The role of fibrinogen A alpha chains in ADP-induced platelet aggregation
in the presence of fibrinogen molecules containing gamma' chains
DL Amrani, PJ Newman, D Meh and MW Mosesson
Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Milwaukee
53233.
Human plasma fibrinogen (Fgn) is heterogenous with respect to the size of
its gamma chains, which differ in that residues 408 to 411 of gammaA chains
(93% of total) are replaced in gamma' chains by a unique 20 amino acid
sequence (gamma408 to gamma427). In this study, we compared the
contribution to adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation of
the A alpha chains in Fgn molecules containing predominantly (fraction 1-2)
or exclusively (peak 1 Fgn) gammaA chains with that of molecules containing
approximately 50% gamma' chains (peak 2 Fgn). Using washed human platelets,
we confirmed that the number of peak 2 Fgn molecules binding to platelets
in the presence of ADP was about half the number of peak 1 Fgn molecules
(18,962 +/- 2,298 v 44,366 +/- 16,096 molecules per platelet), and that
isolated S- carboxymethylated (SCM) gammaA chains supported ADP-induced
platelet aggregation nearly as well as peak 1 Fgn. In contrast, SCM-gamma'
chains alone supported aggregation poorly, whereas a mixture of SCM- gammaA
and gamma' chains (1:1 ratio) gave intermediate results. Despite the
findings with isolated SCM-gamma' chains, we found that peak 2 Fgn
supported platelet aggregation nearly as well as peak 1 Fgn. However, peak
2 Fgn from which carboxy (COOH)-terminal A alpha chain segments had been
removed by digestion with plasmin showed a markedly decreased platelet
aggregation potential. Peak 1 Fgn core fraction from an 88% to 90%
coagulable plasmin digest, or Fgn fraction 1-9, which has a high
gammaA/gamma' chain ratio (93:7), but lacks COOH-terminal regions of A
alpha chains, supported platelet aggregation to the same extent as did
intact peak 2 Fgn. These findings indicate that Fgn molecules containing
gamma' chains can approach the aggregation potential of Fgn molecules
containing predominantly or exclusively gammaA chains only if intact A
alpha chains are also present.
Volume 72,
Issue 3,
pp. 919-924,
09/01/1988
Copyright © 1988 by The American Society of Hematology