title: Persistent protease-activated receptor 4 signaling mediates thrombin-induced microglial activation.
abstract: We have previously reported that thrombin, the ultimate serine protease in the coagulation cascades, is a proinflammatory agent that causes proliferation and activation of brain microglial cells. However, participation of its principal receptor, the protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) appears to be limited to promoting microglial proliferation and not induction of inflammatory mediators. In the present study, we now report that thrombin action in promoting inflammatory mediators from brain microglia is mediated through another thrombin receptor, PAR4. Here we show that the PAR4 agonist peptide (PAR4AP, GYPGKF), but not the PAR1AP (TRAP, SFLLRN), induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production not only in cultured murine microglial cells in vitro but also in rat cortex in vivo. Down-regulation of PAR4 expression in microglial cultures by a specific antisense, but not a sense, oligonucleotide reduced PAR4AP-induced TNF-alpha. Mechanistic studies indicated that, in comparison with PAR1 signaling, prolonged increase of [Ca2+]i and phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinases, as well as NFkappaB activation may be responsible for PAR4AP-induced TNF-alpha production in microglia. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PAR4 activation mediates the potentially detrimental effects of thrombin on microglia, implying that perspectives of exploiting PAR1 as a potential anti-inflammatory target should be shifted toward PAR4 as a much more specific therapeutic target in brain inflammatory conditions associated with neurotrauma and neurodegenerations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Alzheimer's Disease & Aging Research, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, Missouri 64128, USA. zsuo@kumc.edu
authors.forename: Zhiming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Suo
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Citron
authors.forename: Chenhua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Barry W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Festoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006490:Hemostatics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D018179:Receptors, Thrombin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013917:Thrombin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006490:Hemostatics; D016328:NF-kappa B; D018179:Receptors, Thrombin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D013917:Thrombin; C112908:protease-activated receptor 4; D002118:Calcium