THE ROLE OF GTP-BINDING PROTEINS EXHIBITING GTPase ACTIVITY IN PLATELET ACTIVATION

Activation of platelets by agonists acting via cell surface-located receptors apparently involves as an early event in transmembrane signalling an interaction of the agonist-occupied receptor with a guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein (G-protein). The activated G-protein, then, transduces the information to the effector molecule, being responsible for the changes in intracellular second messengers. At least two changes in intracellular signal molecules are often found to be associated with platelet activation by agonists, i.e., increases in inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol levels caused by activation of a polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C and decrease in cyclic AMP concentration caused by inhibition of adenylate cyclase.Both actions of platelet-activating agents apparently involve G-proteins as transducing elements. Generally, the function of a G-protein in signal transduction can be measured either by its ability to regulate the activity of the effector molecule (phospholipase C or adenylate cyclase) or the binding affinity of an agonist to its specific receptor or by the abitlity of the G-protein to bind and hydrolyze GTP or one of its analogs in response to agonist-activated receptors. Some platelet-activating agonists (e.g. thrombin) can cause both adenylate cyclase inhibition and phospholipase C activation, whereas others induce either inhibition of adenylate cyclase (e.g. α2-adrenoceptor agonists) or activation of phospholipase C (e.g. stable endoperoxide analogs) . It is not yet known whether the simultaneous activation of two signal transduction systems is due to activation of two separate G-proteins by one receptor, to two distinct receptors activating each a distinct G-protein or to activation of two effector molecules by one G-protein.For some of the G-proteins, rather specific compounds are available causing inactivation of their function. In comparison to Gs, the stimulatory G-protein of the adenylate cyclase system, the adenylate cyclase inhibitory Gi-protein is rather specifically inactivated by ADP-ribosylation of its a-subunit by pertussis toxin, “unfortunately” not acting in intact platelets, and by SH-group reactive agents such as N-ethylmaleimide and diamide, apparently also affecting the Giα-subunit. Both of these treatments completely block α2-adrenoceptor-induced GTPase stimulation and adenylate cyclase inhibition and also thrombin-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase. In order to know whether the G-protein coupling receptors to phospholipase C is similar to or different from the Gi-protein, high affinity GTPase stimulation by agents known to activate phospholipase C was evaluated in platelet membranes. The data obtained indicated that GTPase stimulation by agents causing both adenylate cyclase inhibition and phospholipase C activation is reduced, but only partially, by the above mentioned Gi-inactivating agents, while stimulation of GTPase by agents stimulating only phospholipase C is not affected by these treatments. These data suggested that the G-protein regulating phospholipase C activity in platelet membranes is different from the Gi-protein and may also not be a substrate for pertussis toxin. Measuring thrombin stimulation of inositol phosphate and diacylglycerol formation in saponin-permeabilized platelets, apparently contradictory data were reported after pertussis toxin treatment, being without effect or causing even an increase in thrombin stimulation of inositol phosphate formation (Lapetina: BBA 884, 219, 1986) or being inhibitory to thrombin stimulation of diacylglycerol formation (Brass et al.: JBC 261, 16838, 1986). These data indicate that the nature of the phospholipase C-related G-protein(s) is not yet defined and that their elucidation requires more specific tools as well as purification and reconstitution experiments. Preliminary data suggest that some antibiotics may serve as useful tools to characterize the phospho-lipase-related G-proteins. The possible role of G-protein phosphorylation by intracellular signal molecule-activated protein kinases in attenuation of signal transduction in platelets will be discussed.