Summary
Incubation of HTC rat hepatoma cells with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone
rapidly inhibits tissue-type plasminogen activator activity by inducing a specific
plasminogen activator-inhibitor (PAI-1). Using immobilized polyclonal antibodies raised
against HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma PAI-1, we have purified HTC PAI-1 from serum-free
medium conditioned by dexamethasone-treated HTC hepatoma cells and shown it to be
antigenically related to human PAI-1. Greater than 100-fold purification with greater
than 75% yield was achieved in a single step. The purified PAI-1 migrates on SDS-polyacrylamide
gels as a single major band of 49 kDa with a minor band of 46 kDa. Digestion of PAI-1
with endoglycosidase F causes a shift toward faster migrating species which retain
inhibitory activity. The purified PAI-1 was stable at pH 2.5, lost 50% of its activity
after 15 min at 45° C, and showed marked activation after treatment with SDS or guanidine-HCl.
Purified PAI-1 rapidly inhibited and formed complexes with both tissue-type and urokinase-type
plasminogen activators. Polyclonal rabbit antirat PAI-1 antibodies were raised which
immunoprecipitate both free and complexed PAI-1.
Keywords
Plasminogen activator-inhibitor - HTC rat hepatoma cells - Purification - Antibody