Factor Xa Specificity Research Articles

A peptide-based approach to evaluate the adaptability of influenza A virus to humans based on its hemagglutinin proteolytic cleavage site.

Cleavage activation of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein by host proteases is a crucial step in the infection process of influenza A viruses (IAV). However, IAV exists in eighteen different HA subtypes in nature and their cleavage sites vary considerably. There is uncertainty regarding which specific proteases activate a given HA in the human respiratory tract. Understanding the relationship between different HA subtypes and human-specific proteases will be valuable in assessing the pandemic potential of circulating viruses. Here we utilized fluorogenic peptides mimicking the HA cleavage motif of representative IAV strains causing disease in humans or of zoonotic/pandemic potential and tested them with a range of proteases known to be present in the human respiratory tract. Our results show that peptides from the H1, H2 and H3 subtypes are cleaved efficiently by a wide range of proteases including trypsin, matriptase, human airway tryptase (HAT), kallikrein-related peptidases 5 (KLK5) and 12 (KLK12) and plasmin. Regarding IAVs currently of concern for human adaptation, cleavage site peptides from H10 viruses showed very limited cleavage by respiratory tract proteases. Peptide mimics from H6 viruses showed broader cleavage by respiratory tract proteases, while H5, H7 and H9 subtypes showed variable cleavage; particularly matriptase appeared to be a key protease capable of activating IAVs. We also tested HA substrate specificity of Factor Xa, a protease required for HA cleavage in chicken embryos and relevant for influenza virus production in eggs. Overall our data provide novel tool allowing the assessment of human adaptation of IAV HA subtypes.

Quantitative Correlation of Conformational Binding Enthalpy with Substrate Specificity of Serine Proteases.

Members of the same protease family show different substrate specificity, even if they share identical folds, depending on the physiological processes they are part of. Here, we investigate the key factors for subpocket and global specificity of factor Xa, elastase, and granzyme B which despite all being serine proteases and sharing the chymotrypsin-fold show distinct substrate specificity profiles. We determined subpocket interaction potentials with GRID for static X-ray structures and an in silico generated ensemble of conformations. Subpocket interaction potentials determined for static X-ray structures turned out to be insufficient to explain serine protease specificity for all subpockets. Therefore, we generated conformational ensembles using molecular dynamics simulations. We identified representative binding site conformations using distance-based hierarchical agglomerative clustering and determined subpocket interaction potentials for each representative conformation of the binding site. Considering the differences in subpocket interaction potentials for these representative conformations as well as their abundance allowed us to quantitatively explain subpocket specificity for the nonprime side for all three example proteases on a molecular level. The methods to identify key regions determining subpocket specificity introduced in this study are directly applicable to other serine proteases, and the results provide starting points for new strategies in rational drug design.

Factor Xa subsite mapping by proteome-derived peptide libraries improved using WebPICS, a resource for proteomic identification of cleavage sites

Proteomic identification of protease cleavage site specificity (PICS) is a recent proteomic approach for the easy mapping of protease subsite preferences that determines both the prime- and non-prime side specificity concurrently. Here we greatly facilitate user access by providing an automated and simple web-based data-analysis resource termed WebPics (http://clipserve.clip.ubc.ca/pics/). We demonstrate the utility of WebPics analysis of PICS data by determining the substrate specificity of factor Xa from P6-P6', an important blood coagulation protease that proteolytically generates thrombin from prothrombin. PICS confirms existing data on non-prime site specificity and refines our knowledge of factor Xa prime-site selectivity.

Substrate turnover and inhibitor binding as selection parameters in directed evolution of blood coagulation factor Xa.

A library of blood coagulation factor Xa (FXa)-trypsin hybrid proteases was generated and displayed on phage for selection of derivatives with the domain "architecture" of trypsin and the specificity of FXa. Selection based on binding to soybean trypsin inhibitor only provided enzymatically inactive derivatives, due to a specific mutation of serine 195 of the catalytic triad to a glycine, revealing a significant selection pressure for proteolytic inactive derivatives. By including a FXa peptide substrate in the selection mixture, the majority of the clones had retained serine at position 195 and were enzymatically active after selection. Further, with the inclusion of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, in addition to the peptide substrate, the selected clones also retained FXa specificity after selection. This demonstrates that affinity selection combined with appropriate deselection provides a simple strategy for selection of enzyme derivatives that catalyse a specific reaction.

Probing the molecular basis of factor Xa specificity by mutagenesis of the serpin, antithrombin

The molecular basis of the substrate and inhibitor specificity of factor Xa, the serine proteinase of the prothrombinase complex, was investigated by constructing two mutants of human antithrombin (HAT) in which the reactive site loop of the serpin from the P4–P4′ site was replaced with the corresponding residues of the two factor Xa cleavage sites in prothrombin (HAT/Proth-1 and HAT/Proth-2). These mutants together with prethrombin-2, the smallest zymogen form of thrombin containing only the second factor Xa cleavage site, were expressed in mammalian cells, purified to homogeneity and characterized in kinetic reactions with factor Xa in both the absence and presence of cofactors; factor Va, high affinity heparin and pentasaccharide fragment of heparin. HAT/Proth-1 inactivated factor Xa ∼3–4-fold better than HAT/Proth-2 in either the absence or presence of heparin cofactors. In the absence of a cofactor, factor Xa reacted with the HAT/Proth-2 and prethrombin-2 with similar second-order rate constants (∼2–3×10 2 M −1 s −1). Pentasaccharide catalyzed the inactivation rate of factor Xa by the HAT mutants 300–500-fold. A similar 10 4–10 5-fold enhancement in the reactivity of factor Xa with prethrombin-2 and the HAT mutants was observed in the presence of the cofactors Va and heparin, respectively. Factor Va did not influence the reactivity of factor Xa with either one of the HAT mutants. These results suggest that (1) in the absence of a cofactor, the P4–P4′ residues of HAT and prethrombin-2 primarily determine the specificity reactions with factor Xa, (2) factor Va binding to factor Xa is not associated with allosteric changes in the catalytic pocket of enzyme that would involve interactions with the P4–P4′ binding sites, and (3) similar to allosteric activation of HAT by heparin, a role for factor Va in the prothrombinase complex may involve rearrangement of the residues surrounding the scissile bond of the substrate to facilitate its optimal docking into the catalytic pocket of factor Xa.

Heparin Enhances the Specificity of Antithrombin for Thrombin and Factor Xa Independent of the Reactive Center Loop Sequence: EVIDENCE FOR AN EXOSITE DETERMINANT OF FACTOR Xa SPECIFICITY IN HEPARIN-ACTIVATED ANTITHROMBIN

Heparin activates the primary serpin inhibitor of blood clotting proteinases, antithrombin, both by an allosteric conformational change mechanism that specifically enhances factor Xa inactivation and by a ternary complex bridging mechanism that promotes the inactivation of thrombin and other target proteinases. To determine whether the factor Xa specificity of allosterically activated antithrombin is encoded in the reactive center loop sequence, we attempted to switch this specificity by mutating the P6-P3' proteinase binding sequence excluding P1-P1' to a more optimal thrombin recognition sequence. Evaluation of 12 such antithrombin variants showed that the thrombin specificity of the serpin allosterically activated by a heparin pentasaccharide could be enhanced as much as 55-fold by changing P3, P2, and P2' residues to a consensus thrombin recognition sequence. However, at most 9-fold of the enhanced thrombin specificity was due to allosteric activation, the remainder being realized without activation. Moreover, thrombin specificity enhancements were attenuated to at most 5-fold with a bridging heparin activator. Surprisingly, none of the reactive center loop mutations greatly affected the factor Xa specificity of the unactivated serpin or the several hundred-fold enhancement in factor Xa specificity due to activation by pentasaccharide or bridging heparins. Together, these results suggest that the specificity of both native and heparin-activated antithrombin for thrombin and factor Xa is only weakly dependent on the P6-P3' residues flanking the primary P1-P1' recognition site in the serpin-reactive center loop and that heparin enhances serpin specificity for both enzymes through secondary interaction sites outside the P6-P3' region, which involve a bridging site on heparin in the case of thrombin and a previously unrecognized exosite on antithrombin in the case of factor Xa.

Importance of the P2 Glycine of Antithrombin in Target Proteinase Specificity, Heparin Activation, and the Efficiency of Proteinase Trapping as Revealed by a P2 Gly → Pro Mutation

A sequence-specific heparin pentasaccharide activates the serpin, antithrombin, to inhibit factor Xa through an allosteric mechanism, whereas full-length heparin chains containing this sequence further activate the serpin to inhibit thrombin by an alternative bridging mechanism. To test whether the factor Xa specificity of allosterically activated antithrombin is encoded in the serpin reactive center loop, we mutated the factor Xa-preferred P2 Gly to the thrombin-preferred P2 Pro. Kinetic studies revealed that the mutation maximally enhanced the reactivity of antithrombin with thrombin 15-fold and decreased its reactivity toward factor Xa 2-fold when the serpin was activated by heparin pentasaccharide, thereby transforming antithrombin into an allosterically activated inhibitor of both factor Xa and thrombin. Surprisingly, the enhanced thrombin specificity of the mutant antithrombin was attenuated when a full-length bridging heparin was the activator, due both to a reduced rate of covalent reaction of the mutant serpin and thrombin and preferred reaction of the mutant serpin as a substrate. These results demonstrate that the reactive center loop sequence determines the specificity of allosterically activated antithrombin for factor Xa and that the conformational flexibility of the P2 Gly may be critical for optimal bridging of antithrombin and thrombin by physiologic heparin and for preventing antithrombin from reacting as a substrate in the bridging complex.

Exosites determine macromolecular substrate recognition by prothrombinase.

The prothrombinase complex, composed of factor Xa and factor Va assembled on a membrane surface, catalyzes the proteolytic formation of thrombin during blood coagulation. The molecular basis for the macromolecular substrate specificity of prothrombinase is poorly understood. By kinetic studies of prethrombin 2 cleavage by prothrombinase in the presence or absence of fragment 1.2, we show that occupation of the active site of the catalyst by inhibitors or alternate peptidyl substrates does not alter the affinity for prethrombin 2. Productive recognition of the macromolecular substrate therefore results from an initial interaction at enzymic sites (exosites) distinct from the active site, which largely determines substrate affinity. This interaction at exosites is evident even in the absence of activation peptide domains responsible for mediating the binding of the substrate to membranes or factor Va. Interactions at the active site with structures surrounding the scissile bond then precede bond cleavage and product release. The second binding step, which appears unfavorable, does not affect substrate affinity but contributes to the maximum catalytic rate. Therefore, binding specificity of prothrombinase for the macromolecular substrate is determined by exosites on the enzyme. We show that competitive inhibition of prethrombin 2 cleavage can be accomplished by interfering with the exosite binding step without obscuring the active site of the enzyme. These findings suggest limitations to the common approach of inferring the basis of factor Xa specificity with active site mutants or the targeting the active site of factor Xa with reversible inhibitors for therapeutic purposes. The achievement of distinctive macromolecular substrate specificities through exosite interactions and modulation of maximum catalytic rate through binding steps may also underlie the reactions catalyzed by the other coagulation complexes containing trypsin-like enzymes.

Specificity of factor Xa in the cleavage of fusion proteins.

The precursor protein honey bee prepromelittin has been expressed as a fusion protein in Escherichia coli joined to the C-terminus of a truncated form of the bacteriophage gene 10 protein via an engineered recognition sequence for Factor Xa. Factor Xa was found to cleave poorly at the engineered site, giving a low yield of the required prepromelittin. In contrast, cleavage on the C-terminal side of the sequence VLGR at residue 67 in the gene 10 sequence proceeded in high yield. Factor Xa may be inhibited by adjacent hydrophobic sequences on the C-terminal side of a potential cleavage site.