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Echistatin, a 5000-Da disintegrin, is a strong competitive inhibitor of platelet alpha(IIb)beta(3) binding to fibrinogen. In addition to its antiplatelet activity, echistatin also exhibits activating properties by inducing a switch of alpha(IIb)beta(3) conformation towards an active state. However, soluble echistatin, which is a monomeric ligand, provides only receptor affinity modulation, but it is unable to activate integrin-dependent intracellular signals. Since proteins may exhibit a multivalent functionality as a result of their absorption to a substrate, in this study we evaluated whether immobilised echistatin is able to stimulate platelet adhesion and signalling. The immobilisation process led to an increase of echistatin affinity for integrin(s) expressed on resting platelets. Unlike the soluble form, immobilised echistatin bound at comparable extent either unstimulated or ADP-activated platelets. Furthermore, echistatin presented in this manner was effective in stimulating integrin-dependent protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Platelets adhering to immobilised echistatin showed a pattern of total tyrosine phosphorylated proteins resembling that of fibrinogen-attached platelets. In particular, solid-phase echistatin induced a strong phosphorylation of tyrosine kinases pp72(syk) and pp125(FAK). Inhibitors of platelet signalling, such as apyrase, prostaglandin E(1), cytochalasin D and bisindolylmaleimide, while not affecting platelet adhesion to immobilised echistatin, abolished pp125(FAK) phosphorylation. This suggests that signals activating protein kinase C function, dense granule secretion and cytoskeleton assembly might be involved in echistatin-induced pp125(FAK) phosphorylation.

Platelets represent a target of reactive oxygen species produced under oxidative stress conditions. Controversial data on the effect of these species on platelet functions have been reported so far. In this study we evaluated the effect of a wide range of H(2)O(2) concentrations on platelet adhesion to immobilized fibrinogen and on pp72(syk) and pp125(FAK) tyrosine phosphorylation. Our results demonstrate that: (1) H(2)O(2) does not affect the adhesion of unstimulated or apyrase-treated platelets to immobilized fibrinogen; (2) H(2)O(2) does not affect pp72(syk) phosphorylation induced by platelet adhesion to fibrinogen-coated dishes; (3) H(2)O(2) reduces, in a dose-dependent fashion, pp125(FAK) phosphorylation of fibrinogen-adherent platelets; (4) concentrations of H(2)O(2) near to physiological values (10-12 microM) are able to strengthen the subthreshold activation of pp125(FAK) induced by epinephrine in apyrase-treated platelets; (5) H(2)O(2) doses higher than 0.1 mM inhibit ADP-induced platelet aggregation and dense granule secretion. The ability of H(2)O(2) to modulate pp125(FAK) phosphorylation suggests a role of this molecule in physiological hemostasis as well as in thrombus generation.