Sec22b determines Weibel-Palade body length by controlling anterograde ER-Golgi transport

Haematologica. 2021 Apr 1;106(4):1138-1147. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2019.242727.

Abstract

Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a multimeric hemostatic protein that is synthesized in endothelial cells, where it is stored for secretion in elongated secretory organelles, so-called Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). Hemostatic activity of VWF is strongly tied to WPB length, but how endothelial cells control the dimensions of their WPBs is unclear. In this study we used a targeted shRNA screen to identify the longin-SNARE Sec22b as a novel determinant of WPB size and VWF trafficking. We found that Sec22b depletion resulted in loss of the typically elongated WPB morphology along with disintegration of the Golgi and dilation of rough ER (rER) cisternae. This was accompanied by reduced proteolytic processing of VWF, accumulation of VWF in the dilated rER and reduced basal and stimulated VWF secretion. Our data demonstrate that the elongation of WPBs, and thus adhesive activity of its cargo VWF, is determined by the rate of anterograde transport between ER and Golgi, which depends on Sec22b-containing SNARE complexes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cells, Cultured
  • Endothelial Cells*
  • Exocytosis
  • Weibel-Palade Bodies*
  • von Willebrand Factor / genetics

Substances

  • von Willebrand Factor

Grants and funding

Funding: This study was supported by grants from the Landsteiner Stichting voor Bloedtransfusie Research (LSBR-1517 and LSBR- 1707), the Netherlands Ministry of Health (PPOC-2015-24P) and the Dutch Thrombosis Foundation (TSN 2017-01).