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A statistical model for activation of Factor C by binding to LPS aggregates

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Abstract

Published data on Factor C activity at various LPS and Lipid A concentrations (Nakamura et al. in Eur J Biochem 176:89, 1988; Kobayashi et al. in J Biol Chem 37:25987, 2014) were rearranged to show that Factor C exhibited its maximum activity at a specific concentration of LPS. A statistical model was proposed for examining whether a single LPS molecule binding activates Factor C (monomeric activation) or dimerization of Factor C is necessary for the activation (dimeric activation). In the monomeric activation model the plots of the relative activity of Factor C against the molar ratio of LPS to Factor C were different from those in the published data. The plots in the dimeric activation model lie on a bell-shaped curve, whatever the Factor C concentration, matching the published data and indicating the appropriateness of that model. We suggest that Factor C is activated by multiple molecular interactions of Factor C with LPS aggregates on which it dimerises and that this explains why larger aggregates are less effective at activating Factor C than smaller ones.

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Abbreviations

m :

Number of LPS molecules on one side of a cubic aggregate

M :

Number of LPS molecules in a cubic aggregate

n :

Number of LPS molecules on one side of a square corresponding to the molecules present on the surface of a cubic aggregate

N :

Number of LPS molecules in a square

Q :

Number of Factor C molecules

f a1 :

Fraction of activated Factor C in monomeric activation

f a2 :

Fraction of activated Factor C in dimeric activation

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows (Y.M.), JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP18J01966.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Bioenvironmental Science, Kyoto Gakuen University, 1-1 Nanjo-Ohtani, Sogabe-cho, Kameoka, Kyoto, 621-8555, Japan

    Y. Miyagawa & S. Adachi

  2. Faculty of Liberal Studies, National Institute of Technology Kumamoto College, 2659-2 Suya, Koshi, Kumamoto, 861-1102, Japan

    K. Kikuchi

  3. Microbial Solutions, Charles River, 1023 Wappoo Road, Suite 43B, Charleston, SC, 29407, USA

    M. Tsuchiya

Authors
  1. Y. Miyagawa
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  2. K. Kikuchi
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  3. M. Tsuchiya
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  4. S. Adachi
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Correspondence to S. Adachi.

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Miyagawa, Y., Kikuchi, K., Tsuchiya, M. et al. A statistical model for activation of Factor C by binding to LPS aggregates. Eur Biophys J 48, 743–747 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-019-01400-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-019-01400-4

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