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G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have ubiquitous roles in transducing extracellular signals into cellular responses. Therefore, the concept that members of this superfamily of surface proteins are directly modulated by changes in membrane voltage could have widespread consequences for cell signalling. Although several studies have indicated that GPCRs can be voltage dependent, particularly P2Y1 receptors in the non-excitable megakaryocyte, the evidence has been mostly indirect. Recent work on muscarinic receptors has stimulated substantial interest in this field by reporting the first voltage-dependent charge movements for a GPCR. An underlying mechanism is proposed whereby a voltage-induced conformational change in the receptor alters its ability to couple to the G protein and thereby influences its affinity for an agonist. We discuss the strength of the evidence behind this hypothesis and include suggestions for future work. We also describe other examples in which direct voltage control of GPCRs can account for effects of membrane potential on downstream signals and highlight the possible physiological consequences of this phenomenon.

The function of voltage-gated human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) [K.sup.+] channels is critical for both normal cardiac repolarization and suppression of arrhythmias initiated by premature excitation. These important functions are facilitated by their unusual kinetics that combine relatively slow activation and deactivation with rapid and voltage-dependent inactivation and recovery from inactivation. The thermodynamics of these unusual features were examined by exploring the effect of temperature on the activation and inactivation processes of hERG channels expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Increased temperature shifted the voltage dependence of activation in the hyperpolarizing direction but that of inactivation in the depolarizing direction. This increases the relative occupancy of the open state and contributes to the marked temperature sensitivity of hERG current magnitude observed during action potential voltage clamps. The rates of activation and deactivation also increase with higher temperatures, but less markedly than do the rates of inactivation and recovery from inactivation. Our results also emphasize that one cannot extrapolate results obtained at room temperature to 37[degrees]C by using a single temperature scale factor. potassium channel; kinetics; voltage-dependent gating

Kv1.3 is a voltage-gated K+-selective channel with roles in immunity, insulin-sensitivity, neuronal excitability and olfaction. Despite being one of the largest ionic conductances of the platelet surface membrane, its contribution to platelet function is poorly understood. Here we show that Kv1.3-deficient platelets display enhanced ADP-evoked platelet aggregation and secretion, and an increased surface expression of platelet integrin αIIb. In contrast, platelet adhesion and thrombus formation in vitro under arterial shear conditions on surfaces coated with collagen were reduced for samples from Kv1.3−/- compared to wild type mice. Use of collagen-mimetic peptides revealed a specific defect in the engagement with α2β1. Kv1.3−/- platelets developed significantly fewer, and shorter, filopodia than wild type platelets during adhesion to collagen fibrils. Kv1.3−/- mice displayed no significant difference in thrombus formation within cremaster muscle arterioles using a laser-induced injury model, thus other pro-thrombotic pathways compensate in vivo for the adhesion defect observed in vitro. This may include the increased platelet counts of Kv1.3−/- mice, due in part to a prolonged lifespan. The ability of Kv1.3 to modulate integrin-dependent platelet adhesion has important implications for understanding its contribution to normal physiological platelet function in addition to its reported roles in auto-immune diseases and thromboinflammatory models of stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium ions have widespread roles in cellular homeostasis and activation as a consequence of their large outward concentration gradient across the surface membrane and ability to rapidly move through K+-selective ion channels. In platelets, the predominant K+ channels include the voltage-gated K+ channel Kv1.3, and the intermediate conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel KCa3.1, also known as the Gardos channel. Inwardly rectifying potassium GIRK channels and KCa1.1 large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels have also been reported in the platelet, although they remain to be demonstrated using electrophysiological techniques. Whole-cell patch clamp and fluorescent indicator measurements in the platelet or their precursor cell reveal that Kv1.3 sets the resting membrane potential and KCa3.1 can further hyperpolarize the cell during activation, thereby controlling Ca2+ influx. Kv1.3-/- mice exhibit an increased platelet count, which may result from an increased splenic megakaryocyte development and longer platelet lifespan. This review discusses the evidence in the literature that Kv1.3, KCa3.1. GIRK and KCa1.1 channels contribute to a number of platelet functional responses, particularly collagen-evoked adhesion, procoagulant activity and GPCR function. Putative roles for other K+ channels and known accessory proteins which to date have only been detected in transcriptomic or proteomic studies, are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ca2+ waves and integrin activation: The integrin GPIIb/IIIa is highly abundant on the surface of platelets and can be activated by intracellular Ca2+ signaling in an "inside-out" manner to bind to the adhesive ligand fibrinogen. Bye et al. imaged intracellular Ca2+ signaling and fibrinogen binding events in primary rat megakaryocytes activated through the ADP-stimulated receptors P2Y1 and P2Y12. The authors found that signaling by both receptors was required for full integrin activation, which depended on P2Y1-stimulated Ca2+ signaling and P2Y12-stimulated activation of the kinase PI3K. In addition, fibrinogen binding became polarized in these cells in a manner dependent on the direction of ADP-stimulated Ca2+ waves. Cells sense extracellular nucleotides through the P2Y class of purinergic G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), which stimulate integrin activation through signaling events, including intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. We investigated the relationship between P2Y-stimulated repetitive Ca2+ waves and fibrinogen binding to the platelet integrin αIIbβ3 (GPIIb/IIIa) through confocal fluorescence imaging of primary rat megakaryocytes. Costimulation of the receptors P2Y1 and P2Y12 generated a series of Ca2+ transients that each induced a rapid, discrete increase in fibrinogen binding. The peak and net increase of individual fibrinogen binding events correlated with the Ca2+ transient amplitude and frequency, respectively. Using BAPTA loading and selective receptor antagonists, we found that Ca2+ mobilization downstream of P2Y1 was essential for ADP-evoked fibrinogen binding, whereas P2Y12 and the kinase PI3K were also required for αIIbβ3 activation and enhanced the number of Ca2+ transients. ADP-evoked fibrinogen binding was initially uniform over the cell periphery but subsequently redistributed with a polarity that correlated with the direction of the Ca2+ waves. Polarization of αIIbβ3 may be mediated by the actin cytoskeleton, because surface-bound fibrinogen is highly immobile, and its motility was enhanced by cytoskeletal disruption. In conclusion, spatial and temporal patterns of Ca2+ increase enable fine control of αIIbβ3 activation after cellular stimulation. P2Y1-stimulated Ca2+ transients coupled to αIIbβ3 activation only in the context of P2Y12 coactivation, thereby providing an additional temporal mechanism of synergy between these Gq- and Gi-coupled GPCRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TMEM16F is a surface membrane protein critical for platelet procoagulant activity, which exhibits both phospholipid scramblase and ion channel activities following sustained elevation of cytosolic Ca2+. The extent to which the ionic permeability of TMEM16F is important for platelet scramblase responses remains controversial. To date, only one study has reported the electrophysiological properties of TMEM16F in cells of platelet/megakaryocyte lineage, which observed cation-selectivity within excised patch recordings from murine marrow-derived megakaryocytes. This contrasts with reports using whole-cell recordings that describe this channel as displaying either selectivity for anions or being relatively non-selective amongst the major physiological monovalent ions. We have studied TMEM16F expression and channel activity in primary rat and mouse megakaryocytes and the human erythroleukemic (HEL) cell line that exhibits megakaryocytic surface markers. Immunocytochemical analysis was consistent with surface TMEM16F expression in cells from all three species. Whole-cell recordings in the absence of K+-selective currents revealed an outwardly rectifying conductance activated by a high intracellular Ca2+ concentration in all three species. These currents appeared after 5–6 minutes and were blocked by CaCCinh-A01, properties typical of TMEM16F. Ion substitution experiments showed that the underlying conductance was predominantly Cl–-permeable in rat megakaryocytes and HEL cells, yet non-selective between monovalent anions and cations in mouse megakaryocytes. In conclusion, the present study further highlights the difference in ionic selectivity of TMEM16F in platelet lineage cells of the mouse compared to other mammalian species. This provides additional support for the ionic "leak" hypothesis that the scramblase activity of TMEM16F does not rely upon its ability to conduct ions of a specific type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]