Megakaryocyte Proliferation and Ploidy Regulated by the Cytoplasmic Tail of Glycoprotein Ibalpha

We have investigated the ability of glycoprotein (GP) Ibalpha, a megakaryocytic gene product, to sequester the signal transduction protein 14-3-3xi and to influence megakaryocytopoiesis. Using a Gp1ba(-/-) mouse colony, we compared the rescued phenotypes produced by a wild-type human GP Ibalpha allele or a similar allele containing a 6-residue cytoplasmic tail truncation that abrogates binding to 14-3-3xi. The observed phenotypes illustrate an involvement for GP Ibalpha in thrombopoietin-mediated events of megakaryocyte proliferation, polyploidization, and the expression of apoptotic markers in maturing megakaryocytes. We developed a hypothesis for the involvement of a GP Ibalpha/14-3-3xi/PI-3 kinase complex in regulating thrombopoietin-mediated responses. An observed increase in thrombopoietin-mediated Akt phosphorylation in the truncated variant supported the hypothesis and led to the development of a model in which the GP Ibalpha cytoplasmic tail sequestered signaling proteins during megakaryocytopoiesis and, as such, became a critical regulator in the temporal sequence of events that led to normal megakaryocyte maturation.