TEAM 2 (Director: Dr Christian Gachet)
The team has a particular interest in the identification and characterization of the platelet nucleotide receptors.
The adenine nucleotides ADP and ATP play a fundamental role in the activation of blood platelets and in arterial thrombosis. Stored at high concentration in specific granules, they are secreted when platelets are activated through contact with the injured vessel wall.
Studies to date have enabled the establishment of a model whereby three nucleotide receptors are responsible for platelet activation, each of these receptors being a potential target for antithrombotic drugs. Two receptors coupled to G proteins, P2Y1 and P2Y12, activated by ADP and the ion channel P2X1, triggered by ATP, contribute to the activation of platelets and the formation and extension of thrombosis. The P2Y12 receptor is the molecular target of clopidogrel (Plavix®), one of the most commonly prescribed antiplatelet agents. Murine lines deficient in these different receptors exist and have been used in combination with pharmacological approaches to characterize their function and interest as targets for antithrombotic drugs.
 IMAGE : Inhibition of platelet aggregation by selective P2Y antagonists |
The aims of the team are to pursue the evaluation of these receptors as targets for new drugs and to investigate their roles in atherosclerosis and angiogenesis. In more general terms, this implies study of the physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology of platelet receptors.
