A novel association between platelet filamin A and soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment proteins regulates granule secretion

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The molecular mechanisms that underpin platelet granule secretion remain poorly defined. Filamin A (FLNA) is an actin-crosslinking and signaling scaffold protein whose role in granule exocytosis has not been explored despite evidence that FLNA gene mutations confer platelet defects in humans. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using platelets from platelet-specific conditional Flna-knockout mice, we showed that the loss of FLNA confers a severe defect in alpha (α)- and dense (δ)-granule exocytosis, as measured based on the release of platelet factor 4 (aka CXCL4) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), respectively. This defect was observed following activation of both immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) signaling by collagen-related peptide (CRP) and G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling by thrombin and the thromboxane mimetic U46619. CRP–induced spikes in intracellular calcium [Ca(2+)](i) were impaired in FLNA-null platelets relative to controls, confirming that FLNA regulates ITAM-driven proximal signaling. In contrast, GPCR-mediated spikes in [Ca(2+)](i) in response to thrombin and U46619 were unaffected by FLNA. Normal platelet secretion requires complexing of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins synaptosomal-associated protein 23 (SNAP23) and syntaxin-11 (STX11). We determined that FLNA coimmunoprecipitates with both SNAP23 and STX11 upon platelet stimulation. CONCLUSION: FLNA regulates GPCR-driven platelet granule secretion and associates with SNAP23 and STX11 in an activation-dependent manner.