Platelet signaling at the nexus of innate immunity and rheumatoid arthritis

Steven Z Jiang; Jeffrey L To; Michael R Hughes; Kelly M McNagny; Hugh Kim

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.977828

Platelet signaling at the nexus of innate immunity and rheumatoid arthritis

Front Immunol. 2022 Nov 25:13:977828. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.977828. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Steven Z Jiang^{1

2}, Jeffrey L To^{1

2}, Michael R Hughes^{1

3}, Kelly M McNagny^{1

3

4}, Hugh Kim^{1

2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
² Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
³ School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁴ Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁵ Department of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a debilitating autoimmune disorder characterized by chronic inflammation of the synovial tissues and progressive destruction of bone and cartilage. The inflammatory response and subsequent tissue degradation are orchestrated by complex signaling networks between immune cells and their products in the blood, vascular endothelia and the connective tissue cells residing in the joints. Platelets are recognized as immune-competent cells with an important role in chronic inflammatory diseases such as RA. Here we review the specific aspects of platelet function relevant to arthritic disease, including current knowledge of the molecular crosstalk between platelets and other innate immune cells that modulate RA pathogenesis.

Keywords: cell signaling; cytokines; inflammation; platelets; rheumatoid arthritis.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Arthritis, Rheumatoid*
Blood Platelets
Gap Junctions
Humans
Immunity, Innate*
Signal Transduction