The normal Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor protein has the ability to agglutinate or aggregate normal platelets in the presence of ristocetin (von Willebrand factor activity). Removal of greater than 95% of the sialic acid from this protein by neuraminidase did not affect the von Willebrand factor or procoagulant activity. However, oxidation of the penultimate galactose of the asialo Factor V...

Two monoclonal antibodies--one that blocks ristocetin-induced platelet binding of von Willebrand factor to glycoprotein Ib and one that blocks adenosine diphosphate-induced binding of fibrinogen to the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa complex--were used to assess the binding site(s) for von Willebrand factor when platelets are stimulated with thrombin or adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Neither agonist induce...

Von Willebrand disease is an inherited condition characterized by deficiency of von Willebrand factor, which is essential in hemostasis. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has released new evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and management of the disease. There are three major subtypes of von Willebrand disease, classified as partial quantitative deficiency (low levels) of vo...

Treatment of von Willebrand disease typically requires multiple infusions of von Willebrand factor (VWF)/factor VIII (FVIII) concentrate. Accumulation of FVIII is a clinical concern due to potential risk for thromboembolism. This study sought to determine whether VWF/FVIII concentrate of high VWF:FVIII ratio can prevent FVIII accumulation. VWF-deficient knockout mice received four 150 IU/kg VWF...

A patient with a lifelong bleeding disorder was diagnosed as having Type II von Willebrand disease. The larger multimers of von Willebrand factor were absent from her plasma but present in platelets. A high-resolution electrophoretic technique was used to study the complex structure of individual von Willebrand factor multimers. In normal plasma, each multimer could be resolved into five bands:...

Patients with acquired von Willebrand disease may present with severe bleeding, which is usually difficult to manage. Adequate haemostasis in acquired von Willebrand disease may be achieved with the infusion of factor VIII/von Willebrand factor concentrates or with the administration of desmopressin. We report a case of acquired von Willebrand disease with severe postoperative bleeding, respond...

Aggregation of human platelets by bovine plasma was recently recognized as a marker for the study of the antihemophilic and von Willebrand factors. A similar marker in porcine plasma is shown to be specific for the platelet-active von Willebrand factor of plasma, but not for the antihemophilic factor (factor VIII). A new quantitative assay for the von Willebrand factor is based on the dose-resp...

Previously, we found that LDL-receptor related protein-1 on macrophages mediated shear stress-dependent clearance of von Willebrand factor. In control experiments, however, we observed that von Willebrand factor also binds to macrophages independently of this receptor under static conditions, suggesting the existence of additional clearance-receptors. In search for such receptors, we focused on...

We identified three novel mutations (p.Gly39Arg, p.Lys157Glu, p.Cys379Gly) and one previously known mutation (p.Asp141Asn) in the von Willebrand factor propeptide from three von Willebrand disease patients. All four mutations impaired multimerization of von Willebrand factor, due to reduced oxidoreductase activity of isomeric propeptide. These mutations resulted in the endothelial reticulum ret...

The adhesive protein von Willebrand factor mediates the initiation and progression of thrombus formation at sites of vascular injury. von Willebrand factor is synthesized in endothelial cells and megakaryocytes as a very large polymer composed of identical subunits. In the plasma, it appears as a series of multimers of regularly decreasing molecular mass, from several thousand to 500 kDa. The s...