title: The interaction of thrombomodulin with Ca2+.
abstract: Thrombomodulin (TM) is a cofactor for protein C activation by thrombin and each residue of a consensus Ca2+ site in the sixth epidermal growth factor domain (EGF6) is essential for this cofactor activity [Nagashima, M., Lundh, E., Leonard, J.C., Morser, J. & Parkinson, J.F. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 2888-2892]. Three soluble analogs of the extracellular domain of TM, solulin (Glu4-Pro490), TME1-6 (Cys227-Cys462) and TMEi4-6 (Val345-Cys462) were prepared for equilibrium dialysis experiments by exhaustive dialysis against Ca2+-depleted buffer. However, all three analogs still contained one tightly bound Ca2+ (Kd approximately 2 microm), which could only be removed by EDTA. Epitope mapping with Ca2+-dependent monoclonal antibodies to EGF6 provided further localization of this tight Ca2+ site. Equilibrium dialysis of the soluble TM analogs in [45Ca2+] between 10 and 200 microm revealed a second Ca2+ site (Kd = 30 +/- 10 microm) in both solulin and TME1-6, but not in TMEi4-6. Ca2+ binding to this second site was unaffected by bound thrombin and we attribute it to the consensus Ca2+ site in EGF3. A 75-fold decrease in the binding affinity of thrombin to TM was observed with immobilized solulin treated with EDTA to remove the high affinity Ca2+ by measuring kassoc and kdiss rates in a BIAcoretrade mark instrument. Ca2+-dependent conformational transitions detected by CD spectroscopy in the far UV indicate a more ordered structure upon Ca2+ binding. Bound Ca2+ stabilized soluble TM against protease digestion at a trypsin-like protease-sensitive site between Arg456 and His457 in EGF6 compared with protease treatment in EDTA. Finally, TM containing EGF domains 4-6, but lacking the interdomain loop between EGF3 and 4 (TME4-6), has an identical Ca2+ dependence for the activation of protein C as found for TMEi4-6, indicating this interdomain loop is not involved in Ca2+ binding.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research, Berlex Biosciences, Richmond, CA, USA. david_light@berlex.com
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Light
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Betts
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blasko
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McCaman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagashima
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Parkinson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rumennik
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morser
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry; D001665:Binding Sites; D016466:CHO Cells; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D006224:Cricetinae; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018411:Spodoptera; D018180:Thrombomodulin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D014357:Trypsin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D018180:Thrombomodulin; D014357:Trypsin; D002118:Calcium