In the future, the research results published by the University of Debrecen specialists in a major international scientific journal can also be used in the development of more effective anti-thrombosis therapy. The focus of the investigation by the researchers from Debrecen is the coagulation factor XIII, which plays a key role in hemostasis and wound healing.
The formation of a blood clot at the site of an injury to the vessel wall is fundamentally important in preventing bleeding. The formation of a blood clot closing the discontinuity of the vessel wall is based on the cooperation of blood clotting factors. However, additional mechanisms are also necessary for the stabilization of the formed blood clot. The coagulation factor XIII, discovered by Hungarian researchers, plays a fundamental role in this, as a result of which, through the formation of cross-links between the proteins in the clot, the blood clot becomes more resistant to mechanical influences and protein-degrading enzymes. Factor XIII also plays a very important role in wound healing and pregnancy maintenance.
Congenital deficiency of factor XIII is associated with severe bleeding. A typical symptom is umbilical cord bleeding, muscle and brain hemorrhages occurring in the newborn period. In Europe, it is a relatively rare disease, but in some Middle Eastern countries it is the most common hereditary bleeding disorder. The acquired form caused by anti-factor XIII antibodies (inhibitors) can also appear in adulthood, causing bleeding that is difficult to control.
In addition to blood plasma, platelets also contain factor XIII in large quantities. Factor XIII in the cells can only exert its clot-stabilizing effect if it is on the surface of the cells. A research group from Scotland described how, under the influence of a strong stimulus that activates platelets, factor XIII appears on its surface. However, these tests did not cover the mechanism of this phenomenon, or the microparticles from platelets during activation
– Laura Somodi, scientific assistant at the Institute of Laboratory Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine, told.
A research group led by academician László Muszbek working at the Clinical Laboratory Research Department of the Faculty of Medicine published for the first time the mechanisms by which factor XIII is released not only on the surface of platelets, but also on the surface of microparticles.
Platelets and microparticles carrying factor XIII on their surface can play a prominent role in the formation of a blood clot, since this clotting factor is transported in an active form to the site of the vessel wall injury. In the course of our research, we proved that the signal transmission pathways mediated by the RhoA enzyme are behind the phenomenon, and that factor XIII does not need to be released from the calcium stores in the cells to come to the surface. We also showed that this blood coagulation factor appears in an active form on the outer surface of the cells
– explained the researcher from the University of Debrecen.
The importance of the research results is shown by the fact that Laura Somodi was awarded the Publication Award of the Gróf Tisza István Foundation for the University of Debrecen, and the research was also recognized by the scientific journal Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.
The results were also published as a cover image and were separately praised in the form of a commentary-type article. The research is the result of the collaborative cooperation of several institutes of the Faculty of General Medicine. The joint work made it possible to examine and analyze phenomena and mechanisms using several laboratory methods. The specialists of the University of Debrecen presented their results at several international conferences.
The results of the researchers in Debrecen can be used later in the clinic and in treatment.
A more detailed understanding of the functioning of factor XIII can help in a more effective understanding of the clinical consequences of congenital or acquired factor deficiency and in the development of appropriate therapy to replace the factor. At the same time, the exposure of active factor XIII to the surface of platelets and the microparticles derived from them can also generate a thrombotic process, so its inhibition can play a role in the development of more effective anti-thrombosis therapy
– emphasized Laura Somodi.
The researcher from the University of Debrecen emphasized that their test results further enrich the knowledge about factor XIII, but at the same time they raise new questions about the research on the structure of the blood clot. Laura Somodi added: researchers working in the field of thrombosis and hemostasis can formulate, for example, how factor XIII gets into the plasma, whether factor XIII can appear on the surface of other cells containing factor XIII (for example: monocytes/macrophages) or it may even be raised whether the microparticles from these cells also carry factor XIII on the surface. In order to answer the questions that arise, the specialists of the Clinical Laboratory Research Department conduct additional experiments.
(unideb.hu)
