Alterations in the apparent tissue factor (thromboplastin) expression in HeLa cells by a cellular factor Xa inhibitor

HeLa cells have undetectable tissue factor (thromboplastin) activity when measured by a one-stage coagulation assay. In contrast, these cells accelerated the factor VII-catalyzed cleavage of factor X. The two assays gave similar results after either heating the samples to 100 degrees C for 2 min or exposure to thrombin. Neither of these treatments altered the tissue factor activity of human foreskin fibroblasts, a cell type with high tissue factor activity. HeLa cells contain an inhibitor(s) directed against factor Xa but not thrombin. The inhibitor(s) was inactivated by exposure to thrombin or by heat treatment. Inhibition of factor Xa-catalyzed cleavage of a synthetic peptide was blocked by ethyleneglycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) so the inhibition was apparently dependent on divalent cations. Inhibition was not accelerated by heparin. The inhibitor(s) was not protein C or other serine proteases since it was not inactivated by diisopropylfluorophosphate. The factor Xa inhibitor(s) has been isolated from HeLa cells with an approximate 500-fold increase in specific activity. After SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis factor Xa-inhibitory activity was recovered from a region corresponding to the major Coomassie-staining band at 43 kDa and in lesser amounts from regions corresponding to 26 and 17 kDa. Cellular inhibitors of coagulation may partially explain the low apparent tissue factor observed in some in vitro cells and may serve a regulatory role in limiting the expression of tissue factor.