Platelet GPIb-IX receptor complex has 3 subunits GPIb␣, GPIb, and GPIX, which assemble with a ratio of 1:2:1. Dysfunction in surface expression of the complex leads to Bernard-Soulier syndrome. We have crystallized the GPIb ectodomain (GPIb E ) and determined the structure to show a single leucine-rich repeat with Nand C-terminal disulphide-bonded capping regions. The structure of a chimera of GPIb E and 3 loops (a,b,c) taken from the GPIX ectodomain sequence was also determined. The chimera (GPIb Eabc ), but not GPIb E , forms a tetramer in the crystal, showing a quaternary interface between GPIb and GPIX. Central to this interface is residue Tyr106 from GPIb, which inserts into a pocket generated by 2 loops (b,c) from GPIX. Mutagenesis studies confirmed this interface as a valid representation of interactions between GPIb and GPIX in the full-length complex. Eight GPIb missense mutations identified from patients with BernardSoulier syndrome were examined for changes to GPIb-IX complex surface expression. Two mutations, A108P and P74R, were found to maintain normal secretion/folding of GPIb E but were unable to support GPIX surface expression. The close structural proximity of these mutations to Tyr106 and the GPIb E interface with GPIX indicates they disrupt the quaternary organization of the GPIb-IX complex. (Blood. 2011;118(19):5292-5301)
IntroductionGPIb-IX-V complex is an abundant membrane receptor complex on the platelet surface that plays a critical role in mediating platelet adhesion to the damaged vessel wall under conditions of high shear stress. 1 Platelets adhere, and integrins are subsequently activated by interactions of GPIb-IX-V with VWF bound to the subendothelium. How GPIb-IX-V transmits the VWF-binding signal across the membrane is not clear, partly because the structure and organization of this complex receptor remain to be elucidated. Because GPV is only weakly associated with the receptor complex and is not essential for complex expression, assembly, VWF binding, or signal transduction, 2,3 we focus on the GPIb-IX complex here.The GPIb-IX complex contains 3 subunits, GPIb␣, GPIb, and GPIX, with a 1:2:1 stoichiometry. 4 Each subunit is a type I transmembrane (TM) protein, containing an ectodomain with leucine-rich repeats (LRRs), 5 a single TM helix, and a relatively short cytoplasmic tail. The GPIb␣ ectodomain contains binding sites for a growing list of hemostatically important ligands, including VWF and thrombin. 6-8 Covalent and noncovalent interactions are important to the quaternary stabilization of the receptor. GPIb␣ links to 2 GPIb subunits through membrane-proximal disulfide bonds to constitute the GPIb complex. 4 GPIX tightly associates with GPIb through noncovalent interactions. 9 Assembly of these subunits into a tightly integrated complex is also supported by genetic evidence. Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS) is a hereditary bleeding disorder that is characterized in most cases by giant platelets, low platelet counts, and little or no expression of GPIb-IX on the p...