Summary
The polypeptide chain composition of fibrinogen and cross- linked fibrin from normal
platelets and plasma has been compared by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis. Fibrinogen was prepared from a lysate of normal human platelets by
ethanol precipitation and by antifibrinogen immunoaffinity chromatography. While the
Aα chains of platelet fibrinogen appeared to be somewhat degraded, the electrophoretic
mobilities of purified platelet and plasma fibrinogen Bβ an γ chains were the same.
Crosslinked fibrin was prepared from platelet and plasma fibrinogen and γ chain dimers
identified by their electrophoretic mobility, incorporation of the lysine analog dansyl
cadaverine during crosslinking, and by reaction with antifibrinogen antibody in Western
blots. Platelet crosslinked fibrin had a different polypeptide chain composition than
that of plasma crosslinked fibrin with absence of the γ50–γ57.5 dimer in the platelet fibrin. This finding indicates that the γ57.5 chain, which constitutes 5% of total normal plasma fibrinogen γ chains, is either
absent or present in markedly reduced amounts in platelet fibrinogen.
Key Words
Fibrinogen - Fibrin - Platelets - γ Chain