α-Synuclein is the major platelet isoform but is dispensable for activation, secretion, and thrombosis

In this study, immunofluorescence showed that α-synuclein was present on punctate structures that co-stained with markers for α-granules and lysosomes and in a cytoplasmic pool. We analyzed the phenotype of α-synuclein-/- mice and their platelets. Platelets from knockout mice had a mild, agonist-dependent secretion defect but aggregation and spreading in vitro were unaffected. Consistently, thrombosis/hemostasis were unaffected in the tail-bleeding, FeCl3 carotid injury and jugular vein puncture models. None of the platelet secretory machinery examined, e.g. the v-SNAREs, were affected by α-synuclein's loss. The results indicate that, despite its abundance, α-synuclein has only a limited role in platelet function and thrombosis.PMID:37927048 | PMC:PMC10629845 | DOI:10.1080/09537104.2023.2267147

Source: Platelets - November 6, 2023 Category: Hematology Authors: Alexis N Smith Smita Joshi Harry Chanzu Hammodah R Alfar Kanakanagavalli Shravani Prakhya Sidney W Whiteheart Source Type: research