Biomedical subjects

K Titani

Publications and source records attributed to K Titani.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Increase of glial fibrillary acidic protein fragments in the spinal cord of motor neuron degeneration mutant mouse.

We analyzed protein fractions extracted from the spinal cord of the motor neuron degeneration (Mnd) mouse, a mutant that exhibits progressive degeneration of lower spinal motor neurons, by one- and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) after solubilization of the tissue with medium containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-urea during growth of the animal, in comparison with those of age-matched controls (C57BL/6). Several protein spots were detected around a region of pI 5.6-6.0 and molecular mass of 35-50 kDa in Mnd spinal cord tissue on the two-dimensional PAGE separation profile with Coomassie brilliant blue staining, while only a few spots around the same region were found in the control spinal cord. These spots were all immunoreactive with an antibody against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a cytoskeleton filamentous protein specific to astroglial cells. The protein spot with molecular mass of 50 kDa showed immunoreactivity with anti-GFAP antibody, had a blocked amino-terminus, and is assumed to be intact GFAP. Several protein spots with slightly smaller molecular masses of 35 to 48 kDa lacked the head domain of the GFAP molecule as a result of cleavage at the 29th and 56th residues from the amino terminus. In Mnd spinal cord tissue, the densities of the immunoreactive GFAP bands with smaller molecular masses increased with development, and became dominant at the time of the appearance of behavioral paralytic gait around 6 to 7 months of age. These results suggest that the increased GFAPs devoid of head domains are related to the degenerative loss of motor neurons in the Mnd spinal cord. Histopathological and GFAP immunohistochemical examination of Mnd spinal cord preparation demonstrated progressive degenerative loss of motor neurons, and considerable increases in number of GFAP-stained astrocytes in the ventral horn at 7 to 9 months of age. These processes of degenerative loss of motor neurons and proliferation of reactive astrocytes with increased levels of fragmented GFAP in the Mnd spinal cord during development seem to be characteristic and preceded the deterioration of motor activities in this animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

Dry stress-induced phosphorylation of Physarum actin.

Protein phosphorylation plays important roles in a variety of stress responses. Although plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum rapidly grows and shows an active cytoplasmic streaming under nutrient and wet conditions, dry stress transforms plasmodium into a dormant state called sclerotium. Sclerotium can change into plasmodium within several hours after addition of water. We herein report that more than half of actin in sclerotium was in a phosphorylated state. The in vivo phosphorylation site was identified to be Thr-203 which is in contact with another actin molecule upon polymerization. The phosphorylated from of actin showed no polymerizing activity, while the unphosphorylated form possessed the ability to polymerize into F-actin. These results suggest that phosphorylation of Physarum actin is involved in reorganization and/or preservation of the actin molecules in the process of sclerotium formation.

Actins↗

PubMed1998

An expression system of rat calmodulin using T7 phage promoter in Escherichia coli.

An efficient expression system of rat calmodulin in Escherichia coli is presented. To express rat calmodulin cDNA, we employed a pET expression vector which contains the T7 phage promoter and terminator. After transformation of E. coli BL21(DE3) strain which carries T7 phage RNA polymerase inducible with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside, induction of the expression, and chromatography of soluble proteins on a phenyl-Sepharose column, about 250 mg of recombinant rat calmodulin was obtained from 1 liter of E. coli culture. The recombinant calmodulin lacked the N-terminal methionine, and posttranslational modifications such as Nalpha-acetylation and methylation. This system facilitates the large amount preparation of calmodulin and the mutant proteins required for the structural analysis by NMR spectrometry and/or X-ray crystallography.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Complete amino acid sequences and phosphorylation sites, determined by Edman degradation and mass spectrometry, of rat parotid destrin- and cofilin-like proteins.

Beta-adrenergic or cholinergic stimulation of the rat parotid gland was earlier shown to induce dephosphorylation of endogenous destrin- and cofilin-like proteins, which are phosphorylated in resting cells at Ser residues probably present near the N-terminals. The primary structures and phosphorylation sites were determined here. The rat destrin-like protein had a sequence 95% identical to the cDNA-derived sequence of porcine destrin. The rat cofilin-like protein was 98% identical to that of porcine cofilin. Each protein lacked the initiator Met and began with an acetylalanine residue followed by a Ser residue. The N-terminal peptides generated with endoproteinase Asp-N were isolated; they were each phosphorylated at Ser-2. Earlier work had shown that partial cleavage of the phosphorylated destrin- and cofilin-like proteins with cyanogen bromide provides unphosphorylated 16.7- and 18.3-kDa fragments, respectively. It was here confirmed that they contained all the Ser residues other than those present in the N-terminal peptides. From these observations, it was now concluded that the destrin- and cofilin-like proteins are rat parotid destrin and cofilin (non-muscle type), respectively, and that each protein is phosphorylated exclusively at Ser-2 in resting cells and dephosphorylated at this site in response to beta-adrenergic or cholinergic stimulation.

Actin Depolymerizing Factors↗

PubMed1998

Placental ecto-ATP diphosphohydrolase: its structural feature distinct from CD39, localization and inhibition on shear-induced platelet aggregation.

Human placental ecto-ATP diphosphohydrolase (ATPDase), an 82 kDa single-chain glycoprotein, was purified to high specific activity using a specific murine monoclonal antibody MK33 (IgG1-kappa). Structurally, protein-based analysis showed this enzyme to be almost identical to that of CD39 lymphoid cell activation antigen deduced by cDNA sequencing (Maliszewski CR, et al, J Immunol 1994; 153:3574); but differing in the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence, suggesting that placental ecto-ATPDase is most likely an isoform of CD39 generated by alternative splicing of the pre-mRNA. Functionally, placental ecto-ATPDase totally inhibits the secondary platelet aggregation induced by agonists at a final concentration (f.c.) of 1 microgram/ml. The purified enzyme (1 microgram/ml, final), pre-incubated with washed platelets prior to alpha-thrombin stimulation, completely inhibits the activation of platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa, thereby blocking the binding of fibrinogen or von Willebrand factor to platelets. Further, under different shear stresses, the enzyme modulates platelet aggregation differently. Low shear stress-induced platelet aggregation is blocked by this enzyme in a dose-dependent manner and is totally blocked at f.c. 0.5 microgram/ml. Under high shear stress, however, this protein at a f.c. of 0.5 microgram/ml mediates almost complete disaggregation of platelets without affecting the initial aggregation. Using immunohistochemical analysis, this enzyme was observed to be localized at the syncytiotrophoblasts of placental microvilli and the endothelial cells (ECs) of the umbilical vein obtained at full-term normal delivery, but scarcely at the ECs of the umbilical artery.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed1998

Changes in the specificity of antibodies against steroid antigens by introduction of mutations into complementarity-determining regions of the V(H) domain.

An attempt was made to change the specificity of antibodies (Abs) by introduction of mutations. A monoclonal Ab specific for 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) was used as the starting Ab. On the basis of a model that was generated by a computer-driven model-building system, we constructed a phage-display library of Abs in which 16 residues were mutated in three complementarity-determining regions of the heavy chain that appeared to form the steroid-binding pocket. We screened the library with 17-OHP and cortisol that had been conjugated with bovine serum albumin, and we isolated many clones that had retained 17-OHP-binding ability as well as clones with the newly developed ability to bind cortisol in addition to 17-OHP. We compared the amino acid sequences between 17-OHP-specific and cortisol-binding Abs, and then constructed several additional Abs. Our results indicated that a change in specificity could be achieved by changing only a single, critical amino acid residue. Models of the 17-OHP-and cortisol-binding pockets formed by the mutated Abs could explain these observations.

17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone↗

PubMed1998

[Recent trends in protein structural studies].

Since the 1980's, structural studies of proteins have changed remarkably. It is currently possible to predict the entire amino acid sequence of a protein by the rapid and highly sensitive analysis of the nucleotide sequence of genomic DNA or cDNA encoding the protein. In the near future, the entire sequence of a protein may be predicted from a partial sequence just by searching a variety of databases now being constructed for many biological species. The predicted protein sequence, however, is the backbone structure of the precursor protein without post-translational modifications. Therefore, the major objectives of recent structural studies of proteins are directed to 1) rapid and sensitive confirmation of the predicted sequence and identification of those modifications present in mature proteins by newly developed mass spectrometry, 2) determination of the 3D structures of intact and mutant proteins isolated or expressed in cultured E. coli, yeast or animal cells using X-ray crystallography or NMR analysis, and 3) rapid prediction of the 3D structures of proteins utilizing protein databases. The "PROTEOME" project was proposed in 1998 to bring together all the data on the structure and function of mature proteins under international cooperation. The present paper summarizes such recent trends in protein structural studies.

Mass Spectrometry↗

PubMed1998

The cDNA cloning and molecular characterization of a snake venom platelet glycoprotein Ib-binding protein, mamushigin, from Agkistrodon halys blomhoffii venom.

The entire cDNA sequences of a novel snake venom platelet glycoprotein (GP) Ib-binding protein (BP) composed of an alpha/beta heterodimeric structure, termed mamushigin, from Agkistrodon halys blomhoffii were determined, that include the leader peptides (21/23 amino acid residues) and mature subunits (136/123 amino acid residues). The mature subunits of mamushigin are 37.5% identical, and showed a high degree of similarity (37.7-67.5% identity) with the respective subunits of group VII C-type lectins (19). The sequences of the leader peptides of the mamusigin subunits showed the highest similarity (alpha-73.9/beta-82.6%) with those of factor IX/X-BP from Trimeresurus flavoviridis, and the cleavage site residue in both proteins was the same Ala(-1). The GPIb-binding specificity of mamushigin is strongly supported by several lines of evidence, but mamushigin can directly aggregate normal platelets, similar to alboaggregin-B (AL-B) (1). This differs from other GPIb-BP's. In mamushigin-treated platelets, serotonin was not released, and flow cytometric analysis using a monoclonal antibody PAC-1 totally excluded platelet GPIIb/IIIa activation. Mamushigin enhanced platelet aggregation at low-shear stress, and this effect totally disappeared in the presence of GPIb-receptor blockers specific for von Willebrand factor binding, but not by GPIIb/IIIa-receptor blockers. At high-shear stress, mamushigin blocked platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner, as seen with other GPIb-BP's. This paper, therefore, describes the cDNA cloning and molecular characterization of mamushigin which has a different effect on platelet aggregation under different shear stress.

Agkistrodon↗

PubMed1998

Purification and characterization of kaouthiagin, a von Willebrand factor-binding and -cleaving metalloproteinase from Naha kaouthia cobra venom.

A von Willebrand factor (vWF)-binding and -cleaving metalloproteinase, termed "kaouthiagin", was purified from the venom of cobra snake Naja kaouthia. Kaouthiagin is a monomer with a molecular mass of about 46 kDa and 51 kDa under non-reducing and reducing conditions, respectively, and the N-terminal amino acid sequence is homologous to high molecular mass snake venom metalloproteinases. Kaouthiagin bound to vWF in a divalent ion-independent manner, but the reduced kaouthiagin failed to interact with vWF, suggesting that the protein conformation maintained by intrachain-disulfide linkages of the molecule is essential for the binding to vWF. Neither botrocetin nor bitiscetin, vWF-binding modulators from another snake venom, interfered with the binding between kaouthiagin and vWF, but a monoclonal antibody VW92-3 specific to the N-terminal region of vWF (residues 1-910) inhibited the binding. Without affecting platelet GPIb/IX and GPIIb/IIIa, kaouthiagin specifically cleaved vWF between residues Pro-708 and Asp-709 in a divalent ion-dependent manner to diminish the multimeric structure of vWF in plasma, resulting in the loss of ristocetin-induced platelet aggregability and the collagen-binding activity of vWF. These results indicate that kaouthiagin is a unique metalloproteinase which specifically binds to and cleaves vWF at a specific site and that it will be a useful tool for functional dissection of vWF.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1997

Circular dichroism and 1H NMR studies on the structures of peptides derived from the calmodulin-binding domains of inducible and endothelial nitric-oxide synthase in solution and in complex with calmodulin. Nascent alpha-helical structures are stabilized by calmodulin both in the presence and absence of Ca2+.

There exist two types of nitric-oxide synthase (NOS); constitutive isozymes that are activated by binding calmodulin in response to elevated Ca2+ and an inducible isozyme that binds calmodulin regardless of Ca2+. To study the structural basis of the difference in Ca2+ sensitivity, we have designed synthetic peptides of minimal lengths derived from the calmodulin-binding domain of endothelial NOS (eNOS) and that of macrophage NOS (iNOS). A peptide, KRREIPLKVLVKAVLFACMLMRK, derived from human iNOS sequence, retained the ability to bind to calmodulin both in the presence and absence of Ca2+, while a peptide derived from human eNOS sequence, RKKTFKEVANAVKISASLMG, bound to calmodulin only in the presence of Ca2+. Circular dichroism and two-dimensional 1H nuclear magnetic resonance studies suggested that both peptides assume nascent alpha-helical structures in aqueous solution. When mixed with calmodulin, both peptides showed circular dichroism spectra characteristic for alpha-helix. In contrast to other target proteins, the addition of iNOS peptide to calmodulin did not affect the Ca2+ binding of calmodulin appreciably. The peptide derived from the calmodulin-binding domain of iNOS, therefore, binds in alpha-helical structures both to Ca2+-calmodulin and apo-calmodulin, which is unique among various target proteins of calmodulin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1997

Specific binding of acidic phospholipids to microtubule-associated protein MAP1B regulates its interaction with tubulin.

Microtubule-associated protein MAP1B, a major neuronal cytoskeletal protein, is expressed highly during the early stage of brain development and is thought to play an important role in brain development. Although it has been shown that MAP1B localizes both in cytosol and particulate fractions, the underlying molecular mechanism in the membrane localization has yet to be elucidated. In the present study, we show that MAP1B purified from young rat brain can bind to acidic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylserine, but not to a neutral phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine. Furthermore, the binding of MAP1B to taxol-stabilized microtubules was inhibited by the addition of phosphatidylserine or phosphatidylinositol. The addition of phosphatidylcholine showed no effect on the binding of MAP1B to the microtubules. A 120-kDa microtubule-binding fragment of MAP1B was also released from microtubules by the addition of acidic phospholipids. Synthetic peptides derived from the C-terminal half of the tubulin-binding domain, but not that corresponding to the N-terminal half, bound to acidic phospholipids specifically. These results suggest that MAP1B binds to biological membranes through its tubulin-binding site, and the binding may play a regulatory role in MAP1B-microtubule interaction.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1997

Circular dichroism and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance studies on the solution and membrane structures of GAP-43 calmodulin-binding domain.

Growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) is believed to be palmitoylated near the N terminus and the modification is assumed to be involved in the membrane anchoring of the protein. However, GAP-43 isolated from bovine brain is not palmitoylated as shown by mass spectrometric analysis, but still retains the ability to bind phospholipids, suggesting that other parts of the molecule are involved in the interaction. Upon addition of acidic phospholipids, purified GAP-43 showed a conformational change from random coil to alpha-helix as indicated by a change in CD spectra. A synthetic peptide corresponding to the calmodulin-binding domain showed a similar conformational change from random coil to alpha-helix in the presence of various acidic phospholipids. These results suggest that the calmodulin-binding domain of GAP-43 is directly involved in the GAP-43-membrane interaction and undergoes a conformational change upon binding to phospholipid membranes. After phosphorylation by protein kinase C, the phospholipid-induced conformational changes were no longer observed. Structural characteristics of the calmodulin-binding domain peptide in aqueous and hydrophobic solvents were further studied in detail by two-dimensional 1H nuclear magnetic resonance. The results obtained suggest that the domain assumes a nascent alpha-helical structure in aqueous solution, which is stabilized under hydrophobic environments.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Interaction of von Willebrand factor with the extracellular matrix and glycocalicin under static conditions.

The binding of human von Willebrand factor (vWF) to a variety of extracellular matrix components immobilized on plates and the binding of vWF to platelet glycoprotein Ib (GPIb) after interacting with these matrix components were examined by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. vWF preferably bound to type III collagen, whereas it did not significantly bind to type I, IV, V, or VI collagen, fibronectin, laminin, elastin, or proteoglycans. Soluble type III collagen did not bind to vWF coated on plates and showed a little effect on the vWF binding to the immobilized collagen, suggesting that solid-phase collagen is important for the interaction with vWF. When glycocalicin, the N-terminal carbohydrate-rich extracellular domain of GPIb alpha exhibiting the vWF-binding activity, was added to vWF bound to collagen type III, no significant binding of glycocalicin was observed, but it bound to vWF in the presence of botrocetin, a vWF modulator protein isolated from Bothrops jararaca snake venom. These results indicate that vWF immobilized on collagen can interact with GPIb but that binding of vWF to the collagen matrix alone is insufficient for modulating vWF so that it interacts with GPIb under static conditions. Another unknown physiological modulator functionally mimicking botrocetin or high-shear stress may be involved in the platelet adhesion to extracellular matrix in the early stage of hemostasis.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed1997

Biochemical and immunological characterization of deoxyhypusine synthase purified from the yeast Saccharomyces carlsbergensis.

Deoxyhypusine synthase catalyzes the NAD+-dependent formation of deoxyhypusine in the eIF-5A precursor protein by transferring the 4-aminobutyl moiety of spermidine. This enzyme has recently been shown to be essential for cell viability and growth of yeast [Sasaki, K., Abid, M.R., and Miyazaki, M. (1996) FEBS Lett. 384, 151 154]. We have purified and characterized the enzyme from the yeast Saccharomyces carlsbergensis. The yeast and recombinant enzymes had a specific activity of 1.21 to 1.26 pmol per min per pmol of protein, and recognized both the eIF-5A precursor proteins almost equally as judged from their similar K(m) and V(max) values. Size exclusion chromatography and SDS-PAGE indicated that the active form of the enzyme is a homotetramer consisting of 43-kDa subunits. The enzyme showed a strict specificity for its substrates, NAD+, spermidine and eIF-5A precursor protein. Among all the substrates tested, only NAD+ showed a protective effect against heat inactivation of the enzyme suggesting that NAD+ initiates some conformational change in the enzyme. NADH exhibited a strong non-competitive inhibition (product inhibition). Unexpectedly, FAD, FMN, and riboflavin showed a moderate competitive inhibition. The competitive inhibition by diamines was maximal with compounds resembling spermidine in carbon chain length. 1,3-Diaminopropane inhibited the enzyme strongly in a competitive manner (product inhibition). On the other hand, putrescine did not inhibit the enzyme or act as a substrate. A polyclonal antibody raised against the yeast recombinant enzyme specifically inhibited deoxyhypusine synthase activity. The cross-reactivity (by Western blotting) of this antibody with the crude extracts varied depending on the source, indicating species specificity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Interaction of calmodulin-binding domain peptides of nitric oxide synthase with membrane phospholipids: regulation by protein phosphorylation and Ca(2+)-calmodulin.

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is unique among the NO synthase isozymes in being modified with myristoyl group, which appears to be necessary for its membrane association. However, the presence of myristoylated eNOS in cytosolic fraction after the stimulation-dependent translocation of the enzyme from membrane to cytosol suggests that other regions may be involved in the eNOS-membrane interaction and its regulation. In this study, we have synthesized a 20-amino acid peptide corresponding to the putative calmodulin-binding domain of human eNOS and studied the interaction of the peptide with calmodulin and with various membrane phospholipids. The peptide formed a stoichiometric complex with calmodulin. Upon addition of various acidic phospholipids, the peptide showed a drastic conformational change from random coil to alpha-helix, as was evidenced by circular dichroism spectroscopy. These results suggest that the same domain of eNOS binds both calmodulin and membrane phospholipids. Furthermore, we found that the synthetic peptide was phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C. Phosphorylation of the peptide decreased its interaction with membrane phospholipids. Thus, our results raise the possibility that the calmodulin-binding domain is directly involved in the membrane association of eNOS and that phosphorylation of the domain and Ca(2+)-calmodulin may regulate the interaction. Synthetic peptides corresponding to the calmodulin-binding domains of macrophage and neuronal isozymes showed similar abilities to bind phospholipids, suggesting that the calmodulin-binding domains of NO synthase serve as the phospholipid-binding domains as well.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Purification and characterization of bitiscetin, a novel von Willebrand factor modulator protein from Bitis arietans snake venom.

We have screened 20 snake venoms and purified a novel snake venom protein, named bitiscetin, from Bitis arietans venom that specifically binds to human von Willebrand factor (vWF) and induces platelet agglutination. Bitiscetin showed a heterodimeric structure composed of disulfide-linked alpha (16kDa) and beta (13kDa) subunits on SDS-PAGE and showed a basic nature with pI value of 9.1, in contrast to botrocetin (pI 4.6), a vWF modulator isolated from another snake (Bothrops jararaca) venom. Bitiscetin-induced platelet agglutination was dependent on vWF and platelet membrane glycoprotein (GP) Ib, but not on Ca2+ and GPIIb/IIIa. vWF bound to bitiscetin but not to botrocetin electroblotted to a PVDF membrane after SDS-PAGE and this binding was diminished after reduction of disulfide bonds of bitiscetin. Bitiscetin did not cross-react to anti-botrocetin monoclonal antibodies. These results suggest that bitiscetin directly interacts with vWF and requires the protein conformation for its interaction as well as botrocetin, but its interaction manner with vWF appears to be different from that of botrocetin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Site-specific phosphorylation of synapsin I by mitogen-activated protein kinase and Cdk5 and its effects on physiological functions.

Posttranslational modifications of synapsin I, a major phosphoprotein in synaptic terminals, were studied by mass spectrometry. In addition to a well known phosphorylation site by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II), a hitherto unrecognized site (Ser553) was found phosphorylated in vivo. The phosphorylation site is immediately followed by a proline, suggesting that the protein is an in vivo substrate of so-called proline-directed protein kinase(s). To identify the kinase involved, three proline-directed protein kinases expressed highly in the brain, i.e. mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, Cdk5-p23, and glycogen synthase kinase 3beta, were tested for the in vitro phosphorylation of synapsin I. Only MAP kinase and Cdk5-p23 phosphorylated synapsin I stoichiometrically. The phosphorylation sites were determined to be Ser551 and Ser553 with Cdk5-p23, and Ser62, Ser67, and Ser551 with MAP kinase. Upon phosphorylation with MAP kinase, synapsin I showed reduced F-actin bundling activity, while no significant effect on the interaction was observed with the protein phosphorylated with Cdk5-p23. These results raise the possibility that the so-called proline-directed protein kinases together with CaM kinase II and cAMP-dependent protein kinase play an important role in the regulation of synapsin I function.

Actins↗

PubMed1996

Complete amino acid sequence and identification of the platelet glycoprotein Ib-binding site of jararaca GPIb-BP, a snake venom protein isolated from Bothrops jararaca.

Jararaca GPIb-BP, a snake venom protein composed of alpha and beta subunits purified from Bothrops jararaca, binds to platelet glycoprotein (GP)Ib and functions as a receptor blocker for von Willebrand factor binding to GPIb (Fujimura, Y., Ikeda, Y., Miura, S., Yoshida, E., Shima, H., Nishida, S., Suzuki, M., Titani, K., Taniuchi, Y., and Kawasaki, T. (1995) Thromb. Haemostasis 74, 743-750). We present here the entire 142- and 123-residue amino acid sequence of the respective alpha and beta subunits and also demonstrate that the platelet GPIb-binding site resides on the beta and not on the alpha subunit based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using biotin-labeled jararaca GPIb-BP and competing ligands. Sequences of the alpha and beta subunits were determined by analysis of the intact S-pyridylethylated proteins and their peptides generated by digestion with Achromobacter protease I, Staphyloccocus aureus V8 protease, pepsin, endoproteinase Asp-N, or L-1-tosylamino-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone-trypsin. A 38-39% identity of amino acid sequence between the alpha and beta subunits of jararaca GPIb-BP was observed, as well as a high degree of sequence identities (38-64%) with the respective subunits of botrocetin (Usami, Y., Fujimura, Y., Suzuki, M., Ozeki, Y., Nishio, K., Fukui, H., and Titani, K (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 90, 928-932) and the beta-chain of echicetin (Peng, M., Holt, J. C., and Niewiarowski, S. (1994) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 205, 68-72).

Amino Acid Sequence↗