The etiology of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a severe blood disorder resulting from increased platelet activation, has been an enigma. The identification of ADAMTS as a protease that cleaves von Willebrand factor and the demonstration of ADAMTS mutations in families with inherited TTP suggest a molecular mechanism for the disease.
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Functional evolution of ADAMTS genes: Evidence from analyses of phylogeny and gene organization
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Brass, L. VWF meets the ADAMTS family. Nat Med 7, 1177–1178 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1101-1177
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1101-1177
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