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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2004;24:1118.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Thrombosis

Mer Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Signaling Participates in Platelet Function

Cailin Chen; Quan Li; Andrew L. Darrow; Yuanping Wang; Claudia K. Derian; Jing Yang; Lawrence de Garavilla; Patricia Andrade-Gordon; Bruce P. Damiano

From Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, LLC (C.C., Q.L., A.L.D., Y.W., C.K.D., L.d.G., P.A.-G., B.P.D.), Spring House, PA; and Centocor (J.Y.), Malvern, PA.

Correspondence to Bruce P. Damiano, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, LLC, Welsh and McKean Roads, PO Box 776, Spring House, PA 19477-0776. E-mail bdamiano{at}prdus.jnj.com

Objective— Recently, mice made deficient in growth arrest–specific gene 6 product (Gas6) or in which Gas6 gene expression was inhibited were shown to have platelet dysfunction and to be less susceptible to thrombosis. The aim of this study was to define and characterize the relevant Gas6 receptor or receptors involved in platelet function.

Methods and Results— Using RT-PCR and Western blot analysis we found that mer was the predominantly expressed subtype in mouse and human platelets, whereas axl and rse were not detected. We generated mer-deficient mice by targeted disruption of the mer receptor gene. Platelets derived from mer-deficient mice had decreased platelet aggregation in responses to low concentrations of collagen, U46619, and PAR4 thrombin receptor agonist peptide in vitro. However, the response to ADP was not different from wild-type platelets. Knockout of the mer gene protected mice from collagen/epinephrine–induced pulmonary thromoembolism and inhibited ferric chloride–induced thrombosis in vivo. Tail bleeding times, coagulation parameters, and peripheral blood cell counts in mer-deficient mice were similar to wild-type mice.

Conclusions— Our data provide the first evidence that mer, presumably through activation by its ligand Gas6, participates in regulation of platelet function in vitro and platelet-dependent thrombosis in vivo.

Mer is a receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in platelets. Mice made deficient in mer had decreased platelet aggregation in vitro and less platelet-dependent thrombosis in vivo. Our data provide the first evidence that mer, presumably through activation by its ligand Gas6, participates in regulation of platelet function.

Key Words: receptor tyrosine kinase • Gas6 • mer • platelet • thrombosis

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