Apoptosis is a physiological program for the deletion of cells in which caspases govern
events leading to safe clearance by phagocytes. However, a growing weight of evidence
now suggests that not all forms of programmed cell death are caspase-dependent. We now
report a complete and constitutive but caspase-independent program for the specific
phagocytic clearance of intact effete platelets, anucleated blood cells of critical importance in
health and disease. Platelets aged in vitro not only exhibited increased expression of …