The 300 kDa cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) is a multifunctional protein that binds diverse intracellular and extracellular ligands with high affinity. The CI-MPR is a receptor for plasminogen and this interaction can be inhibited by lysine analogues. To characterize the molecular basis for this interaction, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analyses were performed using truncated forms of the CI-MPR and plasminogen. The results show that the N-terminal region of the CI-MPR containing domains 1 and 2, but not domain 1 alone, of the receptor's 15-domain extracytoplasmic region binds plasminogen (K d = 5 ± 1 nM) with an affinity similar to that of the full-length receptor (K d = 20 ± 6 nM). In addition to its C-terminal serine protease domain, plasminogen contains lysine binding sites (LBS), which are located within each of its five kringle domains, except kringle 3. We show that kringles 1-4, but not kringles 1-3, bind the CI-MPR, indicating an essential role for the LBS in kringle 4 of plasminogen. To identify the lysine residue (s) of the CI-MPR that serves as an essential determinant for recognition by the LBS of plasminogen, site-directed mutagenesis studies were carried out using a construct encoding the N-terminal three domains of the CI-MPR (Dom1-3His) which contains both a mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) and plasminogen binding site. The results demonstrate two lysine residues (Lys 53 located in domain 1 and Lys125 located in the loop connecting domains 1 and 2) of the CI-MPR are key determinants for plasminogen binding, but are not required for Man-6-P binding.Plasminogen, the precursor of the serine protease plasmin and the anti-angiogenic molecules, the angiostatins, is synthesized by liver and extrahepatic cells as a 92 kDa glycoprotein. It is a key component of the plasminogen activation system that is important in fibrinolysis, cell migration, tissue remodeling, inflammation, and tumor cell invasion. Glu-plasminogen, the full-length form of plasminogen, consists of seven domains: an N-terminal PAN (plasminogen/ Apple/Nematode) module, five kringle domains (K1-K5), and a C-terminal serine protease domain with trypsin-like activity (1,2). The kringle domains, each ~80 residues in length, share a common double-loop disulfide structure and are responsible for plasminogen binding to extracellular matrix proteins by the lysine binding site (LBS) 1 found in some (K1, K2, K4, and K5, with K2 and K5 exhibiting the weakest binding), but not all (K3), of the kringle domains † This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grants R01DK42667 (to N.M.D.) and R01EY012731 (to S.S.T.) *Address correspondence to: Nancy M. Dahms, Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee,, ndahms@mcw.edu. SUPPORTING INFORMATION A supplemental figure showing the secondary structure and oligomeric state of Dom1His can be accessed free of charge at http://pubs.acs.org. 1 The abbreviations used are: Glu-plasminogen, full-length plas...