Tumor-Educated Platelet Extracellular Vesicles: Proteomic Profiling and Crosstalk with Colorectal Cancer Cells

• Published in: Cancers Vol. 15; no. 2; p. 350
• Main Authors: Contursi, Annalisa, Fullone, Rosa, Szklanna-Koszalinska, Paulina, Marcone, Simone, Lanuti, Paola, Taus, Francesco, Meneguzzi, Alessandra, Turri, Giulia, Dovizio, Melania, Bruno, Annalisa, Pedrazzani, Corrado, Tacconelli, Stefania, Marchisio, Marco, Ballerini, Patrizia, Minuz, Pietro, Maguire, Patricia, Patrignani, Paola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 05.01.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Blood platelets; Cancer; Cell interactions; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal carcinoma; Cyclooxygenase-2; E-cadherin; Extracellular vesicles; Flow cytometry; Gene expression; Glycoproteins; Lung cancer; Malignancy; Mesenchyme; Metastases; Metastasis; Monoclonal antibodies; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Phenotypes; Plasma; Platelets; Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase; Protein composition; Proteomics; Size distribution; Thrombin; Thrombosis; Tumor cell lines; Tumorigenesis; Tumors; United States > US; Italy; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; colorectal cancer; platelet-derived extracellular vesicles; cyclooxygenase-2; thromboxane A2
• ISSN: 2072-6694; 2072-6694
• DOI: 10.3390/cancers15020350

Background: Platelet–cancer cell interactions modulate tumor metastasis and thrombosis in cancer. Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) can contribute to these outcomes. Methods: We characterized the medium-sized EVs (mEVs) released by thrombin-stimulated platelets of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and healthy subjects (HS) on the capacity to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2(PTGS2), and thromboxane (TX)B2 production in cocultures with four colorectal cancer cell lines. Platelet-derived mEVs were assessed for their size distribution and proteomics signature. Results: The mEV population released from thrombin-activated platelets of CRC patients had a different size distribution vs. HS. Platelet-derived mEVs from CRC patients, but not from HS, upregulated EMT marker genes, such as TWIST1 and VIM, and downregulated CDH1. PTGS2 was also upregulated. In cocultures of platelet-derived mEVs with cancer cells, TXB2 generation was enhanced. The proteomics profile of mEVs released from activated platelets of CRC patients revealed that 119 proteins were downregulated and 89 upregulated vs. HS. Conclusions: We show that mEVs released from thrombin-activated platelets of CRC patients have distinct features (size distribution and proteomics cargo) vs. HS and promote prometastatic and prothrombotic phenotypes in cancer cells. The analysis of platelet-derived mEVs from CRC patients could provide valuable information for developing an appropriate treatment plan.