Role of calcium ion in the generation of factor XIII activity

The involvement of calcium ion in the activation of both plasma factor XIII (alpha 2 beta 2) and platelet factor XIII (alpha 2) was investigated. The second-order dependence of the rate constant for exposure of the active-site thiol group of alpha-thrombin-cleaved plasma factor XIII (alpha 2'beta 2) on the concentration of calcium ion suggested that the binding of two calcium ions is required for transformation of the alpha 2'beta 2 tetramer to enzymatically active factor XIIIa. Fibrinogen, previously reported to lower the calcium ion concentration required for efficient activation of alpha 2'beta 2 [Credo, R. B., Curtis, C. G., & Lorand, L. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 4234-4237], was found in the present study to increase the rate of exposure of the active-site thiol group. Whereas calcium ion is required for exposure of the active-site thiol group in cleaved plasma factor XIII (alpha 2'beta 2), exposure of an active-site thiol group in cleaved platelet factor XIII (alpha 2') occurs in the absence of calcium ion. The rate constant (2.2 x 10(5) M-1 s-1) for alpha-thrombin-catalyed exposure of the active-site thiol group of platelet factor XIII zymogen (alpha 2) in the presence of calcium ion was greater than the rate constant (0.7 x 10(5) M-1 s-1) determined in the absence of calcium ion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)