RNA-seq facilitates discovery in platelets. The table summarizes the various transcript features, and their respective functions, that are identifiable through RNA-seq in platelets. Each feature in platelets can be analyzed to provide mechanistic insights into platelet function (1), as biomarkers or modulators of disease (2), or for their role in megakaryocyte development and function (3). As an example, the vessel in (1) depicts platelets that express 2 different splice variants: a predominant 3-exon variant (purple-green-red) and a minor 2-exon variant (purple-red). In vessel (2), which is atherosclerotic, the predominant isoform in platelets is shifted to the 2-exon isoform that may serve as a biomarker for atherosclerosis and may additionally contribute to disease pathogenesis. As depicted in (3), a combination of genetics and environmental signals reaching the bone marrow megakaryocyte dictate the expression of the RNAs, and the features of RNA, that are captured as the platelets are formed.