Description
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (PAI-1, Serpin E1) is a member of the serpin family of serine protease inhibitors, and is the primary inhibitor of urokinase and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). PAI-1 is expressed predominantly in adipose, liver and vascular tissues, and is also produced by certain tumor cells. Elevated levels of PAI-1 are associated with obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and increased production of PAI-1 is induced by various obesity related factors such as TNFα, glucose, insulin, and very-low-density lipoprotein. The obesity related elevation of PAI-1 levels along with the consequential deficiency in plasminogen activators can lead directly to increased risk of thrombosis and other coronary diseases. Accordingly, PAI-1 has been implicated as an important molecular link between obesity and coronary disease. PAI-1 can also specifically bind vitronectin (VTN) to form a stable active complex with an increased circulatory half life relative to free PAI-1. Recombinant human PAI-1 is a 42.7 kDa protein containing 379 amino acid residues