The effect of thrombin on the complex between factor VIII and von Willebrand factor

Purified human factor FVIII (FVIII; 6000–8000 U/mg) was radiolabeled and bound to immobilized von Willebrand factor (vWF). The complex was incubated with human thrombin. Thrombin induced a release of 65% of the radioactivity initially bound. Released FVIII fragments and fragments remaining bound during incubation with thrombin were analyzed using gel electrophoresis. This led to the following observations. Released fragments largely consisted of M r ‐70000 and M r ‐50000 fragments; M r ‐90000 and M r ‐80000 fragments were only found in the fractions remaining bound to vWF and decreased with time. In contrast to these digestion products of FVIII, the M r ‐42000 heavy‐chain fragment remained bound to vWF, comprising the larger part of the radioactivity after a 2‐h incubation. No thrombin‐induced cleavages were observed in vWF. Furthermore, vWF‐coated wells preincubated with thrombin were still able to bind 125 I‐FVIII. These results implicate a new concept for the activation of vWF‐bound FVIII. Activation is a multistep process in which several cleavages are necessary to produce and release a coagulant‐active FVIII molecule (FVIIIa), which is probably an M r ‐50000/70000 heterodimer. Inactivation of FVIIIa is likely to be the result of a nonproteolytic dissociation due to loss of the joining divalent cation(s).