Thrombosis |
From the Laboratory for Thrombosis and Haemostasis (I.A.F., A.I.M.M., G.G., J.-W.N.A.), Department of Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht and the Institute for Biomembranes (I.A.F., A.I.M.M., G.G., J.-W.N.A.), Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Department of Biochemistry and Human Biology (M.A.H.F., J.W.M.H.), University of Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine (T.W.v.H.), University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Correspondence to Dr J.W.N. Akkerman, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Department of Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands. E-mail j.w.n.akkerman{at}azu.nl
| Abstract |
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Methods and Results Here we show in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) that platelets have lost responsiveness to insulin leading to increased adhesion, aggregation, and procoagulant activity on contact with collagen. Using Ser473 phosphorylation of protein kinase B as output for insulin signaling, a 2-fold increase is found in insulin-stimulated normal platelets, but in DM platelets there is no significant response. In addition, DM2 platelets show increased P2y12-mediated suppression of cAMP and decreased P2y12 inhibition by the receptor antagonist AR-C69931MX.
Conclusion The loss of responsiveness to insulin together with increased signaling through P2y12 might explain the hyperactivity of platelets in patients with DM2.
Insulin inhibits Ca2+ mobilization in platelets by interfering with P2y12-mediated cAMP suppression. Here we show that DM2 platelets have lost responsiveness to insulin and also show increased P2y12 signaling. This might explain the increased platelet deposition and procoagulant activity under flow of DM2 platelets on contact with collagen.
Key Words: P2y12 receptor Ca2+ regulation clopidogrel protein kinase B/Akt IRS-1
| Introduction |
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The importance of P2y12 signaling is explained by its capacity to initiate 2 pathways that directly interfere with platelet activating or inhibiting mechanisms. First, there is the activation of the G-protein subunit Gi
, which inhibits adenylyl cyclase and thereby formation of the platelet inhibitor cAMP.8 This property is particularly evident after treatment with prostacyclin,9 and also in the absence of cAMP elevating agents, P2y12 signaling controls cAMP production through adenylyl cyclase.10,11 cAMP inhibits platelets through cAMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A [PKA]),12 which inhibits almost all platelet functions through blockade of multiple steps in platelet activation cascades including receptor activation, signaling through the mitogen-activated protein kinases pathway, formation of thromboxane A2 (TxA2), and the activation of key enzymes such as phospholipase Cß and protein kinase C (PKC).13 Second, there is the release of the Giß
dimer leading to the activation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt), and integrin
IIbß3 via type 1B phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K).14 In animal models, type 1B PI3-K is crucial for platelet activation and its absence protects against thromboembolic vascular occlusion.15 In human platelets, the role of type 1B PI3-K is less well understood, because although being activated by ADP-P2y12 contact, it appears under negative control by ADP-P2y1 binding and activation of Src and PKC.10,16
A prime example of abnormal platelet responsiveness is observed in patients with DM2, who are characterized by an impaired responsiveness to insulin or even complete insulin resistance. DM2 subjects have a 2- to 4-fold increased risk for cardiovascular disease and have both microvascular (nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy) and macrovascular (peripheral arterial disease) complications. DM2 subjects have platelets that show increased adhesion, aggregation, TxA2 production, and P-selectin expression.17 In general, DM2 subjects have marked insulin resistance, mostly explained by their obesity.18 There is indirect evidence that the hyperactivity of their platelets may be caused by insulin resistance. In healthy individuals, platelets are inhibited by insulin leading to reduced Ca2+ mobilization and aggregate formation.9,17 Interestingly, a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp fails to trigger platelet inhibition in obese insulin-resistant subjects even in the absence of DM.19 The hyperactivity is likely to have pathological consequences, because the increased adhesion and aggregation will accelerate the formation of a thrombus and enhance the procoagulant activity that helps to stabilize the thrombus.20
In the present study, we investigated whether platelet hyperactivity observed in DM221 is associated with a defect in P2y12 signaling. We demonstrated recently in healthy subjects that insulin interferes with ADP- and thrombin-induced platelet functions through interference with the P2y12-mediated regulation of Gi9. After receptor binding, insulin activates the insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) through tyrosine phosphorylation, which initiates association with Gi
-subunit. The result is inhibition of Gi
activity and impaired suppression of adenylyl cyclase through P2y12, introducing a phenotype that resembles platelets with a congenital P2y12 defect or platelets from normal individuals who have been treated with the P2y12 antagonist clopidogrel.9 Here we demonstrate that platelet hyperactivity in DM2 is likely to be caused by a defect in the mechanisms through which insulin interferes with signaling by the P2y12 receptor.
| Materials and Methods |
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| Results |
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2-fold higher than in normal controls (27.2±5.9 nmol/L; P<0.01). After stimulation with collagen, peak [Ca2+]i levels did not differ between the 2 groups (378.2±139.0 and 305.4±208.2 nmol/L, P>0.05), respectively, but the time to peak was shorter in DM2 platelets than normal platelets (80.7±18.4 and 103.6±13.5 seconds, P<0.03). In normal platelets, addition of insulin failed to change the basal [Ca2+]i but led to a dose-dependent reduction of collagen-induced Ca2+ mobilization (expressed as 100%) to 66±11% at 100 nmol/L (P<0.001). This agrees with earlier findings in platelets stimulated with ADP and thrombin.9 In contrast, inhibition by insulin was absent in DM2 platelets (Figure I, available online at http://atvb.ahajournals.org). These results indicate that DM2 platelets have a disturbed Ca2+ homeostasis that is unresponsive to inhibition by insulin.
Increased Responsiveness of DM2 Platelets to Aggregating Agents
Aggregation studies were performed to assess whether the disturbed Ca2+ homeostasis in DM2 platelets affected the responsiveness to collagen or ADP. Aggregation was initiated with 0.1 to 2.5 µg/mL collagen and 1 to 10 µmol/L ADP (Figure 1). Curves were fitted by nonlinear regression, which resulted in EC50 values for collagen-induced aggregation of 0.44 and 0.35 µg/mL for normal and DM2 platelets, respectively. For ADP-induced aggregation, these data were 1.52 and 0.79 µmol/L, respectively. The aggregation response to collagen and ADP was higher in DM2 platelets (P<0.05). These results indicate that the responsiveness of DM2 platelets is increased especially for ADP.
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Absent Inhibition of Collagen- and ADP-Induced Platelet Aggregation by Insulin in DM2
Aggregation studies were performed to investigate whether the unresponsiveness to insulin observed in the regulation of Ca2+ had an effect on the role of insulin on platelet functions.9,22 Platelets were treated with 1 nmol/L insulin and aggregation was initiated with collagen and ADP. In healthy subjects, 1 nmol/L insulin inhibited collagen- and ADP-induced aggregation to 76±11% and 75±8%, respectively (P<0.05). The inhibition by insulin was completely absent in platelets from DM2 subjects (Figure II, available online at http://atvb.ahajournals.org). Thus, DM2 platelets are unresponsive to insulin.
Inhibition of Collagen-Induced Platelet Deposition Under Flow by Insulin
Apart from the formation of aggregates, adhesion and generation of a pro-coagulant surface by exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) are important steps in platelet deposition under flow. Earlier studies revealed an important role of P2y12 signaling in these processes.3 We determined platelet deposition and binding of annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) to PS-exposing platelets after perfusion over a collagen-coated surface at a shear rate of 1000 s1. Normal platelets rapidly adhered to collagen and formed aggregates (Figure 2A). The basal surface coverage by DM2 platelets (18.8±1.3%) was higher than by normal platelets (14.5±1.3%, P<0.001), which is in agreement with the hyperactivity of DM2 platelets observed in stirred suspensions (Figure 1; Figure I).23 Insulin reduced surface coverage by normal platelets in a dose-dependent manner (10.7±1.4% at 100 nmol/L; P<0.001), whereas inhibition by insulin was absent in DM2 platelets (Figure 2A and 2B). Also, binding of annexin V-FITC in perfusates with DM2 platelets (20.5±3.4%) was higher than in controls (12.9±2.0%, P<0.001), probably as a result of the increased adhesion by DM2 platelets. In normal platelets, insulin reduced the binding of annexin V-FITC to 6.2±2.1% at 100 nmol/L (P<0.001), but in DM2 platelets no effect of insulin could be detected (Figure 2C). Together, these results indicate that DM2 platelets have an increased responsiveness to a collagen-coated surface under flow and that this property is insensitive to the presence of insulin.
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Downstream Signaling of the Insulin Receptor/IRS-1 Complex
In adipocytes, ineffective insulin signaling or insulin resistance has been attributed to abnormalities in IRS-1 activation. To investigate whether the loss of insulin signaling to Ca2+ regulating mechanisms in DM platelets was accompanied by abnormal signaling initiated by the insulin receptor/IRS-1 complex, the phosphorylation of Ser473 on PKB was measured. Platelets were incubated with insulin for 15 minutes and samples were subjected to SDS-PAGE. In normal platelets, insulin increased the phosphorylation of PKB-Ser473 to 192.0±70.3% (P<0.03). DM2 platelets showed a complete lack of PKB phosphorylation. (Figure 3). Together with the absent interference with Ca2+, probably reflecting impaired signaling to Gi
2, the absent activation of PKB suggests that a common step in the insulin signaling machinery is affected.
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Insulin Inhibits Platelet Activation by Collagen by Interfering With P2y12 Signaling to cAMP-Dependent PKA
In platelets from healthy subjects, insulin interferes with the P2y12-mediated suppression of cAMP formation, thereby attenuating Ca2+ increases and reducing aggregation induced by ADP and thrombin.9 As shown in the present study, a similar inhibition is observed on stimulation by collagen. H89 is a specific inhibitor of PKA.24 Pretreatment with H89 fully abolished the inhibition by insulin, confirming that insulin reduced platelet aggregation via interference with the cAMP-dependent activation of PKA. To address the question whether insulin alone changed the level of cAMP in the absence of activators or inhibitors of adenylyl cyclase, resting platelets were incubated with different concentrations of insulin followed by analysis of the phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), a major substrate of cAMP-dependent PKA.13 No phosphorylated VASP could be detected in platelets treated with insulin. In contrast, addition of PGI2 that through the IP receptor and Gs activates adenylyl cyclase induced a rapid increase in phosphorylated VASP (Figure III, available online at http://atvb.ahajournals.org). Thus, although it interferes with the regulation of cAMP and PKA, insulin is unable to change these signaling molecules in the absence of platelet agonists and antagonists.
Increased P2y12 Signaling in DM2 Platelets
Because in normal platelets insulin interferes with platelet functions through inhibition of P2y12 signaling,9 the unresponsiveness to insulin in DM2 platelets might be caused by disturbances in signal transduction from P2y12 to cAMP. To address this issue, platelets were incubated with the stable PGI2 analog iloprost to raise cAMP and thereafter treated with increasing concentrations ADP to induce different extents of P2y12 signaling. Basal cAMP levels did not differ between normal and DM2 platelets. In normal platelets, ADP dose-dependently reduced iloprost-induced cAMP (expressed as 100%) to 68.1±8.5% (P<0.001) at 10 µmol/L ADP. Addition of insulin partially reversed the effect of ADP in normal platelets leading to a reduction of cAMP to 85.1±12.7% (P<0.02). The decline of iloprost-induced cAMP was significantly steeper in DM2 platelets showing reduction to 48.8±11.1% (P<0.001) at the same ADP concentration (Figure 4A), which was unresponsive to insulin (Figure 4B). These results indicate that P2y12 signaling is increased in DM2 platelets and not affected by the presence of insulin.
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To investigate whether this abnormality affected the sensitivity to the P2y12 receptor antagonist AR-C69931MX, dose-inhibition studies were performed in normal platelets. To this end, Ca2+ mobilization was induced by ADP-P2y1 contact and different concentrations AR-C69931MX were added to interfere with the P2y12-mediated support of [Ca2+]i increases (Figure 4C). Optimal inhibition was observed at
100 nmol/L AR-C69931MX, at which point the inhibition amounted to
70%. Using 2 suboptimal concentrations of AR-C69931MX that induced
50% and 25% inhibition, studies were repeated in DM2 platelets. At 50 nmol/L AR-C69931MX normal and DM2 platelets showed a similar inhibition of ADP-P2y1 Ca2+ mobilization, but at 10 nmol/L AR-C69931MX the inhibition in DM2 platelets was significantly lower than in normal controls (23.6±4.3% and 39.3±11.9% respectively; P<0.05; Figure 4D). These findings suggest that in DM2 platelets the ADP-P2y12-mediated support of ADP-P2y1 induced Ca2+ increases has a decreased sensitivity to the P2y12 receptor antagonist AR-C69931MX.
| Discussion |
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2, resulting in its inhibition. In DM2 platelets, P2y12 signaling is present and functional, but the pathway appears to be upregulated and less sensitive to P2y12 inhibition. These findings indicate that insulin interferes with platelet activation by collagen through the same mechanism as in platelets stimulated with ADP and thrombin.9 They also indicate that the cause for the loss of insulin sensitivity in platelets from DM2 subjects must be sought in a defect in a pathway that triggers the inhibition of Gi
2.
A human platelet contains
570 insulin receptors.25 After receptor activation, IRS-1 is recruited and tyrosine phosphorylated leading to activation of pathways involving PKB and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases in addition to inhibition of Gi
29,18,26. Possibilities for abnormal insulin signaling in DM2 platelets are defects in the insulin receptor ß-subunit, IRS-1, and the tyrosine phosphorylation of Gi
2 together with the different tyrosine kinases and phosphatases that control these processes.9,18,27,28 Defects in the insulin receptor are associated with severe abnormalities such as growth disorders, lipodystrophy, and acanthosis nigrans, which were absent in the DM2 study group. A more likely explanation for the loss of insulin sensitivity in DM2 platelets is a defect in IRS-1. In transfected cells, the IRS-1 gene G972R variant causes impaired activation of PI3-K and PKB.29 The same mutation is found in obese patients with DM2,30 where it is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.31 However, the gene variant is also found in a healthy individuals, indicating that it is not the decisive factor that makes individuals diabetic.32 Analysis of IRS-1 and Gi
2 in the DM2 platelets stimulated with 100 nmol/L insulin revealed reduced and often absent tyrosine phosphorylation of these intermediates. Unfortunately, the normal controls also showed varying levels of tyrosine phosphorylation, which made it difficult to identify a precise block in insulin signaling. Instead, analysis of PKB activation consistently showed strongly impaired Ser473 phosphorylation in DM2 platelet but not in the controls. Thus, loss of insulin signaling to Gi
2 and Ca2+ is accompanied with loss of signaling to PKB. A likely cause is a defect in IRS-1, which is an upstream regulator of both pathways. The nature of the defect in IRS-1 regulation remains to be elucidated but apparently it is has a great effect on Gi
. Gain- and loss-of- function defects of Gi
2 have been described in bipolar affective and bleeding disorders,3,33 whereas defects in tyrosine protein phosphorylation have been described in congenital thrombocytopenia, Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome, and the Scott syndrome.3436
In agreement with earlier studies in DM2 subjects,23,37,38 we found an increased basal [Ca2+]i in DM2 platelets before stimulation with collagen. Studies with thapsigargin, an inhibitor of sarco/endoplasmatic Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), made clear that the Ca2+ level is determined by a constant release from and re-uptake of Ca2+ by the endoplasmatic reticulum.39 Apparently, in DM2 platelets these processes have reached a new steady-state with a 2-fold higher [Ca2+]i than in normal platelets. This did not lead to a higher Ca2+ response after collagen stimulation, but the response was faster and accompanied with increased aggregation. In addition, adhesion to collagen under flow was higher with DM2 platelets than with normal platelets suggesting that abnormalities in Ca2+ regulation made platelets more reactive toward a collagen-coated surface. At high shear platelet adhesion to collagen through interaction of glycoprotein (platelet glycoprotein [GP]) Ib with von Willebrand factor bound to collagen is followed by integrin
2ß1 mediated firm adhesion, which halts platelet rolling and allows collagen to interact with GPVI.40,41 Signaling mediated via GPVI increases the binding affinity of
2ß1 to collagen and induces release of ADP.42,43 Adhesion to collagen of platelets deficient of the P2y12 receptor is >20% lower than with normal platelets, illustrating the potent enhancement by P2y12 signaling through released ADP.3 The binding of GPVI to collagen is independent of intracellular control indicating that changes in adhesion to collagen reflect modulation of
2ß142.
Another abnormality found in DM2 platelets is the increased signaling capacity of the P2y12 pathway. DM2 platelets induced a steeper fall in cAMP in iloprost-treated platelets than their normal counterparts. A similar enhancement has been found in carriers of the P2y12-H2 haplotype, which is characterized by an increased P2y12 receptor number at the plasma membrane.6 Carriers of the P2y12-H2 haplotype are characterized by peripheral arterial disease due to the presence of hyper-responsive platelets that are less sensitive to pharmacological strategies that inhibit P2y12 signaling, such as clopidogrel.6 DM2 platelets showed a decreased responsiveness to a suboptimal concentration of the P2y12 antagonist AR-C69931MX but at an optimal concentration the difference disappeared. Clopidogrel resistance has been described in a patient population with a general high risk for recurrent vascular events, although it was not specific for DM.44 Our present findings might indicate that clopidogrel resistance can be overcome by applying higher doses of the drug.
Platelet hyperactivity in DM2 correlates with an increased risk of atherothrombotic complications.4548 In addition to hyperactive platelets, the coagulation mechanism shows abnormalities in DM2 subjects with elevated levels of coagulation factors factor VII, VIII, XI, and XII.49 The enhanced adhesion of platelets in DM2 with a concomitant increase in PS exposure that facilitates the coagulation cascade might contribute to the hypercoagulable state observed in this disease.
| Acknowledgments |
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Received August 4, 2005; accepted November 17, 2005.
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