Mechanism of activation of bovine factor VII. Products of cleavage by factor Xa.

Coagulation Factor VII from bovine plasma is a glycoprotein containing a single peptide chain. The NH2-terminal sequence of Ala-Asx-Gly-Phe-Leu- is homologous with the NH2 termini of prothrombin, Factor IX, and the light chain of Factor X. Factor Xa in the presence of calcium ions and phospholipid cleaves Factor VII at an Arg-Ile bond in the sequence Arg-Ile-Val-Gly-Gly-, producing a two-chain molecule with at least 85 times the coagulant activity of single-chain Factor VII and a new NH2-terminal sequence homologous with the corresponding chains of thrombin, Factor IXa and Factor Xa. A second slower cleavage at an Arg-Gly bond destroys Factor VII activity. Bovine Factor VII, unlike prothrombin, Factor IX, and Factor X, is rapidly inhibited by diisopropylphosphorofluoridate (iPr2PF). [3H]iPr2PF is readily incorporated into one-chain, two-chain, and three-chain forms of Factor VII up to ratios of approximately 0.9 moles of [3H]diisopropylphosphate per mole of protein. The radioactive peptides generated from each form of [32P]iPr2PF-inhibited Factor VII by tryptic and thermolytic digestion were found to migrate together on paper electrophoresis. This indicates that the iPr2PF is incorporated stoichiometrically into the same specific site in each form.