Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells contain a membrane glycoprotein immunologically related to platelet glycoprotein Ib.

Using a platelet glycoprotein Ib (GpIb)-specific monoclonal antibody, AP-1, we have studied cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) for the presence of GpIb. Radiolabeled AP-1 bound specifically and saturably to HUVEC in suspension and detected a single class of binding sites (100,000/cell). When Triton X-100 extracts of HUVEC were chromatographed on wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-Sepharose, radioiodinated, precipitated with AP-1, and subjected to reduced sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), major radioactive bands of 228,000, 145,000, and 130,000 were seen. The latter two bands correspond to the 156,000 and 140,000 bands, representing GpIb alpha and glycocalicin, respectively, which are seen when platelets are subjected to the same procedure. The 228,000 band corresponds to a band previously noted in immunoprecipitates of platelet GpIb but not fully explained. When HUVEC were grown in the presence of 35S-methionine, extracted with Triton X-100, chromatographed on WGA-Sepharose, immunoprecipitated with AP-1, and subjected to reduced SDS-PAGE, radioactive bands of 210,000, 156,000, and 90,000 were seen. We conclude that cultured HUVEC synthesize and express on their surface a glycoprotein immunologically related to platelet GpIb.