Insights into the pathophysiology of the antiphospholipid syndrome provided by atomic force microscopy
2012
Quinn, Anthony S. | Wu, Xiao-Xuan | Rand, Jacob H. | Taatjes, Douglas J.
The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an enigmatic autoimmune disorder in which patients present with thrombosis and/or recurrent pregnancy losses together with laboratory evidence for the presence of autoantibodies in the blood that recognize proteins that bind to anionic phospholipids – the most important of which is β₂-glycoprotein I (β₂GPI). Earlier, we hypothesized that the clinical manifestations arise from antibody-induced disruption of a two-dimensional anticoagulant crystal shield, composed of annexin A5, present on placental trophoblast plasma membranes. Accordingly, we reasoned that a high resolution imaging technology, such as atomic force microscopy could be used to investigate such molecular interactions at high resolution in a non-fixed hydrated environment. This review will focus on the contribution of this technique to the elucidation of the mechanism of APS.
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