Abstract
Objective: To investigate the roles and signaling pathways of CD40L and CD40 in platelet activation and thrombus formation under atherothrombotic conditions. Approach and Results: Mouse platelets lacking CD40L (Cd40lg -/- Apoe -/- ) showed diminished αIIbβ3 activation and α-granule secretion in response to collagen receptor (GPVI) stimulation, while CD40 deficient platelets (Cd40 -/- Apoe -/- ) showed increased responses. ADP- or thrombin-evoked activation was unaffected. In both Cd40lg -/- Apoe -/- and Cd40 -/- Apoe -/- mice, formation of multi-layered thrombi was decreased on both atherosclerotic plaque material and collagen, in comparison to controls. Addition of CD40L prior to perfusion over collagen or plaque material enhanced dense aggregate formation in Apoe -/- , Cd40lg -/- Apoe -/- and Cd40 -/- Apoe -/- blood. CD40L or low GPVI stimulation separately did not cause platelet aggregation. But when combined, aggregation was potentiated, even in the absence of CD40. This potentiation was antagonized by inhibiting PI3Kβ, as well as in platelets from Pik3cb R/R mice. CD40L enhanced Akt phosphorylation at low GPVI stimulation, which was again antagonized by PI3Kβ inhibition and absent in platelets from Pik3cb R/R mice. Finally, Chuk1 A/A Apoe -/- mice, deficient in IKKα, displayed no differences in platelet aggregation - with or without CD40L - nor in thrombus formation in whole blood, indicating that these effects are not mediated via IKKα/NFkB. Conclusions: Under atherothrombotic conditions, CD40L enforces collagen-dependent platelet activation, by supporting integrin αIIbβ3 activation, secretion and dense thrombus formation via PI3Kβ, but not IKKα. Since shedding of CD40L starts minutes after activation, these results point to a joint role of both platelet-bound and soluble CD40L in controlling the size of rapidly formed thrombi.
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