Abstract
Platelet activation and aggregation are essential to limit blood loss at sites of
vascular injury but may also lead to occlusion of diseased vessels. The platelet cytoskeleton
is a critical component for proper hemostatic function. Platelets change their shape
after activation and their contractile machinery mediates thrombus stabilization and
clot retraction. In vitro studies have shown that platelets, which come into contact
with proteins such as fibrinogen, spread and first form filopodia and then lamellipodia,
the latter being plate-like protrusions with branched actin filaments. However, the
role of platelet lamellipodia in hemostasis and thrombus formation has been unclear
until recently. This short review will briefly summarize the recent findings on the
contribution of the actin cytoskeleton and lamellipodial structures to platelet function.
Keywords
platelet - thrombus - cytoskeleton - lamellipodia - actin
