Cellular and molecular regulation of factor V expression in human megakaryocytes

The mechanisms responsible for regulating FV expression in normal human megakaryocytes are unknown. To test the hypothesis that they are related to cell maturation events, we correlated human megakaryocyte FV antigen content with several putative maturation markers including cell size, morphologic stage of development, and ploidy level. Mature megakaryocytes were isolated from normal marrow by counterflow centrifugal elutriation. The cells were immunofluorescently labeled with a monoclonal antibody probe (B10) directed against the FV connecting peptide (150 kDa) and then reacted with Chromomycin A3 to allow for simultaneous DNA quantitation in the same cell. After processing, individual cells were stages and sized. FV antigen and nuclear DNA levels (ploidy) were measured by microphotometric measurements of total cytoplasmic or nuclear fluorescence. A total of 1,006 cells were examined, of which 12% were stage I, 8% were stage II, 35% were stage III, and 45% were stage IV. The geometric mean diameter (+/- SD) of cells in these stages was 48.3 +/- 11.8 microns2, 54.9 +/- 14.4 microns2, 61.7 +/- 20.02 microns2, and 56.7 +/- 13.2 microns2, respectively. Respective ploidy values in arbitrary fluorescence units, where 2 N = 5%, were 28.2 +/- 18.2%, 31.4 +/- 19.3%, 54.3 +/- 26.6%, and 33.2 +/- 22.7%. Calculated correlation coefficients (r) and coefficient of determination (r2) values suggested that FV antigen levels varied independently of any of the maturation markers studied. However, FV antigen levels could be upregulated by 24 h exposure to 8 nM phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Presence of FV mRNA in a pure population of megakaryocytes was demonstrated by in situ hybridization and the polymerase chain reaction. Relative levels of megakaryocyte FV mRNA, as assessed by in situ hybridization, failed to reveal a detectable change after PMA exposure in spite of an increase in detectable protein. These data suggest that FV synthesis may be regulated at the post-transcriptional level and that it is subject to regulatory influences which are not coordinately linked to development of other terminal maturation markers.