Plasminogen

Plasminogen, a 92kDa glycoprotein, is produced by the liver and is present in plasma and extracellular fluids. Plasminogen is the inactive precursor of plasmin, a potent serine protease involved in the dissolution of fibrin blood clots. Plasminogen can be converted into the active plasmin by plasminogen activators urokinase (uPA), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), factor XII-dependent components. The plasmin system has been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological processes such as fibrinolysis, tissue remodeling, cell migration, inflammation, and tumor invasion and metastasis. Hereditary defects of plasminogen is a predisposing risk factor for thromboemboric disease.