A Role for Pericellular Proteoglycan in the Binding of Thrombin or Antithrombin III by the Blood Vessel Endothelium? – The Effects of Proteoglycan-Degrading Enzymes and Glycosaminoglycan-Binding Proteins on 125I-Thrombin Binding by the Rabbit Thoracic Aorta In Vitro

Rabbit thoracic aorta segments were treated with either proteoglycan-degrading enzymes or with glycosaminoglycan-binding proteins to examine the nature of the endothelial and subendothelial binding sites of 125I-thrombin. Treatment (5-30 min) with enzymes (heparitinase, chondroitinases AC or ABC) caused a decrease in 125I-thrombin binding by the endothelium (30-70%) and by the subendothelial (intima-media) layer (20-50%); a low-specificity …