Serine proteases blood clotting factors

The destructive potential of proteases means that their activity has to be tightly regulated to prevent autolysis of protease-producing cells. Thus digestive proteases such as chymotrypsin, pepsin and trypsin are produced as inactive zymogens (proenzymes) and are subsequently activated after secretion. The serine protease-catalysed process of blood clotting involves a cascade of successive proteolytic activations of the blood clotting factor proteases involved [2-6]. 

The cereal dual function a-amylase/trypsin inhibitor proteins are cysteine-rich, disulphide-rich, double-headed, 13-16 kDa, dual function inhibitor proteins that inhibit both of the digestion enzymes a-amylase and trypsin [290-325] (Table 11). Thus the Zea (com) member of this family, com Hageman factor inhibitor (CHFI), is a double-headed 14 kDa protein that inhibits a-amylase and the serine proteases trypsin and blood clotting Factor Xlla [323-324] (Table 11). The structures of the bifunctional a-amylase/trypsin inhibitor proteins from Eleusine (ragi) (RBI) [292-295] and Zea (com) (CHFI) [325] have been determined. These proteins are structurally similar to the lipid transfer proteins, being composed of a bundle of 4 a-helices together with a short [3-sheet element connected by loops, the a-amylase- and protease-inhibitory domains being separately located [325]. 

The mustard family (Brassicaceae) PIPs are 7 kDa proteins with 8 cysteines in highly conserved positions that form 4 disulphide linkages in a particular pattern of connectivity. The mustard PIPs are variously potent inhibitors of serine proteases such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, thrombin, plasmin and blood clotting factors Xa and Xlla [515, 520] (Table 15). 

Circulating proenzymes of the blood clotting factors, of the complement system (Chapter 31), represent a specialized group of secreted signaling proteins that are able to initiate important defensive cascades. Proteases also act more directly in defense systems of the body. For example, serine proteases cause lysis of the target cells of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Chapter 31) and activated neutrophils (Chapter 18). At the same time, pathogenic bacteria often secrete proteases that assist in attack on their hosts and schistosomes secrete an elastase that helps them penetrate skin and invade their hosts. ... 

Antithrombin III (AT-III), a single-chain glycoprotein of 58 kDa and 480 amino acids, is synthesized in the liver. It is a serine protease inhibitor, and acts as the most important inhibitor in the coagulation cascade to avoid blood clot formation. AT-III inhibits a wide spectram of serine proteases induding thrombin, factors IXa, Xa and XIa, kaUikrein, plasmin, urokinase, Cl-esterase, and trypsin. AT-III interacts with heparin by binding to specific sul-fated and non-sulfated monosaccharide units on heparin. The binding of AT-III to heparin enhances the inhibition of factors IXa, Xa, and thrombin. 

AChE can be classified in several ways. Mechanistically, it is a serine hydrolase. Its catalytic site contains a catalytic triad—serine, histidine and an acidic residue— as do the catalytic sites of the serine proteases (such as trypsin), several blood clotting factors, and others. However, the acidic group in AChE is a glutamate, whereas in most other cases, it is an aspartate residue. 

BLOOD CLOTTING. The formation of blood clots is the result of a series of zymogen activations (Figure 15.5). The amplification achieved by this cascade of enzymatic activations allows blood clotting to occur rapidly in response to injury. Seven of the clotting factors in their active form are serine proteases ... 

The protein-based clotting process is a classic example of an enzyme cascade (see Figure 5.23). The clotting factors (which are designated with a Roman numeral, I to XIII) are synthesized in the liver and circulate in the blood as inactive precursors, strictiy, proenzymes. Most of the clotting factors are serine protease enzymes, that is they are enzymes which cleave other proteins (substrates) by a mechanism which involves a serine residue at the active site. 

Every regulatory system in the body must be prevented from overactivity or activity that is unnecessarily prolonged. This can help us understand that, just as with blood clotting (Fig. 12-17), a network of regulatory factors controls the complement system. Among these are an inhibitory C4b-binding protein (C4BP),181 which acts to prevent excessive formation of the C4b C2a complex (Fig. 31-8). Complement cofactor I is a serine protease that cleaves both C3b and C4b into smaller pieces in the presence of cofactor... 

The enzymes that participate in blood clotting also are activated by partial proteolysis, which again serves to keep them in check until they are needed. The blood coagulation system involves a cascade of at least seven serine proteases, each of which activates the subsequent enzyme in the series (fig. 9.2). Because each molecule of activated enzyme can, in turn, activate many molecules of the next enzyme, initiation of the process by factors that are exposed in damaged tissue leads explosively to the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin, the final serine protease in the series. Thrombin then cuts another protein, fibrin, into peptides that stick together to form a clot. 

Interactions between serine proteases are common, and substrates of serine proteases are usually other serine proteases that are activated from an inactive precursor [66]. The involvement of serine proteases in cascade pathways is well documented. One important example is the blood coagulation cascade. Blood clots are formed by a series of zymogen activations. In this enzymatic cascade, the activated form of one factor catalyzes the activation of the next factor. Very small amounts of the initial factors are sufficient to trigger the cascade because of the catalytic nature of the process. These numerous steps yield a large amplification, thus ensuring a rapid and amplified response to trauma. A similar mechanism is involved in the dissolution of blood clots. A third important example of the coordinated action of serine proteases is the intestinal digestive enzymes. The apoptosis pathway is another important example of coordinated action of other types of proteases. 

Hie serine protease thrombin takes a central position in the clotting system. It splits off fibrinopeptides A and B from the amino terminal ends of the a- and -chains of fibrinogen. The resulting fibrin monomer then undergoes polymerization to forma fibrin dot. Via activation of the clotting factors V and VIII, further thrombin is Generated from wothramhin. and via activation of blood dale lets and... 

Heparin acts by binding to anti thrombin III, which serves as a major inhibitor of serine protease clotting enzymes. Abruptly ending heparin treatment can be hazardous because of reduced levels of antithrombin III. Coumarins, typified by warfarin, are structurally similar to vitamin K, which plays an important role in blood coagulation. By interfering with the function of vitamin K, vitamin K-dependent proteins such as clotting factors VII, IX, X and prothrombin are reduced. 

The squash family (Cucurbitaceae) family of serine PIPs are very small circa 3 kDa), cysteine-rich proteins (6 cysteines being involved in 3 disulphide linkages) [537-561]. These small proteins have extraordinary affinities for the target serine proteases (K values in the nanomolar and picomolar range) (Table 17). The serine proteases variously inhibited by squash family PIPs include elastase, trypsin, kallikrein and blood clotting protease factors Xa, XIa and Xlla (Table 17). Of particular note are the squash family PIPs MCoTI-I and MCoTI-U from Momordica cochinensis... 

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