Procoagulant activity after exposure of monocyte-derived macrophages to minimally oxidized low density lipoprotein. Co-localization of tissue factor antigen and nascent fibrin fibers at the cell surface.

The role of tissue factor (TF) as an initiator of the thrombotic complications secondary to atherosclerosis has been acknowledged, and in situ expression of TF activity by monocyte-derived macrophages and lesion-associated macrophage foam cells has been documented. Macrophages express TF activity upon exposure in vitro to either oxidized low density lipoprotein LDL (Ox-LDL) or endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide). This activity has been associated with membrane vesicles that apparently are shed after procoagulant expression. The present study based upon the correlative use of an enzyme-linked coagulant assay and three-dimensional multi-antigen, immunogold electron microscopy, reports the ultrastructural localization of TF antigen and spatially correlates TF with OX-LDL binding and the presence of nascent fibrin polymers on the plasma membrane of cultured macrophages. Pigeon monocyte/macrophages, after a 4-hour induction with lipopolysaccharide (2 micrograms/ml) or minimally oxidized LDL (50 micrograms/ml; thiobarbituric acid reducing substance, 5 to 8 nmol/mg protein) were incubated for 40 minutes in a Tris-buffered medium containing factors VII, V, X, II, and I before either assaying for coagulant activity or processing for gold-colloid cytochemistry. TF activity, as measured by enzyme-linked coagulant assay peaked 6 hours after agonist exposure with lipopolysaccharide and Ox-LDL giving, respectively, 115- and 60-fold stimulation as compared with control. This activity corresponded to the elaboration of membrane ruffles and microvilli on the cell surfaces. Through correlative immunogold cytochemistry (15-nm-diameter colloid) and gold-ligand cytochemistry (30-nm-diameter colloid), TF antigen (83%) and Ox-LDL (78%) were primarily associated with the membrane ruffles and microvilli. Multi-antigen immunogold cytochemistry when used in conjunction with ligand-gold cytochemistry documented co-localization of Ox-LDL (22-nm gold), TF antigen (15-nm gold) and a delicate three-dimensional network of short fibrin fibers that were decorated in a linear fashion with the immunogold probes (30-nm gold). These results provide evidence that TF antigen is located at selected regions on the cell surfaces. Furthermore, these same regions provide binding sites for agonist uptake and organization sites for fibrin polymerization. Hypothetically, the localized membrane regions could be shed from the cell surface as a means for regulating coagulation potential.