Interaction Between the a3 Region of Factor VIII and the TIL’E’ Domains of the von Willebrand Factor

Abstract The von Willebrand factor (VWF) and coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) are intricately involved in haemostasis. A tight non-covalent complex between VWF and FVIII prolongs the half-life of FVIII in plasma and failure to form this complex leads to rapid clearance of FVIII and bleeding diatheses such as haemophilia A and von Willebrand Disease (VWD) type 2N. High-resolution insight into the complex between VWF and FVIII has so far been strikingly lacking. This is particularly the case for the flexible a3 region of FVIII, which is imperative for high-affinity binding. Here, a structural and biophysical characterisation of the interaction between VWF and FVIII is presented with focus on two of the domains that have been proven pivotal for mediating the interaction, namely the a3 region of FVIII and the TIL'E' domains of VWF. Binding between the FVIII a3 region and VWF TIL'E' was here observed using NMR spectroscopy, where chemical shift changes were localised to two beta-sheet regions on the edge of TIL'E' upon FVIII a3 region binding. Isothermal titration calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to characterise the interaction between FVIII and TIL'E' as well as mutants of TIL'E', which further highlights the importance of the beta-sheet region of TIL'E' for high-affinity binding. Overall, the results presented provide new insight into the role the FVIII a3 region plays for complex formation between VWF and FVIII and the beta-sheet region of TIL'E' is shown to be important for FVIII binding. Thus, the results pave the way for further high-resolution insights into this imperative complex.