Regulation of plasmin-induced protease-activated receptor 4 activation in platelets

Plasmin, a major extracellular protease, activates platelets through PAR4 receptors. Plasmin-induced full aggregation is achieved at lower concentrations (0.1 U/mL) in murine platelets as compared to human platelets (1 U/mL). In COS7 cells expressing the murine PAR4 (mPAR4) receptor, 1 U/mL plasmin caused a higher intracellular calcium mobilization than in cells expressing the human PAR4 (hPAR4) receptor. This difference was reversed when the tethered ligand sequences of mPAR4 and hPAR4 were interchanged through site-directed mutagenesis. We further investigated whether PAR3 expressed in murine platelets serves as a co-receptor for PAR4 activation by plasmin. In COS7 cells, co-expressing mPAR3 and mPAR4, plamsin produced a smaller intracellular calcium mobilization compared to cells expressing mPAR4 alone, suggesting that PAR3 might inhibit plasmin-induced PAR4 stimulation. Consistent with these results, PAR3 null murine platelets also showed a greater plasmin-induced calcium mobilization and aggregation compared to wild-type murine platelets. In conclusion, murine platelets are more sensitive to activation by plasmin than human platelets due to differences in the primary sequence of PAR4. In contrast to thrombin-dependent activation of platelets, wherein PAR3 acts as a co-receptor, mPAR3 inhibits plasmin-induced PAR4 activation.