Assessment of the interplay between blood and skin vascular abnormalities in adult purpura fulminans

RATIONALE: Purpura fulminans in adults is a rare but devastating disease. Its pathophysiology is not well known. OBJECTIVES: To understand the pathophysiology of skin lesions in purpura fulminans, the interplay between circulating blood and vascular alterations was assessed. METHODS: Prospective multicenter study in four intensive care units. Patients with severe sepsis without skin lesions were recruited as control subjects. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Twenty patients with severe sepsis and purpura fulminans were recruited for blood sampling, and skin biopsy was performed in deceased patients. High severity of disease and mortality rates (80%) was observed. Skin biopsies in purpura fulminans lesions revealed thrombosis and extensive vascular damage: vascular congestion and dilation, endothelial necrosis, alteration of markers of endothelial integrity (CD31) and of the protein C pathway receptors (endothelial protein C receptor, thrombomodulin). Elevated plasminogen activating inhibitor-1 mRNA was also observed. Comparison with control patients showed that these lesions were specific to purpura fulminans. By contrast, no difference was observed for blood hemostasis parameters, including soluble thrombomodulin, activated protein C, and disseminated intravascular coagulation markers. Bacterial presence at the vascular wall was observed specifically in areas of vascular damage in eight of nine patients tested (including patients with Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection). CONCLUSIONS: Thrombi and extensive vascular damage with multifaceted prothrombotic local imbalance are characteristics of purpura fulminans. A "vascular wall infection" hypothesis, responsible for endothelial damage and subsequent skin lesions, can be put forward

A Genome-Wide Association Study of the Protein C Anticoagulant Pathway

The Protein C anticoagulant pathway regulates blood coagulation by preventing the inadequate formation of thrombi. It has two main plasma components: protein C and protein S. Individuals with protein C or protein S deficiency present a dramatically increased incidence of thromboembolic disorders. Here, we present the results of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for protein C and protein S plasma levels in a set of extended pedigrees from the Genetic Analysis of Idiopathic Thrombophilia (GAIT) Project. A total number of 397 individuals from 21 families were typed for 307,984 SNPs using the Infinium® 317 k Beadchip (Illumina). Protein C and protein S (free, functional and total) plasma levels were determined with biochemical assays for all participants. Association with phenotypes was investigated through variance component analysis. After correcting for multiple testing, two SNPs for protein C plasma levels (rs867186 and rs8119351) and another two for free protein S plasma levels (rs1413885 and rs1570868) remained significant on a genome-wide level, located in and around the PROCR and the DNAJC6 genomic regions respectively. No SNPs were significantly associated with functional or total protein S plasma levels, although rs1413885 from DNAJC6 showed suggestive association with the functional protein S phenotype, possibly indicating that this locus plays an important role in protein S metabolism. Our results provide evidence that PROCR and DNAJC6 might play a role in protein C and free protein S plasma levels in the population studied, warranting further investigation on the role of these loci in the etiology of venous thromboembolism and other thrombotic diseases

Genetic Background Analysis of Protein C Deficiency Demonstrates a Recurrent Mutation Associated with Venous Thrombosis in Chinese Population

Background: Protein C (PC) is one of the most important physiological inhibitors of coagulation proteases. Hereditary PC deficiency causes a predisposition to venous thrombosis (VT). The genetic characteristics of PC deficiency in the Chinese population remain unknown. Methods: Thirty-four unrelated probands diagnosed with hereditary PC deficiency were investigated. PC activity and antigen levels were measured. Mutation analysis was performed by sequencing the PROC gene. In silico analyses, including PolyPhen-2, SIFT, multiple sequence alignment, splicing prediction, and protein molecular modeling were performed to predict the consequences of each variant identified. One recurrent mutation and its relative risk for thrombosis in relatives were analyzed in 11 families. The recurrent mutation was subsequently detected in a case (VT patients)-control study, and the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for VT risk was calculated by logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 18 different mutations, including 12 novel variants, were identified. One common mutation, PROC c.565C.T (rs146922325:C.T), was found in 17 of the 34 probands. The family study showed that first-degree relatives bearing this variant had an 8.8-fold (95%CI = 1.1–71.6) increased risk of venous thrombosis. The case-control (1003 vs. 1031) study identified this mutation in 5.88 % patients and in 0.87 % controls, respectively. The mutant allele conferred a high predisposition to venous thrombosis (adjusted OR = 7.34, 95%CI = 3.61–14.94). The plasma PC activity and antigen levels i

Identification of mutations in 90 of 121 consecutive symptomatic French patients with a type I protein C deficiency. The French INSERM Network on Molecular Abnormalities Responsible for Protein C and Protein S deficiencies

By studying the protein C gene of 121 consecutive patients with symptomatic type I protein C deficiency, we detected 55 different candidate mutations in 90 cases. The mutations, 76% of which were missense changes, were distributed throughout the gene. More than half the missense mutations involved Cys, Phe, Pro, or Gly, amino acids known to affect the structure of the polypeptide chain by various mechanisms. Thus, 40% of protein C deficiencies may be caused by polypeptide chain instability rather than a lack of expression of the mutated allele; this may also account for phenotypic heterogeneity. Seventeen of the 55 different mutations were found in apparently unrelated families. Half the French families we studied bore one of these 17 mutations. The wide variety of mutations suggests that both sporadic cases and a founder effect contribute to the spectrum of protein C mutations in a given population. The differences in both unique and recurrent mutations in French and Dutch populations-the only large population samples so far studied-support this hypothesis.</jats:p

Identification of mutations in 90 of 121 consecutive symptomatic French patients with a type I protein C deficiency. The French INSERM Network on Molecular Abnormalities Responsible for Protein C and Protein S deficiencies

Abstract By studying the protein C gene of 121 consecutive patients with symptomatic type I protein C deficiency, we detected 55 different candidate mutations in 90 cases. The mutations, 76% of which were missense changes, were distributed throughout the gene. More than half the missense mutations involved Cys, Phe, Pro, or Gly, amino acids known to affect the structure of the polypeptide chain by various mechanisms. Thus, 40% of protein C deficiencies may be caused by polypeptide chain instability rather than a lack of expression of the mutated allele; this may also account for phenotypic heterogeneity. Seventeen of the 55 different mutations were found in apparently unrelated families. Half the French families we studied bore one of these 17 mutations. The wide variety of mutations suggests that both sporadic cases and a founder effect contribute to the spectrum of protein C mutations in a given population. The differences in both unique and recurrent mutations in French and Dutch populations-the only large population samples so far studied-support this hypothesis.</jats:p