The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) chemically characterize the isolated polypeptide chains of rabbit fibrin(ogen), and 2) explore their mode of biosynthesis. The three S-carboxy-methyl polypeptide chain derivatives of rabbit fibrin (α, β and γ) were isolated by cation exchange chromatography. Their amino acid composition was similar to the human with a methionine distribution (mole/mole) as follows: γ = 9; β = 14, α = 14. Their molecular size, (SDS electrophoresis) was estimated as follows: γ = 46,000; β = 54,000; α = 63,500. The N-terminal amino acid sequence (12 steps) of the β derivative was:Gly-His-Arg-Pro-Ile-Asp-Arg-Arg-Arg-Glu-Glu-Leu-. To determine whether the three chains are synthesized sequentially (one continuous chain, later split into three) or in parallel, turpentine-stimulated male New Zealand rabbits were given ~40 μCi of [75Se] selenomethionine (SeM) and its incorporation into fibrinogen (F) was followed. F was clotted from plasma samples, washed, reduced, and constituent chains separated by gel electrophoresis in the presence of SDS-urea. The radioactivity of each chain (expressed as percent of total F radioactivity) was determined, and the specific methionine radioactivity calculated for each chain isolated at 20, 25, and 30 min after SeM injection. During this interval the specific activity of the α and the γ chains was essentially the same (within 3%) while that of the β chain was 42 to 97% greater than that of the α chain. The similar activity of the α and γ chains during the early phase of SeM incorporation suggests that these two chains are not synthesized sequentially, rather they are synthesized in parallel.
Partial Chemical Characterization of S-Carboxymethylated Chains of Rabbit Fibrin(OGEN): Evidence for Separate Chain Biosynthesis