Altered platelet proteome in lupus anticoagulant (LA)-positive patients—protein disulfide isomerase and NETosis as new players in LA-related thrombosis

Abstract

Blood coagulation: Protein changes in platelets linked to thrombosis People at high risk for thrombosis (formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel) show alterations in their platelet protein content. Lena Hell, Maria Zellner, Ingrid Pabinger and colleagues at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, analyzed proteins found in blood platelets from people who were tested positive for lupus anticoagulants (LAs), antibodies known to increase the risk of thrombosis. Many proteins involved in platelet activation and blood coagulation were found at significantly different levels in people with both LAs and a history of thrombosis compared to control groups. Among these proteins were enzymes that promote clot formation, and regulators of neutrophils, white blood cells involved in the coagulation process. The findings could aid in the search for alternatives to existing anticoagulant therapies.