Human platelets contain forms of factor V in disulfide-linkage with multimerin

Thromb Haemost. 2004 Dec;92(6):1349-57. doi: 10.1160/TH03-02-0123.

Abstract

Factor V is an essential cofactor for blood coagulation that circulates in platelets and plasma. Unlike plasma factor V, platelet factor V is stored complexed with the polymeric alpha-granule protein multimerin. In analyses of human platelet factor V on nonreduced denaturing multimer gels, we identified that approximately 25% was variable in size and migrated larger than single chain factor V, the largest form in plasma. Upon reduction, the unusually large, variably-sized forms of platelet factor V liberated components that comigrated with other forms of platelet factor V, indicating that they contained factor V in interchain disulfide-linkages. With thrombin cleavage, factor Va heavy and light chain domains, but not B-domains,were liberated from the components linked by interchain disulfide bonds, indicating that the single cysteine in the B-domain at position 1085 was the site of disulfide linkage. Since unusually large factor V had a variable size and included forms larger than factor V dimers, the data suggested disulfide-linkage with another platelet protein, possibly multimerin. Immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that unusually large factor V was associated with multimerin and it remained associated in 0.5 M salt. Moreover, platelets contained a subpopulation of multimerin polymers that resisted dissociation from factor V by denaturing detergent and comigrated with unusually large platelet factor V, before and after thrombin cleavage. The disulfide-linked complexes of multimerin and factor V in platelets, which are cleaved by thrombin to liberate factor Va, could be important for modulating the function of platelet factor V and its delivery onto activated platelets. Factor Va generation and function from unusually large platelet factor V is only speculative at this time.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Blood Platelets / metabolism*
  • Blood Proteins / chemistry*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Movement
  • Dimerization
  • Disulfides / chemistry
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Epitope Mapping
  • Epitopes / chemistry
  • Factor V / biosynthesis*
  • Factor V / chemistry*
  • Factor Va / metabolism
  • Glycoproteins / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Models, Biological
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Secretory Vesicles / chemistry
  • Thrombin / chemistry
  • Thrombin / metabolism

Substances

  • Blood Proteins
  • Disulfides
  • Epitopes
  • Glycoproteins
  • Polymers
  • multimerin
  • Factor Va
  • Factor V
  • Thrombin