Residual amounts of glycoprotein Ib concomitant with near-absence of glycoprotein IX in platelets of Bernard-Soulier patients.

A study of the Bernard-Soulier syndrome in two unrelated families using different polyclonal antibodies in a sensitive immunoblot assay showed residual amounts of platelet membrane glycoprotein (GP) lb in the eight homozygotes, as well as the near-absence of GPlb beta and GPIX. The eight heterozygotes studied showed a double band pattern for GPlb and about half the normal level of GPlb beta and GPIX. Therefore, we conclude that the Bernard-Soulier syndrome is heterogeneous and is probably not due to gene deletions.