One interpretation is usually that P-Rex1 modulates the activation of Akt and MAPK through Rac activation
One interpretation is usually that P-Rex1 modulates the activation of Akt and MAPK through Rac activation. Platelet aggregation CDKI-73 induced by collagen, a non-GPCR agonist, was also compromised in the absence CDKI-73 of P-Rex1. Along with these phenotypic changes were impaired Rac1 activation, reduced ATP secretion, decreased phosphorylation of Akt, JNK and p38 MAPK in P-Rex1-/-platelets upon agonist activation. == Conclusion == These results demonstrate for the first time the presence of P-Rex1 in platelets and its role in platelet secretion as well as aggregation induced by low-dose agonists for GPCR and by collagen. Keywords:platelets, P-Rex1, Rac1, secretion, aggregation Platelets play a critical role in physiological and pathological processes including hemostasis and thrombosis. At the site of blood vessel injury, platelets accumulate to the uncovered subendothelial matrix and undergo an activation process that includes shape change, aggregation and granule secretion, leading to clot formation and initiating repair of the damaged vessel wall. A variety of agonists, including thrombin, thromboxane A2 (TXA2), CDKI-73 adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and collagen, are involved in platelet activation and may work together CDKI-73 to facilitate clot formation. HOX1I Upon vessel wall injury, uncovered subendothelial collagen plays an important role in the initiation of platelet activation. In addition, thrombin generated from your injury site, combined CDKI-73 with TXA2 and ADP secreted from activated platelets, further induce platelet activation as well as formation of stable thrombi. Among these agonists, thrombin, TXA2 and ADP induce platelet activation via G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), whereas collagen engages multiple platelet receptors including the glycoprotein VI (GPVI)/Fc receptor , glycoprotein IV (GPIV) and the integrin 211. Thrombin receptors including the protease-activated receptors 1 and 4 (PAR1 and PAR4) in human and the TXA2 receptor are functionally coupled to the Gq and G12/13 signaling pathways2-5. During platelet activation, the receptors for thrombin, TXA2 and collagen can mediate substantial activation of the small GTPase Rac, which is required for platelet aggregation and secretion. Rac, a subfamily of the Rho small GTPases, contains three users including Rac1, Rac2 and Rac3. The Rac1 GTPase is usually ubiquitously expressed, whereas Rac2 is usually specifically expressed in hematopoietic cells of myeloid lineage6. Rac3 GTPase is usually detected only in the brain during development7. In platelets, Rac1 but not Rac2 is usually detected at the protein level8. Rac1 deficient platelets display impaired aggregation and secretion, suggesting that this Rac1 GTPase is usually important to platelet functions9. It is well known that activated Rac1 GTPase regulates lamellipodia formation through direct activation of p21-activated kinase (PAK), which in turn induces actin polymerization9-11. A recent statement showed that activated Rac GTPase also regulates the MAPK signaling pathways in platelets12. Therefore, the role for the Rac GTPase is not confined to cytoskeletal rearrangement during platelet activation. Even though downstream effectors of activated Rac GTPase are well explained, much less is known about the upstream mechanism for Rac GTPase activation in platelets. Studies of Rac activation have identified a large number of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), among which P-Rex1 is usually a Rac-specific GEF activated by the subunits of G proteins and by phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3), which are produced through phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activation13,14. In the beginning purified from neutrophils and found in high large quantity both in leukocytes and in the brain13, P-Rex1 is known to play important functions in the regulation of bactericidal functions of neutrophils. Based on studies of P-Rex1 deficient neutrophils, it was found that this GEF is required for optimal production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neutrophil chemotaxis through activation of the Rac2 GTPase15,16. During brain development, P-Rex1 is usually involved in neurotrophin-mediated neuronal migration17. A more recent study showed that P-Rex1 is also involved in ErbB signaling in breast malignancy cells18, expanding its role beyond normal cells and physiological functions. The expression and function of P-Rex1 in platelet has remained unknown. In the present study, we investigated whether P-Rex1 is usually important for platelet activation using the GPCR agonists thrombin and U46619, and a non-GPCR agonist collagen. Our study revealed that P-Rex1 is not only expressed in mouse platelets but also plays an important role in regulating platelet aggregation and dense granule secretion. Rac1 activation is usually attenuated in the absence of P-Rex1, and.