The expression of glycoproteins on single blood platelets from healthy individuals and from patients with congenital bleeding disorders

Glycoproteins present on the surface of blood platelets are fundamental to normal blood platelet behaviour. We have used monoclonal antibodies and flow cytofluorimetry to study the expression of glycoproteins on single platelets from normal subjects, and from patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia and the Bernard-Soulier syndrome. We show that normal platelets are heterogeneous in that individual cells display markedly different numbers of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa complex and glycoprotein Ib molecules. We also show that the two congenital bleeding disorders are associated with markedly reduced numbers of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa complex or glycoprotein Ib molecules on all the platelets rather than the difference residing in a sub-population.