Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.21.7 (plasmin)
9,023 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Many eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells bind plasminogen in a specific and saturable manner. When plasminogen is bound to cell-surface proteins with C-terminal lysines via its lysine binding sites, its activation to plasmin is accelerated, and cell-bound plasmin is protected from inactivation by natural inhibitors. Plasmin mediates direct or indirect degradation of the extracellular matrix, and bound plasmin is used by cells to facilitate migration through extracellular matrices. Since cell migration and tissue remodelling are the underpinnings of many physiological and pathological responses, the modulation of plasminogen receptors may serve as a primary regulatory mechanism for control of many cellular responses. Specific examples of cell types on which plasminogen receptors undergo modulation include: fibroblasts, where modulation may contribute to cartilage and bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis; leukemic cells, where enhanced plasminogen binding may contribute to the heightened fibrinolytic state in the patients; other tumor cells, where up-regulation may support invasion and metastasis; bacteria, where enhanced plasminogen binding may facilitate tissue destruction and invasion; platelets, where up-regulation of plasminogen binding may play a role in regulating clot lysis; and adipocytes, where the modulation of plasminogen receptor expression may regulate cell differentiation and fat accumulation. Two pathways for modulation of plasminogen receptors have been characterized: A protease-dependent pathway can either up-regulate or down-regulate plasminogen binding to cells by changing the availability of plasminogen-binding proteins with C-terminal lysines. New receptors may be generated by trypsin-like proteases, including plasmin, which create new C-terminal lysines; other enzymes may expose existing membrane proteins by altering the cell surface; or receptor function may be lost by removal of C-terminal lysines. The basic carboxypeptidases of blood carboxypeptidase N and plasma carboxypeptidase B (TAFI) mediate such down-regulation. A non-protease dependent pathway for modulation of plasminogen receptors may be initiated by growth factors, chemokines or cytokines that alter the cell membrane and/or cytoskeleton architectures to expose plasminogen binding sites. Many examples of the modulation of plasminogen receptors have been demonstrated in vitro, and the development of knock-out mice may soon lead to incisive evaluations of the significance of the regulation of plasminogen receptors in vivo.
...
PMID:Regulation of plasminogen receptors. 1245 18

Carboxypeptidase U (CPU,TAFIa) recently gained interest as a significant player in dampening the fibrinolytic rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the time course of the generation of CPU activity during coagulation and fibrinolysis using an in vitro clot lysis model in human plasma. A first peak of CPU activity appeared after initiation of the coagulation phase and a second rise in CPU activity was observed during the fibrinolysis. The decrease in the proCPU plasma concentration followed the same trend as the appearance of the CPU activity. The direct thrombin inhibitor inogatran eliminated the CPU generation during coagulation but not during fibrinolysis. Addition of the plasmin inhibitor aprotinin during fibrinolysis resulted in a decrease in CPU activation during the lysis phase. These results demonstrate that proCPU was activated during coagulation by thrombin and during fibrinolysis by plasmin. Addition of a CPU inhibitor before initiation of clotting decreased the clot lysis time as expected. However, addition in the time period between the two peaks of CPU activity had no apparent effect on the clot lysis time.
...
PMID:Different mechanisms contribute to the biphasic pattern of carboxypeptidase U (TAFIa) generation during in vitro clot lysis in human plasma. 1257 5

Recently, a new inhibitor of fibrinolysis was described, which downregulated fibrinolysis after it was activated by thrombin, and was therefore named TAFI (thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor; EC 3.4.17.20). TAFI turned out to be identical to the previously described proteins, procarboxypeptidase U, procarboxypeptidase R, and plasma procarboxypeptidase B. Activated TAFI (TAFIa) downregulates fibrinolysis by the removal of carboxy-terminal lysines from fibrin. These carboxy-terminal lysines are exposed upon limited proteolysis of fibrin by plasmin and act as ligands for the lysine-binding sites of plasminogen and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). Elimination of these lysines by TAFIa abrogates the fibrin cofactor function of t-PA-mediated plasminogen activation, resulting in a decreased rate of plasmin generation and thus downregulation of fibrinolysis. In this review, the characteristics of TAFI are summarized, with an emphasis on the pathways leading to activation of TAFI and the role of TAFIa in the inhibition of fibrinolysis. However, it cannot be ruled out that TAFI has other, as yet undefined, functions in biology.
...
PMID:Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI, plasma procarboxypeptidase B, procarboxypeptidase R, procarboxypeptidase U). 1287 Dec 92

Patients with end-stage renal disease dialyzed due to diabetic nephropathy are at higher risk of death due to cardiovascular complications than dialyzed non-diabetic patients. Disturbances in hemostasis may play a role in the vascular complications of diabetes mellitus. It has been postulated that TAFI-Thrombin Activatable Fibrinolysis Inhibitor, newly described glycoprotein, couples two opposite systems: coagulation and fibrinolysis. The aim of the work was to study TAFI concentration in hemodialyzed and peritoneally dialyzed diabetic and non-diabetic patients. We assessed: TAFI concentration, markers of ongoing coagulation: thrombin-antithrombin complexes, prothrombin fragments 1 + 2 (markers of TAFI activation), a marker of ongoing fibrinolysis: plasmin-antiplasmin complexes, a marker of TAFI cataliser to TAFIa-thrombomodulin using commercially available kits. All four groups studied did not differ in regard to fibrinogen, thrombomodulin, plasmin-antiplasmin complexes, and TAFI concentration. Both groups of dialyzed diabetic patients have higher concentration of markers of ongoing coagulation when compared to dialyzed non-diabetic patients. Hypercoagulable state observed in dialyzed diabetic patients may contribute to the higher cardiovascular mortality in these population.
...
PMID:[Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis o inhibitor-TAFI- in dialyzed patients with diabetic nephropathy]. 1468 22

TAFIa was shown to attenuate fibrinolysis. In our in vitro study, we investigated how the inhibitory effect of TAFIa depended on the type and concentration of the plasminogen activator (PA). We measured PA-mediated lysis times of plasma clots under conditions of maximal TAFI activation by thrombin-thrombo-modulin in the absence and presence of potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor. Seven different PAs were compared comprising both tPA-related (tPA, TNK-tPA, DSPA), bacterial PA-related (staphylokinase and APSAC) and urokinase-related (tcu-PA and k2tu-PA) PAs. The lysis times and the retardation factor were plotted against the PA concentration. The retardation factor plots were bell-shaped. At low PA concentrations, the retardation factor was low, probably due to the limited stability of TAFIa. At intermediate PA concentrations the retardation factor was maximal (3-6 depending on the PA), with TNK-tPA, APSAC and DSPA exhibiting the strongest effect. At high PA concentrations, the retardation factor was again low, possibly due to inactivation of TAFIa by plasmin or to a complete conversion of glu-plasminogen into lys-plasminogen. Using individual plasmas with a reduced plasmin inhibitor activity (plasmin inhibitor Enschede) the bell-shaped curve of the retardation factor shifted towards lower tPA and DSPA concentrations, but the height did not decrease. In conclusion, TAFIa delays the lysis of plasma clots mediated by all the plasminogen activators tested. This delay is dependent on the type and concentration of the plasminogen activator, but not on the fibrin specificity of the plasminogen activator. Furthermore, plasmin inhibitor does not play a significant role in the inhibition of plasma clot lysis by TAFI.
...
PMID:Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) affects fibrinolysis in a plasminogen activator concentration-dependent manner. Study of seven plasminogen activators in an internal clot lysis model. 1502 77

Patients dialyzed due to diabetic nephropathy are at a higher risk of death due to cardiovascular complications than dialyzed non-diabetic patients. Disturbances in hemostasis may play a role in the vascular complications of diabetes mellitus. It has been postulated that TAFI-thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor, which couples two opposite systems: coagulation and fibrinolysis, may be involved in the mechanism of vascular endothelial damage in diabetic patients. We assessed: TAFI and TAFIa, markers of ongoing coagulation: thrombin-antithrombin complexes, prothrombin fragments 1+2, a marker of ongoing fibrinolysis: plasmin-antiplasmin complexes in diabetic and non-diabetic patients on hemodialyses-HD, peritoneal dialyses-CAPD, patients with chronic renal failure with and without diabetic nephropathy on conservative treatment. Both groups of dialyzed diabetic patients have a higher concentration of markers of ongoing coagulation and TAFI activity when compared to dialyzed non-diabetic patients. Linear regression analysis showed that TAFI concentration was directly related to albumin in HD and CAPD patients without diabetic nephropathy, whereas TAFIa correlated with triglycerides, fibrinogen and leukocytes count in this group. When evaluated separately (HD, CAPD), significant correlations between TAFIa and triglycerides and fibrinogen were found only in diabetic CAPD patients. Multivariate analysis showed no correlation between TAFI and other parameters studied. In conclusion, elevated circulating TAFI and TAFIa might be a new link in the pathogenesis of impaired fibrinolysis in diabetic nephropathy, and thus atherosclerosis progression, particularly in CAPD patients. Hypercoagulable state observed in diabetic patients on conservative treatment and maintained on dialyses may contribute to the higher cardiovascular mortality in this population. In these patients there is also evidence of endothelial injury, and probably secondary activation of the coagulation cascade.
...
PMID:Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and markers of endothelial cell injury in dialyzed patients with diabetic nephropathy. 1498 23

Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) also named procarboxypeptidase U (CPU), procarboxypeptidase R (CPR) and plasma procarboxypeptidase B (CPB) provides an important link between fibrinolysis and coagulation cascade. Activated TAFI (TAFIa) reduces a generation of plasmin because it cleaves off the carboxy-terminal lysine residues from partially degraded fibrin and thereby abrogates the fibrin cofactor function in the tPA-mediated catalysis of plasminogen to plasmin. TAFI is activated by thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. TAFI transformation to the activated TAFI (TAFIa) induced by thrombin supports the important role of coagulation cascade in regulation of fibrinolysis. This can be proved by a fact that the patients with a factor XI (FXI) deficiency are prone to bleeding from tissues with a high local fibrinolytic activity (urinary tract, nose, oral cavity, tonsils) that can be explained by a decreased thrombin-mediated TAFI activation. On the other hand the prothrombotic mutation of factor V (FV Leiden) associated with a resistance to activated protein C (APC-resistance) possess both mechanisms-an increased thrombin generation in coagulation cascade and a down regulation of fibrinolysis by a way of the thrombin-induced TAFI activation. For the future an inhibition of TAFI (e.g. by FXI inhibitors) offers the therapeutic possibilities to improve the decreased fibrinolysis and increase the efficiency of fibrinolytic therapy in thrombotic disorders. In bleeding disorders (hemophilia A, B) the drugs with a higher efficiency of TAFI for down regulation of an increased fibrinolysis could be used.
...
PMID:[Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and its importance in the regulation of fibrinolysis]. 1501 28

Activated thrombin-activable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFIa) is intrinsically unstable, a property that complicates the study of its role in regulating fibrinolysis. To investigate the effect of basic carboxypeptidases on fibrinolysis under conditions of constant carboxypeptidase activity, we employed pancreatic carboxypeptidase B (CPB), a homologous, stable basic carboxypeptidase, as a surrogate for TAFIa. Clots formed from TAFI-depleted plasma or from purified components were supplemented with tissue-type plasminogen activator and either CPB or TAFIa. The clot lysis data indicate that the down-regulation of fibrinolysis mediated by basic carboxypeptidases involves a threshold mechanism. At carboxypeptidase concentrations above the threshold, plasminogen activation is maintained in a fully down-regulated state; experiments in plasma showed that fibrinolysis is essentially halted by saturating concentrations of TAFIa and that fibrinolysis can be prolonged more than 45-fold by a stable carboxypeptidase. The threshold carboxypeptidase concentration was dependent on tissue-type plasminogen activator and antiplasmin concentrations, indicating that the threshold is determined by the steady-state plasmin concentration. Although obvious with CPB, the threshold was masked by the intrinsic instability of TAFIa and became apparent only when the effect of TAFIa was investigated over the picomolar concentration range. Because of the threshold effect and the instability of TAFIa, exponential increases in TAFIa concentration generate linear increases in lysis time. A model relating lysis time to TAFIa concentration, TAFIa half-life, and the threshold concentration of TAFIa is provided. The threshold effect has potentially important implications regarding the role of TAFIa and the regulation of clot lysis in vivo.
...
PMID:The intrinsic threshold of the fibrinolytic system is modulated by basic carboxypeptidases, but the magnitude of the antifibrinolytic effect of activated thrombin-activable fibrinolysis inhibitor is masked by its instability. 1512 44

Pro-thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (pro-TAFI), also called plasma procarboxypeptidase B or U, is one of the modulators of fibrinolysis in blood. Pro-TAFI is activated by thrombin/thrombomodulin complex or by plasmin to a carboxypeptidase B-like enzyme (TAFI) of 35.8 kD molecular weight. TAFI spontaneously becomes inactive as a result of a temperature-dependent conformational change in the protein (TAFIi). In this study, pro-TAFI, total TAFI antigen and TAFI-TAFIi antigen levels were measured in 32 patients with hemophilia A, 4 patients with hemophilia B, 21 patients with von Willebrand disease (VWD) and 13 healthy controls. A statistically significant decrease in pro-TAFI was found in all groups (10.72+/-4.57 mg/L (p<0.001); 8.00+/-2.35 mg/L (p<0.01) and 8.98+/-2.33 mg/L (p <0.001) for hemophilia A, hemophilia B and VWD, respectively) compared to controls (17.85+4.61 mg/L). A statistically significant increase in TAFI-TAFIi antigen was found in hemophilia A (1.05+/-1.01 mg/L) (p<0.05) and in VWD patients (0.96+/-1.01 mg/L) (p<0.05) compared to controls (0.55+/-0.36 mg/L). There was no difference in total TAFI antigen levels between any group of patients and the controls. Neither did pro-TAFI nor TAFI-TAFIi levels differ within the group of hemophilia A patients in relation to severity (mild, moderate and severe) or among the VWD patients in relation to subtype (type 1, type 2A and type 3). These findings indicate an increased conversion of pro-TAFI to TAFI and/or TAFIi in patients with bleeding disorders. As thrombin generation is seriously impaired in these patients and almost absent in hemophilia A and B and in type 3 VWD, it is possible that plasmin mediates pro-TAFI activation in these patients. Enhanced fibrinolysis via generation of plasmin has previously been reported in hemophilia and VWD. Activation of pro-TAFI by plasmin may be a feedback mechanism that counterbalances increased fibrinolysis in patients with bleeding disorders. The relationship between the TAFI activation pathway and bleeding complications associated with hemophilia A, hemophilia B and VWD requires further investigation.
...
PMID:Does an enzyme other than thrombin contribute to unexpected changes in the levels of the different forms of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor in patients with hemophilia A, hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease? 1571 93

Pre-eclampsia (P-Ec) is a complex multisystem disorder of unknown aetiology reported to occur in about 6% to 8% of all pregnancies throughout the world. This disease is associated with fibrin deposition and occlusive lesions in placental vessels. Pro-thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (pro-TAFI) is a relatively recently described glycoprotein that can be converted into its active form (TAFIa) by thrombin, thrombin-thrombomodulin and plasmin. TAFIa potentially inhibits fibrinolysis by removing C-terminal lysine and arginine residues from fibrin. These residues are required for adsorption of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen to fibrin. Therefore, TAFIa decreases plasmin formation and protects the fibrin clot against lysis. An increased of pro-TAFI/TAFIa levels has been reported in some clinical conditions associated with thrombotic tendency, as type II diabetes mellitus, deep vein thrombosis and symptomatic artery disease. Few studies have investigated pro-TAFI/TAFIa in normal or complicated pregnancy but contrasting results were reported. Understanding the role of pro-TAFI/TAFIa in the pathogenesis of P-Ec can hold great promise for improving P-Ec management. In this context, a large-scale study evaluating plasma TAFI antigen and activity, its synthesis and metabolism in pre-eclamptic women is required. Recently new selective TAFIa inhibitors have been developed. The design of a new therapy to treat and/or prevent P-Ec, based on successful use of TAFIa inhibitors, may have significant clinical ramifications.
...
PMID:Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI): a role in pre-eclampsia? 1718 58


<< Previous 1 2 3 Next >>