Tropomyosin 1 Promotes Platelet Adhesion and Clot Contraction Separate from Its Roles in Developmental Hematopoiesis.
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) link the Tropomyosin 1 (Tpm1) locus to quantitative blood trait variation, but related mechanisms are unclear. Tpm1 encodes an actin-binding protein that regulates actin filament diversity, cell adhesion, signaling, and actomyosin contractility. Murine Tpm1 deficiency enhances hemogenic endothelial cell (HEC) specification, but it was unclear if these effects extended to postnatal hematopoiesis. We used Cdh5Cre and VavCre models to conditionally knock out Tpm1 (Tpm1KO) in endothelial anor hematopoietic cells. Both models ablate Tpm1 in postnatal blood. Endothelial Tpm1KO increases HEC specification without altering hematopoietic progenitor cell production or adult blood counts, suggesting separate roles for Tpm1 in the embryonic and adult blood systems. Tpm1KO increases adult platelet lifespan and diminishes adhesion to fibronectin and fibrinogen. Chemical Tpm1 inhibition also reduces focal adhesion in murine and human platelets. Altered platelet morphology and reduced platelet spreading suggest perturbed actomyosin contractility underlies these findings. Platelet fibrin binding promotes blood clot contraction, which reduces occlusive thrombosis. Tpm1KO limits clot contraction and worsens vascular occlusion in ferric chloride-induced stroke models. In addition to offering a mechanistic explanation for why genetic variation at the TPM1 alters platelet traits in GWAS, our findings reveal novel roles for Tpm1 in clot contraction and thrombosis.