Recombinant Human Coagulation Research Articles

Microencapsulation — An alternative approach to gene therapy

‘Non-autologous somatic gene therapy’ is a novel approach to gene therapy which does not depend on genetic modification of the patient's own cells. Recombinant cell lines secreting a desired therapeutic gene product can be implanted into different patients requiring the same product replacement. Graft rejection is avoided by enclosing these cells in immuno-isolation devices whose permeability excludes the host's immune mediators but permits the transit of nutrients and recombinant gene products. The feasibility of this strategy is demonstrated by expression of recombinant human enzymes, hormones and coagulation factors from fibroblasts or myoblasts enclosed within alginate-poly- l-lysinealginate microcapsules. Its clinical efficacy is demonstrated by the correction of pathological phenotypes in murine models of human endocrine and lysosomal storage diseases. Hence, this approach may lead to a potentially cost-effective method of gene-based therapy.

Comparison of N-Glycan Pattern of Recombinant Human Coagulation Factors II and IX Expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) and African Green Monkey (Vero) Cells.

The N-glycan patterns of recombinant human coagulation factors II (rF-II) and IX (rF-IX), derived from both transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and African green monkay (Vero) cells produced at industrial scale, were analyzed by binding to carbohydrate-specific lectins and were compared with the glycan structure of human plasma-derived coagulation factors. Human plasma-derived coagulation factors II (hpF-II) and IX (hpF-IX) exhibited complex-type glycan structures with carbohydrate chains capped with alpha(2-6)-sialic acid. Terminal galactose-beta(1-4)-N-acetylglucosamine units were detected in hpF-IX. Both CHO cell-derived rF-II and rF-IX exhibited complex-type glycosylation and contained alpha(2-3)-sialic acid in addition to terminal galactose-beta(1-4)-N-acetylglucosamine. Vero cell-derived rF-IX exhibited a complex-type glycan structure similar to that of CHO cell-derived rF-IX. In contrast, rF-II produced by Vero cells exhibited a glycan microheterogeneity composed of hybrid-type glycosylation containing "high-mannose" structures and complex-type glycosylation containing alpha(2-3)-sialic acid. Galactose-beta(1-4)-N-acetylglucosamine structures and a low concentration of alpha(2-6)-sialic acid were detected in both microheterogeneity fractions of Vero cell-derived rF-II. Although different in their carbohydrate structures, coagulation factors II and IX obtained recombinantly from both transformed CHO cells and Vero cells exhibited coagulation activities comparable with the plasma-derived proteins.

Antithrombin-mediated Inhibition of Factor Vlla-Tissue Factor Complex by the Synthetic Pentasaccharide Representing the Heparin Binding Site to Antithrombin

We examined the effect of the synthetic pentasaccharide representing the minimal binding site of heparin to antithrombin on the antithrombin-mediated inactivation of factor VIIa bound to tissue factor. This effect was compared to the effect of unfractionated heparin. Using purified recombinant human coagulation factors and either a clotting or an amidolytic assay for the determination of the residual activity of factor VIIa, we showed that the pentasaccharide was an efficient antithrombin-dependent inhibitor of the coagulant activity of tissue factor-factor VIIa complex. In our experimental conditions, assuming a mean MW of 14,000 for heparin, the molar pseudo-first order rate constants for ATIII-mediated FVIIa inhibition by ATIII-binding heparin and by the synthetic pentasaccharide were found to be similar with respective values of 104,000 +/- 10,500 min-1 and 112,000 +/- 12,000 min-1 (mean +/- s.e.m., n = 3).

Purification of recombinant human coagulation factors II and IX and protein S expressed in recombinant Vaccinia virus-infected Vero cells

Recombinant human coagulation factors II and IX and recombinant human protein S were expressed by the Vaccinia virus expression system in Vero cells and isolated from the serum-free media. All three recombinant proteins were purified by the same universal strategy. After concentration by anion exchange chromatography, recombinant coagulation factors were purified by anion exchange filtration in the presence of Ca 2+. The addition of Ca 2+ to the vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors modified their physico-chemical behavior during anion exchange chromatography and resulted in the separation of the recombinant coagulation proteins from contaminating proteins.

Internalization and Degradation of Recombinant Human Coagulation Factor VIIa by the Human Hepatoma Cell Line HuH7

Previous studies demonstrated that several normal and transformed cultured human cell lines specifically bind human coagulation factors VII and VIIa via tissue factor. In the present study, we show that 125I-radiolabeled recombinant human factor VIIa (125I-rFVIIa) binds to a human hepatoma cell line (HuH7). In the presence of rabbit polyclonal anti-human tissue factor apoprotein IgG, binding of 125I-rFVIIa to the HuH7 cells was decreased approximately 60%, suggesting of tissue factor-independent binding sites for 125I-rFVIIa on these cells. The binding isotherm of 125I-rFVIIa for the HuH7 cells in the presence of anti-tissue factor IgG exhibited a hyperbolic profile and was time-, temperature- and calcium-dependent. Furthermore, binding at 4 degrees C was specific, dose-dependent and saturable. Scatchard analysis of the binding data demonstrated a single class of binding sites with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 3.2 nM and 27,000 binding sites per cell. At 4 degrees C, 125I-rFVIIa bound to, and eluted from, the cell was indistinguishable from offered 125I-rFVIIa as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by autoradiography. The molecular properties of the tissue factor-independent binding protein were studied by using the cleavable cross-linking agent 3,3'-dithiobis(sulfosuccinimidylpropionate). A cross-linking product of 125I-rFVIIa and a cell surface protein with an apparent M(r) approximately 100,000 was observed. The cross-linking reaction was strongly inhibited by a 100-fold molar excess of unlabeled rFVIIa, but not by rabbit polyclonal anti-human tissue factor apoprotein IgG, indicating that cross-linking does not involve the extracellular domain of tissue factor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Purification and Characterization of Recombinant Human Coagulation Factor XIII A-Chains Expressed in E. coli

The purpose of this study was to develop an Escherichia coli expression system to facilitate study of the structure and function of blood coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) A-chains. We engineered an NcoI site into the full-length FXIII A-chain cDNA and subcloned it into pKK233-2 expression vector. A low level of full-length FXIII A-chain and a 30-kDa FXIII A-chain-related antigen were expressed in the JM 105 strain of E. coli. Protein sequencing of the 30-kDa protein demonstrated that it was synthesized by internal translation starting at either Met474 Or Met475. We mutated the internal ribosome-binding sequences from AGGA to TGGT (pKF13A2 construct) and found that it yielded a 30-fold increase in the production of full-length FXIII A-chains. JM105 harboring pKF 13A2 produced 20 mg of soluble FXIII A-chains antigen from 1 liter culture in TB medium. The recombinant FXIII A-chain was readily purified to homogeneity through PEG fractionation, Q-Sepharose, and mono-P column chromatography with a 2100-fold increase in specific activity and a yield of 150 to 200 μg of FXIII A-chains per liter of culture. The purified FXIII A-chains behaved as a dimer on gel filtration analysis, were thrombin- and calcium-activated, cross-linked fibrin, and bound to fibrin to the same extent as purified plasma FXIII A-chains and recombinant FXIII A-chains purified from yeast. These results document that FXIII A-chains can be readily expressed and purified from E. coli culture and that they retained properties similar to those of purified human factor XIII A-chains. The recombinant FXIII expressed in E. coli will be useful for studies on the structure and function of this important coagulation protein.

Inhibition of Recombinant Human Blood Coagulation Factor VIIa Amidolytic and Proteolytic Activity by Zinc Ions

Although it is well established that calcium is an essential cofactor in blood coagulation, recent experimental evidence suggests that zinc may also play an important role in hemostasis. In the present study, we have examined the effect of zinc ions on the amidolytic and proteolytic activity of recombinant factor VIIa in the presence of physiological levels of calcium ions. The amidolytic activity of factor VIIa was inhibited half-maximally by 20 microM zinc. The amidolytic activity of a derivative of factor VIIa lacking the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid domain was also inhibited half-maximally by 20 microM zinc, suggesting that the mechanism of zinc inhibition of factor VIIa amidolytic activity did not involve its gamma-carboxyglutamic acid residues. The amidolytic activity of a complex of recombinant tissue factor and factor VIIa was inhibited half-maximally by 70 microM zinc. In contrast to the results obtained with factor VIIa, the amidolytic activities of other human vitamin K-dependent coagulation proteases including factor Xa, thrombin and activated protein C were not appreciably affected by 50-100 microM zinc. The proteolytic activation of factor X by a complex of factor VIIa and relipidated tissue factor apoprotein was inhibited half-maximally by 40 microM zinc, whereas activation of factor IX in this system was inhibited half-maximally by 70 microM zinc ions. Considerably higher levels of zinc (approximately 100 microM) were required to inhibit half-maximally the rate of factor X activation by a complex of factor VIIa and functional tissue factor on the surface of either a human bladder carcinoma cell line, J82, or stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)