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6 - Dynamics of the platelet cytoskeleton

from PART I - PHYSIOLOGY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2010

Kurt L. Barkalow
Affiliation:
Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115
Hervé Falet
Affiliation:
Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115
John Hartwig
Affiliation:
Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115
Paolo Gresele
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy
Clive P. Page
Affiliation:
Sackler Institute of Pulmonary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Biomedical Sciences, London
Valentin Fuster
Affiliation:
Mount Sinai Medical Center and School of Medicine, New York
Jos Vermylen
Affiliation:
Universiteitsbibliotheek-K.U., Leuven
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Summary

Introduction

Platelets play a critical role in hemostasis and coagulation. At rest, they circulate in blood as small anucleated discs, measuring 3 × 0.5 µm. Following blood vessel injury and disruption of the endothelial layer, platelets avidly interact with exposed elements of the underlying connective tissue, a reaction that is further stimulated by soluble factor release. They rapidly change from discoid shapes into active forms, first by rounding, then by generating finger-like projections called filopodia and spreading over surfaces using thin sheet-like extensions called lamellipodia. A sturdy cytoskeleton composed of actin and tubulin polymers maintains the shape of the resting and activated platelet. Actin and tubulin are dynamic polymers that can be reversibly assembled. When assembled they can be crosslinked into higher-order structures such as bundles and networks, fragmented into smaller pieces, and slide relative to one another by motor proteins. A large cast of cytoskeletal-associated proteins controls these dynamic processes. Actin filament assembly, temporally and spatially, orchestrates the extension of filopodia and lamellipodia and shape transformation.

The cytoskeleton of the resting platelet

Resting platelets are discs (Fig. 6.1(a)) whose surfaces are smooth and featureless except for small membrane invaginations that mark entrances into the open canalicular system (OCS). Cytoskeletal proteins that maintain the discoid shape represent a large fraction of the platelet proteome. Actin, present at a concentration of 0.55 mM (230000 actin subunits/platelet), represents 20% of the total cellular protein.

Type
Chapter
Information
Platelets in Thrombotic and Non-Thrombotic Disorders
Pathophysiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics
, pp. 93 - 103
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2002

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  • Dynamics of the platelet cytoskeleton
    • By Kurt L. Barkalow, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115, Hervé Falet, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115, John Hartwig, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115
  • Edited by Paolo Gresele, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy, Clive P. Page, Valentin Fuster, Jos Vermylen, Universiteitsbibliotheek-K.U., Leuven
  • Book: Platelets in Thrombotic and Non-Thrombotic Disorders
  • Online publication: 10 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511545283.007
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  • Dynamics of the platelet cytoskeleton
    • By Kurt L. Barkalow, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115, Hervé Falet, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115, John Hartwig, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115
  • Edited by Paolo Gresele, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy, Clive P. Page, Valentin Fuster, Jos Vermylen, Universiteitsbibliotheek-K.U., Leuven
  • Book: Platelets in Thrombotic and Non-Thrombotic Disorders
  • Online publication: 10 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511545283.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Dynamics of the platelet cytoskeleton
    • By Kurt L. Barkalow, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115, Hervé Falet, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115, John Hartwig, Brigham & Women's Hospital,Hematology Division, LMRC Building, Rm 301, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA O2115
  • Edited by Paolo Gresele, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy, Clive P. Page, Valentin Fuster, Jos Vermylen, Universiteitsbibliotheek-K.U., Leuven
  • Book: Platelets in Thrombotic and Non-Thrombotic Disorders
  • Online publication: 10 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511545283.007
Available formats
×