Abstract
Sorting of proteins to Weibel-Palade bodies (WPB) of endothelial cells allows rapid regulated secretion of leukocyte-recruiting P-selectin and chemokines as well as procoagulant von Willebrand factor (VWF). Here we show by domain swap studies that the exposed aspartic acid in loop 2 (Ser(44)-Asp(45)-Gly(46)) of the CXC chemokine interleukin (IL)-8 is crucial for targeting to WPB. Loop 2 also governs sorting of chemokines to alpha-granules of platelets, but the fingerprint of the loop 2 of these chemokines differs from that of IL-8. On the other hand, loop 2 of IL-8 closely resembles a surface-exposed sequence of the VWF propeptide, the region of VWF that directs sorting of the protein to WPB. We conclude that loop 2 of IL-8 constitutes a critical signal for sorting to WPB and propose a general role for this loop in the sorting of chemokines to compartments of regulated secretion.