SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- In what's described as a groundbreaking discovery, a U.S.-led research team says it found blood platelets have the ability to reproduce in the circulation.
The scientists, led by Dr. Hansjorg Schwertz and Professor Andrew Weyrich of the University of Utah's School of Medicine, explained platelets develop from cells found in bone marrow. But because the platelets lack a nucleus where DNA is found, they were previously considered incapable of reproducing themselves.
However, the scientists in the study discovered platelets are capable of giving rise to new platelets.
"Cells with nuclei typically split into two uniform daughter cells that share identical genetic information," Schwertz said. "In our experiments, we found that platelets increase in number by generating beaded extensions that resemble a pearl necklace. Development of these extensions, which contain two or more new platelets, does not require a nucleus."
Weyrich said more research is needed to understand how platelets reproduce and whether newly formed platelets are identical to, or distinct from, the platelets that are formed directly from their bone marrow precursors.
"Nevertheless," he added, "our findings identify a new function of platelets that has important bench-to-bedside implications."
The study was reported in the Jan. 19 early online issue of the journal Blood.