Regulation of platelet dense granule secretion by the Ral GTPase-exocyst pathway

J Biol Chem. 2008 Jan 4;283(1):166-174. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M705340200. Epub 2007 Oct 15.

Abstract

Non-hydrolyzable GTP analogues, such as guanosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imido)triphosphate (GppNHp), induce granule secretion from permeabilized platelets in the absence of increased intracellular Ca(2+). Here, we show that the GppNHp-induced dense granule secretion from permeabilized platelets occurred concomitantly with the activation of small GTPase Ral. This secretion was inhibited by the addition of GTP-Ral-binding domain (RBD) of Sec5, which is a component of the exocyst complex known to function as a tethering factor at the plasma membrane for vesicles. We generated an antibody against Sec5-RBD, which abolished the interaction between GTP-Ral and the exocyst complex in vitro. The addition of this antibody inhibited the GppNHp-induced secretion. These data indicate that Ral mediates the GppNHp-induced dense granule secretion from permeabilized platelets through interaction with its effector, the exocyst complex. Furthermore, GppNHp enhanced the Ca(2+) sensitivity of dense granule secretion from permeabilized platelets, and this enhancement was inhibited by Sec5-RBD. In intact platelets, the association between Ral and the exocyst complex was induced by thrombin stimulation with a time course similar to that of dense granule secretion and Ral activation. Taken together, our results suggest that the Ral-exocyst pathway participates in the regulation of platelet dense granule secretion by enhancing the Ca(2+) sensitivity of the secretion.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Blood Platelets / drug effects*
  • Blood Platelets / metabolism
  • Blotting, Western
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Calcium / pharmacology
  • Cytoplasmic Granules / drug effects*
  • Cytoplasmic Granules / metabolism
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Exocytosis / drug effects
  • Glutathione Transferase / genetics
  • Glutathione Transferase / metabolism
  • Guanosine Triphosphate / pharmacology
  • Guanylyl Imidodiphosphate / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Protein Binding / drug effects
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Thrombin / pharmacology
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins / genetics
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins / metabolism
  • ral GTP-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • ral GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins
  • Guanylyl Imidodiphosphate
  • Guanosine Triphosphate
  • Glutathione Transferase
  • Thrombin
  • ral GTP-Binding Proteins
  • Calcium