title: Quantitative characterization of the thrombin-heparin interaction. Discrimination between specific and nonspecific binding models.
abstract: Equilibrium binding of human alpha-thrombin to heparin was investigated at pH 7.4 as a function of thrombin and heparin concentrations, NaCl concentration, temperature, and heparin chain length with the extrinsic fluorescence probe, p-aminobenzamidine, or by quantitative affinity chromatography, in order to distinguish between sequence-specific and nonspecific electrostatic modes of binding. Analysis of binding data by a nonspecific binding model developed for protein-nucleic acid interactions, or by the discrete binding site model previously used to analyze the thrombin-heparin interaction, indicated that both models described the binding interaction equally well over the range of thrombin binding densities accessible to measurement. However, the strong dependence of the thrombin-heparin binding interaction on NaCl concentration, its minimal dependence on temperature, and the increase in apparent binding affinity with increasing heparin oligosaccharide chain length were best accounted for by a nonspecific electrostatic association of thrombin with 5 to 6 anionic residues contained in a 3-disaccharide binding site of heparin. This interaction was characterized by an intrinsic dissociation constant (KD,obs) of 6-10 microM at physiological ionic strength. Although the nonspecific binding model satisfactorily described the binding of thrombin to heparin chains ranging in size from 3 to approximately 13 disaccharides in terms of a single intrinsic KD,obs, deviations from this model were apparent with longer heparin chains (approximately 22 to approximately 35 disaccharides) from a progressive decrease in the intrinsic KD,obs of up to 4-fold. Sedimentation equilibrium analyses of thrombin-heparin complexes suggested a second weaker binding site on thrombin for heparin, which accounted for these deviations as well as the observed insolubility of thrombin-heparin complexes at high thrombin binding densities.
authors.affiliation: Henry Ford Hospital, Division of Biochemical Research, Detroit, Michigan 48202.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Halvorson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Björk
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D006493:Heparin / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013696:Temperature; D013917:Thrombin / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride; D006493:Heparin; D013917:Thrombin