Plasma levels of von Willebrand factor, von Willebrand factor propeptide and factor VIII in carriers and patients with nephrogenic diabetes insipidus

von Willebrand factor propeptide: biology and clinical utility

von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a large multimeric glycoprotein that mediates the attachment of platelets to damaged endothelium and also serves as the carrier protein for coagulation factor VIII (FVIII), protecting it from proteolytic degradation. Quantitative or qualitative defects in VWF result in von Willebrand disease (VWD), a common inherited bleeding disorder. VWF is synthesized with a very large propeptide (VWFpp) that is critical for intracellular processing of VWF. VWFpp actively participates in the process of VWF multimerization and is essential for trafficking of VWF to the regulated storage pathway. Mutations identified within VWFpp in VWD patients are associated with altered VWF structure and function. The assay of plasma VWFpp has clinical utility in assessing acute and chronic vascular perturbation associated with diseases such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, sepsis, and diabetes among others. VWFpp assay also has clear utility in the diagnosis of VWD subtypes, particularly in discriminating true type 3 subjects from type 1C (reduced plasma survival of VWF), which is clinically important and has implications for therapeutic treatment.

Lack of responsiveness to 1-desamino-D arginin vasopressin (desmopressin) in male patients with nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis: from bench to bedside

BACKGROUND

Nephrogenic syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (NSIAD) is a recently described entity, linked to gain-of-function mutations (R137C and R137L) in arginine vasopressin (AVP) gene leading to chronic activation of tubular V2 AVP receptor (V2R) and thus free water reabsorption. In addition to collecting duct cells, the V2R is also expressed in endothelial cells, where it mediates the rise in circulating levels of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and coagulation factor VIII (fVIII). Recent in vitro data showed that these mutant receptors are resistant to vasopressin-stimulated cAMP production. We aimed to explore by clinical observations the sensitivity to vasopressin of the R137C-V2R mutant in vivo.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed a stimulation test with 1-desamino-D arginin vasopressin (dDAVP) 0·3 μg/kg of bodyweight in three patients (two hemizygous male and one heterozygous female) with NSIAD with R137C mutation and measured on the one hand the levels of vWF and fVIII and the other hand urine osmolality and albumin excretion (UAE).

RESULTS

Whereas the female heterozygous patient displayed normal response to simulation by dDAVP (except for UAE), no increase in vWF, fVIII, urinary osmolality and UAE was observed among hemizygous male patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Coherent with in vitro observation in transfected cells, our clinical observations demonstrate that the R137C-V2R mutant is resistant to vasopressin stimulation in its physiological sites of expression.