Investigating versican and its role in blood clotting in heart and circulatory disease

Regulation of versican procoagulant role by ADAMTS-mediated proteolysis

Versican is a protein present mainly in the walls of our blood vessels where it helps maintain their tubular shape. But versican levels are known to rise when heart and circulatory disease develops and is believed to increase the ability of our blood to clot – a key process in heart attacks and strokes. How versican has this effect on blood clotting, and how it is regulated in the body, is not yet understood. Dr Josefin Ahnstrom and her team think that a family of proteins that can digest other molecules – called ADAMTS – can also control versican’s functions. They’ve found in their experiments that versican can make blood clot quicker, but loses this ability when ADAMTS molecules are added. In this project, they will study the mechanisms by which versican increases blood clotting. They will also identify which molecule of the ADAMTS family are key to digesting versican, how this occurs, and how this impairs versican’s clotting role. This project will improve our understanding of the role versican plays in blood clotting and could provide clues for a new way to prevent heart attack and stroke.