We have deduced the entire 575-amino acid sequence of the human thrombomodulin precursor from cDNA clones. The precursor starts with an 18-residue signal peptide domain, followed by the NH2-terminal domain, a domain with six epidermal growth factor-like structures, an 0-glycosylation site-rich domain, a 24-residue transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic domain. Simian COS cells transfected with the expression vector pSV2 containing thrombomodulin cDNA synthesized immunoreactive and functionally active thrombomodulin.

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Protein C inhibitor isolated from human plasma inhibited thrombin, factor Xa, trypsin and chymotrypsin as well as activated protein C, but had very little effect on urokinase and plasmin. The inhibition constants (K1) of protein C inhibitor for activated protein C, thrombin and factor Xa were 5.6 X 10(-8) M, 6.7 X 10(-8) M and 3.1 X 10(-7) M, respectively. The second-order rate constant for inhibition of activated protein C by the inhibitor increased about 30-fold in the presence of an optimal heparin concentration (5-10 units/ml). The inhibition of activated protein C by plasma protein C inhibitor was also accelerated by heparin. When activated protein C (Mr = 62,000) was incubated with protein C inhibitor (Mr = 57,000), enzyme-inhibitor complexes with apparent Mr = 102,000 and 88,000 were observed in the nonreduced and the reduced samples, respectively, on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition to these complexes, a band of unbound enzyme and a band with Mr = 54,000 were detected. When 125I-labeled protein C inhibitor was exposed to activated protein C, the inhibitor band was converted to bands with apparent Mr = 102,000 and 54,000 in the nonreduced samples, as determined by autoradiography after gel electrophoresis in SDS. The band with Mr = 54,000 also appeared when the inhibitor reacted with other serine proteases. The activated protein C was released from the inactive complex by treatment with 1 M ammonia or hydroxylamine. This phenomenon was found by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to represent the dissociation of the enzyme-inhibitor complex by ammonia or hydroxylamine into the free enzyme and the proteolytically modified inhibitor.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

We found functionally active thrombomodulin in human platelets (60 +/- 18 molecules per platelet). Protein C appeared not to be activated by thrombin with gel-filtered platelets. However, the activation of protein C by thrombin was accelerated by thrombin-stimulated and washed platelets. This cofactor activity of the platelets was neutralized by the anti-lung thrombomodulin-F(ab')2. From the Triton X-extract of platelets, thrombomodulin was partially purified by diisopropylphosphoryl-thrombin-agarose affinity chromatography. The Mr of the predominant platelet thrombomodulin was 78,000 before and 109,000 after reduction on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, values identical to those of placental thrombomodulin. The specific activity of the cofactor activity, apparent Kd (0.4 nM) for thrombin and Km (0.67 microM) for protein C of platelet thrombomodulin were also identical to those of placenta thrombomodulin. Thrombomodulin may play a role in activation of protein C on the surface of platelets.

Human Langerhans cells (LCs) are of hematopoietic origin, but cytokine regulation of their development is not fully understood. Notch ligand Delta-1 is expressed in a proportion of the skin. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) are also secreted in the skin. We report here that Delta-1, in concert with GM-CSF and TGF-beta1, induces the differentiation of human CD14(+) blood monocytes into cells that express LC markers: CD1a, Langerin, cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen, CC chemokine receptor 6, E-cadherin, and Birbeck granules. The resulting cells display phagocytic activity and chemotaxis to macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha). In response to CD40 ligand and tumor necrosis factor alpha, the cells acquire a mature phenotype of dendritic cells that is characterized by up-regulation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-ABC, HLA-DR, CD80, CD86, CD40, and CD54 and appearance of CD83. These cells in turn show chemotaxis toward MIP-1beta and elicit activation of CD8(+) T cells and T helper cell type 1 polarization of CD4(+) T cells. Thus, blood monocytes can give rise to LCs upon exposure to the skin cytokine environment consisting of Delta-1, GM-CSF, and TGF-beta1, which may be, in part, relevant to the development of human epidermal LCs. Our results extend the functional scope of Notch ligand delta-1 in human hematopoiesis.