T. Hamamoto et W. Kisiel, THE EFFECT OF HEPARIN ON THE REGULATION OF FACTOR VIIA-TISSUE FACTOR ACTIVITY BY TISSUE FACTOR PATHWAY INHIBITOR, Blood coagulation & fibrinolysis, 7(4), 1996, pp. 470-476
Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) inhibits factor VIIa-tissue fac
tor and factor Xa through its first and second Kunitz-type domains, re
spectively. Previous studies have shown that heparin binds to TFPI at
two sites and enhances the inhibitory activity of TFPI towards factor
Xa. We have studied the effect of heparin of the TFPI-mediated inhibit
ion of factor VIIa-relipidated tissue factor amiodolytic activity and
factor VIIa-tissue factor proteolytic activity towards factor IX and f
actor X on a human bladder carcinoma cell line, J82. The inhibitory ac
tivity of full-length TFPI on factor Wa-tissue factor amidolytic and p
roteolytic activities was greatly enhanced by heparin, whereas the inh
ibitory activity of a truncated form of TFPI lacking the third Kunitz-
type domain and carboxy-terminal tail (TFP1-161) was not affected by h
eparin. Optimal inhibition of factor VIIa-tissue factor by TFPI was ob
served at 0.1 U/ml heparin. Heparin enhanced the inhibitory activity o
f TFPI towards factor Xa even in the presence of factor VIIa-tissue fa
ctor complexes in solution phase. In addition, heparin augmented the a
bility of TFPI to inhibit factor VIIa-tissue factor amidolytic activit
y in the presence of active-site mutated factor X (S376A factor X). Ou
r collective results suggest that heparin may play a significant role
in augmenting the physiological regulation of factor VIIa-tissue facto
r activity by TFPI.