title: Increased Gs signalling in platelets and impaired collagen activation, due to a defect in the dystrophin gene, result in increased blood loss during spinal surgery.
abstract: Controversy exists regarding the cause of the significantly increased blood loss during spinal surgery in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients compared with similar surgery in other patients. DMD is caused by a mutation in the cytoskeletal dystrophin, which binds to extracellular matrix laminin and which has been described as a G-protein-coupled receptor. We hypothesized that disturbed cytoskeleton organization in DMD patients would alter Gs protein and collagen signalling in platelets, leading to dysfunctional platelets and a haemorrhagic tendency during surgery. In the present study, we found that platelets and skin fibroblasts, respectively, express the Dp71 and Dp116 dystrophin isoforms. Absent or decreased expression of these isoforms in DMD patients correlates with significant Gs alpha upregulation. Moreover, dysfunctional dystrophin in these cells is accompanied with increased Gs signalling and higher cAMP levels after Gs stimulation. Functional analysis showed that DMD platelets responded slower to collagen with an extensive shape change in the aggregometer and with a significantly reduced platelet adhesion to coated collagen under flow. The decreased collagen activation was shown to result from both Gs activation and cytoskeletal disruption and not from decreased expression of platelet membrane receptors or impaired von Willebrand factor (vWF) activity. In conclusion, DMD platelets have a disorganized cytoskeleton and manifest Gs hyperactivity and reduced platelet collagen reactivity. Their increased bleeding during surgery will, at least partly, result from the increased platelet Gs activity after the release of natural Gs agonists as prostacyclin during surgery and an ineffective reactivity to collagen.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology, University of Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Labarque
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Freson
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thys
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wittevrongel
authors.forename: Marc F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Hoylaerts
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Vos
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goemans
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Geet
mesh_terms: D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000503:physiopathology; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003094:Collagen / Q000494:pharmacology; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D016189:Dystrophin / Q000235:genetics*; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D015539:Platelet Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: C484258:DMD protein, human; D016189:Dystrophin; D003094:Collagen; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs