title: Electron cryotomography reveals ultrastructure alterations in platelets from patients with ovarian cancer.
abstract: Thrombocytosis and platelet hyperreactivity are known to be associated with malignancy; however, there have been no ultrastructure studies of platelets from patients with ovarian cancer. Here, we used electron cryotomography (cryo-ET) to examine frozen-hydrated platelets from patients with invasive ovarian cancer (n = 12) and control subjects either with benign adnexal mass (n = 5) or free from disease (n = 6). Qualitative inspections of the tomograms indicate significant morphological differences between the cancer and control platelets, including disruption of the microtubule marginal band. Quantitative analysis of subcellular features in 120 platelet electron tomograms from these two groups showed statistically significant differences in mitochondria, as well as microtubules. These structural variations in the platelets from the patients with cancer may be correlated with the altered platelet functions associated with malignancy. Cryo-ET of platelets shows potential as a noninvasive biomarker technology for ovarian cancer and other platelet-related diseases.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.affiliation: National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Jason T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kaelber
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Ryan H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Rochat
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Alpa M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nick
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affair Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: K Vinod
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Vijayan
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Afshar-Kharghan
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030;
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.affiliation: Center for Translational Research on Inflammation, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affair Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030; Puget Sound Blood Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104; Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104;
authors.forename: Jing-Fei
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030; Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030; Center for RNA Interference and Non-Coding RNA, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030 wah@bcm.edu asood@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Anil K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sood
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; wah@bcm.edu asood@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Wah
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chiu
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008870:Microtubules / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: cancer; cryotomography; electron; microtubule; platelet