Effect Of The Multimeric Structure Of The Factor VIII/Von Willebrand Factor Protein On Binding To Human Platelets
We have studied the characteristics of binding of intact factor VIII/von Willebrand factor (f. VIII/vWf) protein and 2-mercaptoethanol (2ME) treated f. VIII/vWf protein to human platelets. The purified f. VIII/vWf was radiolabelled with tritiated 3H potassium borohydride; 4.5 × 103 molecules of the intact radiolabelled material bound per platelet. Of these some molecules bound with a high affinity/low capacity (Kd 0.21 nM and 1.5 × 103 molecules) and another with a low affinity/high capacity (Kd 2.5 nM and 3 × 103 molecules). When the material was reduced with 2ME at 0.01%, it bound with an intermediate affinity of 1.6 nM with a capacity of 4.0 × 103 and a low affinity binding of 12.5 nM and a capacity of 4.0 × 103 . The 0.1% 2ME-treated material revealed only low affinity binding with a Kd of 15 nM and the number of molecules bound 13 × 103. Studies of competitive inhibition of the intact f. VIII/vWf binding to human platelets by the reduced materials revealed that the smallest f. VIII/vWf protein (i.e., 0.1% 2ME) was the least effective while the 0.01% 2ME material was intermediate between the 0.1% and the intact material. The differences noted in the ability to displace the intact material as well as in binding to the human platelet were paralleled by decreases in the vWf activity of these proteins.These studies aid in our understanding of the binding of the f. VIII/vWf to platelets in that the binding sites on platelets may be homogeneous while the ligand is heterogenous. These studies reinforce the structure/function relationships of f. VIII/vWf proteins which have been defined using ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation (i.e., the minimum molecular size of the f. VIII/vWf protein and the penultimate galactose residues on the carbohydrate side chain). We conclude that these defects of the f. VIII/vWf protein also interfere with the protein binding to its platelet receptor and that f. VIII/vWf binding to platelets is an important primary step in hemostasis.