CD40 ligand on activated platelets triggers an inflammatory reaction of endothelial cells

Volker Henn, Joseph R. Slupsky, Michael Gräfe, Ioannis Anagnostopoulos, Reinhold Förster, Gert Müller-Berghaus and Richard A. Kroczek ()
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Volker Henn: Molecular Immunology, Robert Koch-Institute
Joseph R. Slupsky: Haemostasis Research Unit, Max-Planck-Institut für Physiologische und Klinische Forschung
Michael Gräfe: Deutsches Herzzentrum
Ioannis Anagnostopoulos: Institute of Pathology, Klinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin
Reinhold Förster: Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine
Gert Müller-Berghaus: Haemostasis Research Unit, Max-Planck-Institut für Physiologische und Klinische Forschung
Richard A. Kroczek: Molecular Immunology, Robert Koch-Institute

Nature, 1998, vol. 391, issue 6667, 591-594

Abstract: Abstract CD40 ligand (CD40L, CD154), a transmembrane protein structurally related to the cytokine TNF-α, was originally identified on stimulated CD4+ T cells1,2,3, and later on stimulated mast cells and basophils4. Interaction of CD40L on T cells with CD40 on B cells is of paramount importance for the development and function of the humoral immune system5. CD40 is not only constitutively present on B cells, but it is also found on monocytes, macrophages and endothelial cells, suggesting that CD40L has a broader function in vivo. We now report that platelets express CD40L within seconds of activation in vitro and in the process of thrombus formation in vivo. Like TNF-α and interleukin-1, CD40L on platelets induces endothelial cells to secrete chemokines and to express adhesion molecules, thereby generating signals for the recruitment and extravasation of leukocytes at the site of injury. Our results indicate that platelets are not only involved in haemostasis but that they also directly initiate an inflammatory response of the vessel wall.

Date: 1998
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DOI: 10.1038/35393

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