Prothrombin as cofactor for antiphospholipids

Prothrombin is a common antigenic target of antiphospholipid antibodies, since anti-prothrombin antibodies are detected in about 50-90% of the patients. To allow proper immune recognition, prothrombin must be adsorbed on suitable anionic surfaces. The epitope(s) have not yet been identified: the majority of anti-prothrombin antibodies appear to be of poly- or oligoclonal nature. Anti-prothrombin antibodies, either alone or in combination with anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies, are responsible for the lupus anticoagulant activity of about 75% of the cases of phospholipid-dependent inhibitors of coagulation. The two antibodies may be discriminated by means of specific coagulation profiles generated by the comparison of the ratio of the Kaolin Clotting Time (KCT) and the dilute Russell's Viper Venom Time (dRVVT): the KCT profile, which mainly reflects the presence of anti-prothrombin antibodies and the dRVVT profile, which is mostly associated with anti-beta2-glycoprotein I antibodies. This distinction, although somewhat artificial, may be clinically useful, since the KCT profile identifies patients at low risk to develop thrombosis. Similarly, most of the studies that measured anti-prothrombin antibodies by ELISA failed to find a significant association with thrombosis. In conclusion, the clinical relevance of these antibodies has not yet been established.