ABO blood group is a determinant of von Willebrand factor protein levels in human pulmonary endothelial cells.

ABO blood group antigens are expressed on von Willebrand factor (VWF) and glycosylation patterns influence circulating VWF levels. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ABO blood type on tissue-associated VWF protein levels. We selected 35 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded pulmonary tissue blocks obtained at autopsy from decedents who died from pulmonary embolism with known ABO blood groups (O, A, B and AB phenotypes), prepared tissue microarrays (TMAs) and stained TMAs with antibodies to VWF and platelet/endothelial cell adhesion marker-1 (PECAM-1) as a marker of endothelial cells. A pixel count scoring algorithm was used to quantify VWF and PECAM-1 staining intensity in pulmonary arterioles in digitised images. Compared with type O, non-O individuals have a significantly higher amount of endothelial cell-associated VWF protein expression. VWF protein levels associated with pulmonary vascular endothelial cells is influenced by ABO antigenic determinants.