Platelets stop bleeding from damaged blood vessels and initiate repair proc
esses. They are also involved in thrombosis, a pathological variant of haem
ostasis, and they have other physiological functions in inflammatory and im
munity-related diseases. The function of platelets is largely dependent on
the presence of a number of glycoproteins. Work over the past decade has sh
own that over 40 glycoproteins are present on the platelet surface. Some of
these glycoproteins are described in the review and their structure-functi
on relationships discussed.