Product Overview
Fibrinogen structure is a large complex protein — a 340 kDa hexameric homodimer — that has complex roles in hemostasis and homeostasis. Synthesis of fibrinogen is constitutively expressed in the liver and synthesis upregulated at the transcriptional and translational levels in response to inflammation. During coagulation, thrombin-mediated proteolytic cleavage of fibrinogen yields protofibrils that mature into mechanical stabile fibrin clots. The interaction of fibrinogen with plasma proteins and with receptors on many cell types play roles in multiple physiological and pathological processes, including hemostasis, thrombosis, pregnancy, inflammation, infection, and cancer. Disorders in fibrinogen concentration and/or function increase risk of bleeding, thrombosis, and infection.
Arginine residues in fibrinogen and other proteins can be converted to citrulline residues by peptidylarginine deiminases. Antibodies capable of recognizing citrullinated proteins, including citrulliunated fibrinogen, are found in the majority of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Immunization of mice with PAD4-citrullinated human fibrinogen has been reported to induce an arthritis that resembles human RA .
References:
Pieters M, Wolberg AS. Fibrinogen and fibrin: An illustrated review. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2019 Mar 4;3(2):161-172. doi: 10.1002/rth2.12191.
Kattula S, Byrnes JR, Wolberg AS. Fibrinogen and Fibrin in Hemostasis and Thrombosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2017 Mar;37(3):e13-e21. doi: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.117.308564.
Šenolt L, Grassi W, Szodoray P. Laboratory biomarkers or imaging in the diagnostics of rheumatoid arthritis? BMC Med. 2014 Mar 18;12:49. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-12-49.
Zhao, X., Okeke, N.L., Sharpe, O., et al. Circulating immune complexes contain citrullinated fibrinogen in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Research & Therapy 10(4), (2008).
Saraiva AL, Peres RS, Veras FP, Talbot J, de Lima KA, Luiz JPM, Cunha TM, Louzada-Junior P, Cunha FQ, Alves-Filho JC. Citrullinated human fibrinogen triggers arthritis through an inflammatory response mediated by IL-23/IL-17 immune axis. Int Immunopharmacol. 2021 Dec;101(Pt B):108363. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.108363. Epub 2021 Nov 19.