Skip to main content
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1980 Sep 1;152(3):608–619. doi: 10.1084/jem.152.3.608

Dissemination of contact activation in plasma by plasma kallikrein

PMCID: PMC2185927  PMID: 6902742

Abstract

The dissemination of contact activation of plasma was examined by measuring the cleavage of Hageman factor (HF) molecules on two separate sets of kaolin particles, one of which contained all of the components of the contact activation system, HF, prekallikrein (PK) and high molecular weight kininogen (HMWK) in whole normal plasma, and the second set of particles containing only HF and HMWK, being prepared with PK-deficient plasma. After mixing of the particles, cleavage of HF on the second set of particles occurred at a rate similar to that occurring on the first set of particles. This indicated that rapid dissemination and burst of activity of the contact reaction takes place in fluid phase. A supernatant factor, responsibel for the dissemination of the contact reaction, was identified as kallikrein. A rapid appearance of cleaved PK (kallikrein) and HMWK on both the kaolin surface and in the supernate was observed. Within 40 s, > 70-80% of the PK and HMWK in the supernate was cleaved. On the surface, approximately 70% of each radiolabeled protein was cleaved at the earliest measurement. Cleavage of PK by activated HF occurred at least 17 times faster on the surface than in the fluid phase, as virtually no cleavage of PK occurred in fluid phase. Each molecule of surface-bound, activated HF was calculated to cleave at a minimum, 20 molecules of PK per minute. It is concluded that the contact activaton of plasma may be divided into three phases: (a) the reciprocal activation of a few molecules of zymogen HF and PK on the surface, with HMWK acting as cofactor to bring these molecules into apposition; (b) the rapid release of kallikrein into the fluid phase and the continued conversion of PK to kallikrein by each surface-bound molecule of activated HF; and (c) the activation by fluid-phase kallikrein of multiple surface-bound HF molecules, and the cleavage of multiple molecules of MHWK both in fluid phase and on the surface by the soluble kallikrein. The evidence suggests that steps b and c account for a great majority of the generation of contact activation of plasma.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (677.8 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bagdasarian A., Lahiri B., Colman R. W. Origin of the high molecular weight activator of prekallikrein. J Biol Chem. 1973 Nov 25;248(22):7742–7747. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cochrane C. G., Revak S. D., Wuepper K. D. Activation of Hageman factor in solid and fluid phases. A critical role of kallikrein. J Exp Med. 1973 Dec 1;138(6):1564–1583. doi: 10.1084/jem.138.6.1564. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Colman R. W. Activation of plasminogen by human plasma kallikrein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1969 Apr 29;35(2):273–279. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(69)90278-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Griffin J. H. Role of surface in surface-dependent activation of Hageman factor (blood coagulation factor XII). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Apr;75(4):1998–2002. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.4.1998. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kaplan A. P., Austen K. F. A pre-albumin activator of prekallikrein. J Immunol. 1970 Oct;105(4):802–811. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kerbiriou D. M., Griffin J. H. Human high molecular weight kininogen. Studies of structure-function relationships and of proteolysis of the molecule occurring during contact activation of plasma. J Biol Chem. 1979 Dec 10;254(23):12020–12027. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Mandle R. J., Colman R. W., Kaplan A. P. Identification of prekallikrein and high-molecular-weight kininogen as a complex in human plasma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Nov;73(11):4179–4183. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.11.4179. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Mandle R. J., Jr, Kaplan A. P. Hageman-factor-dependent fibrinolysis: generation of fibrinolytic activity by the interaction of human activated factor XI and plasminogen. Blood. 1979 Oct;54(4):850–862. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. McConahey P. J., Dixon F. J. A method of trace iodination of proteins for immunologic studies. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1966;29(2):185–189. doi: 10.1159/000229699. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Revak S. D., Cochrane C. G., Bouma B. N., Griffin J. H. Surface and fluid phase activities of two forms of activated Hageman factor produced during contact activation of plasma. J Exp Med. 1978 Mar 1;147(3):719–729. doi: 10.1084/jem.147.3.719. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Revak S. D., Cochrane C. G. The relationship of structure and function in human Hageman factor. The association of enzymatic and binding activities with separate regions of the molecule. J Clin Invest. 1976 Apr;57(4):852–860. doi: 10.1172/JCI108361. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Soltay M. J., Movat H. Z., Ozge-Anwar A. H. The kinin system of human plasma. V. The probable derivation of prekallikrein activator from activated Hageman factor (XIIa). Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1971 Dec;138(3):952–958. doi: 10.3181/00379727-138-36026. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Thompson R. E., Mandle R., Jr, Kaplan A. P. Association of factor XI and high molecular weight kininogen in human plasma. J Clin Invest. 1977 Dec;60(6):1376–1380. doi: 10.1172/JCI108898. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Weiss A. S., Gallin J. I., Kaplan A. P. Fletcher factor deficiency. A diminished rate of Hageman factor activation caused by absence of prekallikrein with abnormalities of coagulation, fibrinolysis, chemotactic activity, and kinin generation. J Clin Invest. 1974 Feb;53(2):622–633. doi: 10.1172/JCI107597. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Wiggins R. C., Bouma B. N., Cochrane C. G., Griffin J. H. Role of high-molecular-weight kininogen in surface-binding and activation of coagulation Factor XI and prekallikrein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Oct;74(10):4636–4640. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.10.4636. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Wiggins R. C., Cochrane C. C. The autoactivation of rabbit Hageman factor. J Exp Med. 1979 Nov 1;150(5):1122–1133. doi: 10.1084/jem.150.5.1122. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES