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Background
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamin, 5-HT) is an indolamine platelet agonist, biochemically derived from tryptophan. 5-HT is secreted from the enterochromaffin cells into the gastrointestinal tract and blood. Blood 5-HT has been proposed to regulate hemostasis by acting as a vasoconstrictor and by triggering platelet signaling through 5-HT receptor 2A (5HTR2A). Although platelets do not synthetize 5-HT, they take 5-HT up from the blood and store it in their dense granules which are secreted upon platelet activation.
Objective
To identify the molecular composite of the 5-HT uptake system in platelets and elucidate the role of platelet released 5-HT in thrombosis and ischemic stroke. Methods: 5-HT transporter knockout mice (5Htt\(^{-/-}\)) were analyzed in different in vitro and in vivo assays and in a model of ischemic stroke.
Results
In 5Htt\(^{-/-}\) platelets, 5-HT uptake from the blood was completely abolished and agonist-induced Ca2+ influx through store operated Ca\(^{2+}\) entry (SOCE), integrin activation, degranulation and aggregation responses to glycoprotein VI (GPVI) and C-type lectin-like receptor 2 (CLEC-2) were reduced. These observed in vitro defects in 5Htt\(^{-/-}\) platelets could be normalized by the addition of exogenous 5-HT. Moreover, reduced 5-HT levels in the plasma, an increased bleeding time and the formation of unstable thrombi were observed ex vivo under flow and in vivo in the abdominal aorta and carotid artery of 5Htt\(^{-/-}\) mice. Surprisingly, in the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model of ischemic stroke 5Htt\(^{-/-}\) mice showed nearly normal infarct volume and the neurological outcome was comparable to control mice.
Conclusion
Although secreted platelet 5-HT does not appear to play a crucial role in the development of reperfusion injury after stroke, it is essential to amplify the second phase of platelet activation through SOCE and plays an important role in thrombus stabilization.
Integrin αIIbβ3 plays a central role in the adhesion and aggregation of platelets and thus is essential for hemostasis and thrombosis. Integrin activation requires the transmission of a signal from the small cytoplasmic tails of the α or β subunit to the large extracellular domains resulting in conformational changes of the extracellular domains to enable ligand binding. Hydrogen peroxide-inducible clone-5 (Hic-5), a member of the paxillin family, serves as a focal adhesion adaptor protein associated with αIIbβ3 at its cytoplasmic tails. Previous studies suggested Hic-5 as a novel regulator of integrin αIIbβ3 activation and platelet aggregation in mice. To assess this in more detail, we generated Hic-5-null mice and analyzed activation and aggregation of their platelets in vitro and in vivo. Surprisingly, lack of Hic-5 had no detectable effect on platelet integrin activation and function in vitro and in vivo under all tested conditions. These results indicate that Hic-5 is dispensable for integrin αIIbβ3 activation and consequently for arterial thrombosis and hemostasis in mice.
Background
Platelets are anuclear cell fragments derived from bone marrow megakaryocytes that safeguard vascular integrity by forming thrombi at sites of vascular injury. Although the early events of thrombus formation—platelet adhesion and aggregation—have been intensively studied, less is known about the mechanisms and receptors that stabilize platelet-platelet interactions once a thrombus has formed. One receptor that has been implicated in this process is the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) family member CD84, which can undergo homophilic interactions and becomes phosphorylated upon platelet aggregation.
Objective
The role of CD84 in platelet physiology and thrombus formation was investigated in CD84-deficient mice.
Methods and Results
We generated CD84-deficient mice and analyzed their platelets in vitro and in vivo. \(Cd84^{−/−}\) platelets exhibited normal activation and aggregation responses to classical platelet agonists. Furthermore, CD84 deficiency did not affect integrin-mediated clot retraction and spreading of activated platelets on fibrinogen. Notably, also the formation of stable three-dimensional thrombi on collagen-coated surfaces under flow ex vivo was unaltered in the blood of \(Cd84^{−/−}\) mice. In vivo, \(Cd84^{−/−}\) mice exhibited unaltered hemostatic function and arterial thrombus
formation.
Conclusion
These results show that CD84 is dispensable for thrombus formation and stabilization, indicating that its deficiency may be functionally compensated by other receptors or that it may be important for platelet functions different from platelet-platelet interactions.
Pro-migratory signals mediated by the tumor microenvironment contribute to the cancer progression cascade, including invasion, metastasis and resistance to therapy. Derived from in vitro studies, isolated molecular steps of cancer invasion programs have been identified but their integration into the tumor microenvironment and suitability as molecular targets remain elusive. The purpose of the study was to visualize central aspects of tumor progression, including proliferation, survival and invasion by real-time intravital microscopy. The specific aims were to monitor the kinetics, mode, adhesion and chemoattraction mechanisms of tumor cell invasion, the involved guidance structures, and the response of invasion zones to anti-cancer therapy. To reach deeper tumor regions by optical imaging with subcellular resolution, near-infrared and infrared excited multiphoton microscopy was combined with a modified dorsal skinfold chamber model. Implanted HT-1080 fibrosarcoma and B16/F10 and MV3 melanoma tumors developed zones of invasive growth consisting of collective invasion strands that retained cell-cell contacts and high mitotic activity while invading at velocities of up to 200 μm per day. Collective invasion occurred predominantly along preexisting tissue structures, including blood and lymph vessels, collagen fibers and muscle strands of the deep dermis, and was thereby insensitive to RNAi based knockdown and/or antibody-based treatment against β1 and β3 integrins, chemokine (SDF-1/CXCL12) and growth factor (EGF) signaling. Therapeutic hypofractionated irradiation induced partial to complete regression of the tumor main mass, yet failed to eradicate the collective invasion strands, suggesting a microenvironmentally privileged niche. Whereas no radiosensitization was achieved by interference with EGFR or doxorubicin, the simultaneous inhibition of β1 and β3 integrins impaired cell proliferation and survival in spontaneously growing tumors and strongly enhanced the radiation response up to complete eradication of both main tumor and invasion strands. In conclusion, collective invasion in vivo is a robust process which follows preexisting tissue structures and is mainly independent of established adhesion and chemoattractant signaling. Due to its altered biological response to irradiation, collective invasion strands represent a microenvironmentally controlled and clinically relevant resistance niche to therapy. Therefore supportive regimens, such as anoikisinduction by anti-integrin therapy, may serve to enhance radio- and chemoefficacy and complement classical treatment regimens.