Highly efficient platelet generation in lung vasculature reproduced by microfluidics.

Platelets, small hemostatic blood cells, are derived from megakaryocytes. Both bone marrow and lung are principal sites of thrombopoiesis although underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Outside the body, however, our ability to generate large number of functional platelets is poor. Here we show that perfusion of megakaryocytes ex vivo through the mouse lung vasculature generates substantial platelet numbers, up to 3000 per megakaryocyte. Despite their large size, megakaryocytes are able repeatedly to passage through the lung vasculature, leading to enucleation and subsequent platelet generation intravascularly. Using ex vivo lung and an in vitro microfluidic chamber we determine how oxygenation, ventilation, healthy pulmonary endothelium and the microvascular structure support thrombopoiesis. We also show a critical role for the actin regulator Tropomyosin 4 in the final steps of platelet formation in lung vasculature. This work reveals the mechanisms of thrombopoiesis in lung vasculature and informs approaches to large-scale generation of platelets.

Loss of the exocyst complex component EXOC3 promotes hemostasis and accelerates arterial thrombosis.

The exocyst is an octameric complex comprising 8 distinct protein subunits, exocyst complex components (EXOC) 1 to 8. It has an established role in tethering secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane, but its relevance to platelet granule secretion and function remains to be determined. Here, EXOC3 conditional knockout (KO) mice in the megakaryocyte/platelet lineage were generated to assess exocyst function in platelets. Significant defects in platelet aggregation, integrin activation, α-granule (P-selectin and platelet factor 4), dense granule, and lysosomal granule secretion were detected in EXOC3 KO platelets after treatment with a glycoprotein VI (GPVI)-selective agonist, collagen-related peptide (CRP). Except for P-selectin exposure, these defects were completely recovered by maximal CRP concentrations. GPVI surface levels were also significantly decreased by 14.5% in KO platelets, whereas defects in proximal GPVI signaling responses, Syk and LAT phosphorylation, and calcium mobilization were also detected, implying an indirect mechanism for these recoverable defects due to decreased surface GPVI. Paradoxically, dense granule secretion, integrin activation, and changes in surface expression of integrin αIIb (CD41) were significantly increased in KO platelets after protease-activated receptor 4 activation, but calcium responses were unaltered. Elevated integrin activation responses were completely suppressed with a P2Y12 receptor antagonist, suggesting enhanced dense granule secretion of adenosine 5'-diphosphate as a critical mediator of these responses. Finally, arterial thrombosis was significantly accelerated in KO mice, which also displayed improved hemostasis determined by reduced tail bleeding times. These findings reveal a regulatory role for the exocyst in controlling critical aspects of platelet function pertinent to thrombosis and hemostasis.

Identification of PtdIns(3,4)P2 effectors in human platelets using quantitative proteomics.

After decades in PtdIns(3,4,5)P3's shadow, PtdIns(3,4)P2 has now emerged as a bona fide regulator of important cellular events, including endocytosis and cell migration. New understanding of PtdIns(3,4)P2's cellular roles has been possible via novel approaches to observe and quantify cellular PtdIns(3,4)P2 dynamics, alongside methods to target the kinases and phosphatases governing phosphoinositide turnover. Despite this, the mechanisms by which PtdIns(3,4)P2 orchestrates its cellular roles remain more poorly understood, most notably because, to date, few PtdIns(3,4)P2 effectors have been identified. Here, we develop and apply an affinity-proteomics strategy to conduct a global screen for PtdIns(3,4)P2 interactors in human platelets; a primary cell type with striking PtdIns(3,4)P2 accumulation. Through an integrated approach, coupling affinity capture of PtdIns(3,4)P2-binding proteins to both label-free and isobaric tag-based quantitative proteomics, we identify a diverse PtdIns(3,4)P2 interactome. Included are long-established PtdIns(3,4)P2-binding proteins such as PLEKHA1, PLEKHA2, AKT and DAPP1, and a host of potentially novel effectors, including MTMR5, PNKD, RASA3 and GAB3. The PtdIns(3,4)P2 interactome shows an enrichment of pleckstrin homology (PH) domain-containing proteins, and through bioinformatics and array analyses we characterise the PH domain of MTMR5 and define its phosphoinositide selectivity. The interactome is also diverse in function, including several proteins known to support protein trafficking and cytoskeletal mobilisation. Such proteins have the ability to drive key platelet events, and to fulfil recently-defined roles for PtdIns(3,4)P2 in a wider range of cell types. Moreover, this study will serve as a valuable resource for the future characterisation of effector-driven PtdIns(3,4)P2 function.