Without platelets, blood doesn鈥檛 clot and wounds don鈥檛 heal. Transfusions of platelets save many lives, but platelets have a shelf life of only a few days. There might soon be a way to extend that, however.
David Huang and Benjamin Kile of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, have discovered that the lifespan of platelets is dictated by the levels of a protein called Bcl-xL, which dwindle as platelets age (Cell, vol 128, p 1173).
Bcl-xL works by blocking the action of another protein called Bak, which would otherwise trigger programmed cell death. The researchers are now searching compounds that increase Bcl-xL levels, mimic it, or block Bak, in order to prolong platelet lifespan.
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