Absence of the 145,000 Molecular Weight, Soluble Platelet Membrane Glycoprotein - Lack of Platelet Agglutination

One step in the function of platelets in hemostasis is their adhesion to subendothelial tissue. The human factor VIII related protein (von Willebrand factor) is considered to be involved in the adhesion phenomenon (Baumgartner et al. 1977). One manifestation of the protein-cell interaction can be observed as a platelet agglutination after addition to the human platelets of a combination of the human protein and the glycopeptide ristocetin, or after addition of the bovine protein alone. The bovine factor VIII related protein as such directly binds to the platelet membrane (Kirby and Sha May Tang 1977) and thus represents a simpler system than ristocetin plus the human cofactor which may have to interact with each other before excerting their effect on the platelet membrane. The present paper concerns the se.One of the characteristics of the agglutination of human platelets brought about by the bovine factor VIII related protein (as well as by ristocetin plus the human cofactor) is that it is independent of the energy metabolism and the internal organization of the platelet. One would therefore expect that modified platelets and platelet "ghosts" would agglutinate as long as certain structures on the outer cell surface are chemically and sterically intact. Because of the hydrophilic character of the carbohydrate side chains, the membrane glycoproteins are considered of special importance for cell contact phenomena. Thus it has already been known for some years that giant platelets of the Bernard-Soulier type which do not agglutinate with the bovine protein (Bithell et al. 1972), contain a reduced amount of sialic acid related to protein content and surface area (Grottum and Solum 1969), and show a reduced glycoprotein stain in the GP I region on SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Nurden and Caen 1975).This paper presents five observations which support a working hypothesis stating that the presence on the platelet membrane of the 145,000 molecular weight, soluble platelet membrane glycoprotein called GPS or glycocalicin is a prerequisite to the agglutination of human platelets by bovine factor VIII related protein.