Fibrinogen up-regulates the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 in human saphenous vein endothelial cells

High concentrations of fibrinogen in plasma have been associated with an increased risk of saphenous vein graft pathology. We have investigated the ability of fibrinogen to up-regulate the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) in cultured human saphenous vein endothelial cells (HSVEC) isolated from saphenous vein. Increasing concentrations of fibrinogen (0-4 μM) stimulated a 20-fold increase in MCP-1 secretion within 4 h. Incubation of HSVEC with 2 μM fibrinogen for 4 h also caused a 2-fold increase in the MCP-1-to-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA ratio. The fibrinogen-mediated MCP-1 secretion fell to basal levels after preincubation of HSVEC with the complex of fibrinogen fragments D and E but remained unchanged after preincubation of HSVEC with either fibrinogen fragment E, s-ICAM-1 or the pentapeptide GRGDV. In contrast, fibrinogen fragment D acted as a potent inhibitor of fibrinogen-mediated MCP-1 secretion. Labelled fibrinogen fragment D bound to HSVEC with a K_d of 6.5 μM. These findings indicate that fibrinogen, at physiological concentrations, uses an epitope on the fibrinogen D domain to bind to a receptor on HSVEC to up-regulate MCP-1 expression and secretion. This receptor seems to be distinct from intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and the integrins previously recognized as fibrinogen receptors.