Fibrinogen participates in platelet aggregation via specific inducible receptors on the cell surface. We have used a photoactivable bifunctional reagent, N-succinimidyl-6-(4'-azido-2'-nitrophenylamino)hexanoate, SANAH, to derivatize '2s1-labeled-fibrinogen (I2'1-Fg) and crosslink it to ADP-stimulated platelets. Binding experiments established that 1251-Fg and Iz5I-Fg-SANAH interacted with platelets with the same kinetics and affinity as unlabeled fibrinogen. After photoactivation of the platelet-bound '251-Fg-SANAH, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions revealed formation of a high molecular weight covalent complex with coordinate loss of the A a chain. I2'I-Fg-SANAH missing the extreme carboxy-terminal region of the Aa chain failed to crosslink to the platelets under similar conditions. Crosslinked "'1-Fg-SANAH was extracted from the cells in 1 % Triton X-100, and immunoprecipitation with antibodies specific for platelet membrane glycoproteins was used to identify components of the complex. With antibodies to the glycoprotein IIb/III complex (anti-GP IIb/III), 40 9 % of the extracted "'I-Fg-SANAH was irnmunoprecipitated. Omission of photoactivation, platelets, or ADP from the reaction or use of unmodified lZ5I-Fg resulted in less than 5 % immunoprecipitation by the anti-GP IIb/III. As controls for specificity, anti-(glycoprotein Ib) or anti-IgG immunoprecipitated less than 5 % of the extracted I2%Fg-SANAH. Under similar conditions, 45 "/, of the GP lTb/III from surface-labeled platelets was recovered in the antiGPITb/IIT immunoprecipitate. These results indicate that the Aa chain of fibrinogen comes in close proximity to GP IIb/III when the molecule is bound to its platelet receptor.Stimulated platelets interact with one another to form aggregates, a process essential to primary hemostasis. Fibrinogen may participate in this reaction by interacting with specific inducible rceptors on the platelet surface [l, 21, and receptor occupancy is closely related to the aggregation response of the platelets [3, 41. Recent studies have implicated two of the surface membrane glycoproteins, designated GP 1Ib and GF' 111, in platelet aggregation and fibrinogen receptor function. These two glycoproteins have apparent molecular weights of 136000 (GP IIb) and 95000 (GPIII) on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under n onreducing conditions [5] and form a noncovalent complex, GP Ilb,/III, in the presence of calcium [6-81. Thrombasthenic platelets, which generally lack both GP IIb and GP 111 [9, 201, do not aggregate in response to most platelet stimuli [Ill and fail to express the majority of fibrinogen binding sites [l].Other observations which also support a role for GP lIb/III in fibrinogen receptor function include: (a) an 1gG alloantibody directed against the G P IIb/III inhibits fibrinogen binding to platelets [12]; (b) partially purified GP IIb/III associates with fibrinogen in the presence of calcium in a solid
__-_Ahbrevhtiunst SANAH, Succinimidyl-6-(4'-a~ido-2'-nitrophenylamino) hexanoate; lZ5I-...