Study of the sites of plasminogen molecule which are responsible for inhibitory effect of Lys-plasminogen on platelet aggregation.

Abstract

Plasminogen/plasmin system is involved in such important processes as thrombosis, inflammation and cancer. Plasmin and plasminogen mediate their action through plasminogen-binding proteins on the cell surface. Lys-plasminogen, but not Glu-plasminogen, shows inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation induced by ADP, collagen and thrombin in preparations of both: platelet-rich plasma and washed platelets. We have shown that the kringle domains of Lys-plasminogen mediate interaction of this proenzyme with platelet- surface proteins. The aim of the work is to study the role of certain kringle domains in the inhibitory effect of Lys-plasminogen and to determine possible plasminogen-binding proteins on the platelet surface. All studied plasminogen fragments (K1-3, K4 and K5) abolished the inhibitory effect of Lys-plasminogen on platelet aggregation. We observed that K5 was more effective than K1-3 and K4. Biotin-labeled Lys-plasminogen, Glu-plasminogen and plasminogen fragment K1-3 possessed the highest affinity for actin, whereas the binding of biotin-labeled mini-plasminogen and K4 to actin was negligible. We have suggested that inhibitory effect of Lys-plasminogen is due to the interaction of kringle domains of this proenzyme with membrane-bound proteins which are exposed on the platelet surface during activation and are involved in thrombus formation.