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Plating Up
26 May 2015

Plating Up

Small but mighty, platelets are the blood cells that enable coagulation and help stop wounds from bleeding too much. Having too few platelets, a condition known as thrombocytopenia, can be devastating. However, new research into the origin of these specialised cells could pave the way towards solutions. Platelets arise in a peculiar way; in the bone marrow, cells called megakaryocytes grow and replicate their DNA several times without dividing, forming giant cells which then break apart to produce platelets. Experiments demonstrated that genetically removing a key cell cycle protein, CDK1, could effectively re-program defective megakaryocytes to produce more platelets, and alleviate the symptoms of mice suffering from thrombocytopenia. Pictured above are two of these modified cells, with the projections which give rise to new platelets. This discovery raises the possibility of increasing platelet counts in patients, and could also contribute to the design of less damaging treatments for blood cancers.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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