A monoclonal antibody (NMC-VIII/10) to factor VIII light chain recognizing Glu1675-Glu1684 inhibits factor VIII binding to endogenous von Willebrand factor in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

The monoclonal antibody NMC-VIII/10 is a neutralizing antibody which recognizes the Glu1675-Glu1684 sequence of the factor VIII light chain and inhibits factor VIII (FVIII) binding to immobilized von Willebrand factor (vWf). In this study we immunohistochemically determined, using human umbilical cord tissue, whether or not NMC-VIII/10 has an inhibitory effect on FVIII binding to endogenous vWF in endothelial cells. Tissue sections were reacted with purified FVIII followed by peroxidase-conjugated monoclonal antibody (C5) recognizing the 54 kD fragment of the FVIII heavy chain. The labelling pattern of bound FVIII was similar to that of endogenous vWF and appeared as a fine granular deposit in the endothelial cells. Addition of purified vWF completely inhibited the binding of FVIII to endothelial cells. Furthermore, FVIII did not bind to endothelium in the presence of 0.25 M CaCl2, and similarly, thrombin-treated FVIII did not bind to the vascular site. These findings suggested that FVIII was bound to endogenous vWF in the endothelial cells. The binding reaction was completely inhibited by NMC-VIII/10, confirming that the monoclonal antibody recognizes the specific epitope responsible for FVIII binding to endogenous vWF.