1. Human platelet-rich plasma prelabelled with [(3)H]adenine was incubated at 37 degrees C with antimycin A and 2-deoxy-d-glucose. Variations in the amounts of ATP, ADP and P(i), and in the radioactivity of ATP, ADP, AMP, IMP, hypoxanthine+inosine and adenine were determined during incubation. Adrenaline- and ADP-induced platelet aggregation and the ADP-induced shape change of the platelets were determined concurrently. 2. 2-Deoxyglucose caused conversion of [(3)H]ATP to [(3)H]hypoxanthine+inosine. The rate of this conversion increased with increasing 2-deoxyglucose concentration and was markedly stimulated by addition of antimycin, which had no effect alone. At maximal ATP-hypoxanthine conversion rates, the IMP radioactivity remained at values tenfold higher than control, whereas [(3)H]ADP and [(3)H]AMP radioactivity gave variations typical for product/substrates in consecutive reactions. The specific radioactivityof ethanol-soluble platelet ATP decreased during incubation to less than one-tenth of its original value. The amounts and radioactivity of ethanol-insoluble ADP did not vary during incubation with the metabolic inhibitors. 3. The rate of ADP- and adrenaline-induced primary aggregation decreased as the amount of radioactive ATP declined, and complete inhibition of aggregation was obtained at a certain ATP concentration (metabolic ATP threshold). This threshold decreased with increasing concentration of inducer ADP. 4. Secondary platelet aggregation (release reaction) had a metabolic ATP threshold markedly higher than that of primary aggregation. 5. Shape change was gradually inhibited as the ATP radioactivity decreased, and had a metabolic ATP threshold distinctly lower than that of primary aggregation, and which decreased with increasing concentration of ADP. 6. A small but distinct fraction of [(3)H]ATP disappeared rapidly during the combined shape change-aggregation process induced by ADP in platelets incubated with metabolic inhibitors, whereas no ATP disappearance occurred during aggregation in their absence.

The levels of four acid hydrolases, beta-N-acetyl glucosaminidase, beta- glucuronidase, beta-galactosidase, and acid phosphatase, and the extent of their release (release II) by thrombin was determined in platelets from nine normal subjects, nine patients with storage pool disease, and in normal platelets which had been exposed to aspirin. The levels of all four hydrolases were normal in patients with SPD. However, release of three of these hydrolases (acid phosphatase was an exception) by low concentrations of thrombin (0.015 and 0.04 U/ml) was decreased in the patients as a group, although considerable variation in the extent of release of each enzyme was noted. In contrast, aspirin failed to inhibit release II in normal platelets (except for a slight impairment in the release of beta-N-acetyl glucosaminidase), although release I (serotonin, ATP and ADP) was inhibited. All release defects could be overcome by using higher concentrations of thrombin (0.2 U/ml). The normal levels of acid hydrolases in the platelets of patients with SPD (who are deficient in the platelet dense granules) suggest that these enzymes are not normally stored in the dense granules, but rather in alpha-granules. The findings also support the conclusions of previous studies that the release reaction is impaired in SPD. This release defect appears to be different from that seen in normal platelets after exposure to aspirin.

[3H]-adenine-labeled human platelets in plasma were incubated with or without nonradioactive serotonin. Release reaction was then induced by ADP, epinephrine, collagen, or thrombin. Platelets that had been incubated with serotonin released four times as much serotonin as platelets incubated without serotonin. The specific radioactivities of the ATP and ADP released to plasma during release reaction induced with all four inducers were the same in both systems. This shows that when serotonin is taken up by human platelets, it enters the compartment containing nonmetabolic, granula-stored ATP, and not the compartment with metabolic extragranular ATP. These results suggest that the mechanism of serotonin storage in human platelets is similar to that in other species investigated, i.e., rabbit, guinea pig, and pig.

[3H]-adenine-labeled human platelets in plasma were incubated with or without nonradioactive serotonin. Release reaction was then induced by ADP, epinephrine, collagen, or thrombin. Platelets that had been incubated with serotonin released four times as much serotonin as platelets incubated without serotonin. The specific radioactivities of the ATP and ADP released to plasma during release reaction induced with all four inducers were the same in both systems. This shows that when serotonin is taken up by human platelets, it enters the compartment containing nonmetabolic, granula-stored ATP, and not the compartment with metabolic extragranular ATP. These results suggest that the mechanism of serotonin storage in human platelets is similar to that in other species investigated, i.e., rabbit, guinea pig, and pig.