Title:
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Signalling mechanisms regulating platelet secretion
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Platelets are vital in haemostasis to prevent bleeding after injury.
Uncontrolled platelet activation, however, leads to thrombosis. Platelet
granule secretion is critical in thrombus formation and, due to the wide variety
of granule contents released, also plays a role in many other physiological
and pathological processes. The signalling molecule PKC is key in secretion
of both dense and a-granules, but the downstream pathways that link it to
secretion still need to be defined. A regulator of a-granule release,
specifically, is ADP, which acts on the P2Y12 receptor after being secreted by
dense granules. How it may control the release of functionally different
cargoes is poorly understood.
I first identified an extensive range of candidate platelet PKC substrates
through proteomics screening using an anti-phosphopeptide antibody-based
approach. Among these, I validated cytohesin-2, an Arf-GEF not previously
characterised in platelets. This study demonstrated that, upon platelet
activation, PKC phosphorylation of cytohesin-2 relieves the basal
suppression of dense granule release, shedding new light on how PKC
regulates secretion.
I next examined the role of ADP in a-granule secretion with a specific focus
on whether P2Y12 can induce differential cargo release, considering the
implications for the clinical use of the P2Y12 blocker, clopidogrel. I
investigated this using a P2Y12 antagonist and the Munc13-4-1
- mouse model
where dense granule secretion is ablated and therefore autocrine ADP is not
released. Results revealed that the secretion of certain a-granule contents is
more dependent on ADP than others and that, in the absence of ADP
signalling, granules may release contents without complete fusion with the
plasma membrane.
Taken together, this thesis provides new findings on the regulation of dense
and a-granule secretion, which can be used in the design of improved
therapies for thrombosis and other disorders where platelet granule contents
play a role.
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