The regulation of human factor V by a neutrophil protease

Neutrophils activated with serum opsonized zymosan, soluble heat-aggregated IgG, and ionophore A23187 in the presence of calcium release a material capable of initially activating factor V. Subsequent inactivation of factor V was only observed with neutrophil releasate derived from IgG and ionophore. In this study we examine the nature of this neutrophil activity and investigate its role in the regulation of factor V/Va. From early in the fractionation it was apparent that the cells contained different enzymes capable of cleaving factor V. The most active of these was isolated and found to be an isomer of human neutrophil elastase. The purified protease caused a dose-dependent activation of isolated factor V to a maximum of threefold. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, single-chain factor V was cleaved to form intermediates of 100 and 91 kilodaltons (kD). Coagulant activity correlated with the formation of a 97-kD heavy and 77-kD light chain. On prolonged incubation the formed factor Va(e) was inactivated in association with proteolysis of the 97-kD band to smaller peptides and cleavage of the 77-kD light chain to a molecular weight of 75 kD, which is similar to thrombin-activated factor Va light chain. Neutrophil elastase also caused rapid inactivation of thrombin-activated factor V, factor Va(t). These observations suggest that elastase cleaves factor V at sites distinct from that by thrombin and therefore represents a novel factor V activation pattern. It is proposed that upon neutrophil activation elastase is secreted into the plasma milieu to initiate factor V activation. This serves to generate small amounts of thrombin that, in turn, by positive feedback fully activates factor V and thus amplifies the coagulation reaction.