Vascular endothelial cell expression of JAK2^V617F is sufficient to promote a pro-thrombotic state due to increased P-selectin expression

Abstract

Thrombosis is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with JAK2^V617F myeloproliferative neoplasms. Recent studies have reported the presence of JAK2^V617F in endothelial cells of some patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. We investigated the role of endothelial cells that express JAK2^V617F in thrombus formation using an <i>in vitro</i> model of human endothelial cells overexpressing JAK2^V617F and an <i>in vivo</i> model of mice with endothelial-specific JAK2^V617F expression. Interestingly, these mice displayed a higher propensity for thrombus. When deciphering the mechanisms by which JAK2^V617F-expressing endothelial cells promote thrombosis, we observed that they have a pro-adhesive phenotype associated with increased endothelial P-selectin exposure, secondary to degranulation of Weibel-Palade bodies. We demonstrated that P-selectin blockade was sufficient to reduce the increased propensity of thrombosis. Moreover, treatment with hydroxyurea also reduced thrombosis and decreased the pathological interaction between leukocytes and JAK2^V617F-expressing endothelial cells through direct reduction of endothelial P-selectin expression. Taken together, our data provide evidence that JAK2^V617F-expressing endothelial cells promote thrombosis through induction of endothelial P-selectin expression, which can be reversed by hydroxyurea. Our findings increase our understanding of thrombosis in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms, at least those with JAK2^V617F-positive endothelial cells, and highlight a new role for hydroxyurea. This novel finding provides the proof of concept that an acquired genetic mutation can affect the pro-thrombotic nature of endothelial cells, suggesting that other mutations in endothelial cells could be causal in thrombotic disorders of unknown cause, which account for 50% of recurrent venous thromboses.