PI3 kinase-dependent stimulation of platelet migration by stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1)

Platelets have been regarded as static cells that do not move once they adhere to a matrix. The present study explored, whether platelets are able to migrate. In contrast to the current opinion, we found that platelets were mobile, able to migrate over a surface, and transmigrate through a transwell membrane and endothelium toward a source of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1). Platelet migration was stimulated by SDF-1, which led to the downstream activation and phosphorylation of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein. SDF-1 signaling and subsequent platelet migration could be inhibited by CXCR4-receptor blocker AMD3100, pertussis toxin, inhibition of phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3 kinase) with LY294002 or wortmannin, and disruption of actin polymerization with cytochalasin B. The potential of platelets to migrate in an SDF-1-mediated fashion may redefine the role of platelets in the pathophysiology of vascular inflammation, subsequent atherosclerotic degeneration, and vascular regeneration.