Exposure of endogenous phosphatidylserine at the outer surface of stimulated platelets is reversed by restoration of aminophospholipid translocase activity.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) in the plasma membrane of nonactivated human platelets is almost entirely located on the cytoplasmic side. Stimulation of platelets with the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 or combined action of collagen plus thrombin results in a rapid loss of the asymmetric distribution of PS. Also, treatment with the sulfhydryl-reactive compounds diamide and pyridyldithioethylamine (PDA) causes exposure of PS at the platelet outer surface. PS exposure is sensitively measured as the catalytic potential of platelets to enhance the rate of thrombin formation by the enzyme complex factor Xa-factor Va, since this reaction is essentially dependent on the presence of a PS-containing lipid surface. In this paper we demonstrate that endogenous PS, previously exposed at the outer surface during cell activation or sulfhydryl oxidation, can be translocated back to the cytoplasmic leaflet of the membrane by addition of dithiothreitol (DTT) but not by nonpermeable reducing agents like reduced glutathione. Treatment of platelets with trypsin or chymotrypsin, prior to addition of DTT, inhibits the inward transport of exposed PS. Moreover, severe depletion of metabolic ATP, as obtained by platelet stimulation with A23187 in the presence of metabolic inhibitors, though not inhibiting PS exposure at the outer surface, blocks the translocation of endogenous PS to the internal leaflet of the plasma membrane. These results strongly indicate the involvement of a membrane protein in the inward transport of endogenous PS. Recently, an aminophospholipid-specific translocase in the platelet membrane was postulated on the basis of the inward transport of exogenously added PS (analogues) [Sune, A., Bette-Bobillo, P., Bienvenue, A., Fellmann, P., & Devaux, P.F. (1987) Biochemistry 26, 2972-2978].(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)