IntroductionPlatelet glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX-V complex binds to von Willebrand factor (VWF) deposited at the injured blood vessel wall, mediating initial platelet rolling and adhesion to the injury site. Ligation of VWF to the GP Ib␣ subunit in the complex also transmits a signal to the platelet that leads to platelet activation and aggregation. 1,2 In addition to mediating outside-in signals, the GP Ib-IX-V complex is also capable of transmitting intracellular signals to the outside. [3][4][5][6][7] How this receptor complex mediates signaling in both directions is not clear, but recent work has suggested the likely interaction between the Ib␣ and Ib subunits as a potential key element of the mechanism. [8][9][10] Thus, understanding the interaction between GP Ib␣ and GP Ib, and in general the organizing principle of the GP Ib-IX-V complex, will help to unveil the mechanism underlying transmembrane signaling mediated by the complex.It is widely accepted that the GP Ib-IX-V complex contains 7 subunits composed of 4 different polypeptides: Ib␣, Ib, IX, and V with a respective stoichiometry of 2:2:2:1. [11][12][13][14][15] Each subunit is a type I transmembrane protein. A disulfide bond links GP Ib␣ and GP Ib, forming a complex known as GP Ib, that in turn interacts noncovalently with GP IX and GP V to generate the Ib-IX-V complex. The Ib␣ extracellular domain contains 9 Cys residues, 7 of which reside in the N-terminal domain that contains the binding site for VWF. The N-terminal domain contains 3 disulfides, C4-C17, C209-C248, and C211-C264. 16 C65 is buried in the hydrophobic core of the N-terminal domain and is therefore unpaired. 17,18 The other 2 Cys residues in GP Ib␣, C484 and C485, are located near the transmembrane (TM) domain and are conserved across species. The Ib␣/Ib ratio of 1:1 in the receptor complex predicts that only 1 of the 2 Cys residues forms a disulfide bond with the membrane-proximal C122 in GP Ib (Figure 1). However, it is not clear which one is paired with C122, and, more intriguingly, what role the free thiol group of the other Cys residue plays. It seems paradoxic that 2 neighboring Cys residues are exposed to presumably similar, if not the same, oxidizing environments, yet they have entirely different fates.In the present study, we sought to assign the disulfide between GP Ib␣ and GP Ib. To our surprise, we found that both C484 and C485 are linked to GP Ib by disulfide bonds. In other words, contrary to the currently prevailing model, 1 Ib␣ subunit is linked through disulfide bonds to 2 Ib subunits.
Materials and methods
Vectors and antibodiesThe vector pDX 19,20 was used in the expression of GP Ib-IX complex in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The CHO K1 cell line was obtained from ATCC (Manassas, VA). The expression vector pGEX-4T-3 was purchased from Amersham Biosciences (Piscataway, NJ). WM23, an anti-Ib␣ monoclonal antibody, was kindly provided by Dr M. Berndt. Other antibodies against individual subunits of GP Ib-IX complex, including FMC25, Gi27, SZ2, and AK2, were p...