Abstract
Abstract The ability of experimentalists to harvest and study purified fractions of plasma and intracellular membranes and organelles has contributed tremendously to our knowledge of platelet structure and to our understanding of the mechanisms associated with platelet activation and its control. The platelet is a delicately poised cell capable of rapid activation upon contact with a stimulus. The ease with which a relatively homogeneous population of platelets can be obtained, its importance in the cardiovascular system, and the surprising magnitude of signalling mechanisms that are present has made this cell one of the most thoroughly studied within the body. Its size (being one of the smallest of mammalian cells) and rapid excitability has prompted the development of new strategies in both its handling and disruption. Indeed, these techniques have allowed a study of platelet structure and membrane organization at a level of sophistication that in some respects has not been possible for other cell types.
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