FcγRIIa Enhances Thrombus Growth in Vitro and in Vivo

Abstract 191

Outside-in signal transduction is one of several autocrine amplification loops that platelets employ to stabilize and consolidate a platelet thrombus following their adhesion to each other or to components of the extracellular matrix. Binding of soluble fibrinogen to activated integrin αIIbβ3 on the platelet surface, or binding of αIIbβ3 to platelet-immobilized fibrinogen, initiates an outside-in signaling cascade that results in the activation of integrin β3-associated Src family kinases, which in turn phosphorylate tyrosine residues within the cytoplasmic domain of the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM)-containing adaptor protein, FcγRIIa. “Activation” of FcγRIIa sets off a cascade of events that result in the assembly and activation of other key signaling intermediates, including the tyrosine kinase Syk and phospholipase Cγ2(PLCγ2), through its lipase activity, generates lipid products that support a multitude of cellular activation responses, including cytoskeletal rearrangements leading to platelet shape change and spreading, secretion of platelet granules, and activation of additional cell surface integrins. We have previously shown that either antibody-mediated or genetic disruption of the functional interaction between integrin αIIbβ3 and FcγRIIa blocks tyrosine phosphorylation of FcγRIIa, Syk, and PLCγ2, and inhibits platelet spreading on immobilized fibrinogen. The physiological significance of FcγRIIa in supporting platelet thrombus formation, however, remains unknown. To further explore the importance of FcγRIIa in platelet function, we compared the relative ability of wild-type FcγRIIa-negative and transgenic FcγRIIa-positive (FcγRIIa^TGN) murine platelets to support thrombosis and hemostasis in a number of well-accepted models of platelet function. FcγRIIa^TGN platelets exhibited increased tyrosine phosphorylation of Syk and PLCγ2 and increased spreading upon interaction with immobilized fibrinogen. FcγRIIa^TGN platelets also retracted a fibrin clot faster than did wild-type FcγRIIa-negative platelets. When anti-coagulated whole blood was perfused over a collagen-coated flow chamber under conditions of arterial shear, the rate and extent of adhesion, aggregation, and thrombus formation was significantly increased for FcγRIIa^TGN platelets compared to their wild-type murine counterparts. Addition of Fab fragments specific for FcγRIIa to whole blood derived from either humans or FcγRIIa^TGN mice strongly inhibited thrombus formation in the arterial in vitro flow chamber assay. Finally, to examine the in vivo relevance of FcγRIIa, mice were subjected to two models of vascular injury: electrolytic injury of the femoral vein and laser injury of cremaster arterioles. In both in vivo models, FcγRIIa^TGN mice displayed increased thrombus formation compared with their wild-type, FcγRIIa-negative counterparts. Taken together, these data establish FcγRIIa as a physiologically-important functional conduit for αIIbβ3–mediated outside-in signaling, and suggest that modulating the activity of this novel integrin/ITAM pair might be effective in controlling thrombosis.