Fibrin but not adsorbed fibrinogen supports fibronectin assembly by spread platelets: Effects of the interaction of αIIbβ3 with the C terminus of the fibrinogen γ-chain

We investigated the assembly of soluble fibronectin by lysophosphatidic acid-activated platelets adherent to fibrinogen or fibrin. More fibronectin was assembled by activated platelets spread on fibrin matrices than by platelets spread on adsorbed fibrinogen. The difference between platelets adherent to fibrinogen and fibrin occurred under both static and flow conditions. Similar differences were seen in binding of the 70-kDa N-terminal fragment of fibronectin that recognizes fibronectin assembly sites on adherent cells. Antibody and peptide blocking studies demonstrated that αIIbβ3 integrin mediates platelet adhesion to fibrinogen, whereas both αvβ3 and αIIbβ3 mediate platelet adhesion to fibrin. The hypothesis that engagement of the C-terminal QAGDV sequence of the fibrinogen γ-chain by αIIβ3 inhibits the ability of the platelet to assemble fibronectin was tested by several experiments. Activated platelets adherent to adsorbed mutant fibrinogen lacking the QAGDV sequence (γΔ5FG) were assembly-competent, as were platelets adherent to adsorbed normal fibrinogen that had been pretreated with the 7E9 antibody to the C terminus of the γ-chain. Moreover, adsorbed normal fibrinogen but not γΔ5FG suppressed the ability of co-adsorbed fibronectin to direct assembly of soluble fibronectin by spread platelets. The suppressive effect was lost when a surface of co-adsorbed fibronectin and fibrinogen was pretreated with 7E9. These results support a model in which the engagement of αIIβ3 by the C-terminal sequence of the fibrinogen γ-chain initiates signals that suppress subsequent fibronectin assembly by spread platelets. This interaction is less dominant when platelets adhere to fibrin, resulting in enhanced fibronectin assembly.