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Biomedical subjects

M I Furman

Publications and source records attributed to M I Furman.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

The cleaved peptide of the thrombin receptor is a strong platelet agonist.

Thrombin cleaves its G-protein-linked seven-transmembrane domain receptor, thereby releasing a 41-aa peptide and generating a new amino terminus that acts as a tethered ligand for the receptor. Peptides corresponding to the new amino terminal end of the proteolyzed seven-transmembrane domain thrombin receptor [TR42-55, SFLLRNPNDKYEPF, also known as TRAP (thrombin receptor-activating peptide)], previously have been demonstrated to activate the receptor. In this study, we demonstrate that the 41-aa cleaved peptide, TR1-41 (MGPRRLLLVAACFSLCGPLLSARTRARRPESKATNATLDPR) is a strong platelet agonist. TR1-41 induces platelet aggregation. In whole-blood flow cytometric studies, TR1-41 was shown to be more potent than TR42-55 and almost as potent as thrombin, as determined by the degree of increase in: (i) platelet surface expression of P-selectin (reflecting alpha granule secretion); (ii) exposure of the fibrinogen binding site on the glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa complex; and (iii) fibrinogen binding to the activated GPIIb-IIIa complex. As determined by experiments with inhibitors [prostaglandin I2, staurosporine, wortmannin, the endothelium-derived relaxing factor congener S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine (SNAC), EDTA, EGTA, and genestein], and with Bernard-Soulier or Glanzmann's platelets, we demonstrated that TR1-41-induced platelet activation is: (i) inhibited by cyclic AMP; (ii) mediated by protein kinase C, phosphatidyl inositol-3-kinase, myosin light chain kinase, and intracellular protein tyrosine kinases; (iii) dependent on extracellular calcium; and (iv) independent of the GPIb-IX and GPIIb-IIIa complexes. TR1-41-induced platelet activation was synergistic with TR42-55. In summary, the cleaved peptide of the seven-transmembrane domain TR (TR1-41) is a strong platelet agonist.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Increased platelet reactivity and circulating monocyte-platelet aggregates in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine whether patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) have increased platelet reactivity and an enhanced propensity to form monocyte-platelet aggregates. BACKGROUND: Platelet-dependent thrombosis and leukocyte infiltration into the vessel wall are characteristic cellular events seen in atherosclerosis. METHODS: Anticoagulated peripheral venous blood from 19 patients with stable CAD and 19 normal control subjects was incubated with or without various platelet agonists and analyzed by whole blood flow cytometry. RESULTS: Circulating degranulated platelets were increased in patients with CAD compared with control subjects (mean [+/- SEM] percent P-selectin-positive platelets: 2.1 +/- 0.2 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.2, p < 0.01) and were more reactive to stimulation with 1 micromol/liter of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (28.7 +/- 3.9 vs. 16.1 +/- 2.2, p < 0.01), 1 micromol/liter of ADP/epinephrine (51.4 +/- 4.6 vs. 37.5 +/- 3.8, p < 0.05) or 5 micromol/liter of thrombin receptor agonist peptide (TRAP) (65.7 +/- 6.8 vs. 20.2 +/- 5.1, p < 0.01). Patients with stable CAD also had increased circulating monocyte-platelet aggregates compared with control subjects (percent platelet-positive monocytes: 15.3 +/- 3.0 vs. 6.3 +/- 0.9, p < 0.01). Furthermore, patients with stable CAD formed more monocyte-platelet aggregates than did control subjects when their whole blood was stimulated with 1 micromol/liter of ADP (50.4 +/- 4.5 vs. 28.1 +/- 5.3, p < 0.01), 1 micromol/liter of ADP/epinephrine (60.7 +/- 4.3 vs. 48.0 +/- 4.8, p < 0.05) or 5 micromol/liter of TRAP (67.6 +/- 5.7 vs. 34.3 +/- 7.0, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with stable CAD have circulating activated platelets, circulating monocyte-platelet aggregates, increased platelet reactivity and an increased propensity to form monocyte-platelet aggregates.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1998

Patients with venous stasis ulceration have increased monocyte-platelet aggregation.

PURPOSE: Leukocyte activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of venous stasis ulceration, but the involvement of activated platelets and leukocyte-platelet aggregates has not been previously investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with venous stasis ulceration have increased platelet activation and a propensity toward formation of leukocyte-platelet aggregates. METHODS: Blood was drawn from the superficial veins of the leg just proximal to a venous stasis ulcer and from an antecubital vein in 14 patients with venous stasis ulceration. Blood was also drawn from the antecubital vein of 14 volunteers without evidence of venous disease. Whole-blood flow cytometry was used to analyze the samples before and after activation with a panel of agonists for evidence of platelet activation and the formation of leukocyte-platelet aggregates. RESULTS: Patients with venous stasis ulceration had a greater number of monocyte-platelet aggregates in both the arm and leg samples than did the control subjects (p < 0.01). Furthermore, antecubital blood samples from patients with venous stasis ulceration stimulated with either thrombin-receptor agonist peptide, adenosine diphosphate, or phorbol myristate acetate formed more monocyte-platelet aggregates than did control samples (p < 0.05). No differences in platelet activation or neutrophil-platelet aggregate formation were noted among the three sample groups. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with venous stasis ulceration have an increase in the number of monocyte-platelet aggregates in systemic venous blood as well as in venous blood adjacent to a venous stasis ulcer, implicating the monocyte as the leukocyte involved in the pathogenesis of venous stasis ulceration. No association was identified between the presence of a venous stasis ulcer and either neutrophil-platelet aggregation or the activation of individual platelets. Because platelet activation is necessary for the formation of monocyte-platelet aggregates, these data also suggest that monocyte-platelet aggregation is a more sensitive marker for in vivo platelet activation than is the identification of individual activated platelets.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1996

The platelet surface expression of glycoprotein V is regulated by two independent mechanisms: proteolysis and a reversible cytoskeletal-mediated redistribution to the surface-connected canalicular system.

In this study, we show that the platelet surface expression of glycoprotein (GP) V is regulated by two independent mechanisms. While confirming that both thrombin and neutrophil elastase proteolyse GPV, we show that neutrophil cathepsin G, thrombin receptor activating peptide (TRAP), and a combination of ADP and epinephrine can each result in a decrease in the platelet surface expression of GPV by a nonproteolytic mechanism: a cytoskeletal-mediated redistribution of platelet surface GPV to the surface-connected canalicular system (SCCS). Four independent lines of evidence documented the nonproteolytic nature of this decrease in the platelet surface expression of GPV. First, flow cytometric studies showed that cathepsin G, TRAP, and ADP/epinephrine decreased the platelet surface expression of GPV without changing the total platelet content of GPV. Second, immunoelectron microscopy directly demonstrated translocation of GPV from the platelet surface to the SCCS. Third, the cathepsin G-, TRAP-, and ADP/epinephrine-induced decreases in platelet surface GPV were fully reversible. Fourth, cytochalasin B, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, completely inhibited the cathepsin G-, TRAP-, and ADP/epinephrine-induced decreases in platelet surface GPV. The cytoskeletal-mediated redistribution of GPV occurred in a whole blood milieu and at physiologic temperatures (37 degrees C) and extracellular calcium concentrations (2 mmol/L). This study also defines the diverse effects on GPV, GPIb, and GPIX of multiple important platelet agonists. Cathepsin G proteolysed platelet surface GPIb alpha, but redistributed platelet surface GPIX and GPV to the SCCS. Thrombin proteolysed platelet surface GPV, but redistributed platelet surface GPIb and GPIX to the SCCS. Both TRAP and ADP/epinephrine redistributed platelet surface GPIb, GPIX, and GPV to the SCCS. Elastase proteolysed platelet surface GPIb alpha and GPV, but, unlike the other agonists tested, neither proteolysed nor redistributed platelet surface GPIX. The experiments with TRAP showed that activation of the seven-transmembrane domain thrombin receptor can result in translocation of GPIb, GPIX, and GPV to the SCCS independently of the GPIb-mediated pathway of thrombin-induced platelet activation. This study also provides two additional lines of support for the recent report that GPV is noncovalently complexed with GPIb and GPIX in the platelet surface membrane. First, although only the GPIb alpha subunit of this putative complex is known to be directly linked to the platelet cytoskeleton via actin-binding protein, cytochalasin B inhibited the ADP/epinephrine-, cathepsin G-, and TRAP-induced decrease in platelet surface GPV. Second, triple labeling flow cytometric experiments showed that, on each individual platelet, the ADP/epinephrine-induced decrease and subsequent return of the platelet surface expression of GPV occurred simultaneously with the decrease and subsequent return of the platelet surface expression of GPIb. In summary, the platelet surface expression of GPV is regulated by two independent mechanisms: proteolysis and a reversible, cytoskeletal-mediated redistribution to the SCCS.

Actins↗
PubMed1996

Effects of nitric oxide/EDRF on platelet surface glycoproteins.

We examined the effects of nitric oxide (NO)/endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) on platelet surface glycoproteins (GP). As determined by flow cytometry, in both a washed platelet system and platelet-rich plasma, the EDRF congener (S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine) markedly inhibited both the thrombin-induced and the (stable thromboxane A2 analogue) U-46619-induced upregulation of P-selectin (alpha-granule protein), CD63 (lysosomal protein), and the GPIIb-IIIa complex (fibrinogen receptor) but minimally inhibited downregulation of the GPIb-IX complex (von Willebrand factor receptor). The inhibitory effects of EDRF were markedly reduced in whole blood or by the addition of washed erythrocytes. Platelets in whole blood were still responsive to guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), as shown by complete inhibition of P-selectin upregulation by the stable analogue N6,2'-O dibutyryl cGMP. These data suggests that 1) cGMP negatively regulates the platelet surface expression of P-selectin, CD63, and the GPIIb-IIIa complex but not the platelet surface expression of the GPIb-IX complex and 2) hemoglobin within erythrocytes inhibits the effects of EDRF/NO on platelet surface glycoproteins.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1994

Platelet tyrosine kinases and fibrinogen receptor activation.

Platelet adhesion and aggregation during hemostasis and thrombosis are usually limited to sites where the integrity of the vessel wall is disrupted. The high concentration of platelet agonists within these sites represents a putative control mechanism for targeting platelet activation. Although much has been learned about the intracellular signaling systems controlling platelet activation, our understanding of the connection between signaling molecules and platelet aggregation remains limited. Tyrosine kinases are important signaling enzymes in cells and are abundant in platelets. Previous reports indicate that binding of glycoprotein IIb-IIIa (GPIIb-IIIa) to fibrinogen can induce the tyrosine phosphorylation of specific substrates. We show that, in turn, protein tyrosine kinase activity is necessary for agonist-induced activation of GPIIb-IIIa. Genistein and the tyrphostin AG-18 are two specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and the former has been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation. We use genistein and AG-18 in the present study to demonstrate that aggregation inhibition is due to suppression of GPIIb-IIIa activation. In contrast, genistin, an isoflavone compound related to genistein, and acetylsalicylic acid do not affect the tyrosine kinase-signaling pathway, nor do they inhibit GPIIb-IIIa activation induced by strong agonists. On identifying prominent tyrosine kinase substrates in activated platelets, we confirm that several substrates correspond to proteins associated with the cytoskeleton: the 85-kD subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, the SH3-containing and actin-associating p85, pp60Src, and pp125FAK.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1992

The control of actin nucleotide exchange by thymosin beta 4 and profilin. A potential regulatory mechanism for actin polymerization in cells.

We present evidence for a new mechanism by which two major actin monomer binding proteins, thymosin beta 4 and profilin, may control the rate and the extent of actin polymerization in cells. Both proteins bind actin monomers transiently with a stoichiometry of 1:1. When bound to actin, thymosin beta 4 strongly inhibits the exchange of the nucleotide bound to actin by blocking its dissociation, while profilin catalytically promotes nucleotide exchange. Because both proteins exchange rapidly between actin molecules, low concentrations of profilin can overcome the inhibitory effects of high concentrations of thymosin beta 4 on the nucleotide exchange. These reactions may allow variations in profilin concentration (which may be regulated by membrane polyphosphoinositide metabolism) to control the ratio of ATP-actin to ADP-actin. Because ATP-actin subunits polymerize more readily than ADP-actin subunits, this ratio may play a key regulatory role in the assembly of cellular actin structures, particularly under circumstances of rapid filament turnover.

Actins↗
PubMed1991

Aging and the complexity of cardiovascular dynamics.

Biomedical signals often vary in a complex and irregular manner. Analysis of variability in such signals generally does not address directly their complexity, and so may miss potentially useful information. We analyze the complexity of heart rate and beat-to-beat blood pressure using two methods motivated by nonlinear dynamics (chaos theory). A comparison of a group of healthy elderly subjects with healthy young adults indicates that the complexity of cardiovascular dynamics is reduced with aging. This suggests that complexity of variability may be a useful physiological marker.

Adult↗