A phosphoinositide 3-kinase-AKT-nitric oxide-cGMP signaling pathway in stimulating platelet secretion and aggregation

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt play important roles in platelet activation. However, the downstream mechanisms mediating their functions are unclear. We have recently shown that nitric-oxide (NO) synthase 3 and cGMP-dependent protein kinase stimulate platelet secretion and aggregation. Here we show that PI3K-mediated Akt activation plays an important role in agonist-stimulated platelet NO synthesis and cGMP elevation. Agonist-induced elevation of NO and cGMP was inhibited by Akt inhibitors and reduced in Akt-1 knock-out platelets. Akt-1 knock-out or Akt inhibitor-treated platelets showed reduced platelet secretion and aggregation in response to low concentrations of agonists, which can be reversed by low concentrations of 8-bromo-cGMP or sodium nitroprusside (an NO donor). Similarly, PI3K inhibitors diminished elevation of cGMP and inhibited platelet secretion and the second wave platelet aggregation, which was also partially reversed by 8-bromo-cGMP. These results indicate that the NO-cGMP pathway is an important downstream mechanism mediating PI3K and Akt signals leading to platelet secretion and aggregation. Conversely, the PI3K-Akt pathway is the major upstream mechanism responsible for activating the NO-cGMP pathway in platelets. Thus, this study delineates a novel platelet activation pathway involving sequential activation of PI3K, Akt, nitric-oxide synthase 3, sGC, and cGMP-dependent protein kinase.