Orchestration of Primary Hemostasis by Platelet and Endothelial Lysosome-Related Organelles.

Megakaryocyte-derived platelets and endothelial cells store their hemostatic cargo in α- and δ-granules and Weibel-Palade bodies, respectively. These storage granules belong to the lysosome-related organelles (LROs), a heterogeneous group of organelles that are rapidly released following agonist-induced triggering of intracellular signaling pathways. Following vascular injury, endothelial Weibel-Palade bodies release their content into the vascular lumen and promote the formation of long VWF (von Willebrand factor) strings that form an adhesive platform for platelets. Binding to VWF strings as well as exposed subendothelial collagen activates platelets resulting in the release of α- and δ-granules, which are crucial events in formation of a primary hemostatic plug. Biogenesis and secretion of these LROs are pivotal for the maintenance of proper hemostasis. Several bleeding disorders have been linked to abnormal generation of LROs in megakaryocytes and endothelial cells. Recent reviews have emphasized common pathways in the biogenesis and biological properties of LROs, focusing mainly on melanosomes. Despite many similarities, LROs in platelet and endothelial cells clearly possess distinct properties that allow them to provide a highly coordinated and synergistic contribution to primary hemostasis by sequentially releasing hemostatic cargo. In this brief review, we discuss in depth the known regulators of α- and δ-granules in megakaryocytes/platelets and Weibel-Palade bodies in endothelial cells, starting from transcription factors that have been associated with granule formation to protein complexes that promote granule maturation. In addition, we provide a detailed view on the interplay between platelet and endothelial LROs in controlling hemostasis as well as their dysfunction in LRO related bleeding disorders.

The road to lysosome-related organelles: Insights from Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and other rare diseases.

Lysosome-related organelles (LROs) comprise a diverse group of cell type-specific, membrane-bound subcellular organelles that derive at least in part from the endolysosomal system but that have unique contents, morphologies and functions to support specific physiological roles. They include: melanosomes that provide pigment to our eyes and skin; alpha and dense granules in platelets, and lytic granules in cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells, which release effectors to regulate hemostasis and immunity; and distinct classes of lamellar bodies in lung epithelial cells and keratinocytes that support lung plasticity and skin lubrication. The formation, maturation and/or secretion of subsets of LROs are dysfunctional or entirely absent in a number of hereditary syndromic disorders, including in particular the Hermansky-Pudlak syndromes. This review provides a comprehensive overview of LROs in humans and model organisms and presents our current understanding of how the products of genes that are defective in heritable diseases impact their formation, motility and ultimate secretion.

Stimulated release of intraluminal vesicles from Weibel-Palade bodies.

Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) are secretory granules that contain von Willebrand factor and P-selectin, molecules that regulate hemostasis and inflammation, respectively. The presence of CD63/LAMP3 in the limiting membrane of WPBs has led to their classification as lysosome-related organelles. Many lysosome-related organelles contain intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) enriched in CD63 that are secreted into the extracellular environment during cell activation to mediate intercellular communication. To date, there are no reports that WPBs contain or release ILVs. By light microscopy and live-cell imaging, we show that CD63 is enriched in microdomains within WPBs. Extracellular antibody recycling studies showed that CD63 in WPB microdomains can originate from the plasma membrane. By cryo-electron tomography of frozen-hydrated endothelial cells, we identify internal vesicles as novel structural features of the WPB lumen. By live-cell fluorescence microscopy, we directly observe the exocytotic release of EGFP-CD63 ILVs as discrete particles from individual WPBs. WPB exocytosis provides a novel route for release of ILVs during endothelial cell stimulation.

Weibel-Palade Body Localized Syntaxin-3 Modulates Von Willebrand Factor Secretion From Endothelial Cells.

OBJECTIVE: Endothelial cells store VWF (von Willebrand factor) in rod-shaped secretory organelles, called Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). WPB exocytosis is coordinated by a complex network of Rab GTPases, Rab effectors, and SNARE (soluble NSF attachment protein receptor) proteins. We have previously identified STXBP1 as the link between the Rab27A-Slp4-a complex on WPBs and the SNARE proteins syntaxin-2 and -3. In this study, we investigate the function of syntaxin-3 in VWF secretion. APPROACH AND RESULTS: In human umbilical vein endothelial cells and in blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) from healthy controls, endogenous syntaxin-3 immunolocalized to WPBs. A detailed analysis of BOECs isolated from a patient with variant microvillus inclusion disease, carrying a homozygous mutation in STX3(STX3-/-), showed a loss of syntaxin-3 protein and absence of WPB-associated syntaxin-3 immunoreactivity. Ultrastructural analysis revealed no detectable differences in morphology or prevalence of immature or mature WPBs in control versus STX3-/- BOECs. VWF multimer analysis showed normal patterns in plasma of the microvillus inclusion disease patient, and media from STX3-/- BOECs, together indicating WPB formation and maturation are unaffected by absence of syntaxin-3. However, a defect in basal as well as Ca2+- and cAMP-mediated VWF secretion was found in the STX3-/- BOECs. We also show that syntaxin-3 interacts with the WPB-associated SNARE protein VAMP8 (vesicle-associated membrane protein-8). CONCLUSIONS: Our data reveal syntaxin-3 as a novel WPB-associated SNARE protein that controls WPB exocytosis.

Telocyte-like cells containing Weibel-Palade bodies in rat lamina fusca.

Telocytes (TCs) are cells with long, thin and moniliform processes called telopodes. These cells have been found in numerous tissues, including the eye choroid and sclera. Lamina fusca (LF), an anatomical structure located at the sclera-choroid junction, has outer fibroblastic lamellae containing cells with long telopodes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, via transmission electron microscopy, the LF for the presence of endothelial-specific ultrastructural features, such as Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs), in the residing TCs. We found that the outer fibroblastic layer of LF lacked pigmented cells but contained numerous cells with telopodes. These cells had incomplete or absent basal laminae, were united by focal adhesions and close contacts, and displayed scarce caveolae and shedding vesicles. Within the stromal cells of LF, numerous WPBs in various stages of maturation and vesicular structures, as secretory pods that ensure the exocytosis of WPBs content, were observed. The WPBs content of the cells with telopodes in the LF could indicate either their involvement in vasculogenesis and/or lymphangiogenesis or that they are the P-selectin- and CD63-containing pools that play roles in scleral or choroidal inflammation.

The telopode- and filopode-projecting heterogeneous stromal cells of the human sclera niche.

Telocytes (TCs) are stromal cells defined by the presence of long and slender prolongations (telopodes). They are a biologically and functionally heterogeneous population that has not been previously investigated in the sclera. The purpose of this study is to investigate the presence and characteristics of scleral telocytes through a combined immunohistochemical and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study using samples from ten adult patients. Stromal cells with a TC-like morphology expressed CD34, CD45, CD105, vimentin and occasionally CD68 but were negative for collagen III, CD31, CD133, and CD146. Conjunctival epithelial cells expressed CD45, CD105, CD146, and vimentin. These phenotypes support a scleral niche with immune TCs and haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). In TEM, we often found spindle-shaped stromal cells projecting telopodes or filopodes, with extremely long nuclei extended even within those prolongations. We separated these cells into a light subtype, which contained a complete set of organelles, and a dark subtype, consisting of undifferentiated stem/progenitor cells. The light cells contained dense vesicles, Weibel-Palade bodies, and rounded α-granule-like structures. These storage areas for the von Willebrand factor (vWF) are known to express selectins that are critically involved in HSC homing and could also indicate endothelial progenitors. The dark cells were scarcely myoid, populated the episcleral perivascular niches and the scleral stroma, and were equipped with lipid storage areas such as lamellar bodies and lipid droplets (LDs). Previously, unreported intranuclear LDs were found in these cells, which is characteristic of an HSC population. It appears that the human scleral stroma is a niche harbouring TC-like cells with immune and HSC phenotypes, and the mere presence or characteristics of telopodes are not enough to differentiate them.

Stromal cells/telocytes and endothelial progenitors in the perivascular niches of the trigeminal ganglion.

Stromal cells/telocytes (SCs/TCs) were recently described in the human adult trigeminal ganglion (TG). As some markers are equally expressed in SCs/TCs and endothelial cells, we hypothesized that a subset of the TG SCs/TCs is in fact represented by endothelial progenitor cells of a myelomonocytic origin. This study aimed to evaluate whether the interstitial cells of the human adult TG correlate with the myelomonocytic lineage. We used primary antibodies for c-erbB2/HER-2, CD31, nestin, CD10, CD117/c-kit, von Willebrand factor (vWF), CD34, Stro-1, CD146, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), CD68, VEGFR-2 and cytokeratin 7 (CK7). The TG pial mesothelium and subpial vascular microstroma expressed c-erbB2/HER-2, CK7 and VEGFR-2. SCs/TCs neighbouring the neuronoglial units (NGUs) also expressed HER-2, which suggests a pial origin. These cells were also positive for CD10, CD31, CD34, CD68 and nestin. Endothelial cells expressed CD10, CD31, CD34, CD146, nestin and vWF. We also found vasculogenic networks with spindle-shaped and stellate endothelial progenitors expressing CD10, CD31, CD34, CD68, CD146 and VEGFR-2. Isolated mesenchymal stromal cells expressed Stro-1, CD146, CK7, c-kit and nestin. Pericytes expressed α-SMA and CD146. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we found endothelial-specific Weibel-Palade bodies in spindle-shaped stromal progenitors. Our study supports the hypothesis that an intrinsic vasculogenic niche potentially involved in microvascular maintenance and repair might be present in the human adult trigeminal ganglion and that it might be supplied by either the pial mesothelium or the bone marrow niche.

Weibel-Palade bodies at a glance.

The vascular environment can rapidly alter, and the speed with which responses to both physiological and pathological changes are required necessitates the existence of a highly responsive system. The endothelium can quickly deliver bioactive molecules by regulated exocytosis of its secretory granules, the Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). WPBs include proteins that initiate both haemostasis and inflammation, as well those that modulate blood pressure and angiogenesis. WPB formation is driven by von Willebrand factor, their most abundant protein, which controls both shape and size of WPBs. WPB are generated in a range of sizes, with the largest granules over ten times the size of the smallest. In this Cell Science at a Glance and the accompanying poster, we discuss the emerging mechanisms by which WPB size is controlled and how this affects the ability of this organelle to modulate haemostasis. We will also outline the different modes of exocytosis and their polarity that are currently being explored, and illustrate that these large secretory organelles provide a model for how elements of secretory granule biogenesis and exocytosis cooperate to support a complex and diverse set of functions.

Identification of extant vertebrate Myxine glutinosa VWF: evolutionary conservation of primary hemostasis.

Hemostasis in vertebrates involves both a cellular and a protein component. Previous studies in jawless vertebrates (cyclostomes) suggest that the protein response, which involves thrombin-catalyzed conversion of a soluble plasma protein, fibrinogen, into a polymeric fibrin clot, is conserved in all vertebrates. However, similar data are lacking for the cellular response, which in gnathostomes is regulated by von Willebrand factor (VWF), a glycoprotein that mediates the adhesion of platelets to the subendothelial matrix of injured blood vessels. To gain evolutionary insights into the cellular phase of coagulation, we asked whether a functional vwf gene is present in the Atlantic hagfish, Myxine glutinosa We found a single vwf transcript that encodes a simpler protein compared with higher vertebrates, the most striking difference being the absence of an A3 domain, which otherwise binds collagen under high-flow conditions. Immunohistochemical analyses of hagfish tissues and blood revealed Vwf expression in endothelial cells and thrombocytes. Electron microscopic studies of hagfish tissues demonstrated the presence of Weibel-Palade bodies in the endothelium. Hagfish Vwf formed high-molecular-weight multimers in hagfish plasma and in stably transfected CHO cells. In functional assays, botrocetin promoted VWF-dependent thrombocyte aggregation. A search for vwf sequences in the genome of sea squirts, the closest invertebrate relatives of hagfish, failed to reveal evidence of an intact vwf gene. Together, our findings suggest that VWF evolved in the ancestral vertebrate following the divergence of the urochordates some 500 million years ago and that it acquired increasing complexity though sequential insertion of functional modules.

Factor VIII Is Synthesized in Human Endothelial Cells, Packaged in Weibel-Palade Bodies and Secreted Bound to ULVWF Strings.

The cellular synthesis site and ensuing storage location for human factor VIII (FVIII), the coagulation protein deficient in hemophilia A, has been elusive. FVIII stability and half-life is dependent on non-covalent complex formation with von Willebrand factor (VWF) to avoid proteolysis and clearance. VWF is synthesized in megakaryocytes and endothelial cells, and is stored and secreted from platelet alpha granules and Weibel-Palade bodies of endothelial cells. In this paper we provide direct evidence for FVIII synthesis in 2 types of primary human endothelial cells: glomerular microvascular endothelial cells (GMVECs) and umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Gene expression quantified by real time PCR revealed that levels of F8 and VWF are similar in GMVECs and HUVECs. Previous clinical studies have shown that stimulation of vasopressin V2 receptors causes parallel secretion of both proteins. In this study, we found that both endothelial cell types express AVPR2 (vasopressin V2 receptor gene) and that AVPR2 mRNA levels are 5-fold higher in GMVECs than HUVECs. FVIII and VWF proteins were detected by fluorescent microscopy in Weibel-Palade bodies within GMVECs and HUVECs using antibodies proven to be target specific. Visual presence of FVIII and VWF in Weibel-Palade bodies was confirmed by correlation measurements. The high extent of correlation was compared with negative correlation values obtained from FVIII detection with cytoplasmic proteins, ß-actin and Factor H. FVIII activity was positive in GMVEC and HUVEC cell lysates. Stimulated GMVECs and HUVECs were found to secrete cell-anchored ultra-large VWF strings covered with bound FVIII.

Towards the imaging of Weibel-Palade body biogenesis by serial block face-scanning electron microscopy.

Electron microscopy is used in biological research to study the ultrastructure at high resolution to obtain information on specific cellular processes. Serial block face-scanning electron microscopy is a relatively novel electron microscopy imaging technique that allows three-dimensional characterization of the ultrastructure in both tissues and cells by measuring volumes of thousands of cubic micrometres yet at nanometre-scale resolution. In the scanning electron microscope, repeatedly an image is acquired followed by the removal of a thin layer resin embedded biological material by either a microtome or a focused ion beam. In this way, each recorded image contains novel structural information which can be used for three-dimensional analysis. Here, we explore focused ion beam facilitated serial block face-scanning electron microscopy to study the endothelial cell-specific storage organelles, the Weibel-Palade bodies, during their biogenesis at the Golgi apparatus. Weibel-Palade bodies predominantly contain the coagulation protein Von Willebrand factor which is secreted by the cell upon vascular damage. Using focused ion beam facilitated serial block face-scanning electron microscopy we show that the technique has the sensitivity to clearly reveal subcellular details like mitochondrial cristae and small vesicles with a diameter of about 50 nm. Also, we reveal numerous associations between Weibel-Palade bodies and Golgi stacks which became conceivable in large-scale three-dimensional data. We demonstrate that serial block face-scanning electron microscopy is a promising tool that offers an alternative for electron tomography to study subcellular organelle interactions in the context of a complete cell.

Content delivery to newly forming Weibel-Palade bodies is facilitated by multiple connections with the Golgi apparatus.

Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) comprise an on-demand storage organelle within vascular endothelial cells. It's major component, the hemostatic protein von Willebrand factor (VWF), is known to assemble into long helical tubules and is hypothesized to drive WPB biogenesis. However, electron micrographs of WPBs at the Golgi apparatus show that these forming WPBs contain very little tubular VWF compared with mature peripheral WPBs, which raises questions on the mechanisms that increase the VWF content and facilitate vesicle growth. Using correlative light and electron microscopy and electron tomography, we investigated WPB biogenesis in time. We reveal that forming WPBs maintain multiple connections to the Golgi apparatus throughout their biogenesis. Also by volume scanning electron microscopy, we confirmed the presence of these connections linking WPBs and the Golgi apparatus. From electron tomograms, we provided evidence that nontubular VWF is added to WPBs, which suggested that tubule formation occurs in the WPB lumen. During this process, the Golgi membrane and clathrin seem to provide a scaffold to align forming VWF tubules. Overall, our data show that multiple connections with the Golgi facilitate content delivery and indicate that the Golgi appears to provide a framework to determine the overall size and dimensions of newly forming WPBs.

Regional differences in statistical geometry of endothelial dense granules in human extremity veins.

OBJECTIVES: Leg and arm human veins are exposed to different gravitational stresses. We investigated if there is difference in the amount and geometry of secretory vesicles in their endothelium. METHODS: Superficial small vein segments were removed during vascular operations for electromicroscopic analysis. Vesicular area/total endothelial cross-sectional area was determined by computer-based morphometry. Long and short axes of granule cross sections were measured by image analyzing software. RESULTS: Vesicular density in all samples was 2.26 ± 0.34%. There was no significant difference between the vesicular densities of upper extremity and leg. The shape of the vesicles was more frequently elongated in leg than in arm sections (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The density of the vesicles does not depend on vascular region or orthostatic load. Ellipticity of these granules is significantly different in areas exposed to different gravitational stresses. This might contribute to the differences of thrombotic and hemodynamic properties of leg and upper body veins.

Development of a new method for the isolation and culture of pulmonary arterial endothelial cells from rat pulmonary arteries.

Pulmonary endothelial dysfunction plays an integral role in the pathogenesis and development of pulmonary hypertension. It is difficult and inconvenient to obtain pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) from humans and large animals. Some methods for the isolation of PAECs from rats require complex equipment and expensive reagents. In this study, we describe a new method of obtaining cultures of PAECs isolated from rat pulmonary arteries with Chinese acupuncture needles. We acquired PAECs in 5 steps. These were: the isolation of pulmonary arteries, exposure of endothelium, enzymatic digestion, concentration of resuspended pellets and incubation. PAECs were characterized by morphological activity and by immunostaining for von Willebrand factor, CD31 and CD34, but not for α-smooth muscle actin, smooth muscle myosin heavy chain or CD90/Thy-1. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy was carried out, confirming the presence of Weibel-Palade bodies that are characteristic ultrastructures of vascular endothelial cells. In conclusion, we established a simple and economical technique to isolate and culture PAECs from rat pulmonary arteries. These PAECs exhibit features consistent with vascular endothelial cells, and they could subsequently be used to study pathophysiological mechanisms involving the pulmonary arterial endothelium.

Characterisation of Weibel-Palade body fusion by amperometry in endothelial cells reveals fusion pore dynamics and the effect of cholesterol on exocytosis.

Regulated secretion from endothelial cells is mediated by Weibel-Palade body (WPB) exocytosis. Plasma membrane cholesterol is implicated in regulating secretory granule exocytosis and fusion pore dynamics; however, its role in modulating WPB exocytosis is not clear. To address this we combined high-resolution electrochemical analysis of WPB fusion pore dynamics, by amperometry, with high-speed optical imaging of WPB exocytosis following cholesterol depletion or supplementation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. We identified serotonin (5-HT) immunoreactivity in WPBs, and VMAT1 expression allowing detection of secreted 5-HT as discrete current spikes during exocytosis. A high proportion of spikes (∼75%) had pre-spike foot signals, indicating that WPB fusion proceeds via an initial narrow pore. Cholesterol depletion significantly reduced pre-spike foot signal duration and increased the rate of fusion pore expansion, whereas cholesterol supplementation had broadly the reverse effect. Cholesterol depletion slowed the onset of hormone-evoked WPB exocytosis, whereas its supplementation increased the rate of WPB exocytosis and hormone-evoked proregion secretion. Our results provide the first analysis of WPB fusion pore dynamics and highlight an important role for cholesterol in the regulation of WPB exocytosis.

Fifty years of Weibel-Palade bodies: the discovery and early history of an enigmatic organelle of endothelial cells.

In 1962, a rod-shaped cytoplasmic organelle of endothelial cells, later called the Weibel-Palade body, was serendipitously discovered by electron microscopy. It contains a set of parallel tubules and is wrapped in a membrane. Subsequent studies in the following decades established the unique localization of this organelle in endothelial cells of all vertebrates studied, meaning that it could serve as a marker of endothelial cells in tissue cultures. However, these studies did not reveal its functional significance, except for an indication that it could be related to an undefined thromboplastic substance. Twenty years after its discovery as a structural entity, it was shown by others that it houses von Willebrand factor and is thus clearly related to the coagulation system. In this review, I provide a personal historical account of the discovery and the subsequent limited work that I carried out on the organelle, putting it in the perspective of the current state of knowledge after half a century of research by many scientists.

Factor VIII alters tubular organization and functional properties of von Willebrand factor stored in Weibel-Palade bodies.

In endothelial cells, von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimers are packaged into tubules that direct biogenesis of elongated Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs). WPB release results in unfurling of VWF tubules and assembly into strings that serve to recruit platelets. By confocal microscopy, we have previously observed a rounded morphology of WPBs in blood outgrowth endothelial cells transduced to express factor VIII (FVIII). Using correlative light-electron microscopy and tomography, we now demonstrate that FVIII-containing WPBs have disorganized, short VWF tubules. Whereas normal FVIII and FVIII Y1680F interfered with formation of ultra-large VWF multimers, release of the WPBs resulted in VWF strings of equal length as those from nontransduced blood outgrowth endothelial cells. After release, both WPB-derived FVIII and FVIII Y1680F remained bound to VWF strings, which however had largely lost their ability to recruit platelets. Strings from nontransduced cells, however, were capable of simultaneously recruiting exogenous FVIII and platelets. These findings suggest that the interaction of FVIII with VWF during WPB formation is independent of Y1680, is maintained after WPB release in FVIII-covered VWF strings, and impairs recruitment of platelets. Apparently, intra-cellular and extracellular assembly of FVIII-VWF complex involves distinct mechanisms, which differ with regard to their implications for platelet binding to released VWF strings.

Actomyosin II contractility expels von Willebrand factor from Weibel-Palade bodies during exocytosis.

The study of actin in regulated exocytosis has a long history with many different results in numerous systems. A major limitation on identifying precise mechanisms has been the paucity of experimental systems in which actin function has been directly assessed alongside granule content release at distinct steps of exocytosis of a single secretory organelle with sufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Using dual-color confocal microscopy and correlative electron microscopy in human endothelial cells, we visually distinguished two sequential steps of secretagogue-stimulated exocytosis: fusion of individual secretory granules (Weibel-Palade bodies [WPBs]) and subsequent expulsion of von Willebrand factor (VWF) content. Based on our observations, we conclude that for fusion, WPBs are released from cellular sites of actin anchorage. However, once fused, a dynamic ring of actin filaments and myosin II forms around the granule, and actomyosin II contractility squeezes VWF content out into the extracellular environment. This study therefore demonstrates how discrete actin cytoskeleton functions within a single cellular system explain actin filament-based prevention and promotion of specific exocytic steps during regulated secretion.

Functional architecture of Weibel-Palade bodies.

Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) are elongated secretory organelles specific to endothelial cells that contain von Willebrand factor (VWF) and a variety of other proteins that contribute to inflammation, angiogenesis, and tissue repair. The remarkable architecture of WPBs is because of the unique properties of their major constituent VWF. VWF is stored inside WPBs as tubules, but on its release, forms strikingly long strings that arrest bleeding by recruiting blood platelets to sites of vascular injury. In recent years considerable progress has been made regarding the molecular events that underlie the packaging of VWF multimers into tubules and the processes leading to the formation of elongated WPBs. Mechanisms directing the conversion of tightly packaged VWF tubules into VWF strings on the surface of endothelial cells are starting to be unraveled. Several modes of exocytosis have now been described for WPBs, emphasizing the plasticity of these organelles. WPB exocytosis plays a role in the pathophysiology and treatment of von Willebrand disease and may have impact on common hematologic and cardiovascular disorders. This review summarizes the major advances made on the biogenesis and exocytosis of WPBs and places these recent discoveries in the context of von Willebrand disease.

Alpha1G T-type calcium channel selectively regulates P-selectin surface expression in pulmonary capillary endothelium.

Regulated P-selectin surface expression provides a rapid measure for endothelial transition to a proinflammatory phenotype. In general, P-selectin surface expression results from Weibel-Palade body (WPb) exocytosis. Yet, it is unclear whether pulmonary capillary endothelium possesses WPbs or regulated P-selectin surface expression and, if so, how inflammatory stimuli initiate exocytosis. We used immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence labeling, ultrastructural assessment, and an isolated perfused lung model to demonstrate that capillary endothelium lacks WPbs but possesses P-selectin. Thrombin stimulated P-selectin surface expression in both extra-alveolar vessel and alveolar capillary endothelium. Only in capillaries was the thrombin-stimulated P-selectin surface expression considerably mitigated by pharmacologic blockade of the T-type channel or genetic knockout of the T-type channel alpha(1G)-subunit. Depolarization of endothelial plasma membrane via high K(+) perfusion capable of eliciting cytosolic Ca(2+) transients also provoked P-selectin surface expression in alveolar capillaries that was abolished by T-type channel blockade or alpha(1G) knockout. Our findings reveal an intracellular WPb-independent P-selectin pool in pulmonary capillary endothelium, where the regulated P-selectin surface expression is triggered by Ca(2+) transients evoked through activation of the alpha(1G) T-type channel.