Abstract
Calyculin A, the potent inhibitor of type 1 (PP1) and type 2A (PP2A) phosphatases, has been employed in order to investigate the role of endogenously activated PP1/PP2A in the signal-transduction pathway of platelet-activating-factor (PAF)-stimulated platelets. Calyculin A alone caused an increase in protein phosphorylation in unstimulated platelets, with the detection of a number of newly phosphorylated proteins, whereas in PAF-stimulated platelets phosphorylation of the major substrates of protein kinase C and myosin light-chain kinase were no longer transient, but phosphorylation was sustained. PP1/PP2A appear to play a role in Ca2+ homoeostasis, as inhibition of PP1/PP2A caused an inhibition of Ca2+ mobilization and Ca2+ influx through the plasma membrane in PAF-stimulated platelets. The effect of calyculin A on Ca2+ mobilization correlated with the observed inhibition of the production of the signal molecule Ins(1,4,5)P3. The release reaction (which is a Ca(2+)-dependent event) was also inhibited by calyculin A. The results are discussed in relation to the possible role of protein kinase C in mediating the events leading to the effects observed with calyculin A.