title: Platelets and fibrinogen facilitate each other in protecting tumor cells from natural killer cytotoxicity.
abstract: The functions of platelets and fibrinogen in protecting tumor cells from natural killer cytotoxicity have been discussed for more than 20 years. However, their exact roles and relationships in the process are still not clear. In this study, we show that tumor cells prefer to adhere to fibrinogen than to platelets, and fibrinogen can enhance the adhesion of tumor cells to platelets. Beta3 integrin plays an important role in the adhesion of B16F10 to platelets enhanced by fibrinogen. In the presence of thrombin, fibrinogen forms dense fibrin(ogen) layers around tumor cells. Tumor cells can induce platelets to aggregate and form thrombin. Platelets, as well as thrombin, can help fibrinogen protect tumor cells from lethal contact with natural killer cells and natural killer cytotoxicity. Hirudin, a specific inhibitor of thrombin, can reverse the effect of platelets on fibrinogen in blocking natural killer cytotoxicity. Our results suggest that fibrinogen helps platelets to adhere to tumor cells, and platelets in turn promote more fibrinogen to aggregate around tumor cells by forming thrombin. They facilitate each other in protecting tumor cells from natural killer cytotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Cytology, School of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, #5268, Remin Street, Changchun 130024, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Sheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Shui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Xianlu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013917:Thrombin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005340:Fibrinogen; D013917:Thrombin