THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FIBRINOGEN D DOMAIN SELF-ASSOCIATION CROSS-LINKING SITE (GAMMA-XL) AND THE FIBRINOGEN DUSART ABNORMALITY (A-ALPHA R554C-ALBUMIN) - CLUES TO THROMBOPHILIA IN THE DUSART-SYNDROME/
Mw. Mosesson et al., THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FIBRINOGEN D DOMAIN SELF-ASSOCIATION CROSS-LINKING SITE (GAMMA-XL) AND THE FIBRINOGEN DUSART ABNORMALITY (A-ALPHA R554C-ALBUMIN) - CLUES TO THROMBOPHILIA IN THE DUSART-SYNDROME/, The Journal of clinical investigation, 97(10), 1996, pp. 2342-2350
Cross-linking of fibrinogen at its COOH-terminal gamma chain cross-lin
king site occurs in the presence of factor XIIIa due to self-associati
on at a constitutive D domain site (''gamma XL''). We investigated the
contribution of COOH-terminal regions of fibrinogen Act chains to the
gamma XL site by comparing the gamma chain cross-linking rate of inta
ct fibrinogen (fraction I-2) with that of plasma fraction I-9, plasmic
fraction I-9D, and plasmic fragment D-1, which lack COOH-terminal A a
lpha chain regions comprising similar to 100, similar to 390, and 413
residues, respectively, The cross-linking rates were I-2 > I-9 > I-9D
= D-1, and indicated that the terminal 100 or more ACL chain residues
enhance gamma XL site association. Fibrinogen Dusart, whose structural
abnormality is in the COOH-terminal ''alpha C'' region of its A alpha
chain (A alpha R554C-albumin), is associated with thrombophilia (''Du
sart Syndrome''), and is characterized functionally by defective fibri
n polymerization and clot structure, and reduced plasminogen binding a
nd tPA-induced fibrinolysis, In the presence of XIIIa, the Dusart fibr
inogen gamma chain cross-linking rate was about twice that of normal,
but was normalized in proteolytic fibrinogen derivatives lacking the A
alpha chain abnormality, as was reduced plasminogen binding. Electron
microscopy showed that albumin-bound Dusart fibrinogen ''alpha C'' re
gions were located in the vicinity of D domains, rather than at their
expected tethered location near the fibrinogen E domain, In addition,
there was considerable fibrinogen aggregation that was attributable to
increased intermolecular COOH-terminal A alpha chain associations pro
moted by untethered Dusart fibrinogen aC domains. We conclude that enh
anced Dusart fibrinogen self-assembly is mediated through its abnormal
alpha C domains, leads to increased gamma XL self-association and gam
ma chain cross-linking potential, and contributes to the thrombophilia
that characterizes the ''Dusart Syndrome.'' (J. Clin. Invest. 1996. 9
7:2342-2350.)