Stimulus-response coupling in a cell-free platelet membrane system. GTP-dependent release of Ca2+ by thrombin, and inhibition by pertussis toxin and a monoclonal antibody that blocks calcium release by IP3

The Ca2+-mobilizing action of thrombin was demonstrated in a cell-free platelet membrane system consisting of open sheets of plasma membrane plus sealed membrane vesicles that accumulate Ca2+ and release Ca2+ in response to IP3. Thrombin plus GTP, acting on plasma membrane (not vesicles), produced a soluble factor (destroyed by alkaline phosphatase) that released Ca2+ from the vesicles. This effect of thrombin/GTP was blocked by a monoclonal antibody that binds to vesicles and prevents Ca2+ release by IP3. Pertussis toxin plus NAD ADP-ribosylated plasma membrane polypeptides of 39 and 41 kDa and blocked Ca2+ release by thrombin/GTP, but not by IP3.

Regulation of intracellular pH in human platelets. Effects of thrombin, A23187, and ionomycin and evidence for activation of Na+/H+ exchange and its inhibition by amiloride analogs

Intracellular pH (pHi) of human platelets was measured with the fluorescent dye 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)5,6-carboxyfluorescein under various conditions. Stimulation by thrombin at 23 degrees C caused a biphasic change in pHi (initial pHi 7.09); a rapid fall of 0.01-0.04 units (correlated with the rise of [Ca2+]i measured with quin2) followed after 10-15 s by a sustained rise of 0.1-0.15 units pHi. The fall of pHi and [Ca2+]i mobilization was reduced by early (5 s) addition of hirudin, but the later elevated pHi was not reversed by hirudin added after 30 s, although this strips thrombin from receptors and rapidly returns [Ca2+]i to basal levels. In Na+-free medium, or in presence of the Na+/H+ antiport inhibitors, 5-(N,N-dimethyl)amiloride (DMA) or 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride (EIPA), thrombin caused a greater fall of pHi (0.22-0.26 units) that was sustained. DMA or EIPA could also reverse the alkalinization response to thrombin. Ca2+ ionophores (ionomycin, A23187) decreased platelet pHi by 0.02-0.15 units, but without an increase of pHi comparable to that following thrombin; DMA and EIPA enhanced the fall of pHi (0.14-0.33 units). Cytoplasmic acidification produced by nigericin (K+/H+ ionophore) was followed by return towards normal that was abolished by Na+/H+ antiport inhibitors. The phorbol diester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate had little effect on resting pHi but increased the rate of recovery 2-3-fold after cytoplasmic acidification by nigericin, ionomycin, or sodium propionate. These results indicate that elevation of [Ca2+]i by thrombin enhances H+ production, but the subsequent alkalinization is independent of receptor occupancy or elevated [Ca2+]i and stimulation of the Na+/H+ antiporter by thrombin probably involves some mechanism apart from regulation by H+ and protein kinase C.

Effects of thrombin, phorbol myristate acetate and prostaglandin D2 on 40-41 kDa protein that is ADP ribosylated by pertussis toxin in platelets

Intact platelets were stimulated with thrombin and the amount of GTP-binding protein (G-protein) oligomers was assessed by measuring ADP ribosylation of 40-41 kDa protein by pertussis toxin in isolated membranes. The toxin substrate fell by 57-62% in 10-60 s, but then returned towards normal over 5 min. Recovery was greatly enhanced by removal of thrombin from receptors with hirudin. Phorbol myristate acetate increased ADP-ribosylatable protein, but only back to initial levels prior to PMA. In contrast prostaglandin D2 plus theophylline (which increase cyclic AMP) did not increase ADP ribosylation, but could completely block the fall of the toxin substrate caused by thrombin. These results indicate that activation of thrombin receptors promotes the dissociation of G-protein oligomers to release free alpha-subunits, and this effect can be modulated by protein kinase C and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The possible relationships of these findings to the regulation of stimulus-response coupling in platelets is discussed.

Is a rise in intracellular concentration of free calcium necessary or sufficient for stimulated cytoskeletal-associated actin?

The addition of the calcium ionophore A23187 to rabbit neutrophils increases the amount of actin associated with the cytoskeleton regardless of the presence or absence of calcium in the incubation medium. In the presence of extracellular calcium, the effect of A23187 is biphasic with respect to concentration. The action of the ionophore is rapid, transient, and is inhibited by pertussis toxin, hyperosmolarity, and quinacrine. On the other hand, the addition of pertussis toxin or hyperosmolarity has small if any, effect on the rise in intracellular calcium produced by A23187. While quinacrine does not affect the fMet-Leu-Phe-induced increase in cytoskeletal actin and the polyphosphoinositide turnover, its addition inhibits completely the stimulated increase in Ca-influx produced by the same stimulus. The results presented here suggest that a rise in the intracellular concentration of free calcium is neither necessary nor sufficient for the stimulated increase in cytoskeletal-associated actin. A possible relationship between the lipid remodeling stimulated by chemoattractants and the increased cytoskeletal actin is discussed.

Treatment of rabbit neutrophils with phorbol esters results in increased ADP-ribosylation catalyzed by pertussis toxin and inhibition of the GTPase stimulated by fMet-Leu-Phe

The effects of pretreatment of rabbit neutrophils with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate on the ability of pertussis toxin to catalyze ADP-ribosylation and of fMet-Leu-Phe to activate a high-affinity GTPase in these cell homogenates were examined. The addition of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, but not 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, to intact cells was found to stimulate by more than 100% the pertussis toxin-dependent ribosylation of a 41 kDa protein (either the alpha-subunit of the 'inhibitory' guanine nucleotide-binding protein N or a closely analogous protein) and to inhibit by more than 60% the activation by fMet-Leu-Phe of the GTPase of the neutrophil homogenates. The addition of fMet-Leu-Phe to intact cells increases the ADP-ribosylation catalyzed by pertussis toxin of the 41 kDa protein. On the other hand, the exposure of neutrophil homogenates to fMet-Leu-Phe results in a decreased level of ADP-ribosylation. This decreased ribosylation reflects a dissociation of the GTP-binding protein oligomer that is not followed by association, possibly because of the release of the alpha-subunit into the suspending media. The implications of these results for the understanding of the mechanism of inhibition of cell responsiveness by phorbol esters and the heterologous desensitization phenomenon are discussed. Prominent among these are the possibilities that (i) the rate of dissociation of the Ni oligomer is affected by the degree of its phosphorylation by protein kinase C, and/or (ii) the dissociated phosphorylated alpha-subunit (the 41 kDa protein) is functionally less active than its dephosphorylated couterpart.

Phorbol esters and oleoyl acetoyl glycerol enhance release of arachidonic acid in platelets stimulated by Ca2+ ionophore A23187

Washed human platelets prelabeled with [14C]arachidonic acid and then exposed to the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 mobilized [14C]arachidonic acid from phospholipids and formed 14C-labeled thromboxane B2, 12-hydroxy-5-8,10-heptadecatrienoic acid, and 12-hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic acid. Addition of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) by itself at concentrations from 10 to 1000 ng/ml did not release arachidonic acid or cause the formation of any of its metabolites, nor did it affect the metabolism of exogenously added arachidonic acid. When 1 microM A23187 was added to platelets pretreated with 100 ng of PMA/ml for 10 min, the release of arachidonic acid, and the amount of all arachidonic acid metabolites formed, were greatly increased (average 4.1 +/- 0.5-fold in eight experiments). This effect of PMA was mimicked by other stimulators of protein kinase C, such as phorbol dibutyrate and oleoyl acetoyl glycerol, but not by 4-alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, which does not stimulate protein kinase C. However, phosphorylation of the cytosolic 47-kDa protein, the major substrate for protein kinase C in platelets, was produced at lower concentrations of PMA and at a much higher rate than enhancement of arachidonic acid release by PMA, suggesting that 47-kDa protein phosphorylation is not directly involved in mobilization of the fatty acid. PMA also potentiated arachidonic acid release when stimulation of phospholipase C by the ionophore (which is due to thromboxane A2 and/or secreted ADP) was blocked by aspirin plus ADP scavengers, i.e. apyrase or creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase. Increased release of arachidonic acid was attributable to loss of [14C]arachidonic acid primarily from phosphatidylcholine (79%) with lesser amounts derived from phosphatidylinositol (12%) and phosphatidylethanolamine (8%). Phosphatidic acid, whose production is a sensitive indicator of phospholipase C activation, was not formed. Thus, the potentiation of arachidonic acid release by PMA appeared to be due to phospholipase A2 activity. These results suggest that diacylglycerol formed in response to stimulation of platelet receptors by agonists may cooperatively promote release of arachidonic acid via a Ca2+/phospholipase A2-dependent pathway.

Effects of chemotactic factors and other agents on the amounts of actin and a 65,000-mol-wt protein associated with the cytoskeleton of rabbit and human neutrophils

Stimulation of rabbit neutrophils by the chemotactic factors fMet-Leu-Phe and leukotriene B4, by platelet activating factor, or by arachidonic acid produces a rapid and dose-dependent increase in the amounts of actin and of a 65,000-mol-wt protein associated with the cytoskeleton. Phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate, the calcium ionophore A23187 in the presence or absence of EGTA, and the fluorescent calcium chelator quin-2 also cause an increase in cytoskeletal actin. The stimulated increases in the cytoskeletal actin are not dependent on a rise in the intracellular concentration of free calcium and are not mediated by an increase in the intracellular pH or activation of protein kinase C. The increases in the cytoskeletal actin produced by fMet-Leu-Phe and leukotriene B4, but not by phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate, are inhibited by high osmolarity. The effect of hyperosmolarity requires a decrease in cell volume, is not mediated by an increase in basal intracellular concentration of free calcium, and is not prevented by pretreating the cells with amiloride. Preincubation of the cells with hyperosmotic solution also inhibits degranulation produced by all the stimuli tested. The inhibitory action of high osmolarity on the fMet-Leu-Phe and leukotriene B4 induced stimulation of cytoskeletal actin is discussed in terms of the possibility that the addition of high osmolarity, either directly or through activation of protein kinase C, causes receptor uncoupling.

Cytochemical localization of adenylate cyclase in the dense tubule system of human blood platelets stimulated by forskolin, prostacyclin and prostaglandin D2

Platelets were briefly fixed in paraformaldehyde/glutaraldehyde and then incubated with 5'-adenylyl imidodiphosphate under conditions suitable for the cytochemical detection of adenylate cyclase activity. The adenylate cyclase activity of these platelets retains the ability to respond to prostaglandins E1, D2, I2 (prostacyclin), forskolin and fluoride. Sites of stimulated adenylate cyclase activity were localized cytochemically by the reaction of lead with the reaction product imidodiphosphate to form deposits of lead imidodiphosphate that are visible in the electron microscope. Reaction product deposition was seen only in the dense tubule system of human platelets when the incubation medium contained forskolin, prostacyclin, or prostaglandin D2 at concentrations known to stimulate the enzyme in intact platelets. Epinephrine, an antagonist of adenylate cyclase inhibited the cytochemical reaction stimulated by prostacyclin. The fact that the cytochemical reaction was induced by agonists that stimulate the enzyme through two different types of prostaglandin receptors and by forskolin, which acts distal to the receptors, confirms that the method specifically detects adenylate cyclase. The presence of adenylate cyclase in the dense tubules may be significant for the regulation of intracellular Ca2+ and arachidonic acid metabolism by this membrane system.

Phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate potentiates the action of the calcium ionophore in stimulating arachidonic acid release and production of phosphatidic acid in rabbit neutrophils

The addition of the tumor-promoting phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate to rabbit neutrophils greatly potentiates the effect of the calcium ionophore A23187 on [3H]-arachidonic acid release and [32P]-phosphatidic acid generation. At 5 X 10(-8) M A23187, the addition of 20 ng/ml PMA potentiates the action of the ionophore on [3H]-arachidonic acid release by 5-fold. At 5 X 10(-7) M A23187, PMA enhances [32P]-phosphatidic acid production by 1.5-fold. Incubation of the neutrophils with 5 X 10(-7) M ionophore for two minutes causes a significant increase in the [32P] phosphatidic acid production but does not affect the levels of [32P]-phosphatidylinositol or [32P]-phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bis-phosphate. In addition, increasing the sodium chloride concentrations in the suspending medium causes an increase in the level of phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bis-phosphate. These results suggest that the phorbol ester either acting directly or through the activation of protein kinase C modulates significantly the activities of the various forms of phospholipases, particularly A2, and/or increases the availability or amounts of their substrates.

Pertussis but not cholera toxin inhibits the stimulated increase in actin association with the cytoskeleton in rabbit neutrophils: role of the "G proteins" in stimulus-response coupling

Treatment of rabbit neutrophils with pertussis toxin, but not cholera toxin, inhibits the increases produced by formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, leukotriene B4 and the calcium ionophore A23187 in the amounts of actin associated with the cytoskeletons. The increase in the cytoskeletal actin produced by phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate on the other hand is not affected by pertussis toxin. Incubation of the neutrophils with cholera toxin, unlike pertussis toxin, did not inhibit the fMet-Leu-Phe induced rise in the intracellular concentration of free calcium, and caused only a shift to the right of the dose-response curve of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase release. This shift was more marked in the presence of 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine. In addition, the stimulated breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bis-phosphate was inhibited by pertussis toxin. These results suggest that pertussis toxin acts at an early step in the signal transduction and does not affect the sequence of reactions initiated by the activation of the protein kinase C. Furthermore, the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein Gi, but not Gs, is closely involved in signal transduction in these cells.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate releases Ca2+ from a Ca2+-transporting membrane vesicle fraction derived from human platelets

Human platelet membrane vesicles that accumulated Ca2+ in the presence of ATP were isolated on an isoosmotic KCl-Percoll gradient. ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake was stimulated by oxalate and phosphate to steady-state levels of greater than 100 nmol/mg protein, and the accumulated Ca2+ could be largely released by ionophore A23187. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, in a dose-dependent manner (0.5-5.0 microM), caused the rapid release (less than 5 s) of 40-70% of the total A23187-releasable store of accumulated Ca2+. The membrane vesicles that release accumulated Ca2+ in response to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate were enriched in enzymes characteristically found in smooth endoplasmic reticulum. These results support the hypothesis that inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, produced by the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 1,4-bisphosphate in response to stimulation of cell surface receptors, is a second messenger mediating the release of Ca2+ from intracellular storage sites.

Phorbol myristate acetate stimulates formation of phosphatidyl inositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidyl inositol 4,5-bisphosphate in human platelets

The tumor-promoting phorbol ester PMA increased the incorporation of 32P-phosphate into PIP (150%) and PIP2 (50%) in human platelets over the same range of concentrations that stimulate protein kinase C activity (i.e. 1-10 ng/ml). PMA also increased the total content of PIP (2.5-fold) and PIP2 (1.5-fold). The increase in 32P-PIP and 32P-PIP2 was 50% completed at 2 min after 10 ng/ml PMA, and was maximal by 20 min. The increase in PIP and PIP2 was accompanied by a fall of 32P-PI and PI mass over the same time period and concentration range of PMA, but no 32P-PA was formed, indicating that phosphoinositide hydrolysis by phospholipase C was not stimulated. Inhibition of phospholipase C activity by increasing platelet cyclic AMP did not duplicate the effects of PMA. We conclude that PMA may directly affect inositol lipid kinases and/or phosphatases, or that PMA stimulation of protein kinase C provides feedback regulation of the enzymes that determine the levels of polyphosphoinositides involved in transmembrane stimulus-response coupling.

Cytoplasmic Ca2+ in platelets is controlled by cyclic AMP: antagonism between stimulators and inhibitors of adenylate cyclase

Activation of platelets by thrombin rapidly increases cytoplasmic free calcium, [Ca2+]i, measured by Quin -2, and induces secretion. Stimulators of adenylate cyclase (i.e. PGI2, PGD2, forskolin) suppressed or reversed the increase of [Ca2+]i. Inhibitors of adenylate cyclase (i.e. epinephrine, ADP), added before or after thrombin, counteracted PGI2, PGD2 and forskolin and thereby increased [Ca2+]i and restored secretion. Responses to epinephrine (via alpha-2 adrenoreceptors) and ADP were independent of extracellular Ca2+, but required maintained occupancy of thrombin receptors and intact cAMP-phosphodiesterase activity. These results indicate that cAMP serves as an inhibitory second-messenger that antagonizes the mobilization of Ca2+, an activator second-messenger.

cAMP, not Ca2+/calmodulin, regulates the phosphorylation of acetylcholine receptor in Torpedo californica electroplax

The regulation of the phosphorylation of the acetylcholine receptor in electroplax membranes from Torpedo californica and of purified acetylcholine receptor was investigated. The phosphorylation of the membrane-bound acetylcholine receptor was not stimulated by Ca2+/calmodulin, nor was it inhibited by EGTA, but it was stimulated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and was blocked by the protein inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Purified acetylcholine receptor was not phosphorylated by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity in electroplax membranes, nor by partially purified Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases from soluble or particulate fractions from the electroplax. Of the four acetylcholine receptor subunits, termed alpha, beta, gamma and delta, only the gamma- and delta-subunits were phosphorylated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (+ cAMP), or by its purified catalytic subunits.

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate activates rabbit neutrophils without an apparent rise in the level of intracellular free calcium

The addition of low concentrations of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate to rabbit neutrophils induces cell aggregation, degranulation, increased oxygen consumption and an increase in the amount of actin associated with the cytoskeleton without a rise in the level of intracellular free calcium as measured using the fluorescent probe quin-2. The ability of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate to initiate neutrophil responses similar to those produced by the chemotactic factor without causing a rise in the level of intracellular free calcium suggests two possibilities; that there is a second messenger in addition to calcium or that it activates the cells at a point distal to calcium mobilization. The possible role of diacylglycerol in neutrophil activation is discussed.

The cytoplasmic concentration of free calcium in platelets is controlled by stimulators of cyclic AMP production (PGD2, PGE1, forskolin)

Maximal stimulation of platelets with thrombin results in a rapid increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ (from 0.1 microM to 1-3 microM), as measured with the fluorescent intracellular Ca2+ indicator Quin-2. Prior addition of the adenylate cyclase stimulators PGD2, PGE1 or forskolin inhibited the rise in cytoplasmic Ca2+. When added after the maximal response to thrombin was attained adenylate cyclase stimulators caused a rapid fall of cytoplasmic Ca2+ back to the original "resting" level. This effect coincides with the reversal of thrombin-induced, Ca2+-dependent protein phosphorylation, and cytoskeleton assembly. It is suggested that cAMP-dependent reactions maintain low levels of cytoplasmic Ca2+ by promoting transport and/or binding of Ca2+.

Reversal of thrombin-induced myosin phosphorylation and the assembly of cytoskeletal structures in platelets by the adenylate cyclase stimulants prostaglandin D2 and forskolin

Stimulation of platelets by thrombin causes an increase in the amount of cytoskeleton proteins insoluble in 1% Triton X-100, i.e. myosin, actin, actin-binding protein, an alpha-actinin-like protein of Mr = 105,000, unidentified polypeptides of Mr = 150,000, 31,00, and under some conditions, 56,000. Concurrently the Mr = 20,000 light chains of myosin and a cytoplasmic Mr = 42,000 polypeptide are phosphorylated, presumably by calmodulin-Ca2+-dependent myosin light chain kinase and a phospholipid-Ca2+-dependent kinase, respectively. The adenylate cyclase stimulators prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) and forskolin increased platelet cyclic AMP and prevented the phosphorylation of these polypeptides and the increase in Triton-insoluble cytoskeleton proteins. When added to platelets after stimulation by thrombin they caused rapid complete reversal of myosin light chain and Mr = 42,000 polypeptide phosphorylation; simultaneously the association of myosin with the cytoskeleton proteins and the increase in the content of each of the Triton-insoluble cytoskeleton proteins (except the Mr = 56,000 polypeptide) was reversed. The amount of Triton-insoluble myosin was affected more readily by PGD2 or forskolin than were the other proteins. Increasing thrombin from 0.1 to 1.0 unit/ml inhibited all the responses to PGD2 and forskolin possibly due to concentration-dependent effects of thrombin that inhibit adenylate cyclase. These results suggest that cytoskeleton assembly and activation of the contractile apparatus in intact platelets are readily reversible by cyclic AMP-dependent reactions.