[Analyses on activation and regulation of blood coagulation]

Abstract

We have been investigating the mechanism of blood coagulation and anticoagulation related to pathogenesis and the regulation of thrombosis and bleeding disorders. Since our focus is basically internal medicine and hematology, the contribution to this field is clinically based and aimed to help patients and maintain public health. In this review some of our achievements associated with the activation and regulation of blood coagulation are introduced, mainly based on our research with post-graduate medical technologists. The main topics are the structural and functional relationship of thrombomodulin (TM), the regulation of tissue factor (TF) and TM expression, TM gene therapy, activation of the extrinsic coagulation system due to increased TF-bearing leukocytes during and after cardiac surgery, endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation of protein C and plasmin inhibitor mutants leading to protein deficiency, activation of blood coagulation with exposure of cellular or viral RNA, and the detection of novel bioactive peptides salusin-alpha and -beta.