a short half-life, a property that is crucial for its role in controlling blood clot lysis. We studied the intrinsic instability of TAFIa by solving crystal structures of TAFI, a TAFI inhibitor (GEMSA) complex and a quadruple TAFI mutant (70-fold more stable active enzyme). The crystal structures show that TAFIa stability is directly related to the dynamics of a 55-residue segment (residues 296-350) that includes residues of the active site wall. Dynamics of this flap are markedly reduced by the inhibitor GEMSA, a known stabilizer of TAFIa, and stabilizing mutations. Our data provide the structural basis for a model of TAFI auto-regulation: in zymogen TAFI the dynamic flap is stabilized by interactions with the activation peptide. Release of the activation peptide increases dynamic flap mobility and in time this leads to conformational changes that disrupt the catalytic site and expose a cryptic thrombin-cleavage site present at Arg302. This represents a novel mechanism of enzyme control that enables TAFI to regulate its activity in plasma in the absence of specific inhibitors.

Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor binds to Streptococcus pyogenes by interacting with collagen-like proteins A and B.

Regulation of proteolysis is a critical element of the host immune system and plays an important role in the induction of pro- and anti-inflammatory reactions in response to infection. Some bacterial species take advantage of these processes and recruit host proteinases to their surface in order to counteract the host attack. Here we show that Thrombin-activatable Fibrinolysis Inhibitor (TAFI), a zinc-dependent procarboxypeptidase, binds to the surface of group A streptococci of an M41 serotype. The interaction is mediated by the streptococcal collagen-like surface proteins A and B (SclA and SclB), and the streptococcal-associated TAFI is then processed at the bacterial surface via plasmin and thrombin-thrombomodulin. These findings suggest an important role for TAFI in the modulation of host responses by streptococci.

Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor.

The coagulation system is a potent mechanism that prevents blood loss after vascular injury. It consists of a number of linked enzymatic reactions resulting in thrombin generation. Thrombin converts soluble fibrinogen into a fibrin clot. The clot is subsequently removed by the fibrinolytic system upon wound healing. Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), which is identical to the previously identified proteins procarboxypeptidase B, R, and U, forms a link between blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. TAFI circulates as an inactive proenzyme in the bloodstream, and becomes activated during blood clotting. The active form, TAFIa, inhibits fibrinolysis by cleaving off C-terminal lysine residues from partially degraded fibrin that stimulates the tissue-type plasminogen activator-mediated conversion of plasminogen to plasmin. Consequently, removal of these lysines leads to less plasmin formation and subsequently to protection of the fibrin clot from break down. Moreover, TAFI may also play a role in other processes such as, inflammation and tissue repair. In this review, recent developments in TAFI research are discussed.

Generation and characterization of a highly stable form of activated thrombin-activable fibrinolysis inhibitor.

Activated thrombin-activable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFIa) is a carboxypeptidase B that can down-regulate fibrinolysis. TAFIa is a labile enzyme that can be inactivated by conformational instability or proteolysis. TAFI is approximately 40% identical to pancreatic carboxypeptidase B (CPB). In contrast to TAFIa, pancreatic CPB is a stable protease. We hypothesized that regions or residues that are not conserved in TAFIa compared with pancreatic CPB play a role in the conformational instability of TAFIa and that replacement of these non-conserved residues with residues of pancreatic CPB would lead to a TAFIa molecule with an increased stability. Therefore, we have expressed, purified, and characterized two TAFI-CPB chimeras: TAFI-CPB-(293-333) and TAFI-CPB-(293-401). TAFI-CPB-(293-333) could be activated by thrombin-thrombomodulin, but not as efficiently as wild-type TAFI. After activation, this mutant was unstable and was hardly able to prolong clot lysis of TAFI-deficient plasma. Binding of TAFI-CPB-(293-333) to both plasminogen and fibrinogen was normal compared with wild-type TAFI. TAFI-CPB-(293-401) could be activated by thrombin-thrombomodulin, although at a lower rate compared with wild-type TAFI. The activated mutant displayed a markedly prolonged half-life of 1.5 h. Plasmin could both activate and inactivate this chimera. Interestingly, this chimera did not bind to plasminogen or fibrinogen. TAFI-CPB-(293-401) could prolong the clot lysis time in TAFI-deficient plasma, although not as efficiently as wild-type TAFI. In conclusion, by replacing a region in TAFI with the corresponding region in pancreatic CPB, we were able to generate a TAFIa form with a highly stable activity.

Identification of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) in human platelets.

Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a carboxypeptidase B-like proenzyme that after activation down-regulates fibrinolysis. Platelets are known to contain antifibrinolytic factors that are secreted during platelet activation. Therefore, the presence of TAFI in platelets was analyzed. TAFI was identified in platelets in a concentration of about 50 ng/1 x 109 platelets and was secreted on platelet activation. Thrombin-mediated activation of platelet-derived TAFI resembled that of plasma-derived TAFI with respect to stimulation by thrombomodulin and spontaneous loss of activity at 37 degrees C. The different glycosylation of platelet-derived TAFI compared with plasma-derived TAFI suggests that platelet-derived TAFI is synthesized in the megakaryocyte. This suggestion was substantiated by the detection of mRNA in the megakaryocytic cell lines DAMI and CHRF, representing the intermediate and late stages of megakaryocyte development. These results establish the presence of TAFI in platelets and suggest a role for platelet-derived TAFI in the protection of the clot against fibrinolysis.

Plasmin-mediated activation and inactivation of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor.

Activated thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFIa) attenuates the fibrin cofactor function of tissue-type plasminogen activator-mediated plasmin formation and subsequently fibrin degradation. In the present study, we focused on the role of plasmin in the regulation of TAFIa activity. Upon incubation with plasmin, TAFIa activity was generated, which was unstable at 37 degrees C. Analysis of the cleavage pattern showed that TAFI was cleaved at Arg(92), releasing the activation peptide from the 35.8-kDa catalytic domain. The presence of the 35.8-kDa fragment paralleled the time course of generation and loss of TAFIa activity. This suggested that, in the presence of plasmin, TAFIa is probably inactivated by proteolysis rather than by conformational instability. TAFI was also cleaved at Arg(302), Lys(327), and Arg(330), resulting in a approximately 44.3-kDa fragment and several smaller fragments. The 44.3-kDa fragment is no longer activatable since it lacks part of the catalytic center. We concluded that plasmin can cleave at several sites in TAFI and that this contributes to the regulation of TAFI and TAFIa.

Role of zinc ions in activation and inactivation of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor.

Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) circulates as an inactive proenzyme of a carboxypeptidase B-like enzyme (TAFIa). It functions by removing C-terminal lysine residues from partially degraded fibrin that are important in tissue-type plasminogen activator mediated plasmin formation. TAFI was classified as a metallocarboxypeptidase, which contains a Zn(2+), since its amino acid sequence shows approximately 40% identity with pancreatic carboxypeptidases, the Zn(2+) pocket is conserved, and the Zn(2+) chelator o-phenanthroline inhibited TAFIa activity. In this study we showed that TAFI contained Zn(2+) in a 1:1 molar ratio. o-Phenanthroline inhibited TAFIa activity and increased the susceptibility of TAFI to trypsin digestion. TAFIa is spontaneously inactivated (TAFIai) by a temperature-dependent intrinsic mechanism. The lysine analogue epsilon-ACA, which stabilizes TAFIa, delayed the o-phenanthroline mediated inhibition of TAFIa. We investigated if inactivation of TAFIa involves the release of Zn(2+). However, the zinc ion was still incorporated in TAFIai, indicating that inactivation is not caused by Zn(2+) release. After TAFIa was converted to TAFIai, it was more susceptible to proteolytic degradation by thrombin, which cleaved TAFIai at Arg(302). Proteolysis may make the process of inactivation by a conformational change irreversible. Although epsilon-ACA stabilizes TAFIa, it was unable to reverse inactivation of TAFIa or R302Q-rTAFIa, in which Arg(302) was changed into a glutamine residue and could therefore not be inactivated by proteolysis, suggesting that conversion to TAFIai is irreversible.