Recent Insights Into the Regulation of Coagulation and Thrombosis

Abstract

Hemostatic clot formation is the result of a balance between the procoagulant system responding to tissue trauma and the anticoagulant system, which restricts clot formation to the injury site. Imbalances in coagulation lead to a tendency towards either thrombosis or bleeding. Over the past two years, studies published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology have provided insights into the regulation of this crucial system. Here, we highlight recent discoveries concerning the two pathways of thrombin formation, the extrinsic tissue factor (TF) pathway and the intrinsic contact pathway, and the contributions of platelet activation to the thrombotic process.

Keywords: anticoagulants; factor VIIa; glycoproteins; platelet activation; thrombin.

Figure 1.

Recent advances have been made in our understanding of 1) TF expression, de-encryption, and downstream substrate FIXa activation; 2) regulation of the contact pathway and its crosstalk with inflammation; and 3) receptors, signaling and extracellular components that regulate platelet activation. Blue text indicates promoters, red indicates inhibitors, and italics indicate therapeutic agents.