The Eph tyrosine kinase receptors EphB2 and EphA2 are novel proteolytic substrates of tissue factor/coagulation factor VIIa.

Eriksson O, Ramström M, Hörnaeus K, Bergquist J, Mokhtari D, Siegbahn A

J. Biol. Chem. 289 (47) 32379-32391 [2014-11-21; online 2014-10-05]

Tissue factor (TF) binds the serine protease factor VIIa (FVIIa) to form a proteolytically active complex that can trigger coagulation or activate cell signaling. Here we addressed the involvement of tyrosine kinase receptors (RTKs) in TF/FVIIa signaling by antibody array analysis and subsequently found that EphB2 and EphA2 of the Eph RTK family were cleaved in their ectodomains by TF/FVIIa. We used N-terminal Edman sequencing and LC-MS/MS analysis to characterize the cleaved Eph isoforms and identified a key arginine residue at the cleavage site, in agreement with the tryptic serine protease activity of FVIIa. Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) signaling and downstream coagulation activity was non-essential in this context, in further support of a direct cleavage by TF/FVIIa. EphB2 was cleaved by FVIIa concentrations in the subnanomolar range in a number of TF expressing cell types, indicating that the active cellular pool of TF was involved. FVIIa caused potentiation of cell repulsion by the EphB2 ligand ephrin-B1, demonstrating a novel proteolytical event to control Eph-mediated cell segregation. These results define Eph RTKs as novel proteolytical targets of TF/FVIIa and provide new insights into how TF/FVIIa regulates cellular functions independently of PAR2.

Affinity Proteomics Uppsala [Technology development]

PLA and Single Cell Proteomics

PubMed 25281742

DOI 10.1074/jbc.M114.599332

Crossref 10.1074/jbc.M114.599332

pii: M114.599332
pmc: PMC4239594