An explanation for minor multimer species in endothelial cell-synthesized von Willebrand factor

Initial synthesis of von Willebrand factor (vWf) by cultured human endothelial cells proceeds by formation of a dimer of pro-vWf subunits. These subunits are found only within the cell and have an apparent molecular weight of 240,000-260,000, as measured by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Posttranslational modifications, including proteolytic cleavage, glycosylation, and sulfation, result in the appearance of two additional vWf subunits. The major one migrates with the subunit of plasma vWf at an apparent molecular weight of 220,000-225,000 and the other migrates more slowly than pro-vWf at an apparent molecular weight of 260,000-275,000. These subunits oligomerize to form a set of vWf multimers, which are subsequently secreted into the culture medium. We isolated individual vWf oligomer species from the agarose gel bands and show that vWf minor, or satellite, species differ from major species in subunit composition.