A Template‐Assembled Synthetic Protein Surface Mimetic of the von Willebrand Factor A1 domain Inhibits Botrocetin‐Induced Platelet Aggregation

Platelet adhesion, the initial step of platelet activation, is mediated by the interaction of von Willebrand factor (VWF) with its platelet receptor, the GPIb-IX complex. The binding of VWF to GPIb-IX is induced either by increased shear stress or by exogenous modulators, such as botrocetin. At a mol. level, this interaction takes place between the A1 domain of VWF and the GPlba chain of the GPIb-IX complex. We report here the design and functional characteristics of a VWF template-assembled synthetic protein (TASP), a chimeric four-helix-bundle TASP scaffold mimicking the surface of the A1 domain. Twelve residues located on helixes a3 and a4 in the native A1 domain were grafted onto a surface formed by two neighboring helixes of the TASP. VWF TASP was found to inhibit specifically botrocetin-induced platelet aggregation and to bind both botrocetin and GPIba. However, in contrast to the native A1 domain, VWF TASP did not bind simultaneously to both ligands. Modeling studies revealed that the relative orientation of the a helixes in VWF TASP led to a clash of bound botrocetin and GPIba. These results demonstrate that a chimeric four-helix-bundle TASP as a scaffold offers a suitable surface for presenting crucial residues of the VWF A1 domain; the potential of the TASP approach for de novo protein design and mimicry is thereby illustrated. [on SciFinder (R)]