A role for pericellular proteoglycan in the binding of thrombin or antithrombin III by the blood vessel endothelium? The effects of proteoglycan-degrading enzymes and glycosaminoglycan-binding proteins on 125I-thrombin binding by the rabbit thoracic aorta in vitro.

Rabbit thoracic aorta segments were treated with either proteoglycan-degrading enzymes or with glycosaminoglycan-binding proteins to examine the nature of the endothelial and subendothelial binding sites of 125I-thrombin. Treatment (5-30 min) with enzymes (heparitinase, chondroitinases AC or ABC) caused a decrease in 125I-thrombin binding by the endothelium (30-70%) and by the subendothelial (intima-media) layer (20-50%); a low-specificity protease destroyed endothelial binding almost entirely and reduced binding to the subendothelium by approximately 60% over a similar period. Of the glycosaminoglycan-binding proteins, pretreatment of the aorta wall with protamine caused a 30% decrease in thrombin binding to the endothelium whereas lipoprotein lipase (present during 125I-thrombin uptake) decreased binding by up to 40%. Pretreatment with antithrombin III did not significantly affect binding of either 125I-thrombin or 125I-FPR-inactivated thrombin. In contrast to thrombin, 125I-antithrombin III was not readily uptaken by the aorta segments. These observations indicate that, whereas the minimal binding by 125I-antithrombin III probably does not involve endothelial proteoglycan, a strong case can be made for endothelial and subendothelial proteoglycan binding sites for thrombin.