Prior studies have shown that PI3Ks play a necessary but incompletely defined role in platelet activation. One potential effector for PI3K is the serine/threonine kinase, Akt, whose contribution to platelet activation was explored here. Two isoforms of Akt were detected in mouse platelets, with expression of Akt2 being greater than Akt1. Deletion of the gene encoding Akt2 impaired platelet aggregation, fibrinogen binding, and granule secretion, especially in response to low concentrations of agonists that activate the Gq-coupled receptors for thrombin and thromboxane A2. Loss of Akt2 also impaired arterial thrombus formation and stability in vivo, despite having little effect on platelet responses to collagen and ADP. In contrast, reducing Akt1 expression had no effect except when Akt2 was also deleted. Activation of Akt by thrombin was abolished by deletion of Gαq but was relatively unaffected by deletion of Gαi2, which abolished Akt activation by ADP. From these results we conclude that Akt2 is a necessary component of PI3K-dependent signaling downstream of Gq-coupled receptors, promoting thrombus growth and stability in part by supporting secretion. The contribution of Akt1 is less evident except in the setting in which Akt2 is absent

Semaphorin 4D (sema4D; CD100) is an integral membrane protein and the ligand for two receptors, CD72 and plexin-B1. Soluble sema4D has been shown to evoke angiogenic responses from endothelial cells and impair monocyte migration, but the origin of soluble sema4D, particularly at sites of vascular injury, has been unclear. Here we show that platelets express sema4D and both of its receptors and provide evidence that these molecules promote thrombus formation. We also show that the surface expression of sema4D and CD72 increases during platelet activation, followed by the gradual shedding of the sema4D extracellular domain. Shedding is blocked by metalloprotease inhibitors and abolished in mouse platelets that lack the metalloprotease ADAM17 (TACE). Mice that lack sema4D exhibit delayed arterial occlusion after vascular injury in vivo, and their platelets show impaired collagen responses in vitro. In resting platelets, as in B lymphocytes, CD72 is associated with the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1. Platelet activation causes dissociation of the complex, as does the addition of soluble sema4D. These findings suggest a dual role for sema4D in vascular responses to injury. As thrombus formation begins, platelet-associated sema4D can bind to its receptors on nearby platelets, promoting thrombus formation. As thrombus formation continues, sema4D is shed from the platelet surface and becomes available to interact with receptors on endothelial cells and monocytes, as well as continuing to interact with platelets.signaling ͉ thrombosis ͉ metalloprotease ͉ CD72 ͉ plexin-B1 P latelet activation typically begins with the exposure of collagen within a damaged vessel wall or the local generation of thrombin, but the establishment of a stable thrombus requires the recruitment of additional platelets and the development of stable contacts between platelets (1). Platelet activation also results in the release from platelets of molecules that can affect nearby cells, including endothelial cells and leukocytes as well as other platelets. In a continuing search for molecules that might contribute to contact-dependent events during thrombus formation, we screened human platelets for members of the semaphorin family. Although sempahorins are best known as regulators of neurite outgrowth and vascular development, individual family members have been shown to participate in a variety of events. Class IV semaphorin [semaphorin 4D (sema4D; CD100)] is a type I integral membrane protein first reported on T cells where it supports B cell development by binding to CD72 (2-4). However, sema4D receptors are not limited to B cells. Prior work has shown that a soluble sema4D extracellular domain fragment can activate endothelial cells by its other known receptor, plexin-B1. This causes endothelial migration, actin rearrangement, and the formation of tube-like structures in vitro, responses that are relevant for wound healing and angiogenesis (5-11). Soluble sema4D has also been shown to inhibit monocyte (12) and dendritic cell (13) migration. ...

It has become increasingly appreciated that receptors coupled to G␣ i family members can stimulate platelet aggregation, but the mechanism for this has remained unclear. One possible mediator is the small GTPase, Rap1, which has been shown to contribute to integrin activation in several cell lines and to be activated by a calcium-dependent mechanism in platelets. Here, we demonstrate that Rap1 is also activated by G␣ i family members in platelets. First, we show that platelets from mice lacking the G␣ i family member G␣ z (which couples to the ␣ 2A adrenergic receptor) are deficient in epinephrine-stimulated Rap1 activation. We also show that platelets from mice lacking G␣ i2 , which couples to the ADP receptor, P2Y12, exhibit reduced Rap1 activation in response to ADP. In contrast, platelets from mice that lack G␣ q show no decrease in the ability to activate Rap1 in response to epinephrine but show a partial reduction in ADP-stimulated Rap1 activation. This result, combined with studies of human platelets treated with ADP receptor-selective inhibitors, indicates that ADPstimulated Rap1 activation in human platelets is dependent on both the G␣ i -coupled P2Y12 receptor and the G␣ q -coupled P2Y1 receptor. G␣ i -dependent activation of Rap1 in platelets does not appear to be mediated by enhanced intracellular calcium release because no increase in intracellular calcium concentration was detected in response to epinephrine and because the calcium response to ADP was not diminished in platelets from the G␣ i2 ؊/؊ mouse. Finally, using human platelets treated with selective inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and mouse platelets selectively lacking the G␤␥-activated form of his enzyme (PI3K␥), we show that G i -mediated Rap1 activation is PI3K-dependent. In summary, activation of Rap1 can be stimulated by G␣ iand PI3K-dependent mechanisms in platelets and by G qand Ca 2؉ -dependent mechanisms, both of which may play a role in promoting platelet activation.

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The ability of activated platelets to adhere to each other at sites of vascular injury depends on the integrin ␣IIb␤3. However, as aggregation continues, other signaling and adhesion molecules can contribute as well. We have previously shown that human platelets express on their surface the Eph receptor kinases EphA4 and EphB1 and the Eph kinase ligand ephrinB1. We now show that EphA4 is physically associated with ␣IIb␤3 in resting platelets, increases its surface expression when platelets are activated, and colocalizes with ␣IIb␤3 at sites of contact between platelets. We also show that Eph͞ephrin interactions can support the stable accumulation of platelets on collagen under flow and contribute to postengagement ''outside-in'' signaling through ␣IIb␤3 by stabilizing platelet aggregates and facilitating tyrosine phosphorylation of the ␤3 cytoplasmic domain. ␤3 phosphorylation allows myosin to bind to ␣IIb␤3 and clot retraction to occur. The data support a model in which the onset of aggregation permits Eph͞ephrin interactions to occur, after which signaling downstream from ephrinB1 and its receptors favors continued growth and stability of the thrombus by several mechanisms, including positive effects on outside-in signaling through ␣IIb␤3.

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HFS applied to local atrial and PV sites initiated rapid firing via activation of the interactive autonomic network in the heart. GP in either left side or right side contributes to the rapid firings and AF originating from ipsolateral and contralateral PVs and atrium. Autonomic denervation suppresses or eliminates those rapid firings.

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