Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), the main downregulator of the procoagulant activity of tissue factor.factor VIIa complex, locates in human endothelial cells (EC) in culture as well-defined clusters uniformly distributed both on the cell surface and intracellularly. We here demonstrate by immunofluorescence that TFPI colocalizes in EC with caveolin, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, and glycosphingolipids. The localization of TFPI in caveolae in resting endothelium is proved by double immunogold electron microscopy for TFPI and caveolin. After ultracentrifugation of rat lung or EC homogenates through density gradients of Nycodenz, TFPI was highly enriched at densities of 1.05 to 1.08 g/mL, together with caveolin and alkaline phosphatase. By ELISA, more than half of the cellular TFPI was detected in Triton X-100-insoluble extracts of EC. TFPI incorporates [1-3H]ethanolamine and is cleaved from the cell surface by phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C, indicating a specific glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchorage mechanism for TFPI in the plasma membrane. Clustering of TFPI and its localization in caveolae are dependent on the presence of cholesterol in the membrane. Agonist-induced stimulation of EC caused marked changes of distribution for both TFPI and caveolin at subcellular level, with subsequent increase of the cell surface-associated inhibitory activity toward tissue factor.factor VIIa. Our findings suggest that, beside their function in transcytosis, potocytosis, cell surface proteolysis, and regulation of signal transduction, caveolae also play a direct role in the regulation of EC anticoagulant properties.

Z-D-Phe-Pro-boroMpg-OPin (9a)1,2 has been shown previously to be a highly specific inhibitor of thrombin in spite of lacking an arginine-like guanidino group at the P1 site. A range of compounds have been synthesized based upon this lead compound, varying the neutral side chain at the P1 site. Of the 20 examples based upon the structures at P2 and P3 of Z-D-X-Pro (X being Phe or beta,beta-diphenylalanine), all were found to be effective inhibitors of thrombin (Ki's between 10 and 100 nM). Furthermore all exhibited a high specificity toward thrombin having values for a Ki(trypsin)/Ki(thrombin) ratio of between 10- and 100-fold. High ratio values were found for a number of the compounds tested against a range of serine proteinases (plasmin, factor Xa, kallikrein, urokinase, protein Ca, chymotrypsin, elastase, and cathepsin G). As far as potency toward thrombin, compounds containing the methoxypropyl group at P1 were favored over those with a methoxy grouping on a shorter alkyl chain (8) or without the methoxy group (1-5). The compounds display potent anticoagulant activity with values for 18 in thrombin time of 0.63 microM and in activated partial thromboplastin time of 2.0 microM. 11B NMR has been used to confirm interaction of the boron atom with the active site. From the high specificity shown with all the compounds we propose that the compounds, constitute a new class of thrombin inhibitors.

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