The shape of platelet changes dramatically when activation occurs. Resting, flattened cell becomes a "spiny sphere", facilitating blood clotting. Quantitative model of the shape change is needed for better understanding of hemostasis and for the development of novel antiplatelet therapy strategies. We propose an accurate biophysical description of platelet shape, based on the solution of variational problem. This problem examines tensioned surface lying on the ring of microtubules, which buckles upon activation. Three-dimensional model of platelet shape during activation is easy to build up using our script published along with Moskalensky et al.
Image Credit: Alexander E. Moskalensky et al.
Editorials
PLOS Computational Biology 2017 Reviewer and Editorial Board Thank You
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 15, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006066
Ten simple rules to create a serious game, illustrated with examples from structural biology
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 8, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005955
Ten simple rules for collaborative lesson development
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 1, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005963
Education Articles
Eleven quick tips for running an interdisciplinary short course for new graduate students
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 29, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006039
Eleven quick tips for architecting biomedical informatics workflows with cloud computing
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 29, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005994
Meet-U: Educating through research immersion
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 15, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005992
A FAIR guide for data providers to maximise sharing of human genomic data
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SARNAclust: Semi-automatic detection of RNA protein binding motifs from immunoprecipitation data
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Bamgineer: Introduction of simulated allele-specific copy number variants into exome and targeted sequence data sets
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Astrocytic Kir4.1 channels and gap junctions account for spontaneous epileptic seizure
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Dynamic combination of sensory and reward information under time pressure
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 27, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006070
Dynamic cues for whisker-based object localization: An analytical solution to vibration during active whisker touch
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 27, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006032
From correlation to causation: Estimating effective connectivity from zero-lag covariances of brain signals
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 26, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006056
Scabies in residential care homes: Modelling, inference and interventions for well-connected population sub-units
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 26, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006046
A mechanistic pan-cancer pathway model informed by multi-omics data interprets stochastic cell fate responses to drugs and mitogens
PLOS Computational Biology: published March 26, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005985
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