Gene expression profile in platelets of mouse regulated by Smad4 gene

Mutations of SMAD family member 4 (Smad4) gene caused Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT). It was believed that bleeding disorders were caused by arteriovenous malformation in this syndrome. Although several studies indicated dysfunction of platelets from HHT patient, the role(s) of smad4 in platelet function has not been examined. In this study, using megakaryocyte/platelet-specific Smad4-deficient mice, we investigated the physiological function of Smad4 in platelet activation and the underlying mechanism. Microarray data demonstrated that the level of mRNA for multiple genes changed in Smad4 deficient platelet. For microarray analysis, total mRNA was extracted from washed platelets from Smad4f/f or Smad4−/− mice (for each group, n=6). mRNA was labeled and hybridized to Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 chips according to manufacturer's instructions (Affymetrix).