Topic
Plasminogen activator
About: Plasminogen activator is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 13739 publications have been published within this topic receiving 544613 citations. The topic is also known as: plasminogen activators.
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TL;DR: This chapter describes two types of plasminogen activators—namely, the urokinase-type plasMinogen activator (u-PA) and the tissue- type plasmineg activator(t-PA), which are essentially different gene products.
Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of plasminogen activators in various biological processes. In specific, it describes two types of plasminogen activators—namely, the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and the tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), which are essentially different gene products. The amino acid sequences of these activators and nucleotide sequences of the corresponding cDNAs have largely been determined, and the cDNAs have been cloned using recombinant techniques. A variety of enzymatic as well as immunological assay and detection methods have also been developed that allows a precise quantification of the activators, a distinction between u-PA and t-PA, determination of whether an activator is present in its active or zymogen form, analysis of the kinetics of different steps of the cascade reaction, and immunocytochemical identification of u-PA and t-PA in tissue sections. Much of the studies on plasminogen activators and cancer has been guided by the hypothesis that proteolysis of the components of extracellular matrix, initiated by the release of plasminogen activator from the cancer cells, plays a decisive role for the degradation of normal tissue, and thereby for invasive growth and metastases.
2,545 citations
TL;DR: A new technique is described for the electrophoretic analysis of plasminogen activators in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels containing copolymerized pl asminogen and gelatin, which can be used to detect as little as 1 mU of urokinase and effectively distinguishes between melanoma- and u rokinase-type plasmineg activators.
1,988 citations
TL;DR: Recent observations related to the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the role of the u‐PA system are discussed, suggesting that the system does not support tumor metastasis by the unrestricted enzyme activity of u‐ PA and plasmin and that pericellular molecular and functional interactions appear to allow temporal and spatial re‐organizations of the system during cell migration.
Abstract: The urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) system consists of the serine proteinases plasmin and u-PA; the serpin inhibitors alpha2-anti-plasmin, PAI-1 and PAI-2; and the u-PA receptor (u-PAR). Two lines of evidence have strongly suggested an important and apparently causal role for the u-PA system in cancer metastasis: results from experimental model systems with animal tumor metastasis and the finding that high levels of u-PA, PAI-1 and u-PAR in many tumor types predict poor patient prognosis. We discuss here recent observations related to the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this role of the u-PA system. Many findings suggest that the system does not support tumor metastasis by the unrestricted enzyme activity of u-PA and plasmin. Rather, pericellular molecular and functional interactions between u-PA, u-PAR, PAI-1, extracellular matrix proteins, integrins, endocytosis receptors and growth factors appear to allow temporal and spatial re-organizations of the system during cell migration and a selective degradation of extracellular matrix proteins during invasion. Differential expression of components of the system by cancer and non-cancer cells, regulated by paracrine mechanisms, appear to determine the involvement of the system in cancer cell-directed tissue remodeling. A detailed knowledge of these processes is necessary for utilization of the therapeutic potential of interfering with the action of the system in cancers.
1,591 citations
TL;DR: Reduced fibrinolytic capacity due to increased plasma levels of the plasminogen activator inhibitor predisposes to reinfarction in a complex interplay with atherogenic factors, multiple coronary lesions, and compromised left ventricular function.
1,552 citations
TL;DR: In addition to its primary role of providing scaffolding for the intravascular thrombus and also accounting for important clot viscoelastic properties, fibrin(ogen) participates in other biologic functions involving unique binding sites, some of which become exposed as a consequence of fibrIn formation.
1,489 citations