Phosphoinositide metabolism triggered by wheat germ agglutinin in human platelets

The lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) has been shown to elicit platelet functional responses such as aggregation and release reaction as a consequence of binding several cell surface glycoproteins in platelets, whereas physiological activators act on their specific receptors. To examine the mechanism of WGA-induced platelet activation, we analyzed phosphoinositide metabolism triggered by this lectin. The binding of WGA to human platelets induced a rapid and dose-dependent surge in phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2) hydrolysis, as monitored by an increase in [Ca2+]i and phosphatidic acid production. Furthermore, it similarly elicited the synthesis of PtdIns(3,4)P2, which is a major 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositide in platelets. This 3-phosphorylated lipid generation induced by WGA was very strong and did not appear to be a consequence of the classical PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis. WGA also induced a marked increase in the degree of tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins in platelets, and this increase was correlated with the phosphoinositide metabolism, i.e. PtdIns(4,5)P2 breakdown and PtdIns(3,4)P2 synthesis. The non-selective inhibitor of protein kinases, staurosporine, inhibited similarly both the increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of several platelet proteins and the phosphoinositide changes in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that both PtdIns(4,5)P2 hydrolysis and PtdIns(3,4)P2 synthesis are related to protein-tyrosine phosphorylation in platelets stimulated with WGA.