Summary
Glycoprotein (GP)VI, that binds collagen, together with GPIb- IX-V which binds von
Willebrand factor, forms an adheso-signalling complex on platelets that initiates
thrombus formation in haemostasis and thrombosis. In this study, we show that two
snake venom metalloproteinases, crotarhagin and alborhagin, induce ectodomain shedding
of GPVI by a mechanism that involves activation of endogenous platelet metalloproteinases.
Alborhagin is a viper venom metalloproteinase from Trimeresurus albolabris, while crotarhagin is a previously undescribed toxin from the rattlesnake Crotalus horridus horridus (~60-kDa non-reduced and reduced). Like alborhagin, crotarhagin induces aggregation
in human platelet-rich plasma (maximal activity, ~0.3 μg/ ml). Aggregation of washed
platelets was inhibited by soluble GPVI ectodomain expressed as an Fc-fusion protein,
confirming crotarhagin targeted GPVI. Treating washed platelets with crotarhagin or
alborhagin resulted in time-dependent loss of surface GPVI and the appearance of an
~55-kDa soluble GPVI fragment in supernatants. Crotarhagin also induced shedding in
GPVItransfected RBL-2H3 cells. Crotarhagin-induced shedding was metalloproteinase-dependent
(inhibited by EDTA), but also blocked by inhibitors of GPVI signalling (Src kinase
inhibitors, PP1 or PP2, or Syk inhibitor, piceatannol), indicating shedding required
GPVI-dependent platelet activation. Together, the data suggest that the rattlesnake
metalloproteinase, crotarhagin, and the viper toxin alborhagin, induce GPVI shedding
by a mechanism involving activation of endogenous platelet metalloproteinases rather
than direct cleavage of GPVI.
Keywords
ADAMS - adhesion receptors - snake venoms - platelet glycoproteins