Effect of phorbol ester treatment on receptor-mediated versus G-protein-activator-mediated responses in platelets. Evidence for a two-site action of phorbol ester at the level of G-protein function

Calcium signalling in platelets and other cells

Reviewed are new concepts and models of Ca(2+) signalling originating from work with various animal cells, as well as the applicability of these models to the signalling systems used by blood platelets. The following processes and mechanisms are discussed: Ca(2+) oscillations and waves; Ca(2+) -induced Ca(2+) release; involvement of InsP(3)-receptors and quanta1 release of Ca(2+); different pathways of phospholipase C activation; heterogeneity in the intracellular Ca(2+) stores; store-and receptor-regulated Ca(2+) entry. Additionally, some typical aspects of Ca(2+) signalling in platelets are reviewed: involvement of protein serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases in the regulation of signal transduction; possible functions of platelet glycoproteins; and the importance of Ca(2+) for the exocytotic and procoagulant responses.

Adenosine triphosphate-evoked cytosolic calcium oscillations in human granulosa-luteal cells: role of protein kinase C

ATP has been shown to modulate progesterone production in human granulosa-luteal cells (hGLCs) in vitro. After binding to a G protein-coupled P2 purinergic receptor, ATP stimulates phospholipase C. The resultant production of diacylglycerol and inositol triphosphate activates protein kinase C (PKC) and intracellular calcium [Ca(2+)](i) mobilization, respectively. In the present study, we examined the potential cross-talk between the PKC and Ca(2+) pathway in ATP signal transduction. Specifically, the effect of PKC on regulating ATP-evoked [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations were examined in hGLCs. Using microspectrofluorimetry, [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations were detected in Fura-2 loaded hGLCs in primary culture. The amplitudes of the ATP-triggered [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations were reduced in a dose-dependent manner by pretreating the cells with various concentrations (1 nM to 10 microM) of the PKC activator, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). A 10 microM concentration of PMA completely suppressed 10 microM ATP-induced oscillations. The inhibitory effect occurred even when PMA was given during the plateau phase of ATP evoked [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations, suggesting that extracellular calcium influx was inhibited. The role of PKC was further substantiated by the observation that, in the presence of a PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide I, ATP-induced [Ca(2+)](i) oscillations were not completely suppressed by PMA. Furthermore, homologous desensitization of ATP-induced calcium oscillations was partially reversed by bisindolylmaleimide I, suggesting that activated PKC may be involved in the mechanism of desensitization. These results demonstrate that PKC negatively regulates the ATP-evoked [Ca(2+)](i) mobilization from both intracellular stores and extracellular influx in hGLCs and further support a modulatory role of ATP and P2 purinoceptor in ovarian steroidogenesis.

Impaired signal transduction in neonatal platelets

Previous in vitro studies of cord blood platelets from full-term and preterm neonates have demonstrated decreased responses to most physiologic agonists. This hyporesponsiveness is, in part, related to both deficient synthesis of, and response to, an important mediator of platelet function, thromboxane A2(TxA2). The poor response of neonatal platelets to TxA2 is not due to differences in TxA2 receptor binding characteristics, when compared with platelets from adult controls. Therefore, the postreceptor signal transduction pathway was investigated. The TxA2 receptor is linked via the trimeric GTP-binding protein, Gq, to phospholipase C-beta (PLC beta), and stimulation of platelets with the stable TxA2 mimetic, U46619, leads to activation of PLC beta and subsequent intracellular signaling events. U46619-induced 32P-phosphatidic acid formation, an index of PLC beta activation, was decreased in platelets of neonates (166 +/- 10%) when compared with adult controls (206 +/- 22%) (p < 0.05). Mobilization of intracellular calcium was impaired in platelets of newborns (175 +/- 49 nM) in comparison to adult controls (506 +/- 130 nM) (p < 0.01), after stimulation with U46619. U46619-stimulated GTPase activity was blunted in platelet membrane fractions from full-term neonates and almost absent in platelet membranes from preterm infants. Immunoblotting studies of the platelet membrane fractions, quantified by densitometric analysis, showed that levels of the G alpha q subunit were not significantly different between adult and neonate, and were not the cause of the marked differences in GTPase activity. These data suggest that signal transduction through the TxA2 receptor is affected by decreased activity of Gq in platelets of neonates, and that this defect in signal transduction through PLC beta contributes to the observed poor response of newborns' platelets to TxA2 and consequently to TxA2-dependent agonists such as collagen.

Signalling functions and biochemical properties of pertussis toxin-resistant G-proteins

Pertussis toxin (PTX) has been widely used as a reagent to characterize the involvement of heterotrimeric G-proteins in signalling. This toxin catalyses the ADP-ribosylation of specific G-protein alpha subunits of the Gi family, and this modification prevents the occurrence of the receptor-G-protein interaction. This review focuses on the biochemical properties and signalling of those G-proteins historically classified as 'PTX-resistant' due to the inability of the toxin to influence signalling through them. These G-proteins include members of the Gq and G12 families and one Gi family member, i.e. Gz. Signalling pathways controlled by these G-proteins are well characterized only for Gq family members, which activate specific isoforms of phospholipase C, resulting in increases in intracellular calcium and activation of protein kinase C (PKC), among other responses. While members of the G12 family have been implicated in processes that regulate cell growth, and Gz has been shown to inhibit adenylate cyclase, the specific downstream targets to these G-proteins in vivo have not been clearly established. Since two of these proteins, G12 alpha and Gz alpha, are excellent substrates for PKC, there is the potential for cross-talk between their signalling and Gq-dependent processes leading to activation of PKC. In tissues that express these G-proteins, a number of guanine-nucleotide-dependent, PTX-resistant, signalling pathways have been defined for which the G-protein involved has not been identified. This review summarizes these pathways and discusses the evidence both for the participation of specific PTX-resistant G-proteins in them and for the regulation of these processes by PKC.

D3 phosphoinositides and outside-in integrin signaling by glycoprotein IIb-IIIa mediate platelet actin assembly and filopodial extension induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) uncaps a small number of the fast-growing (barbed) ends of actin filaments, thereby eliciting slow actin assembly and extension of filopodia in human blood platelets. These reactions, which also occur in response to immunologic perturbation of the integrin glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa, are sensitive to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin. Platelets deficient in GPIIb-IIIa integrins or with GPIIb-IIIa function inhibited by calcium chelation or the peptide RGDS have diminished PMA responsiveness. The effects of PMA contrast with thrombin receptor stimulation by >/=5 microM thrombin receptor-activating peptide (TRAP), which causes rapid and massive wortmannin-insensitive actin assembly and lamellar and filopodial extension. However, we show here that wortmannin can inhibit filopod formation if the thrombin receptor is ligated using suboptimal doses (<1 microM) of TRAP. Phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate inhibits actin filament severing and capping by human gelsolin in vitro. The findings implicate D3 polyphosphoinositides and integrin signaling in PMA-mediated platelet stimulation and implicate D3 containing phosphoinositides generated in response to protein kinase C activation and GPIIb-IIIa signaling as late-acting intermediates leading to filopodial actin assembly.

Identification of 14-3-3 proteins in human platelets: effects of synthetic peptides on protein kinase C activation

The 14-3-3 proteins inhibit protein kinase C (PKC) activity in vitro and contain conserved sequences that resemble the pseudosubstrate domain of PKC and the C-terminus of the annexins. In the present study we have identified the isoforms of 14-3-3 in human platelets and used synthetic peptides derived from the regions with similarity to PKC and annexins to examine the potential role of 14-3-3 in regulating platelet activity. Immunoblotting studies with isoform-specific antisera raised against the acetylated peptides corresponding to the N-termini of 14-3-3 showed that these cells express high levels of the beta, gamma and zeta 14-3-3 isoforms. In addition, low levels of the epsilon and eta 14-3-3 isoforms were detected. In washed, saponin-permeabilized platelets incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP, thrombin- and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced phosphorylation of several proteins (66, 45, and 20kDa) was inhibited by preincubation with AS peptide (KNVVGARRSSWRVISSIEQK) based on the pseudosubstrate-like region of the 14-3-3 family. A control peptide of similar size had no effect on PKC-mediated phosphorylation. PMA caused a rapid translocation of PKC activity from the cytosol to the particulate fraction of saponin-permeabilized platelets that was unaffected by either the AS peptide or a peptide derived from the annexin-like 14-3-3 domain (MKGDYYRYLAEVATGDD). These results suggest that isoforms of the 14-3-3 family may play an important physiological role as inhibitors of PKC activity in human platelets but are unlikely to be involved in controlling association of PKC with the membrane.

Involvement of pertussis toxin-sensitive and -insensitive G proteins in alpha-thrombin signalling on cultured human vascular smooth muscle cells

Alpha-thrombin, a key enzyme of the coagulation cascade, is also a potent mitogen for human vascular smooth muscle cells (HVSMC). Here it is demonstrated that the alpha-thrombin-mediated reduction of intracellular cAMP levels is sensitive to pertussis toxin (PTX). cAMP-elevating agents inhibited alpha-thrombin- and serum-induced mitogenesis, thus cAMP confers an anti-mitogenic signal on HVSMC. The PTX-dependent ADP-ribosylation of a 41 kDa Gi alpha protein(s) was significantly inhibited (up to 55%) by thrombin. HVSMC membranes had an intrinsic GTP'ase activity which was significantly increased (up to 36%) by thrombin. PTX treatment did not alter thrombin-induced elevation of GTP'ase activity. Thrombin stimulated phosphatidyl inositol (PI) turnover in a PTX-insensitive manner. This suggested that PTX insensitive G proteins such as Gq are also activated by thrombin. This study on HVSMC provides additional evidence for the involvement of different families of G proteins in thrombin signalling.

The role of the phosphatidylinositol turnover in 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid generation from human platelets by Escherichia coli alpha-haemolysin, thrombin and fluoride

Activation of human platelets with either the Escherichia coli alpha-haemolysin or thrombin, or with pharmacological agonists such as sodium fluoride (NaF), Ca-ionophore A23187 or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), induced a similar pattern of serotonin release, unlike 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) generation. In the presence of neomycin (0.1, 1, 10 mM), an inhibitor of the phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIP2-PLC), the E. coli alpha-haemolysin-induced 12-HETE generation was enhanced up to threefold in a dose-dependent manner. 12-HETE generation by NaF and thrombin was slightly inhibited at high neomycin concentrations (10 mM). Treatment of human platelets with E. coli alpha-haemolysin induced a different activation pattern of PIP2-PLC and phosphatidylinositol4-kinase (PI4-kinase), compared to NaF and thrombin. Haemolysin treatment resulted in a down-regulation of PIP2-PLC and PI4-kinase enzymatic activities by 20 +/- 9/40 +/- 8% compared to unstimulated cells; the decrease in enzymatic activities was observed within 2 min of stimulation and was still apparent after 60 min of stimulation. In NaF- and thrombin-stimulated platelets, dose- and time-dependent increases in PIP2-PLC (by up to 21 +/- 10%, 34 +/- 11%, respectively) and PI4-kinase (by up to 71 +/- 18, 54 +/- 14) activities were measured. Maximal enzymatic activities were reached after 5-20 min of stimulation (NaF, thrombin) followed by a decline to baseline levels (thrombin) or below baseline levels (NaF). Our results indicate that the phosphatidylinositolphosphate metabolism plays an important role in the regulation of 12-HETE release from human platelets by E. coli alpha-haemolysin.

Desensitization by protein kinase C activation differentially uncouples formyl peptide receptors from effector enzymes in HL-60 granulocytes

The hypothesis that protein kinase C (PKC) participates in agonist-mediated desensitization of formyl peptide receptors in HL-60 granulocytes was tested. fMet-Leu-Phe and leukotriene B4(LTB4) produced homologous desensitization of agonist-stimulated intracellular calcium transients. Pre-treatment with the PKC activator, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA; 10 nM), abolished both fMet-Leu-Phe and LTB4-stimulated calcium transients. Membranes prepared from control HL-60 granulocytes (NM) or cells treated with 10 nM PMA (PMA-M) demonstrated increased formyl peptide receptor and G protein density, as determined by radioligand binding and pertussis toxin- and cholera toxin-catalysed ADP ribosylation. fMet-Leu-Phe stimulation of guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]-triphosphate (GTP gamma S) binding and GTP hydrolysis and GDP inhibition of fMet-Leu-Phe binding were not different between NM and PMA-M. Pre-treatment with 10 nM PMA did not inhibit subsequent fMet-Leu-Phe-stimulated superoxide generation or phospholipase D activation. We conclude that PKC desensitizes fMet-Leu-Phe-stimulated phospholipase C, but not phospholipase D, responses and that PKC activation does not mediate agonist-induced desensitization of formyl peptide receptors.

Phosphorylation of the inhibitory guanine-nucleotide-binding protein as a possible mechanism of inhibition by protein kinase C of agonist-induced Ca2+ mobilization in human platelet

Increases in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration of human platelets caused by receptor agonists, such as thrombin, 9,11-epithio-11,12-methanothromboxane A2 (STA2), platelet-activating factor (PAF) and arginine-vasopressin, were inhibited by prior addition of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) in time-dependent and concentration-dependent manners. The inhibitions were mostly reversed by staurosporine, and inhibitor of protein kinase C, added 1 min before TPA. Prior treatment of platelets with thrombin or STA2, the efficacious Ca2+ mobilizer, suppressed the increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration of the cells to other agonists, but treatment with less efficacious PAF or vasopressin did not. The heterologous receptor desensitizations were also reversed by staurosporine. The antibody, directed against the carboxy-terminal region of the alpha subunits 1 and 2 of the inhibitory guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins (Gi1 alpha and Gi2 alpha), was raised in rabbit and was used to immunoprecipitate Gi alpha in 32P-labeled platelets. The radioactivity was detected in Gi alpha after incubation of 32P-labeled platelets with TPA, thrombin or STA2, but not in the cells incubated with PAF or vasopressin. The time-dependency or concentration-dependency of TPA-induced phosphorylation of Gi alpha was similar to the dependency of its inhibitory action on agonist-induced Ca2+ mobilization. Thus, strong activation of Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C by phorbol ester or agonists of certain Ca(2+)-mobilizing receptors leads to phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of guanine-nucleotide-binding protein, thereby impairing the coupling of the G protein to receptors as a feedback regulatory component of the receptor-triggered intracellular Ca(2+)-mobilizing system.

Okadaic acid inhibits activation of phospholipase C in human platelets by mimicking the actions of protein kinases A and C

1. The effect of okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A (PP1 and PP2A), on human platelets has been investigated. 2. Okadaic acid exerts a general increase in phosphorylation of platelet proteins but did not induce aggregation or secretion of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Okadaic acid, however, did inhibit thrombin-induced functional responses. 3. Maximally effective concentrations of prostacyclin, to elevate adenosine 3'-5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP), or phorbol dibutyrate, to activate protein kinase C, inhibited the formation of inositol phosphates by thrombin by approximately 60%. When used in combination, prostacyclin and phorbol dibutyrate reduced the levels of inositol phosphates induced by thrombin to 11%. 4. Okadaic acid (1 microM) decreased thrombin-induced formation of inositol phosphates by approximately 55% and increased the inhibitory action of prostacyclin or phorbol dibutyrate. Okadaic acid had no further effect when prostacyclin and phorbol dibutyrate were used in combination. 5. These results suggest that protein kinases A and C act to inhibit phospholipase C by distinct mechanisms and that their action is reversed by PP1 and/or PP2A.

Role of protein kinase C in the regulation of prostaglandin synthesis in human endothelium

The present study specifically addresses the role of protein kinase C (PKC) activation in human endothelial cell Ca2+ mobilization, a response that is functionally coupled to the production of the potent arachidonate (AA) metabolite, prostacyclin (PGI2). Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), alpha-thrombin, and sodium fluoride (NaF), a direct G-protein activator, produced a rapid and time-dependent translocation of PKC from the cytosol to the membrane. Activation of PKC by brief pretreatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) monolayers with PMA resulted in the inhibition of NaF-induced inositol phosphate increases and attenuation of both alpha-thrombin- and NaF-activated increases in intracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+i). Ca2+ mobilization induced by ionophore A23187 was not affected by PKC preactivation, suggesting PKC-dependent negative feedback inhibition of phosphatidylinositol (PI)-specific phospholipase C (PLC). Agonist-stimulated AA release and PGI2 synthesis in PMA-pretreated cultured human endothelial cells, however, was potentiated, and the enhanced PGI2 synthesis produced by A23187, NaF, and alpha-thrombin was dependent upon the dose of PMA. Treatment of HUVEC monolayers with an intracellular Ca2+ chelator, 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N'N'-tetraacetic acid-acetoxymethylester (BAPTA-AM), dramatically reduced alpha-thrombin-, NaF-, and A23187-induced PGI2 synthesis, demonstrating the importance of Ca2+i availability in PGI2 synthesis. BAPTA pretreatment did not inhibit PMA-induced PKC activation, and BAPTA-mediated inhibition of agonist-stimulated PGI2 synthesis was partially attenuated by prior PMA pretreatment. Staurosporine, a potent PKC inhibitor, at concentrations that inhibited PKC-induced phosphorylation of histone-1, augmented both alpha-thrombin- and NaF-induced production of inositol phosphates but markedly inhibited alpha-thrombin-, NaF-, and A23187-induced PGI2 synthesis. The downregulation of PKC activity by prolonged PMA treatment (18 h) produced similar inhibition of PGI2 synthesis by these agonists (approximately 50% inhibition). These studies indicate that the integrated phospholipase A2 and PLC activities are under complex regulation by factors that include both PKC activation and [Ca2+i]. PKC exerts dual effects on prostaglandin synthesis via negative regulation of Gp-coupled PI-specific PLC and positive feedback regulation of AA release and PGI2 synthesis. PKC is thus a critical determinant in the regulation of human endothelial cell prostaglandin synthesis by both receptor-mediated and G-protein-dependent cellular activation.

Mastoparan promotes exocytosis and increases intracellular cyclic AMP in human platelets. Evidence for the existence of a Ge-like mechanism of secretion

Recent studies have shown that mastoparan, an amphiphilic peptide derived from wasp venom, accelerates guanine nucleotide exchange and GTPase activity of purified GTP-binding proteins. In the present study we have examined the functional consequences of exposure of intact human platelets to mastoparan. Mastoparan promoted rapid (less than or equal to 1 min) dose-dependent increases in 5-hydroxy[14C]tryptamine and beta-thromboglobulin release from dense-granule and alpha-granule populations respectively. The exocytotic response did not result from a lytic effect of mastoparan and occurred in the complete absence of platelet shape change and aggregation. Liberation of [3H]arachidonate and increases in cytosolic [Ca2+] (detected with fura 2) were not observed in platelets stimulated with mastoparan. Similarly, in platelets preloaded with [3H]inositol during reversible electroporation, mastoparan did not cause the accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates. Mastoparan-induced secretion was unaffected by preincubation with either the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine (10 nM-10 microM) or prostacyclin (PGI2; 100 ng/ml) and was not accompanied by phosphorylation of the 45 kDa protein kinase C substrate or the 20 kDa protein normally associated with platelet activation. The G-protein inhibitor guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate (GDP[S]; 1 mM) attenuated the secretion induced by mastoparan in both intact and saponin-permeabilized platelets. Encapsulation of GDP[S] during reversible permeabilization inhibited mastoparan-induced secretion, providing evidence for an intracellular action of GDP[S]. In all these studies thrombin (0.05-0.2 unit/ml) elicited characteristic responses, and thrombin-induced secretion was inhibited by staurosporine, PGI2 and GDP[S]. Mastoparan also increased intra-platelet cyclic AMP in a dose-dependent manner. Mastoparan and PGI2 increased 32P incorporation into a protein of approx. 24 kDa, whereas phosphorylation of a 50 kDa substrate was only seen in PGI2-stimulated platelets. These results indicate that mastoparan promotes secretion by a mechanism which does not involve stimulation of phospholipase C and suggest that the secretory event may result either from a direct fusogenic action of mastoparan and/or from stimulation of the putative exocytosis-linked G-protein, Ge.