INHIBITION OF BLOOD-COAGULATION FACTOR-XIIIA-MEDIATED CROSS-LINKING BETWEEN FIBRONECTIN AND COLLAGEN BY POLYAMINES

Soluble fibronectin is found in body fluids and media of cultured adherent cells. Insoluble fibronectin is found in tissue stroma and in extracellular matrices of cultured cells. Fibronectin is a substrate for factor XIII(a) (plasma transglutaminase) and can be cross-linked to collagen and to the α chain of fibrin. We have used sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to investigate the possibility that factor XIII(a)-mediated cross-linking is influenced by polyamines. Spermidine inhibited cross-linking between fibronectin and type I collagen, isolated α1(I) collagen chains, or iodinated cyanogen bromide fragment 7 of α1(I) chains (125I-α1(I)-CB7). Half-maximal inhibition of cross-linking between 125I-α1(I)-CB7 and fibronectin was observed when 0.1 mM spermine or spermidine was present. Spermidine, 0.7 mM, partially inhibited cross-linking between fibronectin and the α chain of fibrin but failed to inhibit cross-linking between the fibrin monomers of a fibrin clot. Spermidine also failed to inhibit cross-linking between fibronectin molecules when aggregation of fibronectin was induced with dithiothreitol. In contrast, 0.7 mM monodansylcadaverine inhibited fibronectin-collagen, fibronectin-fibrin, fibronectin-fibronectin, and fibrin-fibrin cross-linking. Spermidine or spermine, 0.7 mM, enhanced the cross-linking between molecules of partially amidinated fibronectin, suggesting that N1,8- (di-γ-glutamyl)-polyamine cross-linkages were formed. Spermidine and spermine failed to enhance cross-linking between monomers of amidinated fibrin. These results indicate that physiologic concentrations of polyamines specifically disturb transglutaminase-catalyzed cross-linking between fibronectin and collagen.