NOVEL SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES FROM THE C-TERMINAL HEPARIN-BINDING DOMAIN OF FIBRONECTIN WITH HEPARIN-BINDING ACTIVITY

To identify a minimal peptide ligand that participates in recognition of heparin, we synthesized peptides extending a 29-kDa fragment in the C-terminal heparin binding domain of fibronectin. We obtained evidenc e that two peptides (designated D5 and D1) exhibit inhibitory activity on binding of the 29-kDa fragment to heparin-Sepharose CL-6B. In dose inhibitory studies, peptide D5 showed the potent inhibitory activity with IC50 of 210 +/- 37 mu M. A new heparin binding site in the C-term inal heparin binding domain of fibronectin is demonstrated and provide s a rationale for understanding the mechanism of cell adhesion and spr eading.