THROMBOSIS RESEARCH Printed in the United

vol. States

8, PP* 319-327, Pergamon Press,

1976 Inc.

FACTOR VIII (WILLEBRAND) ANTIGEN AND RISTOCETIN-WILLEBRAND FACTOR IN PIGS WITH VON WILLEBRAND'S DISEASE D. N. Fass, W. J. Brockway, C. A. Owen, Jr. and E. J. W. Bowie Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation Section of Hematology Research Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.A. 55901

(Received

in revised form 19.1.1976. 11.12.1975; Accepted.by Editor K.M. Brinkhous)

ABSTRACT The Willebrand antigen and the ristocetin-Willebrand factor were virtually undetectable in pigs with a severe form of von Willebrand's disease. These findings establish that porcine von Willebrand's disease is essentially the same as the human counterpart. The Willebrand antigen and ristocetin-Willebrand factor were reduced approximately 60% in pigs which are heterozygous. Furthermore these two new tests can be done on capillary blood, permitting earlier identification of the disease.

INTRODUCTION

A bleeder strain of swine was first described by Hogan and colleagues in 1941 (1).

When these pigs were .found to have long bleeding times,

reduced levels of factor VIII, an overresponse of factor VIII to transfusion of plasma (2), and then reduced retention of platelets in glass bead columns, the similarity to human von Willebrand's disease became obvious (3, 4). In most patients with von Willebrand's disease, an antigen apparently related to factor VIII is decreased (5) and ristocetin fails to induce platelet aggregation (6) because an activity in the plasma (the ristocetinWillebrand factor) is decreased (7).

We have previously reported studies

on the factor VIII level, bleeding time and platelet retention in von Willebrand pigs (8) and we now report the lack of a plasmatic antigen in these animals.

The antigen was detected by a rabbit antibody raised 319

PIGS

320

against

a fraction

induced

platelet

tivity

and

without

of

the

rabbit

pigs.

human disease.

of

carrier

pigs

are

In

that

the

assays,

this

This

analyzed

(8).

factor

Griggs

the

swine

able

to

al

also

and absent

factor

were

measured.

similar

to

that

of

the

and ristocetinneonatal

porcine

possible

for

and platelet

identified

used

antigen

not

time,

ac-

this

antigen

is

bleeding

have

is

of

identify

identification

is

in normals level

Willebrand

been

VIII

fraction,

, present

in

the

VIII,

et

this

study,

deficiency using

disease.

from

ristocetin

no factor

ristocetin-Willebrand

we have

when only

“PAF” assay

the

promotes

contains

an antigen present

DISEASE

which

fraction

produced

the

Furthermore,

factor

carriers

plasma

This

and

indicate

Willebrand

porcine

antiserum,

antigen”)

The results

WILLEBRAXD

to quantitate

Willebrand

(“Willebrand

normal

VON

aggregation.

absorption

in von

WITH

many

retention

carriers

with

their

(9).

ANIMAJA A pig cy, of

with

a bleeding factor

time

VIII

severe

bleeder of

genetic

study

tests

and the were

static

which that

the

inbred

or

only

obtained

tests pigs

in

no bleeding

infinite),

a level

= 78-118 = >

were

U/dl),

70%]).

the

The

offspring

of

An extensive

trait,

and that

the

no clinical of

bleeding

tendency

and in

a normal

a bleeder

The bleeding and

abnormal.

these

with

carriers

a herd

of

platelet

were retention

By the

use

can

identified

be

of

a “hemo-

Yorkshire-Hampshire We have

tendency.

Yorkshire-Hampshire

the

times

previously

pigs

are

the

from

the

parent

pig

same as

(8). Pigs shown those

(4).

METHODS Thirty-seven Missouri,

were

pigs, studied.

which

were

pigs

homozygous.

activity

from

tenden-

pigs.

an autosomal

mildly

a bleeding

(normal

carrier

carrier.

50% of

(often

strain)

the mating

coagulant

has

O-30% [normal

are

have

of

VIII

30 U/dl,

with

is

a presumed

and have

hemostatic

Poland-China

pigs

normal

were

bleeder

disease

(4)

10 minutes

below

bleeding

with

factor

pigs

than

(usually

of

approximately

score”,

are

the

disease

Poland-China

offspring

pig

either

Normal

or

heterozygous

a bleeder

normal

swine

significant

are

more

activity

suggests

Presumed

of

is

(originally

bleeder

study

Willebrand’s

retention

pigs

clinically

this

that

platelet

matings

with

von

coagulant

and decreased

or

severe

descended

colony

in

in

Vo1.8,No.3

PIGS

Blood collection.

WITH

VON

WILLEBFUND

32

DISEASE

Large volumes of blood anticoagulated with 0.1

volume of 3.8% trisodium citrate were obtained from slaughter house swine or by jugular vein catheterization of single selected donors.

Small volumes

of blood similarly anticoagulated were withdrawn from superficial ear or leg veins through 18 gauge disposable needles into plastic syringes.

For

the platelet retention test, 4 units of heparin per ml (Panheprin, Abbott Laboratories) was used instead of the sodium citrate.

Platelet rich plasma

was obtained by centrifugation at 100 x g for 10 minutes at 22'.

Platelet

poor plasma resulted from 10 min. centrifugation at 20,000 x g also at room temperature. Normal donor pooled plasma was prepared from blood collected from 20 slaughter house animals into 0.1 volume of an anticoagulant

containing

3.8% trisodium citrate, 0.1 M benzamidine hydrochloride, 0.5 M EACA, and soybean trypsin inhibitor 50 mg per liter.

Aliquots of this plasma were

stored at -70'. Capillary blood was obtained from an incision made at the margin of the ear through its entire thickness using a #ll Bard-Parker blade.

A

portion of the blood was drawn into one or more 85 ~1 capillary tubes (capilets, Dade) coated with 4-6 USP units of ammonium heparin.

The

capilets were sealed with clay and centrifuged in an autocrit centrifuge (Adams) at 12,000 rpm for 5 minutes.

The red cell-containing portion of

the capilet was broken off and discarded while the cell-free plasma was expressed from the remainder of the capilet with a rubber bulb.

Twenty to

50 ul of plasma could be obtained in this fashion. Human Platelet concentrates were prepared from 450-500 ml of CPD (citrate-phosphate-dextrose) anticoagulated whole blood which was centrifuged at 2500 x g at 20-25'C for 3 min. to obtain platelet rich plasma. This plasma was expressed into a satellite bag and centrifuged at 5,000 x g for 10 min. to make a platelet button.

The platelet poor plasma was re-

turned to the packed erythrocytes leaving 20-30 ml in the platelet bag. When the platelet button was resuspended in the residual plasma, the count varied between 1 and 2 x 106/mm3. Gel filtration and washing of platelets.

Ten to 14 ml of platelet

concentrate was gently layered on a column of 2% agarose (Sepharose 2B) measuring 2.5 x 17 cm (siliconized glass column).

The buffer was a modifi-

cation of that described by Tangen and associates (LO), NaCl 0.145 M; Tris 0.05 M; CaC12 5 x 10w5M; NaN3 O.OZ%;‘pH 7.4.

The column was developed at

room temperature under continuous pressure of 3-5 cm water.

The flow rate

PLGS

322

was 30-40 the

platelet

greater at

ml/hr

and 3-4

peak

than

0.5

500 x g for

mately

K;TH VON WILLEBFUND

emerged, were

all

per

Ristocetin-Willebrand of

was carried

out

tinuous

in

stirring

the

test

(10

mg/ml)

were

sample.

the of

were

against of

centage

as

the

the

standard

buffer

to contain

assay

hundred

the

aggregation

log

the

the of

measured

the

ristocetin-Willebrand

curve.

activity

One unit

present

in

the

assay

was

normal

pig

the

quantitative

after

a normal

curve

donor

was plotted and 50% dilution and the

per-

interpolated factor

pooled

by

a standard

system

ristocetin-Willebrand

one ml of

solution

curve

from

present

of

was determined

Undiluted

same assay

con-

by 50~1

stock

dilution

plasma.

with

washed-gel-filtered

aggregation

each

(11)

platelets

followed

plasma

of

factor of

37’C

was performed, of

slope

in

of

of

a ristocetin

of

added

~1

aggregation

dilutions

of

at

cuvette

platelet

approxi-

by Olson’s

aggregation

fifty

of

part

day

dilution

were

50 ~1

of

out

aggregometer

Four

320 nm

platelets”).

was carried

channel

Serial

the

Tangen’s

The actual

steepest

Each

the

plasma

of

that

of

of

by centrifugation

The rate

and

log

test

to

follows.

tested

the

the

the

as

washed

30 seconds

ristocetin.

was prepared pool

After

slope

were

in

at

Once

The platelets

dual

rpm.

tubes.

an absorbance

method.

added

was added.

measuring addition

900

plastic

mm3 (“washed-gel-filtered

a Payton

at

human platelets

(12)

in

with

factor

Weiss’

collected

fractions

and resuspended

platelets

modification

were

the

pooled.

7 min.

250,000

ml fractions

DISEASE

is

plasma

from defined

(one

hundred

percent). Willebrand phoretic

antigen

technique

(5).

Rabbit

local

modifications

of

was

assayed

Laurel1

antiserum

at

(13)

a 1:30

by

as modified dilution

itmnunoelectro-

by Zimmerman and associates

is

added

to

the

agarose.

Our

include:

1.

The use

of

1% agarose

2.

Pouring

the

plates

(Seakem)

with

instead

a template

of

so

as

0.9%. to

achieve

uniform

1 mm

thickness. Increasing

3.

the

well

diameters

from

1 mm to

2 mm (sample

size

4 ul)* The addition

4. Results donor

are

as

M Na2 EDTA to

0.1

a percentage

of

all the

buffers antigen

used. found

in

pooled

normal

plasma. Factor

the

expressed

of

degree

activated porcine

VIII of

correction

partial plasma

coagulant

activity it

imparted

thromboplastin stored

at

-70’

was assessed

in

titrated

to human hemophilia

time was used

test.

for

A standard

daily

pig

A plasma normal

calibration.

plasma in

by

the

titrated

Values

for

Vo1.8,No.3

PIGS

WITH

VON

WILLEBW

DISEASE

323

normal pigs ranged from 80-110% of the standard plasma. Platelet retention in a glass bead column was measured by the method Normal values are more than 70% of platelets retained.

of Bowie et al (14).

The bleeding time was estimated by the ear-stab warm saline immersion method of Mertz (15).

Normal values are less than 4 minutes.

Antibody to porcine ristocetin-Willebrand factor.

Purified Willebrand

factor was prepared by precipitation, gel filtration and DEAE ion exchange chromatography as described by Olson et al (16).

Fractions containing

Willebrand factor activity but lacking measurable factor VIII coagulant activity were treated with l/100 volume of Al(OH)3 gel for 1 hour at room temperature.

The Al(OH)3 was removed by centrifugation and resuspended in

0.9% NaCl SO that each ml of suspension contained 2.5 units of adsorbed Willebrand factor.

A New Zealand white rabbit was injected intramuscularly

with this material for 11 weeks at the rate of 0.1 ml per week. obtained weekly for 7 months.

Serum was

Weekly subcutaneous booster immunizations

were carried out for six weeks, starting five months after the first series was completed. RESULTS Eighteen von Willebrand pigs and 19 obligate carriers of von Willebrand's disease were tested for levels of both Willebrand antigen and ristocetin-Willebrand factor.

The values obtained are expressed as a percentage

of normal which in turn is defined by a plasma standard pooled from at least 20 normal pigs.

The results of these assays are presented in Table 1.

All animals defined as having von Willebrand's disease were severely affected and none showed antigen levels higher than 3%. the lower reliable limit of the quantitative assay.

Three per cent is

These von Willebrand

animals also showed markedly reduced ristocetin-Willebrand factor activity. The results for 17 of 18 pigs were below the limits of detectability ("zero").

One animal had a trace value.

In the carrier animals the mean

of the antigen levels and the mean of the ristocetin-Willebrand factor levels were within one standard deviation of each other.

There was not,

however, significant correlation between antigen and factor activities in individual animals.

There were no obvious sexual differences in these two

assays. About 100~1

of capillary blood was collected from ear punctures from

23 normal pigs less than 7 days old.

Laurel1 immunoelectrophoresis was

performed to determine antigen levels.

One value was found to be greater

than 2.5 S.D. from the mean and was discarded.

Of the remaining 22, the

25

10

3.2 + 1.4

7 ->

-21

68f

21

19 f 14

__

40

25

18

19

14

84 + 18

28f

98 + 10

35

22

Pool of 26

33 f

Factor VIII (Willebrand) antigen and ristocetin-Willebrand factor in pigs with von Willebrand's disease.

THROMBOSIS RESEARCH Printed in the United vol. States 8, PP* 319-327, Pergamon Press, 1976 Inc. FACTOR VIII (WILLEBRAND) ANTIGEN AND RISTOCETIN-WI...
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