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Detection of both type 1 and type 2 plasminogen activator inhibitors in human monocytes
J C Castellote1, E Grau, M A Linde
1Servei d'Hematologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
Increasing evidence suggests the involvement of leukocytes in the fibrinolytic system. Monocytes secrete pro-urokinase (Grau, Thromb Res 1989; 53: 145) and it has been shown that these cells have specific receptors for urokinase and plasminogen (Miles, Thromb Haemostas 1987; 58: 936). The aim of this study was to analyse the presence of plasminogen activator inhibitor(s) in platelet-free suspensions of human peripheral blood monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). SDS-PAGE and reverse fibrin autography showed an inhibitory band of 50 kDa in the monocyte extracts (Triton X-100) but not in the PMN extracts. Urokinase (u-PA) was mixed with increasing amounts of monocyte extract for 10 min and the mixtures were added to 125I-fibrin coated wells containing plasminogen. A dose-dependent decrease in the u-PA fibrinolytic activity was observed. The amount of inhibition increased when the monocyte releasates were preincubated with u-PA (40% inhibition after 5 min preincubation and 80% after 15 min), indicating a direct interaction between this activator and an inhibitor(s). After SDS-PAGE of monocyte extracts, immunoblotting and peroxidase staining identified both PAI1 and PAI2, with an apparent molecular weight of 47-50 kDa. Monocyte-associated PAI1 formed complexes with single chain t-PA with a molecular mass 50 kDa higher than the molecular mass of the free PAI1. However, a significant amount of PAI1 remained unbound to t-PA. This inactive PAI1 could have come from a rapid inactivation of the primary active PAI1. These PAI1 and PAI2 detected in human monocytes may be transcendent in the regulation of the fibrinolytic system.
Increasing evidence suggests the involvement of leukocytes in the fibrinolytic system. Monocytes secrete pro-urokinase (Grau, Thromb Res 1989; 53: 145) and it has been shown that these cells have specific receptors for urokinase and plasminogen (Miles, Thromb Haemostas 1987; 58: 936). The aim of this study was to analyse the presence of plasminogen activator inhibitor(s) in platelet-free suspensions of human peripheral blood monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). SDS-PAGE and reverse fibrin autography showed an inhibitory band of 50 kDa in the monocyte extracts (Triton X-100) but not in the PMN extracts. Urokinase (u-PA) was mixed with increasing amounts of monocyte extract for 10 min and the mixtures were added to 125I-fibrin coated wells containing plasminogen. A dose-dependent decrease in the u-PA fibrinolytic activity was observed. The amount of inhibition increased when the monocyte releasates were preincubated with u-PA (40% inhibition after 5 min preincubation and 80% after 15 min), indicating a direct interaction between this activator and an inhibitor(s). After SDS-PAGE of monocyte extracts, immunoblotting and peroxidase staining identified both PAI1 and PAI2, with an apparent molecular weight of 47-50 kDa. Monocyte-associated PAI1 formed complexes with single chain t-PA with a molecular mass 50 kDa higher than the molecular mass of the free PAI1. However, a significant amount of PAI1 remained unbound to t-PA. This inactive PAI1 could have come from a rapid inactivation of the primary active PAI1. These PAI1 and PAI2 detected in human monocytes may be transcendent in the regulation of the fibrinolytic system.