Description
The plasma glycoprotein Fibrinogen is synthesized in the liver and comprises three structurally different subunits:. Fibrinogen is important in platelet aggregation, the final step of the coagulation cascade (i.e. the formation of Fibrin) and determination of plasma viscosity and erythrocyte aggregation. It is both constitutively expressed and inducible during an acute phase reaction. Hemostasis following tissue injury deploys essential plasma procoagulants (Prothrombin and Factors X, IX, V and VIII), which are involved in a blood coagulation cascade leading to the formation of insoluble Fibrin clots and the promotion of platelet aggregation. Following vascular injury, Fibrinogen is cleaved by Thrombin to form Fibrin, which is the most abundant component of blood clots. The cleavage products of Fibrinogen regulate cell adhesion and spreading, display vasoconstrictor and chemotactic activities, and are mitogens for several cell types