Molecular exploration of tumour cell-induced platelet activation and its relevance in the treatment of cancer.

TL;DRAbstract

Platelets play a role in cancer progression by acting as a protective shield and dynamic reservoir of effectors which facilitate tumour vascularisation, growth and metastasis. However, little information is available about the mechanism of tumour cell-induced platelet secretion (TCIPS) or the molecular machinery by which soluble mediators are released from platelets. Here we demonstrate that tumour cells directly induce platelet secretion. Platelet secretion was assessed by employing a luminometric assay capable of detecting ATP/ADP released by platelet dense granules following activation. Preincubation of platelets with increasing doses (0.1-100 X 10³ cells/mL) of human colon cancer cells (Caco-2), prostate cancer cells (PC3M-luc) or breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231; MCF-7) resulted in a marked dose-dependent secretion of dense granules. Importantly, TCIPS preceded aggregation which displayed a lag-time characteristic for each cell type. Secretion could not be induced in Boy

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