Understanding how zinc controls blood clotting

Investigation of the mechanisms and significance of secondary zinc messaging in platelets

Blood clots form when small cells in the blood called platelets are activated and stick together. Controlling when platelets become activated is essential to ensure clotting happens when it is needed - for example, after injury - whilst limiting unwanted clotting, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Platelets become ‘switched on’ when molecules outside the cell signal to ‘secondary messenger’ molecules inside the cell. The metal zinc can act as one of these secondary messengers, but little is currently known about how it works in platelets. This project aims to investigate how zinc levels in the cell affect platelet function and clotting. Dr Nicholas Pugh’s team will use drugs to alter zinc levels in platelets taken from the blood of healthy volunteers. Next, they’ll measure how this affects processes that are important during blood clotting – such as the ability of platelets to stick together. They also plan to examine how zinc affects the production of important molecules, known as reactive oxygen species, which can amplify the clotting response. Finally, they hope to find out which molecules found in platelets control zinc levels inside and outside of the cell. This research will provide much needed insights into the role of zinc messaging in blood clot formation and, as such, could potentially lead to the development of new anti-clotting drugs.