Detection of an epitope specific for the dissociated form of glycoprotein IIIa of platelet membrane glycoprotein IIb-IIIa complex and its expression on the surface of adherent platelets.

Glycoproteins (GPs) IIb and IIIa form a Ca(2+)-dependent complex in platelet membrane and change their conformation upon platelet activation and dissociation of the complex. A new anti-GPIIIa monoclonal antibody (mAb), CRC54, is described which could distinguish different conformational states of GPIIIa. This antibody (i) precipitated GPIIb-IIIa from platelet Triton X-100-lysate, (ii) recognized the GPIIIa band in Western blotting of platelet SDS-lysate, and (iii) did not react with platelets from a Glanzmann's thrombasthenia patient lacking GPIIb-IIIa. Immunoblotting of chymotryptic digestion products of purified GPIIb-IIIa has shown that CRC54 epitope is located within residues 1-100 at the N-terminus of GPIIIa. CRC54 bound weakly to platelets in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+, 2.34 +/- 0.28 x 10(3) molecules per platelet at saturation. The same level of binding was observed without any divalent cations in the medium. However, binding of CRC54 was increased by several times after treatment of platelets with EDTA, 10.04 +/- 0.28 x 10(3) molecules per platelet. Increase of CRC54 binding correlated with the dissociation of GPIIb-IIIa complex which was followed by the decrease of the binding of another mAb, CRC64, directed against complex-specific epitope of GPIIb-IIIa. Binding of CRC54 to platelets was changed neither by platelet activation in suspension with thrombin or ADP nor by the occupancy of GPIIb-IIIa ligand binding site with GRGDSR peptide. However, binding was significantly stimulated by platelet adhesion to polystyrene plastic. As measured using 51Cr-labelled platelets, binding of 125I-CRC54 to adherent platelets in the presence of divalent cations was about 4 times higher than to platelets in suspension, 8.68 +/- 0.48 x 10(3) per platelet. This increase was not due to the dissociation of GPIIb-IIIa since complex-specific antibody CRC64 still bound effectively to the surface of adherent platelets. The data obtained indicated that: (1) CRC54 recognized an epitope specific for the dissociated form of GPIIIa; (2) the CRC54-reactive epitope of GPIIIa is also expressed on the surface of adherent platelets.