Abstract
EXPOSURE of normal human plasma to an activating (negatively charged) surface leads to the activation of the intrinsic coagulation system and the fibrinolytic system and the generation of vasoactive peptides (kinins)1,2. This contact activation mechanism is known to be initiated by factor XII (Hageman factor). Surface-activated factor XII converts prekallikrein (Fletcher factor) into kallikrein, which leads to further activation of factor XII. Prekallikrein circulates in plasma as a complex with the kallikrein substrate, high molecular weight kininogen, and the latter acts as a cofactor in the reciprocal activation of factor XII by kallikrein. The experiments described here demonstrate that the renin–angiotensin system is also activated by kallikrein through the factor XII-dependent pathway.
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DERKX, F., BOUMA, B., SCHALEKAMP, M. et al. An intrinsic factor XII–prekallikrein-dependent pathway activates the human plasma renin–angiotensin system. Nature 280, 315–316 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/280315a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/280315a0
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