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Poster Networking

Women's Hemostasis and Thrombosis

PB0459 - Circulating soluble Mer increases with the gestational weeks and correlates with the reduced level of Protein S in uncomplicated pregnancy

Sunday, June 23, 2024
13:45 – 14:45 ICT
Room: Exhibition Hall

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Yanyan Shao

    Ph.D.
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

    • Co-Author(s)

  • YX

    Yang Xu

    Master
    Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine and Faculty of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Scholl of Medicine, Shanghai, China
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • GX

    Guanqun Xu

    research assistant
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • YL

    Yu Liu

    B.S.
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • WW

    Wenman Wu

    Professor
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • JD

    Jing Dai

    Professor
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • QD

    Qiulan Ding

    Professor
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

  • XW

    Xuefeng Wang

    Professor
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
    Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic)

Background: Pregnant women show a low level of protein S (PS) in plasma. In addition to the renowned role as a coagulation inhibitor, PS also functions as a ligand for TAM (Tyro3, Axl, and Mer) receptors.

Aims: Here, we investigated plasma levels of soluble TAM receptors and their complex changes associated with low PS levels during uncomplicated pregnancy.

Methods: A total of 215 pregnant participants were included and divided into three groups based on their gestational weeks to compare with 66 age-matched non-pregnant healthy controls. Peripheral blood was collected from related individuals and plasma levels of PS total and free antigen, Gas6 and soluble TAM receptors were measured by ELISA. Thrombin generation assay (TGA) was conducted in normal pooled plasma supplemented with serial concentrations of soluble TAM receptors in the presence/absence of human activated protein C (aPC).

Results: Consistent with previous findings that PS only binds to Mer and Tyro3, both soluble Mer (sMer) and sTyro3 demonstrated increase in pregnant group, with sMer showed a gradual increase with the increase of gestational weeks, which negatively correlated with reduced PS. Otherwise, an unaltered Gas 6 levels and a lower trend of plasma sAxl levels were revealed during pregnancy, suggesting that Gas 6-Axl signaling is not activated in uncomplicated pregnancy. Possible roles of elevated sMer and sTyro3 in coagulation were further examined, and TGA revealed that soluble receptors dose-dependently competed for phospholipid binding, yet the rising level in normal pregnancy was tolerable to disrupt coagulation balance.

Conclusion(s): PS that functioning as a ligand for TAM receptors may play a role in normal pregnancy.