The platelet alloantigen Zwa or PlA1 is expressed by cultured endothelial cells.

Recently, the synthesis by cultured human endothelial cells of a membrane protein complex immunologically related to platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa complex was demonstrated. Since platelet GP IIIa is known to carry the platelet alloantigen Zwa or PlA1, studies were performed to establish whether this antigen is also expressed on endothelial cells. The present report describes the results of these studies, which provide evidence for the presence of the Zwa or PlA1 antigen on the surface of cultured human endothelial cells. This evidence is based on the following observations: (1) cultured endothelial cells react with anti-Zwa (PlA1) antibodies as shown by indirect immunofluorescence; (2) two proteins are precipitated by anti-Zwa (PlA1) antibodies from lysates of 125I-labelled endothelial cells with an electrophoretic mobility corresponding with that of GP IIb and IIIa; (3) anti-Zwa (PlA1) reacts specifically, as shown by immunoblotting of sodium-dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gels of solubilized endothelial cells, with a protein with a mobility similar to that of platelet GP IIIa.