Energy requirements for stimulus-response coupling

Turnover of the phosphomonoester groups of polyphosphoinositol lipids in unstimulated human platelets

The metabolic activity of the polyphosphoinositol lipids in unstimulated human platelets was studied by short-term labelling with [32P]Pi, by replacement of [32P]Pi from pre-labelled platelets with unlabelled phosphate, and by depriving the cells of metabolic ATP. Under short-term labelling conditions, the 4- and 5-phosphate groups of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns4P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] had the same specific 32P radioactivity as the gamma-phosphate of metabolic ATP. The specific 32P radioactivity of the 1-phosphates of phosphatidylinositol, PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 was similar, but only 4-13% compared to that of the ATP-gamma-phosphate. When [32P]Pi pre-labelled platelets were incubated with up to 25 mM of unlabelled phosphate, the displacement of the 32P label from PtdIns4P, PtdIns(4,5)P2 and metabolic ATP followed similar kinetics. Inhibition of ATP regeneration in platelets pre-labelled with [32P]Pi resulted in a rapid fall in metabolic ATP with a much slower fall in [32P]PtdIns(4,5)P2, whereas [32P]PtdIns4P increased initially. However, ATP turnover was not abolished, as indicated by the marked (25% of the control) incorporation of extracellular [32P]Pi into PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 in metabolically inhibited platelets. This low phosphate turnover may explain the relative resistance of PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 to metabolic inhibition. We conclude that PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 are present as a single metabolic pool in human platelets. Turnover of the 4- and 5-phosphates of PtdIns4P and PtdIns(4,5)P2 in unstimulated platelets is as rapid as that of the gamma-phosphate of metabolic ATP, and accounts for about 7% of basal ATP consumption.