Fig. 2.

Proplatelet fragmentation by a biological Rayleigh–Plateau instability without flow. (A) The initially cylindrical proplatelet is subject to microtubule sliding and actomyosin contractility. (B) The proplatelet starts contracting and periodic swellings develop. (C) Eventually the proplatelet consists of a series of platelet-sized swellings. (D) A kymograph illustrates the dynamics of swelling formation with the color coding for the local proplatelet radius. Time steps for the corresponding proplatelet shapes in A–C are indicated by the orange lines.