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Updated: May 17, 2026

Time-lapse 3D Imaging of Phagocytosis by Mouse Macrophages
Published on: October 19, 2018
Coagulation factor X interaction with macrophages through its N-glycans protects it from a rapid clearance
Mohamad Kurdi1, Ghislaine Cherel, Peter J Lenting
1INSERM Unit 770, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.
Abstract:
Factor X (FX), a plasma glycoprotein playing a central role in coagulation has a long circulatory half-life compared to closely related coagulation factors. The activation peptide of FX has been shown to influence its clearance with two N-glycans as key determinants of FX's relatively long survival. To decipher FX clearance mechanism, organ biodistribution and cellular interactions of human plasma FX (pd-FX), recombinant FX (rFX), N-deglycosylated FX (N-degly-FX) and recombinant FX mutated at both N-glycosylation sites (rFX(N181A-N191A)) were evaluated. Biodistribution analysis of (125)I-labelled FX proteins after administration to mice revealed liver as major target organ for all FX variants. Liver tissue sections analysis showed an interaction of pd-FX and N-degly-FX to different cell types. These findings were confirmed in cell binding studies revealing that FX and FX without N-glycans interact with macrophages and hepatocytes, respectively. N-degly-FX appeared to be degraded in hepatocytes while interestingly pd-FX was not by macrophages. Furthermore, the chemical inactivation of macrophages by gadolinium chloride resulted in a significant decrease of circulating pd-FX into mice and not of N-degly-FX. Altogether our data lead to the conclusion that FX interaction with macrophages through its N-glycans protects it from a rapid clearance explaining its relatively long circulatory half-life.
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