Localized reduction of atherosclerosis in von Willebrand factor-deficient mice.

To examine the role of the platelet adhesion molecule von Willebrand factor (vWf) in atherogenesis, vWf-deficient mice (vWf-/-) were bred with mice lacking the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR-/-) on a C57BL/6J background. LDLR-/-vWf+/+ and LDLR-/-vWf-/- mice were placed on a diet rich in saturated fat and cholesterol for different lengths of time. The atherogenic diet stimulated leukocyte rolling in the mesenteric venules in both genotypes, indicating an increase in P-selectin-mediated adhesion to the endothelium. After 8 weeks on the atherogenic diet, the fatty streaks formed in the aortic sinus of LDLR-/-vWf-/- mice of either sex were 40% smaller and contained fewer monocytes than those in LDLR-/-vWf+/+ mice. After 22 weeks on the atherogenic diet (early fibrous plaque stage), the difference in lesion size in the aortic sinus persisted. Interestingly, the lesion distribution in the aortas of LDLR-/-vWf-/- animals was different from that of LDLR-/- vWf+/+ animals. In vWf-positive mice, half of all lesions were located at the branch points of the renal and mesenteric arteries, whereas lesions in this area were not as prominent in the vWf-negative mice. These results indicate that the absence of vWf primarily affects the regions of the aorta with disturbed flow that are prone to atherosclerosis. Thus, vWf may recruit platelets/leukocytes to the lesion in a flow-dependent manner or may be part of the mechano-transduction pathway regulating endothelial response to shear stress.

ApoE deficiency compromises the blood brain barrier especially after injury.

BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein E (apoE) mediates lipoprotein uptake by receptors such as the LDL receptor (LDLR). The isoform apoE4 has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and to poor outcomes after brain injury. Astrocytes that induce blood brain barrier (BBB) properties in endothelium also produce apoE. We decided to investigate the role of apoE in BBB function and in the restoration of BBB after brain injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Wild-type (WT) mice and mice deficient in apoE or LDLR were fed normal chow or diets rich in fat and cholesterol. The BBB leakage was determined through injection of Evans blue dye and measurement of the amount of dye extravasated in the brains 3 hours later. Brain injury was induced by applying dry ice directly onto the excised parietal region of the brain. The mice were given 7 days to recover. In some experiments, peroxidase was infused to observe the site of leakage by histology. RESULTS: We found 70% more spontaneous leakage of injected Evans blue dye in the brains of apoE-/- mice than in wild type. This increase in permeability appeared selective for the brain. The leaky BBB in apoE-/- mice may provide an explanation for the neurological deficits seen in these animals. In an established model of BBB leakage induced by trauma (cold injury), the apoE-/- mice showed even more compromised BBB function, compared with WT mice, suggesting that apoE is important for BBB recovery. No deficit in BBB was observed in injured LDLR-/- mice, even on Western Diet. In contrast, higher plasma cholesterol levels in apoE-/- mice further increased BBB leakage after injury. We extracted 5x more Evans blue from these brains than from WT. In the injury model, injection of peroxidase resulted in prominent retention of this protein in the cortex of apoE-/- but not in WT. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the combination of loss of apoE function with high plasma cholesterol and especially brain injury results in dramatic BBB defects in the cortex and may explain in part the importance of apoE in Alzheimer's disease and in successful recovery from brain injury.

Carboxypeptidase E does not mediate von Willebrand factor targeting to storage granules.

Sorting of von Willebrand factor precursor (pro-vWf) from the trans-Golgi network to secretory granules (Weibel-Palade bodies) is critical for its conversion to the biologically active highly multimeric form, as well as for regulated secretion by the endothelial cells. When expressed in hormone-secretory cells, vWf is also recognized as a stored protein and is directed to storage granules. Recently, carboxypeptidase E (CPE) was proposed as a granular sorting receptor for prohormones (Cool et al., Cell 88: 73, 1997). To explore whether CPE is also involved in pro-vWf sorting, we initially examined its expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. A specific message for CPE and the protein itself were detected making it a plausible candidate as a targeting receptor for vWf in endothelium. To investigate this possibility, we used mice lacking CPE. The highly multimeric forms, subunit composition and plasma levels of vWf in CPE-deficient mice were similar to those of their wild-type littermates. vWf was also found in alpha-granules of platelets and in Weibel-Palade bodies of endothelial cells obtained from the CPE-deficient mice. Furthermore, vWf was released from the cultured CPE-deficient endothelial cells after stimulation with a secretagogue. We conclude that CPE is not essential for sorting vWf to the regulated secretory pathway. Thus, a CPE-independent mechanism must exist for protein sorting to storage granules.

A mouse model of severe von Willebrand disease: defects in hemostasis and thrombosis.

von Willebrand factor (vWf) deficiency causes severe von Willebrand disease in humans. We generated a mouse model for this disease by using gene targeting. vWf-deficient mice appeared normal at birth; they were viable and fertile. Neither vWf nor vWf propolypeptide (von Willebrand antigen II) were detectable in plasma, platelets, or endothelial cells of the homozygous mutant mice. The mutant mice exhibited defects in hemostasis with a highly prolonged bleeding time and spontaneous bleeding events in approximately 10% of neonates. As in the human disease, the factor VIII level in these mice was reduced strongly as a result of the lack of protection provided by vWf. Defective thrombosis in mutant mice was also evident in an in vivo model of vascular injury. In this model, the exteriorized mesentery was superfused with ferric chloride and the accumulation of fluorescently labeled platelets was observed by intravital microscopy. We conclude that these mice very closely mimic severe human von Willebrand disease and will be very useful for investigating the role of vWf in normal physiology and in disease models.

c-mpl, the thrombopoietin receptor.

v-mpl is a mouse oncogene that is part of the genome of the myeloproliferative leukemia virus (MPLV). The cellular homolog gene c-mpl encodes an hematopoietic cytokine receptor mainly restricted to the megakaryocytic lineage of differentiation. Using the Mpl receptor protein, cDNAs corresponding to the receptor ligand were isolated in humans, pigs, dogs and mice. In vivo and in vitro, the recombinant molecule has both the thrombopoietin (TPO) and megakaryocyte-colony stimulating factor (MK-CSF) activities. This molecule (Mpl ligand/TPO/MK-CSF) seems to be the humoral physiological regulator of platelet production.

From the v-mpl oncogene to thrombopoietin.

v-mpl is a mouse oncogene that is part of the genome of the myeloproliferative leukemia virus (MPLV). The cellular homolog gene c-mpl encodes an hematopoietic cytokine receptor restricted to the megakaryocytic lineage of differentiation. Using the Mpl receptor protein, cDNAs corresponding to the receptor ligand were isolated in humans, pigs, dogs and mice. In vivo and in vitro, the recombinant molecule has both the thrombopoietin (TPO) and megakaryocyte-colony stimulating factor (MK-CSF) activities. This molecule (Mpl ligand/TPO/MK-CSF) is the humoral physiological regulator of platelet production.

The Mpl receptor is expressed in the megakaryocytic lineage from late progenitors to platelets.

The Mpl receptor (Mpl-R) is a cytokine receptor belonging to the hematopoietin receptor superfamily for which a ligand has been recently characterized. To study the lineage distribution of Mpl-R in normal hematopoietic cells, we developed a monoclonal antibody (designated M1 MoAb) by immunizing mice with a soluble form of the human Mpl-R protein. With few exceptions, Mpl-R was detected by indirect immunofluorescent analysis on all human leukemic hematopoietic cell lines with pluripotential and megakaryocytic phenotypes, but not on other cell lines. By immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting, M1 MoAb recognized a band at 82 to 84 kD corresponding to the expected size of the glycosylated receptor. Among normal hematopoietic cells, M1 MoAb strongly stained megakaryocytes (MK) and Mpl-R was detected on platelets by indirect immunofluorescence staining or immunoblotting. On purified CD34+ cells, less than 2% of the population was stained, but the labeling was weak and just above the threshold of detection. However, dual-labeling with the M1 and antiplatelet glycoprotein MoAbs showed that most Mpl-R+/CD34+ cells coexpressed CD41a, CD61, or CD42a, suggesting that cell surface appearance of Mpl-R and platelet glycoproteins could be coordinated. M1-positive and M1-negative subsets were sorted from purified CD34+ cell populations. Colony assays showed that the absolute number of hematopoietic progenitors was extremely low and no primitive progenitors were present in the CD34+/Mpl-R+ fraction. However, this cell fraction was significantly enriched in low proliferative colony-forming units-MK. When the CD34+/Mpl-R+ fraction was grown in liquid culture containing human aplastic serum and a combination of growth factors, mature MK were seen as early as day 4, whereas the predominant cell population was erythroblasts on day 8. Similar data were also obtained with the CD34+/Mpl-R- fraction with, however, a delay in the time of appearance of both MK and erythroblasts. In conclusion, Mpl-R is a cytokine receptor restricted to the MK cell lineage. Its expression is low on CD34+ cells and these cells mainly correspond to late MK progenitors and transitional cells. These data indicate that the action of the Mpl-R ligand might predominate during the late stages of human MK differentiation.

cMpl ligand is a humoral regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis.

Megakaryocytopoiesis is the cellular developmental process that leads to platelet production. At least two humoral growth factors may be necessary for megakaryocyte proliferation and maturation. One is a megakaryocyte-colony stimulating factor (MK-CSF) which induces the proliferation and differentiation of megakaryocyte progenitors, and the second, thrombopoietin, is a megakaryocyte maturation factor. Neither of these factors has been fully characterized. The proto-oncogene c-mpl, an orphan member of the haematopoietin receptor family, is specifically involved in megakaryocyte regulation. Here we present evidence that the c-mpl-encoded receptor binds a ligand (c-Mpl ligand) which is a humoral factor implicated in platelet homeostasis. Our results suggest that c-Mpl ligand, thrombopoietin and MK-CSF might be the same molecule.

[Hematopoiesis and its regulation. Comparison between erythropoiesis and megakaryocytopoiesis]. / Hématopoïèse et sa régulation. Comparaison entre l'érythropoïèse et la mégacaryocytopoïèse.

Hematopoiesis is the cellular system which leads to the continuous production of blood cells. This highly complex cellular system is organized into three main compartments: (i) stem cells which are both pluripotent and theoretically capable of self renewal; (ii) hematopoietic progenitors which are committed to (only) one cell lineage and are able to proliferate along each particular differentiation pathway; (iii) a maturation compartment in which cells become morphologically identifiable since they synthesize lineage specific proteins. The maturation cell compartment represents the majority of marrow cells. At the present time, the regulation of true stem cells remains poorly understood since these cells are difficult to assay in vitro. In contrast, the regulation of each hematopoietic lineages becomes to be well known. These knowledges are mainly due to two reasons: (i) hematopoietic progenitors can be purified and assayed in culture. Their proliferation and differentiation are strictly dependent upon the presence of hematopoietic growth factors; (ii) these different hematopoietic growth factors have been isolated and their cDNA cloned. Erythropoiesis and megakaryocytopoiesis are two branches of hematopoiesis which lead to the production of RBC and platelets, respectively. These two cell lineages have several common features. However, they markedly differ by their regulation since RBC production depends upon one main stimulus (hypoxia) and, therefore, the terminal erythroid differentiation is regulated by a single growth factor. In contrast, regulation of platelet production may depend on several stimuli such as the platelet mass (homeostasis), inflammation, infection and hypoxia. Therefore, several cytokines are involved in the regulation of megakaryocytopoiesis. In addition, the mechanisms of platelet production are highly complex and, in contrast to all the other hematopoietic lineages where the production of mature cells depends on a single parameter (the proliferation during differentiation), three independent parameters modify thrombopoiesis: a) the number of marrow megakaryocytes (MK) (proliferation of the precursor cells). b) the megakaryocyte volume which directly depends on the MK ploidy. During MK differentiation, MK precursors switch from a mitotic process (DNA duplication followed by cytokinesis) to an endomitotic process (DNA duplication without cytokinesis). Endomitosis is a specific process of the megakaryocytic differentiation and differs from all the other cellular models of polyploidization by the existence of a single polyploid and polylobulated nucleus in each cell. This polyploidization induces a major amplification of the platelet production since it is associated with a parallel increase in the cytoplasmic mass.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Oligodeoxynucleotides antisense to the proto-oncogene c-mpl specifically inhibit in vitro megakaryocytopoiesis.

The proto-oncogene c-mpl encodes a protein whose sequence shares striking homologies with members of the highly conserved hematopoietin receptor superfamily. This gene had been transduced in a truncated form by the acute leukemogenic murine Myeloproliferative leukemia virus, which exhibits the unique property of inducing factor-independent proliferation and terminal differentiation of a broad spectrum of hematopoietic progenitors. Presently, the ligand and the role of c-mpl in the regulation of normal hematopoiesis are unknown. To show the function of c-mpl, its expression was first examined in human purified hematopoietic cell populations and, then, an antisense strategy was used. By RNA-based polymerase chain reaction, c-mpl transcripts were detected in purified CD34+ cells, megakaryocytes, and platelets. Synthetic unmodified antisense oligodeoxynucleotides were derived from different regions of the c-mpl extracellular domain. On in vitro exposure of CD34+ cells, two antisense oligomers led to a 50% to 70% inhibition of c-mpl mRNA synthesis, whereas their respective sense had no effect. Furthermore, the decrease in c-mpl mRNA correlated with a significant inhibition (range, 54% to 81%) of in vitro megakaryocytic colony formation (CFU-MK), whereas the growth of erythroid (BFU-E) or granulomacrophage (CFU-GM) colonies was unaffected. The data provide first evidences that c-mpl is involved in megakaryocytopoiesis. In addition, the results raise the possibility that this proto-oncogene encodes the receptor for a new cytokine specifically regulating thrombocytopoiesis.