Molecular characterization of human platelet glycoproteins IIIa and IIb and the subunits of the latter.

Sedimentation equilibrium and low-angle laser-light scattering were used to determine the molar mass of the glycoprotein moieties in the complexes of sodium dodecyl sulphate with the human platelet membrane glycoproteins IIb (GPIIb), IIIa (GPIIIa), and the alpha (GPIIb alpha) and beta (GPIIb beta) subunits of GPIIb. The values obtained by both procedures, except those for GPIIb, agree within experimental error with those calculated from their chemical composition: GPIIb alpha (114,000 g mol-1), GPIIb beta (22,200 g mol-1), and GPIIIa (91,500 g mol-1). The molar mass of GPIIb determined by light scattering (142,000 g mol-1 and sedimentation equilibrium at different solvent densities (134,000 g mol-1) also agree, within experimental error, with the values calculated either from its chemical composition (136,500 g mol-1) or from the sum of the molar masses of its subunits. However the molar mass determined by sedimentation equilibrium at constant solvent density, is consistently underestimated (116,000 g mol-1). High-performance size-exclusion chromatography in sodium dodecyl sulphate solutions overestimates the molar mass of these glycoproteins and their Stokes radii, and therefore the maximal frictional ratios derived from them.

New isolation procedure and further biochemical characterization of glycoproteins IIb and IIIa from human platelet plasma membrane.

We describe a new procedure for isolation of glycoproteins IIb (GPIIb) and IIIa (GPIIIa) from human platelet plasma membrane with high yields (2.7 mg of GPIIb and 3.3 mg of GPIIIa per 100 mg of starting platelet membrane proteins), equivalent to a recovery of 35% and 55% respectively of the total GPIIb and GPIIIa of the membrane. The procedure involves Triton X-100 differential extraction of platelet membranes, SDS solubilization of the 4%-Triton X-100 supernatant, zonal centrifugation in a sucrose density gradient, and preparative high-performance size-exclusion chromatography. The weight percentage of sugar is 15.7% for GPIIb and 12.5% for GPIIIa. Neuraminic acid is present in both glycoproteins, representing 30% and 15% respectively of the total sugar weight of GPIIb and GPIIIa. Mannose, galactose and glucosamine account for 45%, 13% and 28% respectively of the sugars of GPIIIa, whereas galactosamine was not detected. Mannose, galactose, glucosamine and galactosamine represent 17%, 21%, 24% and 10% respectively of the sugar content of GPIIb. The molar percentages of half-cystine and methionine are 4-fold and 2-fold higher respectively in GPIIIa than in GPIIb. From the amino acid and sugar compositions we confirmed the acidic nature of both glycoproteins. The Mr values obtained, 136,500 for GPIIb and 91,500 for GPIIIa, are in very good agreement with those obtained by physical methods. The apparent lack of free thiol groups in both glycoproteins indicates that the tertiary structure of GPIIIa is maintained by 21 intrachain disulphide bonds, and that there are eight intrachain and interchain disulphide groups in GPIIb.