Cross-reactive immunodeterminants on Streptococcus sanguis and collagen. Predicting a structural motif of...

Cross-reactive immunodeterminants on a fibril-associated surface antigen of Streptococcus sanguis and types I and III collagen participate in the induction of aggregation of human platelets. To further understand the basis for this apparent molecular mimicry, antitype-specific collagen antibodies, anti-KPGEPGPK (an analogue of platelet-interactive domains on collagen) and a panel of KPGEPGPK-like synthetic peptides were used as probes. When collagen or S. sanguis cells were pretreated with the anti-collagen antisera, the induction of aggregation of platelet-rich plasma was greatly delayed or abrogated. These anti-collagen antibodies also neutralized KPGEPGPK and purified S. sanguis platelet-interactive antigens as inhibitors of S. sanguis or collagen-induced aggregation of platelets in plasma. In immunoblot analyses, these anti-collagen antibodies reacted with S. sanguis platelet-interactive antigens. Additionally, antisera against the platelet-interactive antigen of S. sanguis selectively reacted with undigested type I collagen and with fragments CB3 and CB6 of cyanogen bromide-treated type I collagen. Finally, when platelets were pretreated with synthetic peptides containing specific amino acid substitutions within the KPGEPGPK sequence, the time to onset of platelet-rich plasma aggregation by both agonists was altered. The hierarchical pattern of responses of platelets to these peptides and predictions of the structural changes produced by simulated insertions of each peptide into the CB4 sequence of type III collagen suggested conformational requirements for interactions with platelets. Thus, these data show that cross-reactive immunodeterminants of S. sanguis and collagen induce platelet aggregation. The platelet-interactive domains are predicted to be characterized by a structural motif with the consensus sequence X-P-G-E-P/Q-G-P-X.