An outline of the work contained in this thesis is presented. The first chapter is a critical review of the literature pertaining to the pathophysiological mechanisms operational with regards to the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The syndrome is characterised by venous and arterial thrombosis, and recurrent fetal loss, in association with the persistent presence of antibodies targeting the main autoantigen beta 2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI). The second chapter reviews the literature delineating the diverse physiological functions of β2GPI, and then relates them to its role in our current understanding of the pathophysiology of APS. The third chapter presents a critical review of the evidence base for the diagnosis and management of APS. The fourth chapter describes the interaction between β2GPI and the glycoprotein Ib alpha (GPIbα) subunit of the platelet receptor GPIb-IX-V. GPIbα is an important platelet adhesion receptor, which mediates multiple additional functions on the platelet surface, including binding coagulation factor XI (FXI). The implication of the interaction between β2GPI and GPIbα on platelet activation and the release of thromboxane in the presence of anti-β2GPI antibodies is explored, as well as the intracellular pathways via which this activation occurs. The relevance of these findings to understanding APS pathogenesis, in particular thrombosis, is discussed. The fifth chapter delineates the interaction between the fifth domain of β2GPI and FXI and its activated form factor XIa (FXIa). The ability of FXIa to cleave β2GPI between lysine (Lys) 317 and threonine (Thr) 318, and modulate its function is reported. The sixth chapter describes the ability of β2GPI to inhibit FXIa autoproteolytic hydrolysis at the specific FXIa residues arginine (Arg) 507, Arg532 and Lys539. This interaction with β2GPI stabilizes FXIa activity over time, and leads to enhanced FXIa mediated fibrin formation. This is a novel physiological function of β2GPI with important implications. Recent epidemiological studies by others have emphasized the critical role of FXIa in pathological thrombus propagation. The seventh chapter defines the relevance of the FXIa residues Arg507, Arg532 and Lys539 to FXIa mediated inactivation by the main FXIa inhibitor Protease Nexin 2 (PN2), and by Antithrombin III (ATIII). Insights into future directions for research are presented and discussed within each individual chapter.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/257768 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Giannakopoulos, Bill, Clinical School - St George Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW |
| Publisher | Publisher:University of New South Wales. Clinical School - St George Hospital |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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