The cleavage and formation of activated human Hageman factor by autodigestion and by kallikrein.

We have compared the cleavage of purified human Hageman factor (HF) by an activated form of human Hageman factor (HFa) (autodigestion) and by kallikrein. In each case, an initial cleavage is seen which produces HFa with Mr = 80,000 consisting of a heavy chain of Mr = 52,000 disulfide-linked to a light chain of Mr = 28,000. As autodigestion proceeds, HFa is shown to be further digested to yield a major active product at a molecular weight of 40,000 as well as Hageman factor fragment (HFf), which appear as two closely related molecular species of Mr = 28,000 and 30,000. A minor active product of Mr = 70,000 is also seen. Upon reduction of each of the active forms, a chain with Mr = 28,000 is released which contains the active site. HF digestion by kallikrein results in rapid formation of HFa, followed by HFa digestion to HFf and degradation of the heavy chain region to an inactive fragment at 40,000 daltons, which is then degraded to an end product of Mr = 36,000. Production of the active species with Mr = 40,000 and 70,000 is greatly diminished when kallikrein is the HF activator, and these active forms are shown to be formed primarily by autodigestion. The time course of HFa and HFf formation indicates that the rate of activation of Hageman factor by kallikrein is much faster than the rate of autoactivation; the addition of high molecular weight kininogen increases the rate of HFa and HFf formation as well as the extent of HG digestion. These data indicate that HFa is the active intermediate from which other active species are derived. The patterns of HF and HFa digestion by HFa and kallikrein are distinct; a model for HF digestion is presented.