Interaction of shiga toxin with the a-domains and multimers of von Willebrand Factor

Abstract

Shiga toxin (Stx) produced by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli causes diarrhea-associated hemolytic-uremic syndrome (DHUS), a severe renal thrombotic microangiopathy. We investigated the interaction between Stx and von Willebrand Factor (VWF), a multimeric plasma glycoprotein that mediates platelet adhesion, activation, and aggregation. Stx bound to ultra-large VWF (ULVWF) secreted from and anchored to stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells, as well as to immobilized VWF-rich human umbilical vein endothelial cell supernatant. This Stx binding was localized to the A1 and A2 domain of VWF monomeric subunits and reduced the rate of ADAMTS- 13-mediated cleavage of the Tyr1605- Met1606 peptide bond in the A2 domain. Stx-VWF interaction and the associated delay in ADAMTS-13-mediated cleavage of VWF may contribute to the pathophysiology of DHUS. © 2013 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.