Cryo-electron microscopy structure of the platelet protein integrin αIIbβ3. The image shows how an antibody binds to a hinge site on the protein and prevents it from becoming active, thereby disrupting blood clotting. Credit: Leiden University
Using advanced electron microscopy, researchers in Leiden have captured detailed images showing how, in the rare pregnancy disorder FNAIT, antibodies produced by the mother can cause bleeding in fetuses. The findings, published in Science Advances, could help pave the way for a test that identifies, during pregnancy, which babies are at greatest risk.
Previous research had already shown that the severity of this condition depends on how strongly maternal antibodies interfere with platelet function. The new study now makes this process directly visible.
What is FNAIT?
Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) is a condition in which a pregnant woman's immune system produces antibodies against the platelets of her unborn baby. As a result, the baby faces an increased risk of bleeding. FNAIT affects around 1 in 1,000 pregnancies.
