Heparin Directs the Inactivation of Antithrombin by Elastase

Abstract

In apparent contradiction to its anticoagulant activity, we have observed a previously undetected, and potentially opposing function for heparin: a distinct heparin-dependency for the in vitro inactivation of highly-purified human antithrombin by neutrophil elastase. Similar to its ability to accelerate antithrombin-mediated inhibition of coagulation enzymes, anticoagulantly-active heparin was also found to stimulate the rate of inactivation of antithrombin by the neutrophil enzyme.In the absence of heparin, or in the presence of the heparin antagonists platelet factor 4 or polybrene, little or no inactivation of antithrombin occurred. Catalytic amounts of heparin and elastase caused the complete inactivation of antithrombin (approximate molar ratio of 1:1:400 respectively) in 5-10 minutes. The loss of heparin binding affinity by the elastase-cleaved form of antithrombin permitted its separation from active antithrombin by heparin-agarose chromatography.The purified elastase-inactivated antithrombin was injected into rabbits for determination of its comparative clearance behavior. In contrast to intact, functional antithrombin (t 1/2 >30 hours) and the thrombin-antithrombin (T-AT) complex (t 1/2 previously shown to be minutes), elastase-inactivated antithrombin circulated for approximately 13 hours. This prolonged clearance relative to the T-AT complex may suggest an alternative explanation for the circulating, non-functional antithrombin observed in certain coagulopathic states. In summary, these results point to a potential and unexpected role for heparin in directing the inactivation of antithrombin and suggest a possible in vivo mechanism for neutralizing the usually non-thrombogenic nature of the vascular lining.

Genetic engineering and the serpins

“…The activity of antithrombin is modulated by the glycosaminoglycan heparin that binds to it and activates it: in the absence of heparin, antithrombin is a rather poor inhibitor of thrombin. The mechanism of this activation is unknown, but it seems likely from observations of susceptibility of the reactive centre loop of antithrombin to cleavagelo, 11 that it involves release of the loop from steric hindrance. Antitrypsin does not bind heparin and antitrypsin Pittsburgh has full inhibitory activity irrespective of heparin concentration.…”