Direct evidence for the existence of a neutrophil-derived platelet activator (neutrophilin).

Human neutrophils and platelets were loaded with the intracellular calcium indicator fura-2. The chemotactic peptide N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMet-Leu-Phe) induced a rapid elevation of cytosolic free calcium in cytochalasin B-treated neutrophils but failed to increase the cytosolic calcium in platelets. On the other hand, when unloaded neutrophils were incubated together with autologous fura-2-loaded platelets, fMet-Leu-Phe stimulated a 6-fold increase in platelet cytosolic calcium subsequent to a brief lag. Parallel experiments demonstrated that the addition of fMet-Leu-Phe to neutrophil/platelet incubates also elicited platelet aggregation and serotonin release. Platelet activation showed a positive correlation with the concentration of fMet-Leu-Phe added to the mixed cell population. Cell-free supernatants prepared from fMet-Leu-Phe-stimulated neutrophils were capable of inducing platelet calcium mobilization, aggregation, and secretion. The amount of platelet-activating material present in the supernatant was proportional to the number of activated neutrophils. Preincubation of platelets with BN 52021, acetylsalicylic acid, SQ-29,548, or hirudin did not modify the aggregation response induced by the supernatant collected from fMet-Leu-Phe-activated neutrophils, suggesting that the material was not 1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (paf-acether), arachidonic acid, thromboxane A2, or thrombin. Pretreatment of the neutrophil supernatant with an ADP (creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase) or a superoxide/peroxide (superoxide dismutase/catalase) scavenging system also had no effect on aggregation or secretion, indicating that these substances did not participate in platelet activation. The biological activity present in the neutrophil supernatant was destroyed by heat and inactivated by treatment with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, indicating that it is a protein and most probably an enzyme with serine protease activity. These data provide the direct observation of secondary signal transmission to platelets following primary activation of neutrophils. We propose the name neutrophilin for the neutrophil-derived mediator.