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Science 327 (5965): 528-529

Copyright © 2010 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Immunology

Arsonists in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Guy A. Zimmerman, and Andrew S. Weyrich

Platelets are small anucleate cells that circulate in the blood of mammals and are critical effectors of hemostasis, blood clotting, and wound repair. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of humans that involves the innate and adaptive limbs of the host immune system, and is thought to be autoimmune in nature. Traditionally, platelets and rheumatoid arthritis don't go together. On page 580 of this issue, Boilard et al. (1) report that they do—microparticles released by platelets may be incendiary devices in the conflagration of a hot, swollen, and painful rheumatoid joint.

Department of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.

E-mail: guy.zimmerman{at}hmbg.utah.edu

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Platelets as Cellular Effectors of Inflammation in Vascular Diseases.
M. T. Rondina, A. S. Weyrich, and G. A. Zimmerman (2013)
Circ. Res. 112, 1506-1519
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Specific lipid mediator signatures of human phagocytes: microparticles stimulate macrophage efferocytosis and pro-resolving mediators.
J. Dalli and C. N. Serhan (2012)
Blood 120, e60-e72
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »

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