Exam 2: Platelets and Coagulation Flashcards
Platelet
Functions
- Limit bleeding after injury to a blood vessel
- Promote vessel repair
- Regular maintenance of an intact endothelium
Platelet Count
Normal range: 150,000 - 450,000 platelets/microliter
Thrombocytopenia
-
Abnormally low platelet count
- < 150,000/microliter
-
Characterized by:
- Easy bruising
- Nose bleeds
- Petechial rash
- Spontaneous bleeding
- Occurs below 20,000 platelets/microliter
Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
(ITP)
Autoimmune disease where anti-platelet Ab destroy platelets.
Platelet
Lifecycle
- Derived from bone marrow cells called megakaryocytes
- Lifespan ~ 8-10 days
- Removed by sleen or via clotting process
Platelet
Morphology
Small, flat, disc-shaped membrane-enclosed bits of cytoplasm.
Hyalomere
- Clear outer region
- Contains bundles of microtubules
- Helps maintain discoid shape
- Contains actin & myosin
- Involved in shape change of activated platelets
Granulomere
- Central region with basophilic stippling
- Contains usual cytoplasmic organelles
- Contains at least 3 types of granules
- Alpha, Delta, and Lambda
2 systems of membrane bound channels:
-
Open canalicular system
- Invaginations of the plasma membrane
- Facilitates rapid exocytosis of granules
-
Dense tubular system
- Stores Ca2+ needed for exocytosis
- Not continuous with the plasma membrane
Alpha (α) Granules
Contains:
Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) ⇒ mitogen for vessel repair
von Willebrand Factor (vWF) ⇒ mediates platelet adhesion to endothelium (collagen and laminin)
Delta (δ) Granules
Contains:
Ca2+, ATP, ADP ⇒ all enhance platelet aggregation
Serotonin ⇒ vasoconstriction
(Picked up by platelets in circulation)
Lambda (λ) Granules
Contains:
Lysosomal enzymes ⇒ clot resorption
Vessel Repair
Process
Adhesion
-
vWF binds to components of the damaged basement membrane (collagen, laminin)
- vWF can be secreted by many cells including platelets
- vWF attracts platelets which have surface receptor for vWF
- Single layer of platelets forms @ site of endothelial damage
Aggregation
- Adhered platelets secrete fibrinogen
- Other platelets attracted to the site via cell surface receptors for fibrinogen
- Fibrinogen links the platelets together
-
Forms a multilayered primary hemostatic plug
- Fills the defect in the vessel wall
Activation
- Aggregation causes platelet activation
- Results in:
- Secretion of granule mediators
-
Synthesis and release of aracidonic acid derivatives
- Thromboxane A2 (TXA2)
-
Change of platelet shape
- Mediated by the hyalomere
- Released mediators cause:
-
Further platelet aggregation
- TXA2, serotonin, and Ca2+
-
Vasoconstriction (limits bleeding)
- Serotonin and TXA2
-
Blood coagulation
- Platelets release several coagulating factors from α-granules
- Meshwork of fibrin formed which stabilizes the platelet plug forming the secondary hemostatic plug
-
Further platelet aggregation
Clot Retraction
- After ~ 1 hr, platelets contract due to actin-myosin interaction
- Platelet plug ↓ in size & flattens against vessel wall
- Helps to re-establish smooth blood flow
Clot Resorption
- Mediated partially by lysosomal enzymes from λ-granules
Vessel Repair
- Mediated by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) from α-granules
- PDGF is strongly mitogenic for cells needed to rebuild the vessel wall including:
- Endothelial cells
- Fibroblasts
- Smooth muscle
Platelet Activation
Regulation
-
Platelets activated upon binding to collagen and laminin of damaged basement membrane
- Not exposed in healthy vessels
- Healthy endothelial cells produce factors that inhibit platelet aggregation
- Ex. Prostacyclin I2 (PGI2) from arachidonic acid
Aspirin
Inhibits cyclooxygenase activity
- ↓ platelet function
- Prolongs bleeding times
Thrombosis
Formation of a clot (thrombus)
- Can cause serious damage
- Can lead to death if vessel occluded
Thrombus
Charactertistics
- Meshwork of fibrin + plug of activated platelets
- Clotting occurs in association with membranes
- Pathology:
- In coronary arteries ⇒ MI
- In cerebral arteries ⇒ ischemic stroke
- In peripheral arteries ⇒ claudication (leg pain with exercise) or amputation
- In deep veins ⇒ DVT
Embolus
A mass traveling through the circulation.
Can be a thrombus broken off a site of coagulation.
If thrombus lodges in the lung ⇒ pulmonary embolism (PE)
Blood Clotting
Overview
Initiated on the membranes of endothelial cells and platelets:
- Formation of a fibrin clot
- Formation of a platelet plug
- Vasoconstriction (eicosanoids, PGs, Txs)
- Limits to the process (anticoagulation)
- Clot dissolution (fibrinolysis)
- Wound repair
Functions through cascade of proteolytic cleavage or conformational changes.
Fibrin Clot Formation
Charactertistics
- Intrinsic and extrinsic pathways converge on the final common pathway
-
Major factors
- Named by Roman numerals & common names
- Factor IX = Christmas factor
- Are glycoproteins synthesized primarily by the liver
- Named by Roman numerals & common names
-
Functions using cascades
- Activation primarily by proteolytic cleavage
- Successive proteins are serine proteases
- Cleaves peptide bond on carboxyl side of Arg or Lys
- Activation can also be caused by conformational changes
- Facilitates acceleration and amplification of process
- Non-proteolytic proteins also needed ⇒ accessory proteins (cofactors)
Clotting Effectors
Presence accelerates the rate of certain steps in fibrin clot formation:
-
Negatively charged phospholipids (PS, PI)
- Normally found on inner leaflet of plasma membrane
- Exposure signals injury
-
Ca2+
- Binds negatively charged γ-carboxyglutamate (Gla) residues on certain clotting proteins
- Facilitates binding of these proteins to exposed negatively charged phospholipids
Gla Proteins
Factors II, VII, IX, X
- Contains negatively charged γ-carboxyglutamate (Gla) residues
-
γ-carboxylation
-
Post-translational modification
- 9-12 Glu residues @ N-terminus carboxylated to Gla residues by glutamyl carboxylase
- Occurs in lumen of RER in hepatocytes
-
Vit K required as co-enzyme
- Oxidized in reaction to epoxide
- Must be reduced back to hydroquinone form to continue
- Done by Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR)
-
Post-translational modification
Dicumarol
&
Warfarin (Coumadin)
⊗ reduction of Vit K by VKOR
- Inhibits clotting by depleting pool of Vit K
- Oral administration
- Slow onset
- Long half-life
- Polymorphisms in cytochrom P450 and VKOR isozymes results in varied dosing
Tissue Factor
(TF)
-
Transmembrane glycoprotein
- Abundant in vascular subendothelium
- Released by damaged tissue ⇒ extravascular
-
Key protein in the extrinsic pathway
- Pathway is quickly shut down by tissue factor pathways inhibitors (TFPI)