Article / Nature Communications
ACKR3 Regulates Platelet Activation and Ischemia-Reperfusion
Tissue Injury, Anne-Katrin Rohlfing, Kyra Kolb, Manuel Sigle, Melanie Ziegler, Alexander Bild, Patrick Münzer, Jessica Sudmann, Valerie Dicenta, Tobias Harm, Mailin-Christin Manke, Sascha Geue, Marcel Kremser, Madhumita Chatterjee, Chunguang Liang, Hendrik von Eysmondt, Thomas Dandekar, David Heinzmann, Manina Günter, Saskia von Ungern-Sternberg, Manuela Büttcher, Tatsiana Castor, Stine Mencl, Friederike Langhauser, Katharina Sies, Diyaa Ashour, Mustafa Caglar Beker, Michael Lämmerhofer, Stella E. Autenrieth, Tilman E. Schäffer, Stefan Laufer, Paulina Szklanna, Patricia Maguire, Matthias Heikenwalder, Karin Anne Lydia Müller, Dirk M. Hermann, Ertugrul Kilic, Ralf Stumm, Gustavo Ramos, Christoph Kleinschnitz, Oliver Borst, Harald F. Langer, Dominik Rath & Meinrad Gawaz
Abstract
Platelet activation plays a critical role in thrombosis. Inhibition of platelet activation is a cornerstone in treatment of acute organ ischemia. Platelet ACKR3 surface expression is independently associated with all-cause mortality in CAD patients. In a novel genetic mouse strain, we show that megakaryocyte/platelet-specific deletion of ACKR3 results in enhanced platelet activation and thrombosis in vitro and in vivo. Further, we performed ischemia/reperfusion experiments (transient LAD-ligation and tMCAO) in mice to assess the impact of genetic ACKR3 deficiency in platelets on tissue injury in ischemic myocardium and brain. Loss of platelet ACKR3 enhances tissue injury in ischemic myocardium and brain and aggravates tissue inflammation. Activation of platelet-ACKR3 via specific ACKR3 agonists inhibits platelet activation and thrombus formation and attenuates tissue injury in ischemic myocardium and brain. Here we demonstrate that ACKR3 is a critical regulator of platelet activation, thrombus formation and organ injury following ischemia/reperfusion.