The human erythroleukemia (K562) cell line is induced to differentiate into megakaryocytic cells by treatment with the tumor promoter phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). PMA-induced differentiation is characterized by (1) almost complete cessation of cellular proliferation, (2) expression of the megakaryocytic cell surface marker glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (gpIIIa), (3) increased secretion of granulocy...

Glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa plays a critical role in platelet aggregation and platelet-mediated clot retraction. This study examined the intramolecular relationship between GPIIb-IIIa activation and fibrinogen binding, platelet aggregation, and platelet-mediated clot retraction. To distinguish between different high-affinity activation states of GPIIb-IIIa, the properties of an antibody (D3) spe...

Platelet membrane GPIIb-IIIa is a member of the integrin family of heterodimeric adhesion receptors. Processing and export of certain leukocyte and melanoma integrins is disrupted in cells lacking one subunit. We found that surface expression of GPIIb-IIIa, measured by fluorescent activated cell sorting or by surface labeling, required cotransfection of both subunits. In contrast, surface expre...

BACKGROUND The platelet fibrinogen receptor represents the final common pathway of platelet activation, and is formed from two glycoprotein (GP) subunits (GPIIb/IIIa). Carriage of the mutant PlA2 allele of GPIIIa has been shown to confer an increased risk of cardiovascular events, but published studies have disagreed as to the mechanism for this association. OBJECTIVES To assess whether carri...

We describe an individual with abnormal platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb of different molecular weight (mol wt), a defect that distinguishes this patient from previously reported thrombasthenics. The patient, a 21-year-old female, has a mild bleeding tendency; her platelets lack adenosine diphosphate (ADP) aggregation and have severely suppressed collagen aggregation but a normal response to rist...

The monoclonal antibodies Tab and AP3 are directed, respectively, against GPIIb and GPIIIa, the subunits of the platelet fibrinogen receptor. When added together to platelets, these antibodies prevent adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation, despite normal fibrinogen binding (Newman et al, Blood 69:668, 1987). To explore the cellular requirements of aggregation after fibrinogen...

Ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA) is the in vitro anticoagulant commonly used to collect blood samples for cell counts.1 One drawback development of pseudothrombocytopenia (PTP), a spuriously low platelet count caused by clumping 0·07–0·27% EDTA during storage at room temperature.2 PTP binding (auto)antibodies cryptic epitope(s) glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa complex that become(s) accessible ...