SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein activates TMEM16F-mediated platelet pro-coagulant activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambra Cappelletto ◽  
Harriet E Allan ◽  
Marilena Crescente ◽  
Edoardo Schneider ◽  
Rossana Bussani ◽  
...  

Background: Thrombosis of the lung micro-vasculature is a characteristic of COVID-19 disease, which is observed in large excess compared to other forms of acute respiratory distress syndrome and thus suggests a trigger for thrombosis endogenous to the lung. Our recent work has shown that the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein activates the cellular TMEM16F chloride channel and scramblase. Through a screening on >3,000 FDA/EMA approved drugs, we identified Niclosamide and Clofazimine as the most effective molecules at inhibiting this activity. As TMEM16F plays an important role in the stimulation of the pro-coagulant activity of platelets, and considering that platelet abnormalities are common in COVID-19 patients, we investigated whether Spike directly affects platelet activation and pro-thrombotic function and tested the effect of Niclosamide and Clofazimine on these processes. Methods: We produced SARS-CoV-2 Spike or VSV-G protein-pseudotyped virions, or generated cells expressing Spike on their plasma membrane, and tested their effects on platelet adhesion (fluorescence), aggregation (absorbance), exposure of phosphatidylserine (flow cytometry for annexin V binding), calcium flux (flow cytometry for fluo-4 AM), and clot formation and retraction. These experiments were also conducted in the presence of the TMEM16F activity inhibitors Niclosamide and Clofazimine. Results: Here we show that exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Spike promotes platelet activation, adhesion and spreading, both when present on the envelope of virions or upon expression on the plasma membrane of cells. Spike was effective both as a sole agonist or by enhancing the effect of known platelet activators, such as collagen and collagen-related peptide. In particular, Spike exerted a noticeable effect on the procoagulant phenotype of platelets, by enhancing calcium flux, phosphatidylserine externalisation, and thrombin generation. Eventually, this resulted in a striking increase in thrombin-induced clot formation and retraction. Both Niclosamide and Clofazimine almost abolished this Spike-induced pro-coagulant response. Conclusions: Together, these findings provide a pathogenic mechanism to explain thrombosis associated to COVID-19 lung disease, by which Spike present in SARS-CoV-2 virions or exposed on the surface of infected cells, leads to local platelet stimulation and subsequent activation of the coagulation cascade. As platelet TMEM16F is central in this process, these findings reinforce the rationale of repurposing drugs targeting this protein, such as Niclosamide, for COVID-19 therapy.

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 4038-4038
Author(s):  
Meera Chitlur ◽  
Erin Ware ◽  
Sujata Kannan ◽  
Wendy Hollon ◽  
Steve Buck ◽  
...  

Abstract Dendritic polymers are branched nanopolymers with a central core and multiple peripheral functional groups that offer great potential as high payload delivery vehicles carrying multiple copies of drug molecules, targeting ligands and imaging agents to their site of action. Their nanoscopic dimensions offer exciting possibilities for achieving high intracellular drug concentrations in many therapeutic areas including anti-cancer drug delivery. Biocompatibility and biodistribution of dendritic polymers may be influenced by surface charge and concentration. One of the major challenges in their use is the effect on coagulation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of change in surface charge and concentration of dendritic polymer on cellular and enzymatic components of coagulation. Materials and Methods: The effect of increasing concentrations (1, 10, 100, and 1000mcg/ml) of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with -COOH (anionic), -OH (neutral), and -NH2 (cationic) end functionalities, on platelet function and coagulation was evaluated using thromboelastography, whole blood aggregation, and flow cytometry. The thromboelastographic profile and platelet aggregation studies were obtained on samples of whole blood incubated for thirty minutes with dendrimer. Platelets were incubated with FITC labelled dendrimer for 30,60 and 120 mins, to determine uptake and platelet activation using flow cytometry. All tests were performed in triplicate. RESULTS: Thromboelastography: No significant effect on clot formation (time to clot formation and size) was seen with PAMAM-COOH (COOH) or PAMAM-OH (OH). Prolonged time to initiation of clot and decreased size were noted with 100 and 1000mcg/ml of PAMAM-NH2(NH2) as shown in figure1, indicating impairment of both the enzymatic and cellular components of the coagulation system. Whole Blood Aggregation: Neither platelet aggregation nor secretion were significantly affected by COOH or OH. Platelet aggregation was significantly decreased with NH2 at 100 and 1000mcg/ml. Flow Cytometry: Spontaneous CD62 activation was seen in platelets incubated with NH2. No spontaneous CD62 activation was noted with COOH or OH even at 1000mcg/ml. Platelet uptake of FITC labeled dendrimer was assessed at 30, 60 and 120mins of incubation. Increased uptake of FITC labeled dendrimer was noted at 2 hours with NH2. TEG clotting Profiles with PAMAM-NH2. TEG clotting Profiles with PAMAM-NH2. CONCLUSIONS: Surface charge of the dendritic nanopolymers plays a significant role on its effect on coagulation and platelet function. The anionic -COOH terminated and neutral -OH terminated dendrimers had no effect on hemostasis even at the highest concentrations while the cationic-NH2 was associated with inhibition of platelet aggregation and delayed clot initiation at higher concentrations. This would indicate that the anionic and neutral dendrimers would serve as better vehicles than cationic dendrimers for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents.


1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (05) ◽  
pp. 745-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elza Chignier ◽  
Maud Parise ◽  
Lilian McGregor ◽  
Caroline Delabre ◽  
Sylvie Faucompret ◽  
...  

SummaryP-selectin, also known as CD62P, GMP140 or PADGEM, is present in platelet a-granules and endothelial cell Weibel-Palade bodies and is very rapidly expressed on the surface of these cells on activation. In this study, an anti P-selectin monoclonal antibody (LYP20) was used, in tandem with flow cytometry, to identify activated platelets at the site of induced vascular trauma or in peripheral blood. Moreover, electron microscopy was performed to characterize sites of vascular trauma and quantify the number of adhering platelets. The same induced vascular trauma was observed to result into animals responding in 2 different ways (Group I, Group II) following the degree of platelet activation. Five rats, out of 14 with induced vascular trauma, had more than half of their circulating platelets expressing P-selectin when drawn at the site of the trauma (67.4% ± 3.44) or in peripheral blood (78.5% ± 2.5) (Group I). In the remaining 9 animals a much smaller proportion of circulating platelets expressed P-selectin when assayed from trauma sites (18% ± 3.34) or in peripheral blood (18.0% ± 4.30) (Group II). Enhanced P-selectin expression by circulating platelets in Group I, compared to Group II, appears to be linked to the degree of activated platelets adhering at sites of trauma (171 ± 15 × 103 platelets versus 48 ± 31 × 103 platelets per mm2). In the 5 control animals, that were not operated on, platelets expressing P-selectin when drawn at the site of a mock trauma (7.0% ± 1.84) or in the peripheral blood (11.2% ± 3.30) showed little activation. In addition, no platelet adhesion was seen on the vascular bed of these animals. Results from this study show that analysis of P-selectin (CD62P) expression, in circulating platelets, is a valuable and rapid marker of platelet activation following severe vascular trauma induced in rats. However, activated platelets were not detected to the same extent in the peripheral blood of all animals having undergone vascular trauma. It is conceivable that platelets, depending on the degree of activation, may be actively sequestered in organs and prevented from circulating. Alternatively, P-selectin may be rapidly endocytosed, or not expressed, by activated circulating platelets depending on the type of agonists implicated in vivo activation.


1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (03) ◽  
pp. 134-138
Author(s):  
Gitta Kühnel ◽  
A. C. Matzdorff

SummaryWe studied the effect of GPIIb/IIIa-inhibitors on platelet activation with flow cytometry in vitro. Citrated whole blood was incubated with increasing concentrations of three different GPIIb/IIIa-inhibitors (c7E3, DMP728, XJ757), then thrombin or ADP were added and after 1 min the sample was fixed. Samples without c7E3 but with 0.1 U/ml thrombin had a decrease in platelet count. Samples with increasing concentrations of c7E3 had a lesser or no decrease in platelet count. The two other inhibitors (DMP 725, XJ757) gave similar results. GPIIb/IIIa-inhibitors prevent aggregate formation and more single platelets remain in the blood sample. The agonist-induced decrease in platelet count correlates closely with the concentration of the GPIIb/IIIa inhibitor and receptor occupancy. This correlation may be used as a simple measure for inhibitor activity in whole blood.


1992 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Groth ◽  
Katrin Derdau ◽  
Frank Strietzel ◽  
Frank Foerster ◽  
Hartmut Wolf

Twenty years ago Imai & Nose introduced a whole-blood clotting test for the estimation of haemocompatibility of biomaterials in vitro In our paper a modification of this assay is described and the mechanism of clot formation further elucidated. It was found that neither the inhibition of platelet function nor the removal of platelets from blood significantly changed the clot formation rate on glass and polyvinyl chloride in comparison to the rate tor whole blood. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that platelets were not involved in clot formation near the blood/biomaterial interface. Thus, it was concluded that the system of contact activation of the coagulation cascade dominates during clot formation under static conditions. The latter conclusion was supported by the fact that preadsorption of human serum albumin or human fibrinogen onto the glass plates used, decreased the clot formation rate in the same manner.


1990 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Hardham ◽  
E. Suzaki

Glycoconjugates on the surface of zoospores and cysts of the pathogenic fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi have been studied using fluorescein isothiocyanate labelled lectins for fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, and ferritin- and gold-labelled lectins for ultrastructural analysis. Of the five lectins used, only concanavalin A (ConA) binds to the surface of the zoospores, including the flagella and water expulsion vacuole. This suggests that of accessible saccharides, glucosyl or mannosyl residues predominate on the outer surface of the zoospore plasma membrane. Early in encystment, a system of flat disc-like cisternae, which underlie the zoospore plasma membrane, vesiculate. These and other small peripheral vesicles quickly disappear. After the induction of encystment, ConA is no longer localised close to the plasma membrane but binds to material loosely associated with the cell surface. Quantitative measurements by flow cytometry indicate that the ConA-binding material is gradually lost from the cell surface. The cyst wall is weakly labelled, but the site of germ tube emergence stains intensely. During the first 2 min after the induction of encystment, material that binds soybean agglutinin, Helix pommatia agglutinin, and peanut agglutinin appears on the surface of the fungal cells. The distribution of this material, rich in galactosyl or N-acetyl-D-galactosaminosyl residues, is initially patchy, but by 5 min the material evenly coats most of the cell surface. Labelling of zoospores in which intracellular sites are accessible indicates that the soybean agglutinin binding material is stored in vesicles that lie beneath the plasma membrane. Quantitation of soybean agglutinin labelling shows that maximum binding occurs 2–3 min after the induction of encystment. Key words: cell surface, flow cytometry, lectins, pathogenic fungi, Phytophthora cinnamomi.


1978 ◽  
Vol 40 (02) ◽  
pp. 212-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Massini ◽  
R Käser-Glanzmann ◽  
E F Lüscher

SummaryThe increase of the cytoplasmic Ca-concentration plays a central role in the initiation of platelet activation. Four kinds of movements of Ca-ions are presumed to occur during this process: a) Ca-ions liberated from membranes induce the rapid shape change, b) Vesicular organelles release Ca-ions into the cytoplasm which initiate the release reaction, c) The storage organelles called dense bodies, secrete their contents including Ca-ions to the outside during the release reaction, d) At the same time a rearrangement of the plasma membrane occurs, resulting in an increase in its permeability for Ca-ions as well as in an increase in the number of Ca-binding sites.Since most processes occurring during platelet activation are reversible, the platelet must be equipped with a mechanism which removes Ca-ions from the cytoplasm. A vesicular fraction obtained from homogenized platelets indeed accumulates Ca actively. This Ca- pump is stimulated by cyclic AMP and protein kinase; it may be involved in the recovery of platelets after activation.It becomes increasingly clear that the various manifestations of platelet activation are triggered by a rise in the cytoplasmic Ca2+-concentration. The evidence for this and possible mechanisms involved are discussed in some detail in the contributions by Detwiler et al. and by Gerrard and White to this symposium. In this article we shall discuss four different types of mobilization of Ca-ions which occur in the course of the activation of platelets. In addition, at least one transport step involved in the removal of Ca2+ must occur during relaxation of activated platelets.


Author(s):  
Danny Bluestein ◽  
João S. Soares ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Chao Gao ◽  
Seetha Pothapragada ◽  
...  

The coagulation cascade of blood may be initiated by flow induced platelet activation, which prompts clot formation in prosthetic cardiovascular devices and arterial disease processes. While platelet activation may be induced by biochemical agonists, shear stresses arising from pathological flow patterns enhance the propensity of platelets to activate and initiate the intrinsic pathway of coagulation, leading to thrombosis. Upon activation platelets undergo complex biochemical and morphological changes: organelles are centralized, membrane glycoproteins undergo conformational changes, and adhesive pseudopods are extended. Activated platelets polymerize fibrinogen into a fibrin network that enmeshes red blood cells. Activated platelets also cross-talk and aggregate to form thrombi. Current numerical simulations to model this complex process mostly treat blood as a continuum and solve the Navier-Stokes equations governing blood flow, coupled with diffusion-convection-reaction equations. It requires various complex constitutive relations or simplifying assumptions, and is limited to μm level scales. However, molecular mechanisms governing platelet shape change upon activation and their effect on rheological properties can be in the nm level scales. To address this challenge, a multiscale approach which departs from continuum approaches, may offer an effective means to bridge the gap between macroscopic flow and cellular scales. Molecular dynamics (MD) and dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) methods have been employed in recent years to simulate complex processes at the molecular scales, and various viscous fluids at low-to-high Reynolds numbers at mesoscopic scales. Such particle methods possess important properties at the mesoscopic scale: complex fluids with heterogeneous particles can be modeled, allowing the simulation of processes which are otherwise very difficult to solve by continuum approaches. It is becoming a powerful tool for simulating complex blood flow, red blood cells interactions, and platelet-mediated thrombosis involving platelet activation, aggregation, and adhesion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 1779-1793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Wang ◽  
Yun-Feng Fu ◽  
Xiao Liu ◽  
Guo Feng ◽  
Dan Xiong ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) promotes unregulated platelet activation in patients with dyslipidemic disorders. Although oxLDL stimulates activating signaling, researchers have not clearly determined how these events drive accelerated thrombosis. Here, we describe the mechanism by which ROS regulate autophagy during ox-LDL-induced platelet activation by modulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Methods: For in vitro experiments, ox-LDL, the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC), the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA were used alone or in combination with other compounds to treat platelets. Then, platelet aggregation was evaluated on an aggregometer and platelet adhesion was measured under shear stress. The levels of a platelet activation marker (CD62p) were measured by flow cytometry, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were then quantified by measuring DCFH-DA fluorescence intensity via flow cytometry. Nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide (O2·-) levels were determined by the nitric acid deoxidize enzyme method and lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence (CL), respectively. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the autophagosome formation, immunofluorescence staining was employed to detect LC3 expression and western blotting was used to measure the levels of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway- and autophagy-related proteins. Results: Ox-LDL-induced platelets showed a significant increase in platelet aggregation and adhesion, CD62p expression, ROS level and O2·- content, with an elevated LC3II/LC3I ratio and Beclin1 expression, but a dramatic reduction in the levels of p62 and pathway-related proteins (all P < 0.05). However, platelet activation and autophagy were aggravated by the Rapamycin treatment, and decreased following treatment with NAC, 3-MA, or NAC and 3-MA, together with increased activity of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Additionally, decreased platelet activation and autophagy were observed in platelets treated with NAC and Rapamycin or Rapamycin and 3-MA compared with platelets treated with Rapamycin alone, suggesting that both NAC and 3-MA reversed the effects of Rapamycin. Conclusion: Inhibition of ROS production may reduce autophagy to suppress ox-LDL-induced platelet activation by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.


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