Thromb Haemost 2012; 107(05): 815-826
DOI: 10.1160/TH11-11-0766
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH

Is EPCR a multi-ligand receptor? Pros and cons

Ramón Montes
1   Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Laboratory of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Centre for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
,
Cristina Puy
1   Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Laboratory of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Centre for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
,
Eva Molina
1   Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Laboratory of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Centre for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
,
José Hermida
1   Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Laboratory of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Centre for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
› Author Affiliations

Financial support: The authors’ work is supported through the Unión Temporal de Empresas project CIMA and by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI08/1349, PI10/01432 and Red Temática de Investigación RECAVA RD06/0014/0008) and Health Department, Gobierno de Navarra (15/09).
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 07 November 2011

Accepted after major revision: 05 January 2012

Publication Date:
25 November 2017 (online)

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Summary

In the last decade, the endothelial cell protein C/activated protein C receptor (EPCR) has received considerable attention. The role initially attributed to EPCR, i.e. the enhancement of protein C (PC) activation by the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex on the surface of the large vessels, although important, did not go beyond the haemostasis scenario. However, the discovery of the cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic features of the activated PC (APC) and the required involvement of EPCR for APC to exert such actions did place the receptor in a privileged position in the crosstalk between coagulation and inflammation. The last five years have shown that PC/APC are not the only molecules able to interact with EPCR. Factor VII/VIIa (FVII/VIIa) and factor Xa (FXa), two other serine proteases that play a central role in haemostasis and are also involved in signalling processes influencing wound healing, tissue remodelling, inflammation or metastasis, have been reported to bind to EPCR. These observations have paved the way for an exploration of unsuspected new roles for the receptor. This review aims to offer a new image of EPCR in the light of its extended panel of ligands. A brief update of what is known about the APC-evoked EPCR-dependent cell signalling mechanisms is provided, but special care has been taken to assemble all the information available about the interaction of EPCR with FVII/VIIa and FXa.

Present address: Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.