Application of Fmoc-amino acid carrying an unmasked carbohydrate to the synthesis of the epidermal growth factor-like domain of bovine blood coagulation factor IX.

The epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domain of the bovine blood coagulation factor IX (45-87) carrying glucose at Ser(53) was synthesized by a solid-phase method using 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-amino acids. The introduction of Ser(53) was carried out using the benzotriazolyl ester of Fmoc-serine carrying an unmasked glucose. The remaining sequence was also introduced using the benzotriazolyl ester. HPLC analysis of the crude peptide shows that acylation of the free hydroxyl group of the glucose was not significant, demonstrating that the amino acid carrying an unmasked carbohydrate is a useful building block for solid-phase synthesis.

Coagulation factor IX residues G4-Q11 mediate its interaction with a shared factor IX/IXa binding site on activated platelets but not the assembly of the functional factor X activating complex.

High-affinity, specific factor IX/IXa binding to platelets is mediated at least in part by amino acids (G4-Q11) exposed on the surface of the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain. Rationally designed, conformationally constrained synthetic peptides were screened for their capacity to inhibit factor IXa binding to platelets. Each of these peptides (G4-Q11, S3-L6, and F9-Q11) acted alone to inhibit factor IXa binding to approximately 50% of the 500-600 sites/platelet with Ki values of 2.9 nM (G4-Q11), 24 nM (S3-L6), and 240 nM (F9-Q11), compared with native factor IXa (Ki approximately 2.5 nM). The two peptides S3-L6 and F9-Q11 added together at equimolar concentration demonstrated approximately 50-fold synergism (Ki = 2.4 nM). Although both factor IX and the Gla peptide (G4-Q11) displaced 100% of bound factor IX and approximately 50% of bound factor IXa, factor IX was ineffective (at > 1000-fold molar excess) and the Gla domain peptide (G4-Q11) was relatively ineffective (Ki = 165 microM) in inhibiting platelet receptor-mediated factor X activation by factor IXa. We conclude that the Gla domain (G4-Q11) of factor IXa contains two conformationally constrained loop structures that mediate binding of factor IX/IXa to a shared site on activated human platelets which is separate and distinct from the site used by the enzyme, factor IXa, for assembly of the factor X activating complex.

Membrane binding properties of the factor IX gamma-carboxyglutamic acid-rich domain prepared by chemical synthesis.

The fully gamma-carboxylated peptides based upon the complete and truncated Gla/aromatic amino acid stack domains of human Factor IX were prepared by solid phase peptide synthesis using Fmoc (N-(9-fluorenyl)methoxycarbonyl) chemistry. A 47-residue peptide Factor IX-(1-47) and a 42-residue peptide Factor IX-(1-42), both containing 12 residues of L-gamma-carboxyglutamic acid, were purified by high performance liquid chromatography and oxidized to form the disulfide bond. Quantitative gamma-carboxyglutamic acid analysis of Factor IX-(1-47) and Factor IX-(1-42) indicated the presence of 12.1 and 11.2 gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues/mol of peptide, respectively; no glutamic acid was detected. As monitored by fluorescence quenching, calcium ions induced the prototypical conformational transition in Factor IX-(1-47), but not in Factor IX-(1-42), that is observed with Factor IX. Half-maximal quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence of Factor IX-(1-47) was observed at Ca(II) concentrations of about 50 microM. Factor IX-(1-47) bound to the conformation-specific antibodies, anti-Factor IX:Mg(II) and anti-Factor IX:Ca(II)-specific in the presence of metal ions. Factor IX-(1-47) bound to phospholipid membranes, as monitored by energy transfer from intrinsic fluorophores to dansyl (5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-phosphatidylethanolamine incorporated into a lipid bilayer composed of phosphatidylserine:phosphatidylcholine. In contrast, Factor IX-(1-42) bound poorly to these same membranes. Factor IX-(1-47) did not inhibit Factor XIa activation of Factor IX but did inhibit the activation of Factor X by Factor IXa bound to Factor VIII in the presence of calcium ions and phospholipid. These results show that phospholipid membrane binding is a property of the Gla/aromatic amino acid stack domain and that the Factor IX-(1-47) peptide, prepared by chemical synthesis, preserves the membrane binding properties and the metal-induced conformational transitions observed in native Factor IX. These results indicate that Factor IX-(1-47) but not Factor IX-(1-42) is a suitable model for structural studies of Factor IX-membrane interaction.

Calcium binding and putative activity of the epidermal growth factor domain of blood coagulation factor IX.

The first epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domain of human Factor IX and two chimeric analogs of this domain and EGF were synthesized unambiguously and purified to homogeneity. The synthetic EGF-like domain and its analogs showed the correct mass ions by the fission ionization mass spectrometry and similar disulfide pairings as those found in EGF, but failed to exhibit any putative EGF activity in the receptor and mitogenic assays. However, in NMR titration experiments, the EGF-like domain and one of its analogs were found to bind Ca2+ but not Mg2+. Our results therefore show that the EGF-like domain of Factor IX has the ability to bind calcium ion, shares the structural motif of EGF but does not retain the active determinants responsible for the EGF activity.