Dengue infection changes the expressions of CD154 and CD148 in human platelets

Abstract

Platelets are essential for hemostasis and vascular integrity. Platelets recognize dengue virus through the DC-SIGN receptor. Upon pathogen recognition, platelets rapidly modulate the expression of adhesion molecules to trigger immune cell interactions and regulate the immune response. In this study, we aimed to examine the expression levels of three molecules, CD151, CD154, and CD148 on platelets in dengue patients. A significantly increased expression of CD154 and reduced expression of CD148 was observed in dengue patients compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.0001). Moreover, a strong positive correlation between CD148 and CD41/CD61 (p < 0.0001) was noted in dengue patients. In summary, we demonstrated the altered expressions of CD154 and CD148 on platelets in dengue patients that may play a crucial role in dengue pathogenesis.

Keywords: CD148; CD154; CD41/CD61; Dengue infection; Platelets.

Fig. 1

Alteration in the expression of platelet adhesion molecules in dengue patients with different clinical presentations. (A) Gating strategy of platelet surface receptor. Expression of (B) CD41/CD61, (C) CD62p (D) CD151 (E) CD154, and (F) CD148 on platelet surface of healthy subjects (n = 19) and dengue patients with different clinical presentations, WS- (n = 22), WS+ (n = 44), and SD (n = 5). HS represents healthy subjects, DP represents dengue patients, WS- denotes dengue patients without warning signs, WS+ denotes dengue patients with warning signs and SD denotes severe dengue patients. Data was represented as mean ± standard error. Clinical data was analyzed by a non-parametric Mann-Whitney test in which * represents p < 0.05, ** represents p < 0.01, *** represents p < 0.001 and **** represents p < 0.0001.

Fig. 2

CD41/CD61 and CD148 correlate with decreased platelet count in dengue patients. (A) Comparison of expression of CD41/CD61 between dengue patients with platelet count >50,000/μL and platelet count <50,000/μL. (B) Correlation analyses of platelet count with CD41/CD61 platelet surface expression. (C) Comparison of expression levels of CD148 in dengue patients having platelet count >50,000/μL and <50,000/μL. (D) Correlation analyses of thrombocytopenia with CD148 surface expression on platelets. (E) Correlation analysis between expression of CD41/CD61 and CD148 on platelets of dengue patients. Data is represented as mean ± standard error. Data was analyzed by a non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. Correlation analyses were performed using a two-tailed Spearman's correlation coefficient test. ** represents p < 0.01.