Summary
Clot retraction is an essential step during primary haemostasis, thereby promoting
thrombus stability and wound healing. Integrin αIIbβ3 plays a critical role in clot
retraction, by inducing acto-myosin interactions that allow platelet cytoskeleton
reorganisation. However, the signalling pathways that lead to clot retraction are
still misunderstood. In this study, we report the first data on the kinetics of myosin
II light chain (MLC) phosphorylation during clot retraction. We found an early phosphorylation
peak followed by a second peak. By using specific inhibitors of kinases and small
G proteins, we showed that MLC kinase (MLCK), RhoA/ROCK, and Rac-1 were involved in
clot retraction and in the early MLC phosphorylation peak. Only Rac-1 and actin polymerisation,
controlled by outside-in signalling, were crucial to the second MLC phosphorylation
peak.
Keywords
Clot retraction - cytoskeleton - myosin light chain - kinases - signal transduction