Protease nexin-II Research Articles

Role of platelets in regulating activated coagulation factor XI activity.

Factor XI (FXI) has been shown to bind platelets, but the functional significance of this observation remains unknown. Platelets are essential for hemostasis and play a critical role in thrombosis, whereas FXI is not essential for hemostasis but promotes thrombosis. An apparent functional contradiction, platelets are known to support thrombin generation, yet platelet granules release protease inhibitors, including those of activated FXI (FXIa). We aim to investigate the secretory and binding mechanisms by which platelets could support or inhibit FXIa activity. The presence of platelets enhanced FXIa activity in a purified system and increased coagulation Factor IX (FIX) activation by FXIa and fibrin generation in human plasma. In contrast, platelets reduced the activation of FXI by activated coagulation factor XII (FXIIa) and the activation of FXII by kallikrein (PKa). Incubation of FXIa with the platelet secretome, which contains FXIa inhibitors, such as protease nexin-II, abolished FXIa activity, yet in the presence of activated platelets, the secretome was not able to block the activity of FXIa. FXIa variants lacking the anion-binding sites did not alter the effect of platelets on FXIa activity or interaction. Western blot analysis of bound FXIa [by FXIa-platelet membrane immunoprecipitation] showed that the interaction with platelets is zinc dependent and, unlike FXI binding to platelets, not dependent on glycoprotein Ib. FXIa binding to the platelet membrane increases its capacity to activate FIX in plasma likely by protecting it from inhibition by inhibitors secreted by activated platelets. Our findings suggest that an interaction of FXIa with the platelet surface may induce an allosteric modulation of FXIa.

Roles of Platelets and Factor XI in the Initiation of Blood Coagulation by Thrombin

To account for the variable hemostatic defect in patients with factor XI (FXI) deficiency, with normal hemostasis in contact factor deficiencies, a coagulation paradigm is presented whereby trace quantities of thrombin, generated transiently by exposure of tissue factor at sites of vascular injury, activates FXI bound to the platelet surface in the presence of prothrombin or high Mr kininogen (HK). Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) limits the flux of thrombin generated by the tissue factor pathway, and protease nexin II (PNII), released from activated platelets, inhibits solution phase FXIa and localizes FIX activation to the platelet surface where FXIa is protected from inactivation by PNII. Either prothrombin or HK binds to the Apple 1 (A1) domain of FXI, thereby exposing a platelet-binding site in the FXI A3 domain. Dimeric FXI binds to activated platelets directly through the A3 domain of one monomer. After proteolytic activation of platelet-bound FXI by thrombin (or FXIIa), a substrate binding site for FIX is exposed in the opposite monomer that promotes FIX activation on the platelet surface resulting in the local explosive generation of thrombin and the formation of hemostatic thrombi at sites of vascular injury.

Secretion of protease nexin-II/amyloid beta protein precursor by human colorectal carcinoma cells and its modulation by cytokines/growth factors and proteinase inhibitors.

Trypsin inhibitors secreted by human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines were analyzed by reverse zymography. Among eleven cell lines analyzed, the major inhibitor secreted was protease nexin-II (PN-II), a secreted form of amyloid beta protein precursor (APP) containing a Kunitz-type serine proteinase inhibitor domain. Expression of the APP gene was also confirmed in the cell lines and the main APP mRNA species were PN-II types. The APP gene expression was constant during cell growth in vitro. On the other hand, the rate of extracellular PN-II accumulation markedly increased after long-term serum-free maintenance of the confluent culture. The extracellular accumulation of PN-II was also strongly stimulated either by interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) treatment or to a lesser extent by basic fibroblast growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, hepatocyte growth factor or epidermal growth factor. Neither serum depletion- nor IL-1beta-induced stimulation of extracellular PN-II accumulation were accompanied by obvious alteration of the levels of APP mRNA and cellular APP holoprotein, suggesting that the enhanced extracellular accumulation of PN-II might result from up-regulation of the secretory pathway of APP. The IL-1beta-induced PN-II secretion was significantly inhibited by relatively high concentrations (50-200 microg/ml) of aprotinin, a serine proteinase inhibitor, in a dose-dependent manner without obvious cell-toxic effects.

Binding of amyloid beta precursor protein to coagulation factor XIa in vivo may favour haemorrhagic stroke.

Hereditary cerebral haemorrhage with amyloidosis, Dutch type (HCHWA-D), caused by a mutation at codon 693 in the amyloid β precursor protein (βPP) gene, is clinically characterised by haemorrhagic strokes and dementia. The secreted forms βPP751 and βPP770 are identical to protease nexin II (PNII), which is a potent inhibitor of intrinsic blood coagulation factor XIa in vitro. We investigated the concentration of complexes between factor XIa and βPP in vivo, to search for a possible cause of the haemorrhagic strokes in HCHWA-D. In this prospectively designed study, first an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed with dilutions of the factor XIa-βPP complexes prepared from platelets as a standard curve. By means of this ELISA, the concentration of factor XIa-βPP complexes was measured in plasma samples. Second, plasma of 23 HCHWA-D patients and 23 healthy controls was collected, and the concentration of complexes was measured with this method. The mean concentration of factor XIa-βPP complexes in plasma of HCHWA-D patients (mean 13.73 U/ ml; SD 4.78) was significantly (P = 0.05) higher than the concentration in plasma of healthy controls (mean 11.37; SD 2.77). The differences, however, were small and there was a major overlap between the concentrations in patients and controls. In HCHWA-D mutation carriers, the concentration of factor XIa-βPP complexes was not related to age, and there was no difference between presymptomatic and symptomatic mutation carriers. From this study, it can be concluded that βPP forms complexes with factor XIa in vivo both in HCHWA-D patients and in normal controls. The concentration in HCHWA-D patients was higher. This is probably the result of diffusion of complexes from the cerebral circulation into plasma. Elevated βPP in cerebrovascular amyloid deposits is possibly a local factor contributing to the development of haemorrhagic strokes.

Humatrix, a novel myoepithelial matrical gel with unique biochemical and biological properties

Myoepithelial cells in situ and in vitro exert important paracrine effects on carcinoma cells which are mediated by high expression of extracellular matrix molecules, proteinase inhibitors and angiogenic inhibitors. Myoepithelial xenografts (human matrix secreting (HMS)-X, HMS-3X and HMS-4X) established from benign human salivary gland and breast myoepithelial tumors accumulate an abundant extracellular matrix which can be extracted with 6 M urea and 2 M guanidinium hydrochloride to form a gel at 25–37°C. This gel, termed Humatrix, exhibits different biochemical and biological properties than the conventional non-human matrical gels in existence, i.e. Matrigel and Vitrogen 100. Whereas Matrigel consists mainly of basement membrane molecules, e.g. laminin, type IV collagen and heparan sulfate proteoglycan, and Vitrogen 100 consists mainly of non-basement membrane molecules, e.g. type I and type III collagen, Humatrix contains significant amounts of both basement membrane and non-basement membrane molecules, including large amounts of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan. Like Matrigel, Humatrix contains bound growth factors, including epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I); unlike Matrigel, which contains predominately significant quantities of bound proteinases, including tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, and angiogenic factors, including basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)- β, Humatrix contains predominately bound proteinase inhibitors such as protease nexin II (PN-II) and α1-antitrypsin and angiogenic inhibitors such as thrombospondin-1. Humatrix selectively stimulates the growth and tumorigenicity of human myoepithelial cell lines but inhibits invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis of other non-myoepithelial malignant cell lines. Because of its myoepithelial origin Humatrix represents a more natural source of extracellular matrix molecules and bound factors that carcinoma cells encounter in vivo.

Evidence of a dominant transcriptional pathway which regulates an undifferentiated and complete metastatic phenotype.

The highly metastatic amelanotic C8161 human melanoma line was found to exhibit complete dominance of its undifferentiated and metastatic phenotype in multiple somatic cell hybridization studies designed to bypass the presence of potential tumor suppressor genes. In a three armed approach involving somatic cell fusions of C8161 with recipient lines of greater differentiation, different lineage, and different tumorigenicity status, the metastatic and undifferentiated phenotype of C8161 was promiscuously dominant. In somatic cell hybrids produced between the C8161 and a group of non-metastatic human melanoma lines which exhibited melanocyte differentiation markers including S100, HMB-45, NKI/C3, and melanin, the fusions were uniformly metastatic and undifferentiated. In somatic cell hybrids of C8161 and MCF-7 the fusions exhibited an estrogen independent and unresponsive, estrogen receptor (ER) negative, and highly metastatic phenotype. In fusions between C8161 and HMS-1, an immortalized 'benign' human myoepithelial line which produced an abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) and high levels of protease and angiogenic inhibitors including maspin, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), alpha1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT), protease nexin II (PN-II), thrombospondin-1 and soluble basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) receptors, the hybrids showed complete absence of matrix, absent maspin expression, markedly decreased protease inhibitor and angiogenic inhibitor production, high levels of proteases and angiogenic factors, and a highly metastatic phenotype. In our somatic cell fusions, the human-human hybrids represented true and complete fusions and not hybrid clones selected for by loss of dominant-acting growth suppressor genes. This finding was supported by detailed comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) studies, Q-banding karyotype analysis, and autofusions of representative clones. The purposeful creation of inherently unstable human-murine fusions between C8161 and B16-F1 where loss of putative suppressor loci would be expected, resulted in fusions exhibiting decreased growth and non-metastatic behavior with progressive chromosomal loss. Neither p53, nm23, DNA methyltransferase, activated ras, fibroblast growth factor-4 (FGF-4), or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mediated the acquisition of the metastatic or undifferentiated phenotype within the C8161-human fusions. These studies are the first studies ever to successfully transfer the complete metastatic phenotype by somatic cell fusion and support the presence of a new high level regulatory pathway(s) involving dominant trans-acting factors which act pleiotropically to regulate an undifferentiated and highly metastatic phenotype.

Neurotrophic regulation of mouse muscle β‐amyloid protein precursor and α1‐antichymotrypsin as revealed by axotomy

Kunitz-inhibitor containing forms of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta APP), known also as protease nexin II (PNII), and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (alpha 1-ACT), a serpin, are important components of the serine protease and inhibitor balance in many tissues. In the nervous system, this balance may have trophic or growth factor activity at different stages of development, after injury and in disease states. In the current study, using immunocytochemistry and Western blotting with antibodies against the human homologues, we analyzed whether denervation affected the localization of beta APP and alpha 1-ACT in adult mouse muscle following axotomy. In mouse muscle, anti-human alpha 1-ACT antibody detected a 60 kD immunoreactive band and anti-human beta APP antibody a band at 92 kD in both normal and denervated extracts. beta APP was present in normal mouse muscle at both neuromuscular junctions and within intramuscular nerves. alpha 1-ACT was also detected at neuromuscular junctions, on the perineurium and endothelial cell surfaces. Following axotomy, both beta APP and alpha 1-ACT disappeared from intramuscular nerves simultaneously. However, at the neuromuscular junction, alpha 1-ACT decreased more rapidly with beta APP lingering before disappearing. Since both alpha 1-ACT as well as beta APP are present within senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease brains such experiments with the nicotinic, cholinergic neuromuscular synapse in denervated muscle may help to focus experiments on the mechanism of synapse loss as well as plaque deposition in this disease.

Inhibitory spectra of purified protease nexin-II and related proteins towards cellular proteinases

Amyloid β protein (β/A4) is deposited in senile plaques of patients with Alzheimer's disease. This protein is derived from a larger membrane-associated protein, termed amyloid precursor protein (APP). The constitutive processing of APP occurs at the central portion of β/A4, resulting in the release of large N-terminal peptides. We have purified these peptides from the culture medium of cDNA-transfected COS-1 cells. Some of the isoforms contain the Kunitz-type protease inhibitor (KPI) domain and strongly inhibit trypsin, chymotrypsin and plasmin, but do not inhibit kallikrein, prolyl endopeptidase or granzyme A. The peptides also do not inhibit cysteine proteases such as cathepsin B or calpain. Soluble APPs lacking the KPI domain fail to inhibit any of these proteases. The results indicate that the KPI domain in soluble APPs has protease inhibitory activity against certain serine proteases.

Protease nexin I, thrombin- and urokinase-inhibiting serpin, concentrated in normal human cerebrospinal fluid.

Protease nexin I (PNI), a 43,000- to 50,000-dalton glycoprotein, is a potent thrombin and urokinase inhibitor produced by many mammalian cells, including human glia, in tissue culture. PNI is a member of the growing superfamily of serine protease inhibitors now known as serpins, but, unlike many others of this family, it has not yet been detected in normal human plasma. Of interest to neurobiology and neurologic disease, PNI is identical to a glia-derived neurite-promoting factor, glia-derived nexin (GDN). Antibody to PNI stains the periphery of senile amyloid plaques in brain tissue from patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), along with another serpin, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (alpha 1-ACT). A soluble form of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta APP), containing a Kunitz-type trypsin inhibitor domain, the beta APP751 form, is identical to protease nexin II (PNII), a 100,000-dalton serine protease inhibitor present in a number of tissues besides the brain. PNII/beta APP is also found in normal and AD CSF. We found a 47,000-dalton PNI, a thrombin- and urokinase-inhibiting serpin, in normal human CSF by Western blotting using a monospecific antibody. We also demonstrated biologically active PNI capable of forming complexes with serine proteases 125I-urokinase or 125I-thrombin.

Expression of protease nexin-II in human dorsal root ganglia. A correlative immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization study.

Protease nexin-II (PN-II) is a potent chymotrypsin inhibitor that forms SDS-stable inhibitory complexes with epidermal growth factor binding protein, the gamma-subunit of nerve growth factor, and trypsin, and represents the secreted form of the amyloid beta-protein precursor (APP) that contains the Kunitz-type protease inhibitor domain. To determine the expression of PN-II within the peripheral nervous system, human dorsal root ganglia were processed for immunocytochemistry using well-characterized monoclonal antibodies against PN-II and for in situ hybridization studies using 35S-RNA PN-II probes for both APP751 and APP770. Highly specific immunoperoxidase staining of PN-II was demonstrated within the cytoplasm of dorsal root ganglia neurons and their processes in cryostat (fresh frozen) and vibratome (paraformaldehyde-fixed) sections. In situ hybridization using an anti-sense 35S-RNA PN-II probe demonstrated the presence of intense neuronal labeling. Labeling was not observed when the corresponding sense 35S-RNA PN-II probe was used. Although the precise functional role of PN-II/APP is not clear, the accumulation of amyloid beta-protein within the neuropil appears to be one of the earliest events in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus knowledge of the cell populations expressing the PN-II/APP gene would certainly be helpful for studies of the molecular mechanisms leading to the morphological and functional changes of AD. The results of this study clearly establish the expression of PN-II and its mRNA within the dorsal root ganglia neurons and their processes, and provide another point of departure for studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying the deposition of amyloid beta-protein and its relationships to the formation of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.

Detection of distinct isoform patterns of the β-amyloid precursor protein in human platelets and lymphocytes

—Cerebral deposition of the amyloid β-protein (AβP), a ∼40 residue fragment of the integral membrane protein, β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP), has been implicated as the probable cause of some cases of familial Alzheimer's disease (AD). The parallels between AβP deposition in AD and the deposition of certain plasma proteins in systemic amyloid diseases has heightened interest in the analysis of βAPP in circulating cells and plasma. Here, we describe distinct isoform patterns of βAPP in peripheral platelets and lymphocytes. PCR-mediated amplification of mRNA from purified platelets demonstrated the expression of all three major βAPP transcripts (βAPP 770,751,695). The full-length, ∼140 kDa form of βAPP 751,770 was detected in membranes of resting and activated platelets but very little immature, ∼122 kDa βAPP 751,770 was found, suggesting a different processing of βAPP in platelets than that described in a variety of cultured cells and tissues. Platelets stimulated with thrombin, calcium ionophore, or collagen released the soluble, carboxyl-truncated form of βAPP (protease nexin-II), but no evidence for the shedding of full-length βAPP associated with platelet microparticles was found, in contrast to previous reports. As a positive control marker for microparticles, the fibrinogen receptor subunit, GPIIIa, was readily detected in platelet releasates. Resting and activated platelets contained similar amounts of the ∼10 kDa carboxyl terminal βAPP fragment that is retained in platelet membranes following the constitutive cleavage of protease nexin-II. Nonstimulated peripheral B and T lymphocytes contained small amounts of membrane-associated mature and immature βAPP 751,770. The potentially amyloidogenic full-length βAPP molecules present in circulating platelets and lymphocytes but not in microparticles could serve as a source of the microvascular AβP deposited during aging and particularly in AD.

Establishment of a new human cancer cell line secreting protease nexin‐II/amyloid β protein precursor derived from squamous‐cell carcinoma of lung

A new cell line (LC-1/sq) of human lung squamous-cell carcinoma was established from a surgically resected specimen of primary lung cancer. Upon continuous propagation in serum-free culture medium, it secreted trypsin inhibitors into the conditioned medium. The major fraction of the trypsin inhibitor (T1-1) was purified to apparent homogeneity by anion-exchange and gel-filtration high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) followed by transblotting to Immobilon. T1-1 effectively inhibited trypsin. Chymotrypsin, plasmin and kallikrein were inhibited to a lesser extent, but urokinase-type plasminogen activator, elastase, thrombin and papain were not inhibited. The activity of T1-1 was acid-stable and heat-resistant, and its molecular weight was 115 kDa by SDS-PAGE. It exhibited single NH2-terminal sequence, and its first 20 NH2-terminal amino-acid residues were identical with those of protease nexin-II (PN-II)/amyloid beta-protein precursor (APP). These characteristics of T1-1 suggest that the major trypsin inhibitor secreted by LC-1/sq is indistinguishable from PN-II/APP. LC-1/sq is the first lung squamous carcinoma cell line that secretes functionally active trypsin inhibitor, PN-II/APP, in vitro and is useful for studying its biological significance in malignant tumor.

Protease Nexin-II(amyloid β-protein Precursor): a Platelet α-Granule Protein

Protease nexin-II (PN-II) [amyloid beta-protein precursor (APP)] and the amyloid beta-protein are major constituents of neuritic plaques and cerebrovascular deposits in individuals with Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. Both the brain and the circulation have been implicated as sources of these molecules, although they have not been detected in blood. Human platelets have now been found to contain relatively large amounts of PN-II/APP. Platelet PN-II/APP was localized in platelet alpha-granules and was secreted upon platelet activation. Because PN-II/APP is a potent protease inhibitor and possesses growth factor activity, these results implicate PN-II/APP in wound repair. In certain disease states, alterations in platelet release and processing and clearance of PN-II/APP and its derived fragments could lead to pathological accumulation of these proteins.

Protease nexin-II, a potent anti-chymotrypsin, shows identity to amyloid β-protein precursor

Protease nexin-II (PN-II) is a protease inhibitor that forms SDS-resistant inhibitory complexes with the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-binding protein, the gamma-subunit of nerve growth factor, and trypsin. The properties of PN-II indicate that it has a role in the regulation of certain proteases in the extracellular environment. Here we describe more of the amino-acid sequence of PN-II and its identity to the deduced sequence of the amyloid beta-protein precursor (APP). Amyloid beta-protein is present in neuritic plaques and cerebrovascular deposits in individuals with Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome. A monoclonal antibody against PN-II (designated mAbP2-1) recognized PN-II in immunoblots of serum-free culture medium from human glioblastoma cells and neuroblastoma cells, as well as in homogenates of normal and Alzheimer's disease brains. In addition, mAbP2-1 stained neuritic plaques in Alzheimer's disease brain. PN-II was a potent inhibitor of chymotrypsin with an inhibition constant Ki of 6 x 10(-10)M. Together, these data demonstrate that PN-II and APP are probably the same protein. The regulation of extracellular proteolysis by PN-II and the deposition of at least parts of the molecule in senile plaques is consistent with previous reports that implicate altered proteolysis in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

The secreted form of the Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein with the Kunitz domain is protease nexin-II

The A4 protein (or beta-protein) is a 42- or 43-amino-acid peptide present in the extracellular neuritic plaques in Alzheimer's disease and is derived from a membrane-bound amyloid protein precursor (APP). Three forms of APP have been described and are referred to as APP695, APP751 and APP770, reflecting the number of amino acids encoded for by their respective complementary DNAs. The two larger APPs contain a 57-amino-acid insert with striking homology to the Kunitz family of protease inhibitors. Here we report that the deduced amino-terminal sequence of APP is identical to the sequence of a cell-secreted protease inhibitor, protease nexin-II (PN-II). To confirm this finding, APP751 and APP695 cDNAs were over-expressed in the human 293 cell line, and the secreted N-terminal extracellular domains of these APPs were purified to near homogeneity from the tissue-culture medium. The relative molecular mass and high-affinity binding to dextran sulphate of secreted APP751 were consistent with that of PN-II. Functionally, secreted APP751 formed stable, non-covalent, inhibitory complexes with trypsin. Secreted APP695 did not form complexes with trypsin. We conclude that the secreted form of APP with the Kunitz protease inhibitor domain is PN-II.

Human protease nexin-I. Further characterization using a highly specific polyclonal antibody.

We have used purified protease nexin-I (PN-I) from human fibroblasts to develop a polyclonal antibody that specifically blocks the PN-I-mediated cellular binding of thrombin and urokinase. Anti-PN-I IgG did not inhibit the binding of 125I-epidermal growth factor-binding protein to fibroblasts, which is mediated by protease nexin-II, another cell-secreted, serine protease inhibitor that is distinct from PN-I. This furthers the belief that the protease nexins are distinct from one another. In addition, while anti-PN-I IgG immunoprecipitated PN-I X thrombin complexes, it did not do so with antithrombin-III X thrombin. Metabolically labeled PN-I was also immunoprecipitated by IgG, indicating that the protein can be labeled in vivo. The antibody also recognized primarily one band on Western transfers of conditioned medium from fibroblast cultures. These results suggest that anti-PN-I will be useful in probing the physiological role of PN-I as well as its biosynthesis.