Investigating a novel role for the haemopoietic growth factor receptor, c-Mpl, in regulating shear-dependent platelet adhesive function

血小板在血栓形成中起着关键作用，血小板数量低会导致出血，而血栓形成过多则会导致心脏病发作和中风。在血流(剪切力)作用下，血小板必须‘粘’在受损的血管上。我们发现，生长因子c-MPL可以通过控制细胞表面受体的脱落来调节剪切依赖的血小板黏附。我们将研究c-MPL如何发挥这一新的作用，并检测c-MPL降低的骨髓增殖性疾病患者的血小板功能。

Platelets play a critical role in blood clot formation, with low platelet numbers leading to bleeding while excessive clot formation can cause heart attack and stroke. Platelets must ‘stick’ to injured blood vessels under blood flow (shear). We have discovered that the growth factor, c-Mpl, can regulate shear-dependent platelet sticking by controlling receptor ‘shedding’ from the cell surface. We will investigate how c-Mpl performs this new role, and examine platelet function in patients with myeloproliferative disease who have reduced c-Mpl.