Received July 3, 2007

Revised Manuscript Received October 3, 2007

Abstract:

The zymogen, factor XI, and the enzyme, factor XIa, interact specifically with functional receptors on the surface of activated platelets. These studies were initiated to identify the molecular subdomain within factor XIa that binds to activated platelets. Both factor XIa (K_i ~ 1.4 nM) and a chimeric factor XIa containing the Apple 3 domain of prekallikrein (K_i ~ 2.7 nM) competed with [¹²⁵I]factor XIa for binding sites on activated platelets, suggesting that the factor XIa binding site for platelets is not located in the Apple 3 domain which mediates factor XI binding to platelets. The recombinant catalytic domain (Ile³⁷⁰-Val⁶⁰⁷) inhibited the binding of [¹²⁵I]factor XIa to the platelets (K_i ~ 3.5 nM), whereas the recombinant factor XI heavy chain did not, demonstrating that the platelet binding site is located in the light chain of factor XIa. A conformationally constrained cyclic peptide (Cys⁵²⁷-Cys⁵⁴²) containing a high-affinity (K_D ~ 86 nM) heparin-binding site within the catalytic domain of factor XIa also displaced [¹²⁵I]factor XIa from the surface of activated platelets (K_i ~ 5.8 nM), whereas a scrambled peptide of identical composition was without effect, suggesting that the binding site in factor XIa that interacts with the platelet surface resides in the catalytic domain near the heparin binding site of factor XIa. These data support the conclusion that a conformational transition accompanies conversion of factor XI to factor XIa that conceals the Apple 3 domain factor XI (zymogen) platelet binding site and exposes the factor XIa (enzyme) platelet binding site within the catalytic domain possibly comprising residues Cys⁵²⁷-Cys⁵⁴².

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