Résumé
The multisubunit leucine-rich glycoprotein (GP) Ib–IX–V complex mediates von Willebrand factor-dependent platelet adhesion at sites of blood-vessel injury. Molecular defects of this receptor are reported to cause the Bernard–Soulier haemorrhagic disorder. To gain insight into the mechanisms controlling expression of normal and defective receptors, we performed pulse–chase metabolic studies and detailed analysis of intracellular processing in GPIb-IX-transfected Chinese-hamster ovary cells. In the native complex, after early subunit association, sugars N-linked to the three subunits are trimmed and sialylated in the Golgi compartment and GPIbα undergoes extensive O-glycosylation. Surface biotinylation during chase demonstrated that only fully processed complexes reach the cell surface. Tunicamycin treatment revealed that early N-glycosylation is not required for O-glycosylation of GPIbα and surface expression of the complex. Biosynthetic studies were then performed on a Bernard–Soulier variant based on previous description of abnormal GPIbα size and decreased surface expression. The mutant complex associated normally, but displayed defective processing of its N-linked sugars and abnormal O-glycosylation of GPIbα. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the mutant complexes could reach the cell surface but also accumulated intracellularly, while use of compartment specific markers showed strong co-localization in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and ER-to-Golgi intermediate compartments (‘ERGIC’) and only slight labelling of the cis-Golgi. Blockade before the Golgi was confirmed by brefeldin A treatment, which restored O-glycosylation and processing of N-linked sugars. The present study has shown that transfer from the ER to the Golgi represents an important step for controlling post-translational processing and surface expression of normal GPIb-IX-V complex.