Novel Synthetic Peptides From the C-terminal Heparin Binding Domain of Fibronectin With Heparin Binding Activity

Abstract

To identify a minimal peptide ligand that participates in recognition of heparin, we synthesized peptides extending a 29-kDa fragment in the C -terminal heparin binding domain of fibronectin. We obtained evidence that two peptides (designated D5 and D1) exhibit inhibitory activity on binding of the 29-kDa fragment to heparin-Sepharose CL-6B. In dose inhibitory studies, peptide D5 showed the potent inhibitory activity with IC 50 of 210 ± 37 μ M . A new heparin binding site in the C -terminal heparin binding domain of fibronectin is demonstrated and provides a rationale for understanding the mechanism of cell adhesion and spreading.