Articles |
IIbß3 (GPIIb-IIIa) Requires a Functional Actin Cytoskeleton
From the Divisions of Cardiology and Hematology, Department of Medicine, and Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.
Correspondence to Pascal J. Goldschmidt-Clermont, Bernard Laboratory, Ross 1023, Johns Hopkins University, 720 Rutland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21287.
| Abstract |
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IIbß3 (glycoprotein [GP]
IIb-IIIa) to soluble fibrinogen requires that the receptor undergo a
conformational change (receptor activation), which occurs rapidly in
agonist-stimulated platelets. Agonist stimulation of platelets
also results in
IIbß3 recruitment from
intracellular membranes (
-granules and open
canalicular system) to the platelet surface. Once
activated and accessible, the receptor can engage, a process
that corresponds to the binding of the receptor to its soluble
fibrinogen ligand, leading to intracellular signaling reactions and
centripetal migration of bound receptor molecules. Because these
processes occur concurrently with a marked reorganization of the actin
cytoskeleton, we investigated the role of actin in fibrinogen receptor
activation and surface recruitment. We used a flow cytometric assay to
directly quantitate the binding of
IIbß3
to fluorescently labeled fibrinogen on the platelet
surface. Cytochalasin D, which inhibits elongation of actin filaments,
was used to prevent the actin response to platelet agonists.
Despite its ability to inhibit the actin response and
IIbß3 binding to the actin cytoskeleton,
cytochalasin D did not alter the agonist-induced intramolecular changes
resulting in increased affinity of
IIbß3
for soluble fibrinogen and therefore did not inhibit ADP-induced
aggregation. Thus, disruption of the actin network with cytochalasin D
had no effect on the dissociation constant of the complex between
activated
IIbß3 and fibrinogen
(Kd=0.26 to 0.28 µmol/L). However, cytochalasin D
suppressed the recruitment of cryptic
IIbß3 molecules to the platelet
surface. While the physiological consequence of
exposing additional
IIbß3 molecules on the
surface of platelets is unclear, it is tempting to speculate that
this process plays an important role in consolidating
intra-arterial platelet thrombi, despite the shear
strain generated by the arterial blood flow.
Key Words: cytoskeleton integrin actin fibrinogen receptor platelets
| Introduction |
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IIbß3 exists in four different states:
resting, occupied (bound to fibrinogen), activated
(agonist-induced conformational change), and engaged (activated
and occupied).1 2 3 4 Activated
IIbß3 corresponds to the conformation of
the receptor whose affinity for fibrinogen in solution is markedly
increased.2 In addition,
IIbß3 can be found in two different
compartments relative to extracellular ligands (exposed to ligands, or
cryptic, that is, not accessible to extracellular
ligands).5 6 The switch from cryptic to exposed is
referred to as recruitment or outward translocation of the receptor.
Centripetal (inward) migration of receptor molecules also occurs upon
fibrinogen binding.
Activation, engagement, and surface recruitment of
IIbß3 occur concurrently with
agonist-induced actin polymerization.7 8 However, not
all aspects of the processing of the fibrinogen receptor require the
actin response and associated cell shape changes. Activation of the
fibrinogen receptor, which is necessary for aggregation, does not
appear to require actin polymerization. Despite the fact that several
laboratories (including ours9 ) have shown that key
tyrosine kinase substrates, whose phosphorylation
correlates with
IIbß3 activation,
correspond to proteins that have been linked to the organization of the
actin superstructure, the actin cytoskeleton does not appear to be
required for platelet aggregation ex vivo.10 In
contrast to receptor activation for which actin polymerization is not
necessary, the actin response is needed to mediate "outside-in"
signals resulting from the binding of fibrinogen to its
activated receptor (integrin
IIbß3
engagement).1 3 4
Aggregation assays do not measure fibrinogen receptor recruitment
because the fraction of receptor molecules that are constitutively
present on the plasma membrane of platelets appears to be
sufficient to allow for platelet aggregation ex vivo. A recent
study indicated that the cellular fraction of
IIbß3 present in the membrane of
-granules becomes physically bound to the actin cytoskeleton upon
thrombin activation of platelets,11 thus suggesting
that the actin cytoskeleton may play an important role in
IIbß3 recruitment. An intriguing finding
of the report of Bertagnolli and Beckerle11 is the fact
that in contrast with previous studies,12 13 binding of
internal or cryptic
IIbß3 to the actin
cytoskeleton occurred in activated but not aggregated
platelets.
For the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the actin cytoskeleton reorganization after agonist stimulation is required for the exposure of fibrinogen receptor molecules that are cryptic in resting platelets. We used CytoD to inhibit actin polymerization.14 We studied the changes in fibrinogen binding to the platelet surface induced by activation of the platelet purinergic receptor (P2Y) with ADP by using a flow cytometric assay.15 The assay quantitates the binding of fluorescently labeled fibrinogen molecules to the surface of platelets.15
While we confirm that the actin polymerization in response to ADP is
not necessary for the activation of
IIbß3
and consequently for platelet aggregation in vitro, we demonstrate
that a functional actin cytoskeleton is necessary for surface
recruitment of the fibrinogen receptor. Our data are consistent
with a mechanism whereby the actin network binds to a population of
cryptic
IIbß3 molecules and mediates the
recruitment of these receptor molecules to the platelet
surface.
| Methods |
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1 was from
Upstate Biology. The antiP-selectin (S12) and the
anti-
IIb (Tab) were the generous gift of
Rodger McEver (University of Oklahoma). Additional antibodies against
IIb (SZ-22), ß3 (SZ-21), and
IIbß3 (P2) were from Amac, Inc. The
antipan-actin monoclonal antibody (clone C4) was from ICN
Biomedicals, Inc. Horseradish peroxidaselabeled goat anti-rabbit and
goat anti-mouse IgG and FITC-labeled goat anti-mouse antibody were
obtained from Hyclone Laboratories. Protein concentrations were
measured on an EL 312e Bio-Kinetics Reader (Bio-Tek Instruments, Inc).
Platelet counts were obtained in a Coulter counter, model ZF
(Coulter Electronics, Inc) with 70-µm window aperture.
Platelet Preparation and Processing
PRP was obtained by centrifugation of normal
donor's blood at 180g for 15 minutes.9 For
aggregation assay, platelets were suspended at a concentration of
3x108 mL-1. "Washed" platelets were
obtained by centrifugation (750g for 10
minutes) in the presence of PGE1 (1 µmol/L); the pellets
were gently rinsed with Tyrode's solution (138 mmol/L NaCl, 2.9 mmol/L
KCl, 12 mmol/L NaHCO2, 0.36 mmol/L
Na2HPO4, 5.5 mmol/L glucose, 1.8 mmol/L
CaCl2, 0.49 mmol/L MgCl2, pH 7.4)
and were eventually resuspended in Tyrode's solution without
PGE1 at 107 cells/mL-1 for flow
cytometry assay and 109 cells/mL-1 for
biochemical assays.9
Platelets were treated with CytoD (10 µmol/L) for 30 minutes to
generate maximal inhibition of actin polymerization.14
CytoD was diluted in DMSO and was added to either PRP or washed
platelets in such a way that the DMSO represents
0.1% of
the total sample volume. Keeping the DMSO concentration low was
necessary because DMSO by itself can inhibit platelet aggregation
if it represents >1% of the total sample volume (data not
shown).
Three concentrations of ADP were used to activate the platelet purinergic receptor: 1 µmol/L, 2 µmol/L, and 20 µmol/L (the latter concentration is saturating). For some experiments, TRAP (stock solution in deionized water, 5.4 mmol/L) was used as a strong agonist to provide maximal fibrinogen binding to platelets (final concentration, 54 µmol/L).
Assay for Binding of
IIbß3 to the
Actin Cytoskeleton
Binding of
IIbß3 to the actin
cytoskeleton was measured in platelet lysates. Briefly, control or
CytoD-treated (10 µmol/L for 30 minutes), resting or
ADP-activated (20 µmol/L for 15 minutes, at room temperature,
no stirring) platelets (109 cells) were lysed in
melting ice-cold buffer (L-buffer: 145 mmol/L NaCl, 0.1 mmol/L
MgCl2, 15 mmol/L HEPES, pH 7.0, 10 mmol/L EGTA, 1
mmol/L Na vanadate, 1.0% Triton X-100, and the protease
inhibitors AEBSF [1 mmol/L], leupeptin [50 mg/L],
chymostatin [25 mg/L], antipain [25 mg/L], and pepstatin [25
mg/L]). The extracts were centrifuged at 10 000g
for 10 minutes at 4°C. The supernatants were transferred to Beckman
polypropylene tubes (1 mL) and centrifuged at
100 000g for 30 minutes at 4°C. The 10 000g
pellets and 100 000g pellets were resuspended in SDS sample
nonreducing buffer (50 µL) and boiled. Aliquots (15 µL) for each
one of the two pellets and the final supernatant were analyzed
on SDSpolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western
blots16 17 developed with the antibodies SZ-21 and SZ-22
(1 µg/mL) and horseradish peroxidaselabeled goat anti-mouse IgGs (2
µg/mL), by use of the enhanced chemiluminescence technique (Amersham
Corp).18 Densitometry was used for quantitation of the
bands on chemiluminograms (Hewlett Packard Scanjet
IIC).18
Quantitation of Filamentous Actin
To measure F-actin, phalloidin (5 µmol/L) was added to
L-buffer to stabilize actin polymers present in the platelets
at the time of lysis. Extracts were centrifuged at
100 000g for 30 minutes; pellets then were resuspended in
SDS sample buffer and analyzed on Western
blots.16 17 The concentration of F-actin within the
various samples was determined by densitometric analysis of the
single reactive band corresponding to actin on blots developed with the
antiactin monoclonal antibody C4.18
Immunohistochemistry
Platelets (2.5x106 cells in 120 µL)
were loaded onto collagen-coated coverslips with and without
pretreatment with CytoD.9 Activation was with 20 µmol/L
ADP for 15 minutes at room temperature (no stirring). After 15 minutes
on coverslips, the platelets were fixed with formaldehyde (3.7%)
in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Fixed platelets were
stained9 with the anti-ß3 monoclonal
antibody SZ-21 (2 µg/mL, 1 hour at 22°C) and an FITC-labeled goat
anti-mouse secondary antibody (5 µg/mL, 1 hour at 22°C). The
coverslips were mounted onto glass slides with use of Vectashield
mounting medium (Vector Laboratories), and photomicrographs of
representative fields were obtained by use of a Zeiss
microscope and Kodak Ektachrome 400X film. Controls for specificity
included omitting the first antibody or replacing the first antibody
with the anti-PLC
1, which is a cytoplasmic protein not expected to
be detected on the surface of intact platelets. This assay also was
used to rule out the presence of aggregates in experiments in which
ADP-activated platelets were not stirred.
Platelet Aggregation Assay
Platelet aggregation in PRP was induced by adding ADP to
stirred (103 rpm) platelets at 37°C and recorded
on a single-channel light densitometer (Chronolog).9
Aggregation also was performed on washed platelets resuspended in
Tyrode's solution supplemented with fibrinogen (10 µmol/L).
Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting
Assays
FITC-Fibrinogen Flow Cytometry Assay
This assay is based on the unique ability of activated
IIbß3 to bind fibrinogen in solution on
the surface of activated platelets. Labeling of fibrinogen with
FITC, quantitation of fibrinogen in solution, and determination of the
fluorescein to fibrinogen ratio were performed as reported
previously.15 Each sample (500 µL in a plastic tube)
contained washed platelets in Tyrode's solution (107
cells/mL-1) supplemented with FITC-fibrinogen (0.3
µmol/L) with or without cytochalasin (10 µmol/L). After 30-minute
incubation, platelets were activated with ADP (various
concentrations, see "Results") for 15 minutes unless otherwise
indicated (in Tyrode's solution at room temperature). Samples were
analyzed in a Fluorescence Activated Cell
Sorter (FACScan, Becton Dickinson) that was calibrated daily for
fluorescence with Cytofluor fluorescent
beads.15 Data acquisition and processing from
104 cells were carried out on a Hewlett Packard computer
using FACSCAN Research Software (Version B). The median
channel number was used as the measure of platelet
fluorescence intensity,15 which was compared with
a standard curve to calculate the number of FITC
molecules.15 With this number and the known
fluorescein to fibrinogen ratio, we were able to determine
the number of FITC-fibrinogen molecules bound per platelet:
FITC-fibrinogen per platelet=fluorescein equivalents
per platelet/fluorescein equivalents per fibrinogen
molecule.15
Flow Cytometry Assay for
Iibß3
Indirect immunofluorescence was used to
detect
IIbß3 molecules on the surface of
resting and activated platelets. P2 is a monoclonal
antibody that recognizes specifically an extracellular epitope of the
IIbß3 complex, whereas Tab is a
monoclonal antibody specific for an extracellular domain of the GPIIb
subunit. Platelets were incubated with and without CytoD as
described above for 30 minutes, activated with ADP for 15
minutes, and fixed by adding formaldehyde (3.7%) to the platelet
suspension for 30 minutes. Fixed platelets were washed once in
Tyrode's solution by spinning the cells at 1200 rpm in a Beckman GPR
centrifuge equipped with a GH-3.7 rotor for 10 minutes and
resuspended in 1 mL of Tyrode's solution. The primary antibody was
added (1 µg/mL-1) for 30 minutes, and the secondary
antibody, FITC-labeled goat anti-mouse (5 µg mL-1), then
was added for another 30 minutes. Antibody binding was measured by
FACScan analysis, with FITC beads used as standards. Controls
for background included omitting the primary antibody or using a
monoclonal against PLC
1.
Flow Cytometry Assay for P-Selectin
A similar assay was used to quantitate the expression of
P-selectin on the surface of platelets before and after agonist
stimulation in the presence and the absence of CytoD. The antibody S12,
a monoclonal antibody directed against the extracellular portion of
P-selectin on the surface of activated platelets, was used
as primary antibody. Controls included omitting the first antibody or
using anti-PLC
1 as primary antibody.
| Results |
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IIbß3
Association With the Actin Cytoskeleton
IIbß3 that cosedimented with the Triton
X-100insoluble 104g pellet was observed: 12%
of total
IIbß3 in resting platelets
versus 31% in cells activated with 20 µmol/L ADP. CytoD
efficiently blocked both actin polymerization and
IIbß3 association with the actin
cytoskeleton.8 19
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CytoD Inhibits Platelet Morphological Changes
We also confirmed the ability of CytoD to inhibit coarse
platelet morphological changes induced by agonists, collagen, and
ADP.8 19 20 Platelets loaded on a collagen-coated
surface displayed cellular extensions corresponding to lamellipodia and
a few fillopodia (Fig 2
). The addition of ADP led to
further amplification of the same morphological changes. In the
presence of CytoD, the platelets were able to adhere to the
coverslip but did not display changes in cell shape detectable by light
microscopy.
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Effect of Actin Cytoskeleton Disruption on Platelet
Aggregation
Despite the ability of 10 µmol/L CytoD to suppress efficiently
actin polymerization,
IIbß3 association
with the actin cytoskeleton, and coarse morphological changes resulting
from agonist-induced actin cytoskeleton response, aggregation induced
ex vivo by either 2 µmol/L or 20 µmol/L ADP was not decreased by
CytoD pretreatment (Fig 3
).10 If anything,
aggregation induced by 2 µmol/L ADP was more extensive in the
presence of CytoD than without the actin inhibitor. Because
plasma proteins could have antagonized the inhibitory
effect of CytoD on platelet aggregation, aggregation also was
performed using washed platelets resuspended in Tyrode's solution
containing purified fibrinogen (10 µmol/L). CytoD (10 µmol/L) did
not detectably affect platelet aggregation of washed platelets
resuspended in the presence of fibrinogen (data not shown). These data
indicate that inhibition of the reorganization of the actin
cytoskeleton does not appear to affect platelet aggregation under
our standard assay, ex vivo conditions.
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Actin Inhibition and Fibrinogen Binding to the Platelet
Surface
Aggregometry measures the clustering of platelets. Such
clustering depends on the intercellular bridging of multiple
platelets, mediated by
IIbß3
activation and binding of fibrinogen to its receptor on the surface of
adjacent platelets. However, aggregation does not measure directly
the binding of fibrinogen to
IIbß3 because
fibrinogen binding to its receptor can occur in the absence of
aggregation. Therefore, we sought to achieve a more specific and
sensitive measure of this ligand-receptor interaction. We used our
FITC-fibrinogen flow cytometry assay15 to measure the
effect of CytoD on the number of fibrinogen molecules capable of
binding to resting and activated platelets.
CytoD reduced the number of FITC-fibrinogen binding sites on the
surface of platelets activated with saturating
concentrations of ADP (Fig 4
). When platelets were
stimulated with 20 µmol/L ADP, CytoD decreased the number of bound
FITC-fibrinogen molecules per platelet by nearly 60%. In the
presence of a submaximal ADP concentration (1 µmol/L), CytoD had no
detectable effect on fibrinogen binding, supporting the concept that
actin inhibition did not directly affect the molecular mechanism
leading to
IIbß3 activation but instead
limited the extent of
IIbß3
recruitment.
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Accordingly, when FITC-fibrinogen binding was measured as a function of
the concentration of ADP, the main effect of CytoD was to reduce the
level at which the binding plateaued (Fig 5a
). Because
ADP is not the strongest agonist for platelets, we used TRAP (54
µmol/L) to attempt to overcome the CytoD inhibitory
effect on FITC-fibrinogen binding. While TRAP induced more
FITC-fibrinogen binding to activated platelets than 20
µmol/L ADP, CytoD inhibition of fibrinogen-receptor recruitment was
not overcome by activation of the thrombin receptor (Fig 5a
).
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To conclude that the reduced binding of fibrinogen to the surface of maximally activated platelets with ADP (or TRAP) induced by CytoD was due to reduced receptor recruitment, we had to exclude two alternative mechanisms: (1) that a lower affinity (increased dissociation constant [Kd]) of fibrinogen for its receptor was induced by CytoD or (2) that the presence of CytoD resulted in marked slowing of the activation rate of the receptor.
We measured the dissociation constant (Kd) for the binding
of FITC-fibrinogen to the surface of activated platelets in
the presence and the absence of CytoD pretreatment (Scatchard plot, Fig 5b
). While CytoD reduced by half the number of binding sites for
FITC-fibrinogen (Fig 5b
, x-intersect), we could not detect
any change in the Kd of the complex between
IIbß3 and FITC-fibrinogen resulting from
actin disruption (0.28 versus 0.26 µmol/L). Therefore, it is unlikely
that the effect of CytoD on fibrinogen binding was mediated by a change
in receptor affinity.
We next tested the possibility that CytoD slowed the rate of
IIbß3 activation. FITC-fibrinogen binding
to the platelet surface was tested at three time points (15, 30,
and 45 minutes), either in the absence of agonist or in the presence of
1 µmol/L or 20 µmol/L ADP. If CytoD acted to slow the
IIbß3 activation rate, we reasoned that
the amount of fibrinogen binding to CytoD-treated platelets should
approach that of the controls over the time course of this experiment.
However, there was no significant change in FITC-fibrinogen binding
beyond 15 minutes of incubation with or without ADP or CytoD
treatments, indicating that actin inhibition did not merely retard
activation of the fibrinogen receptor (data not shown).
Effect of Actin Inhibition on
IIbß3
Detection on the Surface of Platelets
To further support that CytoD impaired fibrinogen receptor
recruitment to the platelet surface, where it becomes accessible to
extracellular ligands, we measured the effect of CytoD on
IIbß3 expression on the surface of
platelets, using antibodies specific for this integrin. It was
previously reported that the number of
IIbß3 molecules detectable on the surface
of activated platelets increases twofold to threefold upon
platelet activation, although this increase varied with the type of
agonist used.6
With 20 µmol/L ADP, the number of
IIbß3
molecules expressed on the platelet surface nearly doubled.
However, no detectable increase in
IIbß3
expression was observed when cells were pretreated with CytoD (Fig 6
). Similar results were obtained independent of the
type of anti-
IIbß3 antibody used in these
experiments (anti-
IIbß3 complex versus
anti-
IIb). The extent of CytoD-inhibition of
IIbß3 recruitment to the cell surface was
sufficient to account for the reduction in FITC-fibrinogen binding to
activated platelets induced by CytoD (compare Fig 4
and Fig 6
).
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Effect of Actin Inhibition on
-Granule Secretion
These data suggest that an intact actin superstructure is
necessary for the recruitment to the platelet surface of
IIbß3 in response to ADP. The
intracellular sites from which this cryptic pool of
IIbß3 arises could consist of
-granules
and the OCS.5 However, ADP is generally considered a weak
platelet agonist that causes shape change and aggregation but weak
granule secretion.21 22 Therefore, the membrane of the OCS
represented the most likely source of recruited
IIbß3 molecules. Nevertheless, to rule out
a contribution of the
-granule pool to the observed increase in
cytoskeleton-mediated
IIbß3 surface
expression, we measured the effect of CytoD on
-granule secretion.
We used the expression of P-selectin on the surface of
activated platelets as a marker for
-granule
translocation to and fusion with the plasma membrane. As
reported,21 22 platelets activated with ADP
demonstrated only a relatively small increase in cell surface
expression of P-selectin compared with cells stimulated with thrombin
(Fig 7
). Treatment with CytoD did not block P-selectin
expression, and, if anything, P-selectin expression triggered by ADP
was increased in the presence of CytoD. These experiments indicate that
the inhibitory effect of CytoD on
IIbß3 surface expression is unlikely to
involve
-granule secretion in our system.
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Because the increased P-selectin expression in the presence of CytoD
could have resulted from nonspecific alteration of platelet
membrane, we tested the integrity of our CytoD-treated platelets by
using a monoclonal antibody directed toward an intracellular antigen,
PLC
1, which is not expressed on the surface of platelets. The
fluorescent signal corresponding to PLC
1 did not exceed
background level and was not affected by CytoD treatment or ADP
activation (data not shown).
| Discussion |
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IIbß3 binding to the actin cytoskeleton.
As a result, the externalization of the OCS fails, a process that is
necessary to the unmasking of cryptic
IIbß3 in response to ADP.
The physiological maintenance of normal
hemostasis and the pathological development of an
intracoronary thrombus require platelet aggregation and
formation of a platelet plug at the site of vessel injury. Several
rapid events occur upon platelet stimulation by an agonist,
including a remarkable change in platelet shape that requires
polymerization of actin and fibrinogen binding to the
IIbß3 receptor. The present study
provides evidence linking these two events and indicates that as much
as half of the total amount of platelet
IIbß3 normally present on the surface
of maximally activated platelets was lacking in the
presence of CytoD. Our data are consistent with receptor
molecules being sequestered within the membranes of the OCS in
CytoD-treated cells. In this cryptic site,
IIbß3 is not accessible to fibrinogen or
to antibodies used for our study5 and requires a
functional actin cytoskeleton in order to be translocated to the
platelet surface.
Previous studies on spread platelets using colloidal gold-labeled
fibrinogen and electron microscopy have shown that the centripetal
movement of
IIbß3 triggered by ligand
binding is not blocked by cytochalasin B.23 Although this
result appears to be sensitive to experimental
conditions,24 it suggests that, unlike for surface
recruitment, bound receptor molecules undergoing centripetal migration
can use the residual actin cytoskeleton of cytochalasin-treated
platelets or a microtubular system instead of the actin
cytoskeleton. Actually, bound receptor translocation to the open
canalicular system at the center of spread
platelets might even be enhanced by the effect of cytochalasin B on
the platelet actin cytoskeleton.23 Previous studies
have indicated that the open canalicular system
functions as "a two-way street"25 for fibrinogen
receptor molecules in such a way that
IIbß3 molecules migrate both inward and
outward (OCS externalization), but only the externalization of the OCS
is blocked by cytochalasins. Inhibition of
IIbß3 outward migration accompanying OCS
externalization is supported by our results showing reduced binding of
FITC-fibrinogen and anti-
IIbß3 antibodies
to the surface of CytoD-treated platelets. Thus, the apparent
increase in receptor migration to the cell center23 may
result in part from inhibition of further OCS externalization.
Externalization of
IIbß3 appears to
require binding to the actin cytoskeleton, although the precise
conditions leading to binding remain controversial. We confirmed the
finding of Bertagnolli and Beckerle11 that association of
IIbß3 with the Triton X-100insoluble
pellet can be observed in unstirred, unaggregated, agonist-stimulated
platelets. However, in contrast with the latter study, in which the
source of cryptic
IIbß3 appeared to
correspond to
-granules, our data suggest that the source of cryptic
receptor molecules corresponds to the OCS. This conclusion is based on
the inability of CytoD to reduce the limited
-granule secretion
induced by ADP at concentrations that blocked
IIbß3 recruitment. It is possible that the
discrepancy between our data and those provided by Bertagnolli and
Beckerle11 results from the fact that they have used the
stronger secretion agonist thrombin in their experiments.
Platelet activation results in a shift of actin subunits from the monomeric pool to the filamentous pool. The mechanism leading to actin polymerization is not fully characterized but must involve the generation of an excess of actin monomers over the critical concentration of the filament ends.7 26 This could be achieved by lowering the critical concentration of actin through the uncapping of filament barbed ends and/or the generation of new barbed ends by severing or nucleating filaments.8 Lowering the actin critical concentration also could result from increasing the concentration of free, polymerization-competent, ATP-bound actin subunits or a combination thereof.26 27 Actin polymerization is necessary to allow the substantial changes in cell shape that occur upon platelet activation, and it is known that addition of CytoD to platelets prevents shape changes after addition of agonists.7 8 19 20
Integrins participate in protein complexes whose stability is regulated
by the small GTP-binding protein Rho28 29 and
represent the membrane anchorage site for actin
filaments.30 While integrins are usually not believed to
bind directly to actin filaments, Bertagnolli and
Beckerle11 have reported that in
thrombin-activated platelets, a subpopulation of
IIbß3 (22% of total cellular
IIbß3) establishes a strong, direct
interaction with the actin cytoskeleton. The molecular link that seals
this complex is not yet characterized, and it is not clear to which
extent this direct interaction is regulated by small GTP-binding
proteins of the Rho family.
Like the ß2 integrins,
IIbß3
must be activated in order to bind to its ligand in
solution.2 31 The mechanism of activation is divalent
cation dependent and presumably involves a conformational change in the
IIbß3 molecule.2 Our data do
not support an active role of actin in the intramolecular isomerization
of
IIbß3 because platelet aggregation
was not inhibited by CytoD treatment, and FITC-fibrinogen binding to
platelet surface in response to 1 µmol/L ADP was not affected by
CytoD. However, a competent actin cytoskeleton was required for the
recruitment of cryptic
IIbß3 in response
to ADP and more specifically, the
IIbß3
subpopulation, which is stored in the membrane of the OCS.
Recent evidence suggested that the cross-linking of two
IIbß3 molecules by fibrinogen on the
surface of a platelet generates intracellular signals and in
particular the activation of a tyrosine kinase pathway.1 4
Thus, it is possible that a mechanism of positive reinforcement exists
whereby agonist activation of
IIbß3 leads
to the stimulation of tyrosine kinases within target platelets.
Tyrosine kinase pathways represent key regulators of the actin
cytoskeleton32 33 and may be controlling the actin
reorganization after agonist activation of platelets. Actin
reorganization leading to shape change and extroversion on the OCS
provides additional
IIbß3 molecules. New
binding sites for fibrinogen may in turn induce increased outside-in
signals and therefore generate a positive feedback mechanism for this
process.1
Several important questions are raised by our study and are
presently being investigated in our laboratory. (1) What is the
role for platelet adhesion and aggregation in vivo of the
subpopulation of
IIbß3 (
50% of total)
that requires an intact actin response for expression on the surface of
activated platelets? Aggregation ex vivo does not require
the participation of this cryptic fraction of
IIbß3 molecules. However, one may
speculate that aggregation ex vivo might require these additional
binding sites for fibrinogen to consolidate a forming thrombus,
particularly in arterial vessels in which shear forces are
stringent. (2) Our data indicate that the actin network does not
contribute to the initial intramolecular changes that convert
IIbß3 into a receptor capable of binding
soluble fibrinogen (Kd, 0.26 µM). Thus, if
interaction with actin is not needed, what are the "activating"
factors involved in this process? (3) The actin cytoskeleton is
necessary to generate outside-in signals in response to fibrinogen
binding to its receptor. In turn, does tyrosine
phosphorylation in response to fibrinogen cross-linking
of
IIbß3 promote the reorganization of the
actin cytoskeleton leading to the translocation of cryptic
IIbß3 molecules to the platelet
surface? While occupancy of the
IIbß3
receptor by the peptide Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser does not alter the actin
reorganization in activated platelets,34 it is
possible that intracellular
IIbß3 receptor
cross-linking by fibrinogen, which induces a tyrosine kinase
response,1 3 4 modulates the structure of the actin
network.
| Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
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| Acknowledgments |
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Received July 25, 1994; accepted June 22, 1995.
| References |
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IIbß3 stimulates tyrosine
phosphorylation of novel protein substrates before
phosphorylation of pp125FAK.
J Cell Biol. 1993;122:473-481.
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