Thrombin induces collagen gel contraction partially through PAR1 activation and PKC-epsilon

The ability of fibroblasts to contract three-dimensional collagen gels has been used as an in vitro model of the tissue contraction which characterises both normal repair and fibrosis. Among its actions, thrombin can activate the protease-activated receptor (PAR)1 and, thereby, stimulate inflammation and repair. The current study evaluated whether thrombin could stimulate fibroblast-mediated collagen gel contraction by activating PAR1 and whether its downstream signalling depends on protein kinase C (PKC)-epsilon. Human foetal lung fibroblasts (HFL-1) were cultured in three-dimensional collagen gels and the area of the gels was measured by image analyser. Both thrombin and TFLLR, a selective PAR1 agonist, stimulated collagen gel contraction mediated by HFL-1. After RNA interference-mediated PAR1 knockdown in HFL-1, both thrombin and the PAR1 agonist-induced gel contraction were partially inhibited (by 22.4+/-2.2% and 17.6+/-5.6%, respectively). The gel contraction stimulated by thrombin was also reduced by a nonspecific PKC inhibitor and a calcium-independent PKC-epsilon inhibitor. Both thrombin and TFLLR significantly increased PKC-epsilon activity, and this effect was blocked by PAR1 knockdown. Thrombin stimulates collagen gel contraction at least partially through activation of protease-activated receptor 1 and protein kinase C-epsilon, and may contribute to tissue remodelling in inflammatory airway and lung diseases.