Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.21.5 (thrombin)
33,306 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Astrocytes appear star-shaped in the brain, increasingly so after injury. When astroglia are cultured in serum-containing medium, they exhibit a flat, fibroblast-like morphology. In serum-free medium, astrocytes become stellate, with many long processes. The serine protease alpha-thrombin mimics the effects of serum at subnanomolar concentrations, whereas the thrombin-inhibiting serpin, protease nexin I (PNI), reverses the thrombin effect. In our current experiments, murine neonatal spinal cord astrocytes became stellate after 4 hr in serum-free medium, while cortical astrocytes required 12 hr in serum-free medium for stellation. Astrocytes from either region flattened after 60 min in medium containing 3.0 to 300 pM proteolytically active human alpha-thrombin. After 12 hr in thrombin-containing medium, 98% of the astrocytes had a flattened morphology. No flattening occurred if alpha-thrombin was replaced by gamma-thrombin, which has its fibrinogen-recognition exosite disrupted. PNI added at 1 nM to serum-containing medium caused stellation after 3 hr, and astroglia were 50% stellate by 12 hr. The effect of thrombin was mimicked by a 7-amino acid peptide (TRP-7) from the cleavage site of the human thrombin receptor. This peptide caused 40% of the astrocytes in serum-free medium to exhibit a flattened morphology after 6 hr. PNI had no effect on TRP-7 action on astrocytes. These results indicate that astrocytes possess a cell-surface receptor for thrombin, similar to that described for platelets, endothelial cells, and neurons.
...
PMID:Thrombin receptor peptides induce shape change in neonatal murine astrocytes in culture. 814 98

The inhibition of activated protein C by six different serine protease inhibitors (serpins) that have arginine residues in the P1 position has been investigated. Micromolar concentrations of C1-inhibitor failed to inhibit the enzyme, and it was inhibited only slowly by antithrombin III with an association rate constant (kass.) of 0.15 M-1.s-1. The kass. values for the other serpins tested (protease nexin I, protein C inhibitor, and mutants of alpha 1-antichymotrypsin and alpha 1-antitrypsin with P1 arginine residues) were at least 1000-fold higher, with P1-Arg-alpha 1-antitrypsin (kass. = 7 x 10(4) M-1.s-1) being the most effective inhibitor. The inhibition with these four serpins appeared to be reversible, with inhibition constants in the nanomolar range. The relatively high value of kass. for protease nexin I (5 x 10(3) M-1.s-1) suggested that it may be involved in the control of activated protein C on the surface of platelets where protein nexin I is present at relatively high concentrations. The value of kass. for protease nexin I, protein C inhibitor and antithrombin III showed a bell-shaped dependence on heparin concentration. At optimal concentrations, heparin accelerated the rate of inhibition by protease nexin I, protein C inhibitor and antithrombin III by 44-, 18- and 13-fold respectively. The kinetic constants for the inhibition of thrombin were also determined, and in all cases the serpins were more effective inhibitors of thrombin. Comparison of the sequences of the active-site regions of activated protein C and thrombin suggested that the more hydrophobic active site of thrombin may be more favourable for interactions with serpins.
...
PMID:Interaction of activated protein C with serpins. 821 24

The protease nexins are protease inhibitors which regulate key blood coagulation proteases and which appear to be involved in certain physiological and pathological processes in the brain. Protease nexin-1 (PN-1), a potent inhibitor of thrombin, can regulate processes on cultured neurons and astrocytes. Protease nexin-2 (PN-2), a potent inhibitor of coagulation factor XIa, is identical to the secreted form of the Alzheimer's amyloid beta-protein precursor. In the present studies, PN-1 and PN-2 were analyzed in different tissues of monkey using monoclonal antibodies for either quantitative immunoblotting or specific [125I]protease-binding assays. PN-1 was detected only in brain. PN-2 was most abundant in brain, followed by testis and to a lesser extent kidney. Other tissues examined including spinal cord, heart, pancreas, spleen, liver, lung and muscle were essentially devoid of both PN-1 and PN-2. Within the brain, the levels of PN-1 and PN-2 were highest in the parietal cortex and lowest in the cerebellum and brainstem. The thalamus and striatum contained intermediate amounts of both proteins. Aged Cebus monkey cerebral cortical tissue contained slightly lower levels of PN-1 than did the middle-aged or young monkey tissue. The co-distribution of PN-1 and PN-2 in brain, their relative abundance in brain cortex, and previous studies on their functions suggest that in the brain they may participate in the regulation of blood coagulation and cell growth and differentiation.
...
PMID:Co-distribution of protease nexin-1 and protease nexin-2 in brains of non-human primates. 828 56

Thrombin participates in several regulatory events following injury as a result of its effects on blood coagulation and cell migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Protease nexin-1 (PN-1) is a potent thrombin inhibitor in the extracellular environment. Since injury-related factors are known to regulate the synthesis and secretion of PN-1, the inhibitor may serve to modulate the actions of thrombin during injury. Here we report the molecular mechanisms that underlie this regulation. In normal human fibroblasts, interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta stimulated the synthesis and secretion of PN-1. The stimulation correlated with an increase in steady-state levels of PN-1 mRNA. Treatment of cells with both cycloheximide and IL-1 reduced the levels of PN-1 mRNA. Nuclear run-on assays indicated that IL-1 modestly increased the rate of PN-1 transcription. However, experiments with actinomycin D demonstrated that IL-1 significantly increased the half-life of the PN-1 mRNA. In contrast, dexamethasone (DXM) repressed the synthesis and secretion of PN-1 from fibroblasts. This effect correlated with a decrease in PN-1 mRNA. A sustained decrease in PN-1 mRNA was also seen when cells were treated with cycloheximide and DXM. In nuclear run-on assays, DXM functioned as a transcriptional repressor of PN-1 synthesis. Treatment of cells with actinomycin D showed that DXM did not affect mRNA stability. Thus, our experiments demonstrate that IL-1 and DXM, which function biologically in different fashions, regulate the synthesis of PN-1 by separate molecular mechanisms. While DXM directly regulates PN-1 at the level of transcription, IL-1 in the presence of ongoing protein synthesis regulates PN-1 production predominantly in a post-transcriptional fashion by increasing the half-life of the PN-1 mRNA.
...
PMID:Protease nexin-1, a thrombin inhibitor, is regulated by interleukin-1 and dexamethasone in normal human fibroblasts. 836 Jan 85

The clotting protease thrombin might contribute to cell damage following brain injury by its ability to retract processes on neurons and astrocytes. Protease nexin-1 (PN-1), a potent inhibitor of thrombin, is localized around cerebral blood vessels where it may protect these cells from extravasated thrombin during injury or alteration of the blood-brain barrier. Here we examined the effects of several injury-related factors on the regulation of PN-1 in cultured brain cells. Interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta stimulated the secretion of PN-1 by the neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH. This cell line comprises both neuronal and glial cells. Analyses using cloned derivatives of these two cell types showed that PN-1 was secreted by the glial cells; PN-1 secretion was stimulated 90-fold by interleukin-1, 15-fold by tumor necrosis factor-alpha, 10-fold by tumor growth factor-beta, and 4-fold by platelet-derived growth factor. Measurements of newly synthesised PN-1 demonstrated that these factors produced an equivalent stimulation of PN-1 synthesis. The neuronal cells secreted two thrombin-binding proteins distinct from PN-1. Interactions between these two cell types regulated the secretion of PN-1 and the two thrombin-binding proteins.
...
PMID:Regulation of protease nexin-1 synthesis and secretion in cultured brain cells by injury-related factors. 842 47

Protease nexin 1 (PN1), a serine protease inhibitor that inactivates thrombin, urokinase, and plasmin, is produced abundantly in cultures of human fibroblasts and rat and human glioma cells. The major sites of PN1 synthesis in vivo and the specific physiological function(s) of this serpin are unknown. Using Northern blot analysis and a full-length PN1 cDNA probe we demonstrated the presence of PN1 mRNA in human term placentas. In situ hybridization of placental tissue with a PN1 riboprobe showed that PN1 mRNA is present throughout the placenta and is also abundant in the placental membranes. Immunohistochemical analysis with an anti-PN1 antibody showed co-localization of PN1 and its mRNA within the placenta.
...
PMID:Protease nexin 1 is expressed in the human placenta. 845 23

A search for inhibitors of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) in the male and female murine genital tracts revealed high levels of a uPA ligand in the seminal vesicle. This ligand is functionally, biochemically and immunologically indistinguishable from protease-nexin I (PN-I), a serpin ligand of thrombin and uPA previously detected only in mesenchymal cells and astrocytes. A survey of murine tissues indicates that PN-I mRNA is most abundant in seminal vesicles, where it represents 0.2-0.4% of the mRNAs. PN-I is synthesized in the epithelium of the seminal vesicle, as determined by in situ hybridization, and is secreted in the lumen of the gland. PN-I levels are much lower in immature animals, and strongly decreased upon castration. Testosterone treatment of castrated males rapidly restores PN-I mRNA levels, indicating that PN-I gene expression is under androgen control.
...
PMID:Protease-nexin I as an androgen-dependent secretory product of the murine seminal vesicle. 849 Nov 79

A marked and significant reduction of protease nexin-1 (PN-1) and PN-2/amyloid beta protein precursor (A beta PP) was observed in selected regions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains as compared to those of aged-matched controls. Correlative analysis indicated a relationship between PN-1 reduction and the severity of pathologic alterations. A statistically significant inverse correlation was noted between the level of PN-1 activity and the density of tau-positive dystrophic neurites in the hippocampus. In view of the ability of thrombin and PN-1 activity to regulate neurite outgrowth, it is possible that abnormal thrombin and PN-1 interactions may play a role in dystrophic neurite formation. The presence of clusters of dystrophic neurites around the capillaries suggests that blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction may enhance such abnormal interactions. The decrease in PN-2/A beta PP levels in AD brains could possibly contribute to neuronal degeneration in AD in view of the ability of PN-2/A beta PP to protect neurons against the toxic effects of the A beta.
...
PMID:Decreases in protease nexins in Alzheimer's disease brain. 854 5

Protease nexin I (PNI) is a 43- to 50-kDa glycoprotein capable of inhibiting a number of serine proteases and belongs to the serpin superfamily. PNI is identical to glia-derived nexin, a neurite outgrowth promoter by virtue of its thrombin-inhibiting activity. Of particular relevance to neuromuscular biology and pathology, PNI was the first serpin shown to be highly localized to the neuromuscular junction and it maps to precisely the same locus as autosomal recessive amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALSJ) at chromosome 2q33-35. In the present report, we now show that in cultures of human skeletal muscle, PNI protein is expressed only after myoblast fusion into multinuclear myotubes and is localized in patches on their surfaces. We performed complex formation experiments with labeled thrombin, another target protease for PNI, with intact human muscle cells in culture. We detected specific SDS-stable PNI/thrombin complexes in myotube extracts only, indicating that active PNI was bound to their surfaces. We studied the gene expression of PNI mRNA using a 300-bp cDNA synthesized from the published sequence of human PNI. Confirming the protein data, upregulation of PNI appears in myotubes using Northern blot analysis. The current results reinforce the hypothesis that the regulation of the balance of serine proteases and serpins, such as PNI, is involved in muscle differentiation. They also prompt us to explore PNI abnormalities in several neuromuscular diseases, including ALSJ.
...
PMID:Myoblast fusion promotes the appearance of active protease nexin I on human muscle cell surfaces. 854 75

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a member of the serpin superfamily of proteins and is the fast acting inhibitor of both urinary plasminogen activator and tissue-type plasminogen activator. We have assessed the functional significance of reactive center residues on the carboxy-terminal side of the cleavage site of recombinant human PAI-1. Using site-directed mutagenesis, the P1'-P5' residues (P1' is the first residue on the carboxy-terminal side of the protease cleavage site) of the wild-type PAI-1 reactive center sequence were replaced with the corresponding sequences of plasminogen activator inhibitor-2, antithrombin, alpha 2-antiplasmin and protease nexin I. Rate constants of inhibition of the serine proteases urinary plasminogen activator, tissue-type plasminogen activator, plasmin and thrombin by the variants were determined. The results suggest a crucial role for both reactive center length and sequence in the inhibition of plasminogen activators by PAI-1. Analysis of substitutions at positions P4' and P5' both confirms and extends our previous work demonstrating a favorable electrostatic interaction between these residues and tissue-type plasminogen activator. None of the variants show dramatic increases in the rate constants of inhibition of other serine proteases, suggesting that these residues alone are not sufficient to confer protease specificity on PAI-1. Apparently, the determinants of the rapid inhibitory specificity of PAI-1 are localized to the P1'-P5' region of the reactive center and these residues act synergistically to produce the exquisite specificity of PAI-1 for plasminogen activators.
...
PMID:Sequence requirements in the reactive-center loop of plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 for recognition of plasminogen activators. 862 Aug 72


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>