ORIGINAL ARTICLE

High cystine in platelets from patients with nephropathic cystinosis: a chemical, ultrastructural, and functional evaluation

L Olcay¹, E Erdemli², M Kesimer³, Y Büyükak⁴, H Okur⁵, H S Kalkanolu³, T Cokun³ and Ç Altay⁵

¹ Section of Paediatric Haematology, Ankara Oncology Hospital, Demetevler, 06200, Ankara, Turkey
² Department of Histology-Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara University, 06100, Ankara, Turkey
³ Section of Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100, Ankara, Turkey
⁴ Section of Haematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University
⁵ Section of Paediatric Haematology, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr L Olcay
Salk 1 Sok. No:10/10, 06410 Shhye, Ankara, Turkey; laleolcay{at}hotmail.com

Aim: To investigate the morphology and function of platelets in nephropathic cystinosis (NC).

Methods: Seven patients (mean age, 6.5 years; SD, 20 months) with NC were investigated. Their platelets were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the characteristics of the dense granules (DGs) were determined by mepacrine labelling and the uranaffin reaction. Bleeding time, turbidometric aggregation, and luminescence aggregation were studied and intraplatelet cystine was measured.

Results: Increased intraplatelet cystine, primary and secondary aggregation defects, and the absence of ATP release were demonstrated. TEM revealed DGs of various shapes and sizes and lamellary or amorphous cytoplasmic inclusions. Viscous material had been released into the vacuolar spaces and enlarged open canalicular system. Mepacrine labelling revealed that the numbers of DGs/platelet were comparable between the patients and the controls (mean, 2.9 (SD, 0.22) v 3.32 (0.18); p = 0.34). The uranaffin reaction revealed that the numbers of type 1, 3, and 4 DGs were comparable between the patients and the controls, but that there were fewer type 2 DGs in the patients (mean, 8.5 (SD, 1.95) v 17.22 (1.58); p = 0.01). TEM for platelet aggregation revealed a lack of induction and/or defective execution and/or delayed transmission. The patients’ intraplatelet cystine concentrations were higher than the controls (mean, 1.56 (SD, 0.84) v 0.08 (0.01) nmol/mg protein; p = 0.009).

Conclusions: This is the first report to demonstrate raised intraplatelet cystine, abnormal platelet ultrastructural findings, and defective aggregation in NC.

Abbreviations: CRF, chronic renal failure; DG, dense granule; NC, nephropathic cystinosis; PPP, platelet poor plasma; PRP, platelet rich plasma; -SPD, delta storage pool disease; TEM, transmission electron microscopy

Keywords: cystinosis; aspirin-like platelet defect; platelet ultrastructure

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