Thromb Haemost 2002; 88(01): 26-31
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1613148
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH

Association of γA/γ’ Fibrinogen Levels and Coronary Artery Disease

Rehana S. Lovely
1   Department of Pathology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
,
Lisa A. Falls
3   Center for Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
,
Hamid A. Al-Mondhiry
4   Department of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
,
Charles E. Chambers
4   Department of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
,
Gary J. Sexton
2   Clinical Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
,
Hanyu Ni
5   Division of Health Interview Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD, USA
,
David H. Farrell
1   Department of Pathology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 27 December 2001

Accepted 27 February 2002

Publication Date:
09 December 2017 (online)

Summary

γA/γ’ fibrinogen is a fibrinogen isoform that constitutes about 15% of total plasma fibrinogen. This isoform contains an additional binding site for zymogen factor XIII and for active thrombin, and forms fibrin clots that are resistant to fibrinolysis in vitro. Little is known about the variability of γA/γ’ fibrinogen levels in human populations, whereas total fibrinogen levels are known to increase with age and are higher in women than in men. In this report, evidence is presented that, in contrast to total fibrinogen levels, γA/γ’ fibrinogen levels showed no significant association with age or gender in a population of normal blood donors. A study of γA/γ’ fibrinogen levels in patients undergoing coronary angiography also showed that γA/γ’ fibrinogen levels were higher on average in coronary artery disease patients than in patients without coronary artery disease, and that this association was independent of total fibrinogen levels.

 
  • References

  • 1 Wolfenstein-Todel C, Mosesson MW. Human plasma fibrinogen heterogeneity: evidence for an extended carboxyl-terminal sequence in a normal γ chain variant (γ’). Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1980; 77: 5069-73.
  • 2 Francis CW, Marder VJ, Martin SE. Demonstration of a large molecular weight variant of the γ chain of normal human plasma fibrinogen. J Biol Chem 1980; 255: 5599-604.
  • 3 Francis CW, Kraus DH, Marder VJ. Structural and chromatographic heterogeneity of normal plasma fibrinogen associated with the presence of three γ-chain types with distinct molecular weights. Biochim Biophys Acta 1983; 744: 155-64.
  • 4 Wolfenstein-Todel C, Mosesson MW. Carboxy-terminal amino acid sequence of a human fibrinogen γ-chain variant (γ’). Biochemistry 1981; 20: 6146-9.
  • 5 Mosesson MW, Finlayson JS, Umfleet RA. Human fibrinogen heterogeneities: identification of γ chain variants. J Biol Chem 1972; 247: 5223-7.
  • 6 Chung DW, Davie EW. γ and γ’ chains of human fibrinogen are produced by alternative mRNA processing. Biochemistry 1984; 23: 4232-6.
  • 7 Fornace AJ, Cummings DE, Comeau CM, Kant JA, Crabtree GR. Structure of the human γ-fibrinogen gene: alternate mRNA splicing near the 3’ end of the gene produces γA and γB forms of γ-fibrinogen. J Biol Chem 1984; 259: 12826-30.
  • 8 Farrell DH, Thiagarajan P, Chung DW, Davie EW. Role of fibrinogen α and γ chain sites in platelet aggregation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1992; 89: 10729-32.
  • 9 Lawrence SO, Wright TW, Francis CW, Fay PJ, Haidaris PJ. Purification and functional characterization of homodimeric γB-γB fibrinogen from rat plasma. Blood 1993; 82: 2406-13.
  • 10 Farrell DH, Thiagarajan P. Binding of recombinant fibrinogen mutants to platelets. J Biol Chem 1994; 269: 226-31.
  • 11 Crabtree GR, Kant JA. Organization of the rat γ-fibrinogen gene: alternative mRNA splice patterns produce the γA and γB (γ’) chains of fibrinogen. Cell 1982; 31: 159-66.
  • 12 Haidaris PJ, Courtney MA. Tissue-specific and ubiquitous expression of fibrinogen γ chain mRNA. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 1990; 01: 433-7.
  • 13 Farrell DH, Mulvihill ER, Huang S, Chung DW, Davie EW. Recombinant human fibrinogen and sulfation of the γ’ chain. Biochemistry 1991; 30: 9414-20.
  • 14 Siebenlist KR, Meh DA, Mosesson MW. Plasma factor XIII binds specifically to fibrinogen molecules containing γ’ chains. Biochemistry 1996; 35: 10448-53.
  • 15 Moaddel M, Farrell DH, Daugherty MA, Fried MG. Interactions of human fibrinogens with factor XIII: roles of calcium and the γ’ peptide. Biochemistry 2000; 39: 6698-705.
  • 16 Meh DA, Siebenlist KR, Mosesson MW. Identification and characterization of thrombin binding sites on fibrin. J Biol Chem 1996; 271: 23121-5.
  • 17 Meh D, Siebenlist KR, Brennan SO, Holyst T, Mosesson MW. The amino acid sequence in fibrin responsible for high affinity thrombin binding. Thromb Haemost 2001; 85: 470-4.
  • 18 Falls LA, Farrell DH. Resistance of γA/γ' fibrin clots to fibrinolysis. J Biol Chem 1997; 272: 14251-6.
  • 19 Lorand L. Sol Sherry Lecture on Thrombosis: Research on Clot Stabilization Provides Clues for Improving Thrombolytic Therapies. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2000; 20: 2-9.
  • 20 Hogg PJ, Jackson CM. Fibrin monomer protects thrombin from inactivation by heparin-antithrombin III: implications for heparin efficacy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1989; 86: 3619-23.
  • 21 Weitz JI, Hudoba M, Massel D, Maraganore J, Hirsh J. Clot-bound thrombin is protected from inhibition by heparin-antithrombin III but is susceptible to inactivation by antithrombin III-independent inhibitors. J Clin Invest 1990; 86: 385-91.
  • 22 Drouet L, Paolucci F, Pasqualini N, Laprade M, Ripoll L, Mazoyer E, Bal Cdit Sollier, Vanhove N. Plasma γA/γ' fibrinogen ratio, a marker of arterial thrombotic activity: a new potential cardiovascular risk factor?. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 1999; 10 (Suppl. 01) S35-S39.
  • 23 Wilhelmsen L, Svardsudd K, Korsan-Bengtsen K, Larsson B, Welin L, Tibblin G. Fibrinogen as a risk factor for stroke and myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 1984; 311: 501-5.
  • 24 Meade TW, Mellows S, Brozovic M, Miller GJ, Chakrabarti RR, North WR, Haines AP, Stirling Y, Imeson JD, Thrompson SG. Haemostatic function and ischaemic heart disease: principal results of the Northwick Park Heart Study. Lancet 1986; 02: 533-7.
  • 25 Kannel WB, Wolf PA, Castelli WP, D'Agostino RB. Fibrinogen and risk of cardiovascular disease: the Framingham Study. JAMA 1987; 258: 1183-6.
  • 26 Yarnell JWG, Baker IA, Sweetnam PM, Bainton D, O'Brien JR, Whitehead PJ. Fibrinogen, viscosity, and white blood cell count are major risk factors for ischemic heart disease: the Caerphilly and Speedwell Collaborative Heart Disease Studies. Circulation 1991; 83: 836-44.
  • 27 Heinrich J, Balleisen L, Schulte H, Assmann G, van de Loo J. Fibrinogen and factor VII in the prediction of coronary risk: results from the PROCAM study in healthy men. Arterioscler Thromb 1994; 14: 54-9.
  • 28 Folsom AR, Wu KK, Rosamond WD, Sharrett AR, Chambless LE. Prospective study of hemostatic factors and incidence of coronary heart disease: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Circulation 1997; 96: 1102-8.
  • 29 Grieninger G, Hertzberg KM, Pindyck J. Fibrinogen synthesis in serumfree hepatocyte cultures: stimulation by glucocorticoids. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1978; 75: 5506-10.
  • 30 Thomas AE, Green FR, Kelleher CH, Wilkes HC, Brennan PJ, Meade TW, Humphries SE. Variation in the promoter region of the beta fibrinogen gene is associated with plasma fibrinogen levels in smokers and nonsmokers. Thromb Haemost 1991; 65: 487-90.
  • 31 Fowkes FG, Connor JM, Smith FB, Wood J, Donnan PT, Lowe GD. Fibrinogen genotype and risk of peripheral atherosclerosis. Lancet 1992; 339: 693-6.
  • 32 Green FR. Fibrinogen polymorphisms and atherothrombotic disease. Ann NY Acad Sci 2001; 936: 549-59.
  • 33 Folsom AR, Wu KK, Rasmussen M, Chambless LE, Aleksic N, Nieto FJ. Determinants of population changes in fibrinogen and factor VII over 6 years: the Atherosclerosis in Communities (ARIC) study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2000; 20: 601-6.
  • 34 Kannel WB, D'Agostino RB, Belanger AJ, Silbershatz H, Tofler GT. Long-term influence of fibrinogen on initial and recurrent cardiovascular events in men and women. N Engl J Med 1996; 78: 90-2.
  • 35 Folsom AR, Wu K, Sharrett A, Chambless L. Prospective study of hemostatic factors and incidence of coronary heart disease: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Circulation 1997; 96: 1102-8.
  • 36 Flaherty MJ, West S, Heimark RL, Fujikawa K, Tait JF. Placental anticoagulant protein-I: measurement in extracellular fluids and cells of the hemostatic system. J Lab Clin Med 1990; 115: 174-81.
  • 37 Lowe GDO, Rumley A. Fibrinogen and its degradation products as thrombotic risk factors. Ann NY Acad Sci 2001; 936: 560-5.
  • 38 Yu S, Sher B, Kudryk B, Redman CM. Fibrinogen precursors: order of assembly of fibrinogen chains. J Biol Chem 1984; 259: 10574-81.
  • 39 Moaddel M, Falls LA, Farrell DH. The role of γA/γ' fibrinogen in plasma factor XIII activation. J Biol Chem 2000; 275: 32135-40.