ROLE OF DISULFIDE BONDS NEAR THE CALCIUM BINDING SITES IN FIBRINOGEN

Incubation of fibrinogen with 0.5 mM dithiothreitol in the presence of .20 mM calcium chloride cleaved disulfide bonds located at: the N-terminal end of the Aα-chain (either Aα28-Aα28 or Aα45-γ23), the C-terminal end of the Aα-chain (Aα442-Aα472) and the N-terminal end of the γ-chain (either of the symmetrical γ8, γ9 disulfides or the Aα45-γ23 disulfide bond). In the absence of calcium ions two additional disulfides, γ326-γ339, and one in the N-terminal end of the γ-chain were reduced.

Plasmin digestion of the reduced fibrinogens in buffers containing calcium chloride produced fragments D and E, except that smaller fragments of D were generated from the fibrinogen in which the γ326-γ339 disulfide bonds were reduced and alkylated. In these samples calcium did not protect the C-terminal end of the γ-chain from extensive digestion.

Addition of thrombin to partially reduced and alkylated fibrinogen prepared in the presence of calcium gave a clotting time similar to control unreduced fibrinogen. However, when the γ326-γ339 disulfide bonds and another γ-chain disulfide bond most likely in the N-terminal region were cleaved in reduced fibrinogen prepared in the absence of calcium, the thrombin clotting time was extremely prolonged. Apparently the disulfide bonded structure supported by γ326-γ339 was important both for binding of calcium and also for normal clotting.