Partial reconstruction of the platelet membrane-cytoskeleton complex

The order of attachment of the purified platelet cytoskeletal proteins to the isolated platelet membrane has recently been determined and it has been shown that only F-actin would interact directly with the membrane. Subsequently alpha-actinin and only then, ABP, would attach in that sequence. More recently the role of the platelet membrane glycoproteins Ib, IIb and IIIa in the binding of the cytoskeleton to the membrane has been investigated. The evidence suggests that F-actin attaches to the membrane via IIb and IIIa and the association of ABP with the cytoskeleton appears to be related to both its ability to interact with the F-actin-alpha-actinin complex as well as the glycoprotein Ib.