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Ananya Gupta: How Platelets and Megakaryocytes Remodel the Lung Matrix After Injury
Ananya Gupta/LinkedIn
Mar 22, 2026, 12:38

Ananya Gupta: How Platelets and Megakaryocytes Remodel the Lung Matrix After Injury

Ananya Gupta, Senior Scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, posted on LinkedIn about a recent article she and her colleagues co-authored, adding:

”Publication alert:

When the lungs are injured, one of the body’s first responses is to remodel the surrounding support structure, known as the extracellular matrix.

Although megakaryocytes and platelets are best known for helping blood clot, their role in shaping this matrix during lung injury has been less understood. Using advanced imaging and protein‑analysis techniques, the Lee lab has discovered that these cells release a protein called thrombospondin‑1 (TSP1) that helps protect the lungs.

Mice engineered to lack TSP1 in these cells showed more severe damage, including greater leakage in the air sacs and heightened injury driven by neutrophils, a type of immune cell. These mice also displayed major changes in matrix organization, particularly a loss of an important basement‑membrane protein, COL6A1. Additionally, more megakaryocytes accumulated in areas with collagen buildup and lung leak.

Overall, our findings show that platelet‑derived TSP1 is crucial for stabilizing lung structure and limiting injury severity.

Happy reading!!”

Title: Megakaryocyte and platelet thrombospondin-1regulates matrix remodeling by stabilizing basement membrane COL6A1 in lung injury

Authors: Hernán F. Peñaloza, Atish Gheware, Ananya Gupta, Donovan Watza, Anupam Kumari, Shekina Gonzalez-Ferrer, Zeyu Xiong, Xingan Wang, Gregory Gibson, Pooja Bhojraj, Rickvan der Geest, Jae-Sung Kim, Bo-Ram Jin, Mélia Magnen, William G. Bain, Mohammadreza Tabary, Liwen Zhang, Arpad Somogy, Tomasz Kaminski, Prithu Sundd, Kyunghee Choi, Anuradha Ray, Prabir Ray, Rama K. Mallampalli, Sebastien Gingras, Matthew R. Rosengart, Mark R. Looney, Jonathan K. Alder, Jaehyung Cho, Claudette St. Croix, Janet S. Lee

Read the Full Article on Nature Communications 

Ananya Gupta: How Platelets and Megakaryocytes Remodel the Lung Matrix After Injury

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Acute Lung Injury Ananya Gupta Anupam Kumari Anuradha Ray Arpad Somogy Atish Gheware Bo-Ram Jin Claudette St. Croix COL6A1 Donovan Watza Gregory Gibson Health Hematology Hemostasis Hemostasis Today Hernán F. Peñaloza Jae-Sung Kim Jaehyung Cho Janet S. Lee Jonathan K. Alder Kyunghee Choi Liwen Zhang Lung Injury Lung Repair Mark R. Looney Matrix Remodelling Matthew R. Rosengart Medicine Mélia Magnen Mohammadreza Tabary platelets Pooja Bhojraj Prabir Ray Prithu Sundd Rama K. Mallampalli Rickvan der Geest Sebastien Gingras Shekina Gonzalez-Ferrer thrombosis Tomasz Kaminski TSP1 Washington University in St. Louis William G. Bain Xingan Wang Zeyu Xiong
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