bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.08.19.550692

A thrombus is formed by a gradient of platelet activation and procoagulant endothelium

CARMINITA, E.·TOURN, J.·CRESCENCE, L.·BROUILLY, N.·MERRILL-SKOLOFF, G.·MAZHARIAN, A.·DUBOIS, C.·Panicot-Dubois, L.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

IntroductionThe contribution of platelets in thrombosis within microcirculation has been extensively documented in the literature. We previously showed, in vivo, that platelet activation revealed by intracellular calcium mobilization was a crucial step in the growth of thrombi following laser-induced injury, a model of thromboinflammation. AimWe employed a multimodal, correlative microscopy approach and computational biology to investigate the extent of platelet activation and the spatial distribution of platelets throughout a growing thrombus. ResultsWe observed a reversible intracellular platelet calcium mobilization that correlates with the time a platelet resides during thrombus growth. Our bioinformatics analysis displayed three distinct platelet subpopulations resident within a thrombus: (1) resting, (2) partially activated, and (3) "fully" activated platelets. The spatial distribution of the platelet subpopulations in the thrombus creates a double gradient in both the transversal and longitudinal axis, with the maximal percentage of fully activated platelets close to the site of injury. However, these activated platelets did not express negative phospholipids. The injured endothelium was identified to play a vital role in activating the blood coagulation cascade in this model of thrombosis. ConclusionFollowing a laser-induced injury, thrombi are formed by a gradient of activated platelets from the injury site to the periphery of the thrombus. These different activation states of platelets throughout the thrombi regulate the biomechanics of the thrombus. The injured endothelium, rather than platelets, was identified to play a key role in the activation of the blood coagulation cascade in this model of thromboinflammation. EssentialsO_LIComputational biology was used to analyze thrombosis. C_LIO_LINon-activated, low- and fully-activated platelets are part of a thrombus. C_LIO_LIThe activation of the platelets forms a gradient from the site of injury to the periphery. C_LIO_LIThe endothelium, and not platelets, expressed negative phospholipids. C_LI Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=116 SRC="FIGDIR/small/550692v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (29K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@13ab958org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5e7246org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@a07df6org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@adcbdb_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG A thrombus is formed by a gradient of platelet activation and procoagulant endothelium C_FIG

Source connections

Explore related subjects

physiologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

CARMINITA, E., TOURN, J., CRESCENCE, L., BROUILLY, N., MERRILL-SKOLOFF, G., MAZHARIAN, A., DUBOIS, C., Panicot-Dubois, L.. 2023-08-20. A thrombus is formed by a gradient of platelet activation and procoagulant endothelium. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.08.19.550692

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Trunk muscle activity across various trunk-limb coordination patterns in centipede locomotion

Animals coordinate movements of their limbs and flexible bodies, yet how trunk muscle activity changes across locomotor patterns remains unclear. We simultaneously recorded electromyograms from trunk muscles (deep dorsal oblique muscles) and trunk-limb kinematics in two centipede species exhibiting retrograde and direct locomotor waves during swimming and walking. During swimming, trunk muscle activity followed a similar phase relationship with trunk bending in both species despite opposite wave directions and different involvement of limbs, suggesting common active generation of undulation. During fast walking, trunk muscle activity was strongest around the ipsilateral swing phase in the undulatory retrograde-wave gait of Scolopendra mutilans, but weaker and associated with the ipsilateral stance phase despite the nearly straight trunk in the direct-wave gait of Scolopocryptops rubiginosus. Together, our findings suggest that the same trunk muscles serve two contrasting mechanical roles depending on locomotor mode: either generating trunk undulation or actively straightening the trunk against limb-induced deformation.

physiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Quantifying and Visualizing the Invisible Hazard of Infant Rebreathing

BACKGROUND: Rebreathing of expired gases during prone infant sleeping contributes to hypoxic and hypercapnic exposure, even without airway obstruction. We investigated how anatomical, physiological, and environmental factors influence aerodynamic rebreathing. METHODS: A dynamically scaled in vitro model simulated prone nasal breathing corresponding to infants weighing 2 to 5 kg, with nostril diameters of 3.2 to 6.0 mm and breathing frequencies of 25 to 40 breaths/min. Ambient temperature and sleep-surface characteristics were varied. Rebreathing was quantified using tracer measurements, while flow visualization revealed the underlying aerodynamic mechanisms. RESULTS: Rebreathing exceeded 60% despite unobstructed nasal openings. Increasing ambient temperature from 23 to 30 degrees C increased rebreathing by 68 to 77%, while reducing simulated infant mass from 5 to 2 kg increased rebreathing by 39 to 46%. Fibrous surfaces increased rebreathing, particularly near inclined nasal openings. A novel finding was that increasing nostril diameter from 3.2 to 6.0 mm increased rebreathing by up to 50%. Flow visualization revealed vortical structures that retained expired fluid near the nasal openings, facilitating re-inspiration. CONCLUSIONS: Aerodynamic rebreathing depends strongly on simulated infant characteristics and sleeping environments. These findings are consistent with established safe-sleep recommendations and identify nostril diameter, for the first time, as a potentially important anatomical factor warranting clinical investigation.

physiology↗
bioRxiv2026

Epigenetic Rescue of Disuse Muscle Atrophy by Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Trichostatin A

Mechanical unloading rapidly induces skeletal muscle atrophy and functional deterioration, yet how the loss of mechanical input influences nuclear architecture, chromatin organization, and associated transcriptional programs remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether pharmacological inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) using Trichostatin A (TSA) could attenuate the consequences of continued mechanical unloading in a murine hindlimb suspension model. Following 14 days of unloading, mice exhibited impaired locomotor activity, altered muscle architecture, and widespread transcriptional reprogramming characterized by increased expression of atrophy associated genes, inflammatory mediators, and extracellular matrix remodeling pathways, alongside suppression of mitochondrial metabolic programs. Super resolution imaging further revealed irregular Lamin A/C organization and disruption of discrete H3K9me3 associated heterochromatin foci. Systemic TSA treatment significantly attenuated the decline in locomotor activity, accompanied by trends toward reduced body weight loss, and preservation of muscle morphology. Transcriptomic analysis demonstrated a substantial shift toward the baseline expression profile, with high-dose TSA attenuating FOXO associated catabolic programs, inflammatory, and extracellular matrix-related signatures, while enhancing mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation pathways. Quantitative gene level and pathway analyses further revealed dose dependent and selective reversal of unloading associated transcriptional changes. Notably, TSA treatment also partially preserved nuclear lamina organization and the focal distribution of H3K9me3 associated heterochromatin. Despite these muscle specific benefits, TSA did not prevent trabecular bone loss over the 14-day unloading period, although several muscle-expressed genes potentially involved in muscle to bone communication were altered by treatment. Together, these findings demonstrate that HDAC inhibition counteracts multiple functional and molecular consequences of skeletal muscle unloading and is associated with partial preservation of nuclear and heterochromatin organization. This study supports a link between mechanical unloading, nuclear architectural remodeling, and HDAC sensitive transcriptional regulation, providing a foundation for epigenetic strategies to counter disuse induced muscle deterioration.

physiology↗