title: Collagen-stimulated human platelet aggregation is mediated by endogenous calcium-activated neutral protease.
abstract: To clarify the physiological role of calcium-activated neutral protease (CANP) in human platelets, we loaded the platelets with a Ca2+ -sensitive fluorescent dye, fura-2, and measured the degree of aggregation, cytosolic calcium ion concentration [( Ca2+]i), and proteolysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). At physiological concentration of Ca2+ (1 mM) in the incubation medium, [Ca2+]i was below 0.5 microM and platelet aggregation was not shown. Ionomycin (0.15 microM) or collagen (50 micrograms/ml), but not ADP (10 microM), sharply enhanced the [Ca2+]i to near 1 microM and caused the aggregation. A calcium entry blocker, verapamil, completely abolished both the [Ca2+]i rise and the aggregation. NCO-700, a membrane permeable inhibitor against cysteine proteases (including CANP), dose-dependently blocked the aggregation but did not change the [Ca2+]i transient. SDS-PAGE revealed that filamin, talin, and 70 kDa protein were specifically degraded when platelets were aggregated by ionomycin or collagen and that the proteolysis was not observed when the aggregation was blocked by verapamil or NCO-700. These data provided evidence that Ca2+ entry exceeding 0.5 microM is essential, but not sufficient per se, and that activation of cysteine protease, most likely CANP, is involved in the platelet aggregation by collagen or calcium ionophore.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyo-oka
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
mesh_terms: D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D010974:Platelet Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D010879:Piperazines; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; C036798:NCO 700; D003094:Collagen; D010450:Endopeptidases; D002118:Calcium