Article
Article
Fibrinogen
Article By:
Lorand, L. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.255900
The major clot-forming substrate in the blood plasma of vertebrates. Though fibrinogen represents a small fraction of plasma proteins (normal human plasma has a fibrinogen content of 2–4 mg/ml of a total of 70 mg protein/ml), its conversion to fibrin causes a dramatic gelation which blocks the flow of blood. Upon injury, sufficient amounts of the clotting enzyme, thrombin, are generated in about 5 min clotting time to produce a gel.
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