Thrombospondin is a multifunctional glycoprotein of platelet alpha-granules and a variety of growing cells. We demonstrate that thrombospondin is a slow tight-binding inhibitor of plasmin as determined by loss of amidolytic activity, loss of ability to cleave fibrinogen, and decreased lysis zones in fibrin plate assays. Stoichiometric titrations indicate that approximately 1 mol of plasmin interacts with 1 mol of thrombospondin, an unexpected result considering the trimeric nature of thrombospondin. Plasmin in a complex with streptokinase or bound to epsilon-aminocaproic acid is protected from inhibition by thrombospondin, thereby implicating the lysine-binding kringle domains of plasmin in the inhibition process. Thrombospondin also inhibits urokinase plasminogen activator, but more slowly than plasmin, stimulates the amidolytic activity of tissue plasminogen activator, and has no effect on the amidolytic activity of alpha-thrombin or factor Xa. These results, therefore, identify thrombospondin as a new type of serine proteinase inhibitor and potentially important regulator of fibrinolysis.

Although the physiological role of beta2-glycoprotein (B2GPI) is unknown, in vitro evidence indicates that B2GPI may be a natural anticoagulant. In this study we have examined whether fluctuations of plasma B2GPI occur in in vivo coagulation. Serial measurements of B2GPI and other anticoagulant proteins were performed in 51 patients with thrombotic (group 1: six patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), group 2: venous (n = 4) or arterial (n = 170 thrombosis) and non-thrombotic disease (group 3: 24 patients undergoing elective surgery). Reductions in plasma B2GPI levels were seen in most patients which were roughly proportional to the severity of their illness. Particularly striking reductions of B2GPI, protein C (PC) and antithrombin III (AT-III) (mean +/- 95% CI: 42.7 +/- 8.6%, 42.1 +/- 14.8%, 39.1 +/- 28.4% respectively) were seen in group 1. The reductions in plasma B2GPI were significantly greater in group 1 than in the other groups. Dilutional factors explain most of the reductions in B2GPI, PC and AT-III in groups 2 and 3, but contribute little to group 1. In conclusion, although B2GPI behaves as a 'negative acute phase reactant', the magnitude of reduction of plasma B2GPI levels, accompanied by reductions in other anticoagulant proteins in patients with DIC, suggests specific consumption of B2GPI in in vivo coagulation. This study provides further evidence that B2GPI is an anticoagulant of physiological importance.

Blood coagulation factor IXa (FIXa) activates factor X that leads to thrombin and fibrin formation and a stable thrombus. FIXa catalytic efficiency is markedly enhanced when bound to the co-factor, factor VIII (FVIII), and a negatively charged phospholipid surface in the tenase complex. Small redox active peptides and protein oxidoreductases have been shown previously to have some FIXa co-factor activity and thiol modifying agents have been reported to influence FVIII activity. These observations suggested that FIXa might contain an allosteric disulfide that is regulated by FVIII. This idea was tested by measuring the influence of FVIII on the redox state of FIXa disulfide bonds and the effect of plasma oxidoreductases on FIXa activity. The redox state of nine of the 11 disulfide bonds in FIXa was measured using differential cysteine labelling and mass spectrometry and all were oxidized in the protein, and this did not change upon binding of the enzyme to FVIII. All eight disulfide bonds in FVIII were also predominantly oxidized and this did not appreciably change upon FIXa binding. In addition, relevant protein reductants in the circulation inhibited rather than activated FIXa activity. In conclusion, we found no evidence that the co-factor function of FVIII involves a change in the redox state of one or more FIXa disulfide bonds. Austen, D.E. (1970). Thiol groups in the blood clotting action of factor VIII. Br J Haematol 19, 477-484. Bayele, H.K., Murdock, P.J., and Pasi, K.J. (2010). Residual factor VIII-like cofactor activity of thioredoxin and related oxidoreductases. Biochim Biophys Acta 1800, 398-404.