The role of the first growth factor domain of human factor IXa in binding to platelets and in factor X activation.

We have recently shown that thrombin-stimulated human platelets have specific, saturable receptors for factor IXa, occupancy of which promotes factor X activation (Ahmad, S. S., Rawala-Sheikh, R., and Walsh, P.N. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 3244-3251, 20012-20016; Rawala-Sheikh, R., Ahmad, S. S., and Walsh, P. N. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 2606-2611). To study the structural requirements for factor IXa binding to platelets, we have carried out equilibrium binding studies with human factor IXa after replacing the first epidermal growth factor (EGF) domain by the corresponding polypeptide region of factor X (Lin, S.-W., Smith, K. J., Welsch, D., and Stafford, D. W. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 144-150). The chimeric protein, factor IX(Xegf1), as well as the wild-type, factor IXwt, produced in embryo kidney cells, and factor IX isolated from human plasma were radiolabeled with 125I and activated with factor XIa. Direct binding studies with thrombin-activated platelets showed normal stoichiometry and affinity of binding of factor IXa(Xegf1) (566 sites/platelet, Kd = 0.69 nM) and factor IXawt (590 sites/platelet, Kd = 0.61 nM) in the presence of factor VIIIa (5 units/ml) and factor X (1.5 microM) compared to factor IXaN (558 sites/platelet, Kd = 0.67 nM). The concentration of factor IXaN, factor IXawt, and factor IXa(Xegf1) required for half-maximal rates of factor Xa formation were 0.63, 0.7, and 0.83 nM, indicating that the Kdapp for binding of factor IXa(Xegf1) to the factor X activating complex on activated platelets is normal. These studies suggest either that the EGF-1 domain of factor IXa is not involved in factor IXa binding to platelets or that the EGF-1 domain from factor X when inserted into factor IXa, suffices to promote normal factor IXa binding.