Alpha 2-macroglobulin binds and inhibits activated protein C

Abstract

In previous studies using a nonhuman primate model of Protein C (PC) activation in vivo, immunoblotting showed substantial amounts of activated PC (APC) in a high molecular weight complex with what was presumed to be a previously unrecognized APC binding protein. This APC complex can also be formed in citrated plasma in vitro. It is of low electrophoretic mobility, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) stable, with an apparent Mr of 320 Kd. Its purification from human plasma was accomplished using barium citrate adsorption, sequential polyethylene glycol (PEG) precipitations, diethylaminoethyl sepharose chromatography, AcA-34 gel filtration, and zinc-chelate affinity chromatography. This was monitored by subjecting the fractions to nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), transfer to polyvinylidene-difluoride membranes, and probing with 125I-labeled human APC. The purified APC-binding protein was homogeneous by SDS-PAGE with an Mr of 275 Kd. Its identity as alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) was demonstrated immunochemically. Complex formation between alpha 2M and APC was found to be almost completely inhibited by EDTA, but to a lesser extent by citrate. Complex formation could also be prevented by active site inhibition with D-Phenylalanyl-L-Prolyl-L-Arginine- Chloromethyl Ketone (PPACK) or pretreatment of alpha 2M with methylamine. Incubation of APC (33 nmol/L) with alpha 2M (1 mumol/L) resulted in time-dependent inhibition of APC anticoagulant activity when measured using an activated partial thromboplastin time based APC assay. These data show that alpha 2M binds and inhibits APC in vitro and the interaction is both metal-ion and active-site dependent, requiring functionally intact alpha 2M. As the complexes formed in vitro comigrate electrophoretically with those observed in vivo after PC activation, it is suggested that alpha 2M is a physiologically relevant inhibitor involved in the processing of APC in vivo.

Single cell transcriptomics identifies focal segmental glomerulosclerosis remission endothelial biomarker

“…Podocyte injury is the earliest observed morphological feature of FSGS (26,38). A2M is an effective inhibitor of activated protein C (aPC) (39), with recent data indicating aPC as protective against apoptosis of podocytes in DN (40). Thus, inhibition of aPC by A2M may block the protective role of aPC.…”

A genome search for genetic determinants of markers of protein C activation

“…Activated protein C (APC) is inhibited primarily by the serine proteinase inhibitors α 1 ‐antitrypsin ( α 1AT) [1], protein C inhibitor (PCI) [1], and α 2 ‐macroglobulin [2,3]. We recently demonstrated in a large French–Canadian kindred that over half of the variance in the APC– α 1 AT complex and APC–PCI complex plasma concentrations could be attributed to genetic influences [4].…”

Inflammatory and metalloproteinases profiles predict three-month poor outcomes in ischemic stroke treated with thrombolysis

“…Human A2M is a broad-spectrum proteinase inhibitor, and a cargo protein for growth factors and cytokines in the blood and other extracellular spaces. 21 A2M enhances prothrombotic properties by neutralizing plasmin, plasminogen activators and activated protein C. [22][23][24] and acts as proteinase inhibitor through steric shielding and rapid clearance of the bound proteinases. This binding causes change in A2M conformation to an activated form, which recognizes the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1).…”