Fucosyltransferase VI Induces Platelet Activation: A Novel Property of a Plasma Glycosyltransferase.

Abstract 4016

Poster Board III-952

A number of glycosyltransferases are present in human plasma with the α(1→3) fucosyltransferase, Fucosyltransferase VI (FTVI), having the highest plasma concentration. Notably, elevated plasma levels of FTVI are associated with a variety of cancers and correlate with tumor load/progression. The well-known association of neoplasia with thromboembolic complications prompted us to examine whether FTVI has direct effect(s) on platelet function. We obtained human platelets from blood of healthy donors and separated from platelet-rich plasma by differential centrifugation. Freshly isolated platelets (x10⁸/ml) were stirred and exposed at 37°C to varying concentrations (20, 40, 60 and 80 mU/mL) of glycosyltransferases FTVI, β-1-4-galactosyltransferase-I (βGalT-I), or α,2-3-N-sialyltransferase (α2,3-N-ST), or to 1 U/mL thrombin. Platelet aggregation and activation was assessed by aggregometry (light transmission) or by flow cytometry of FSC/SSC characteristics and of surface expression of P-Selectin, respectively. FT-VI reproducibly induced platelet aggregation and activation, whereas other glycosyltransferases (β4GalT-I and α2,3-N-ST) had no effect on platelets. FTVI activation of platelets was concentration-dependent, and the aggregation curve for FTVI was one wave, similar to that for thrombin. FTVI-induced platelet activation was independent of catalytic conversion of surface glycans, but was inhibited by FTVI denaturation, indicating that FTVI-induced platelet activation is a lectin-mediated process. To determine the membrane target(s) mediating FTVI-induced platelet activation, biochemical studies were performed after catalytic exofucosylation of the platelet surface. Flow cytometry after platelet exofucosylation showed formation of the carbohydrate structure sLe^x, detected by the mAb Heca452, but no formation of Le^x (CD15). Western blot showed that enforced fucosylation induced sLe^x on a single platelet surface protein, and further biochemical studies revealed that this protein is GPIbα. These findings unveil a previously unrecognized property of FTVI as an activator of platelets, mediated via a specific lectin/carbohydrate interaction on GP1ba, and offer novel perspectives on the pathobiology of tumor-associated thrombogenesis.