Inactivation of tissue plasminogen activator in plasma. Demonstration of a complex with a new rapid inhibitor.

A new specific and sensitive method for determination of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in plasma samples has been used to demonstrate the presence of a fast inhibitor to t-PA in plasma. By adding [35S]Met internally labeled t-PA (Mr approximately 70,000) to plasma, we were able to demonstrate the rapid formation of a stable complex with an apparent molecular weight of about 115,000 as estimated by gel filtration. The complex was partially purified by immunoadsorbtion chromatography on insolubilized antibodies against porcine t-PA, and a molecular weight of about 120,000 was found by dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. From the apparent molecular weight of the complex (120,000) and the molecular weight of t-PA (70,000), a molecular weight of about 50,000 would be expected for the inhibitor. However, gel filtration of inhibitor-rich plasma resulted in the appearance of a symmetrical peak of t-PA inhibitory activity with an apparent molecular weight of about 205,000. The reason for this discrepancy is not known, but several different models are possible.