Abstract
Most agonists stimulate platelets by inducing Ca2+ mobilization, Ca2+ influx and protein kinase C (PKC) activation leading to Na+/H+ exchange, exposure of fibrinogen-binding sites and aggregation. In contrast, previous studies showed that adrenaline induces exposure of fibrinogen-binding sites and aggregation without appreciable changes in cystolic Ca2+ content or PKC activity. In the present study we investigated platelet responses mediated via alpha 2A-adrenergic receptors, using 4,4'-di-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS), which is known to bind to this type of receptor. Addition of DIDS (2-20 microM) induced (i) a rise in cytosolic pH of 0.23 +/- 0.05 pH unit (n = 5) as detected by BCECF fluorescence, due to activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger, (ii) a 3.5-4-fold increase in the phosphorylation of the 47 kDa protein, a major substrate of PKC, (iii) exposure of 81,072 +/- 7293 (n = 3) binding sites for 125I-fibrinogen per platelet, and (iv) irreversible aggregation. These responses occurred without changes in cytosolic [Ca2+], secretion of dense-granule contents and enhanced phosphoinositide metabolism, and were not affected by inhibition of thromboxane A2 generation (30 microM indomethacin). The alpha 2A-adrenergic-receptor antagonists oxymetazoline (500 microM) and yohimbine (1 mM) completely abolished DIDS-induced responses. Inhibition of PKC (1 microM staurosporine) prevented phosphorylation of the 47 kDa protein, the increase in Na+/H+ exchange and exposure of fibrinogen-binding sites. Thus our present data suggest that activation of PKC is an early event in DIDS-induced platelet activation via the alpha 2A-adrenergic receptor, which precedes any of the other known signal-transducing sequences.