Thrombin

Background

Creative Biolabs offers researchers a diverse selection of top-notch antibodies and thrombin assay kits to enhance related experiments. Our commitment to excellence guarantees dependable results, improving the precision and effectiveness of your studies.

Introduction

Thrombin is a kind of serine protease, also called coagulation factor II. By participating in the coagulation cascade, it plays an important role in hemostasis regulation and blood coagulation maintenance. Recombinant thrombin can stop bleeding during surgery, but it is only suitable for minor bleeding, not massive bleeding. Thrombin's other functions include the production of autacoids and cytokines, platelet activation, inflammatory cell chemotaxis, and stimulation of endothelial changes. Thrombin is essential for both physiological and pathological coagulation. It is proven to be an effective vasoconstrictor and mitogen. Cerebral aneurysm ruptures, and then around the cerebral arteries, the blood condenses, and thrombin is released. This can lead to acute and prolonged narrowing of the vessels, potentially causing cerebral ischemia and infarction (stroke).

Generation of Thrombin

Thrombin is produced in response to injury or accident. Cell surface receptors and tissue factor (TF) appear in the blood following vascular injury. Tissue factor binds to FVIIa, thereby activating FX. As thrombin formation requires cleavage of prothrombin at two sites, R271 and R320, FXa then acts on prothrombin, cleaving it at R320 and simultaneously cleaving prothrombin at R271 to form a thrombin and fragment F1+2asa complex. Once the complex is formed, thrombin leaves it and can attach to its target substrate. It is unique among activated coagulation proteases in that a domain critical for its initial recognition/activation interaction is missing. As a result, thrombin is free to diffuse to encounter, recognize, cleave, and dissociate its various substrates.

Thrombin in the Blood Coagulation

Fig.1 Blood coagulation cascade.Distributed under CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wiki, without modification.

As the last enzyme in the coagulation cascade, thrombin has two distinct actions. First, it cleaves fibrinogen into fibrin, acting as a procoagulant. It can also activate other factors in the coagulation cascade, such as fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI), FV, FVIII, FXI, and FXIII. In addition, thrombin can inactivate a disintegrin and a metalloproteinase, which have a thrombospondin type 1 motif (ADAMTS13). This reaction can enhance platelet adhesion. These are all procoagulant actions of thrombin. However, thrombin can also play a role in the anticoagulant pathway, activating protein C in the natural anticoagulant pathway.

Creative Biolabs provides various thrombin products, including antibodies, assay kits, proteins, peptides, and lysates. These antibodies are recombinantly expressed and can be employed in different applications, including Elisa, FC, etc. We are committed to contributing to improving your research and experiment.

Thrombin Functional Service

Creative Biolabs provides anti-thrombin aptamers known for their specific binding affinity to human thrombin protein. These aptamers have become essential tools extensively researched and utilized in the creation of aptamer-based therapeutic and diagnostic applications. For example, they are integral to the development of various sensors, which, when combined with anti-thrombin aptamers, have been advanced for thrombosis diagnostic purposes.

Fig.2 RCA-litmus assay combined with anti-thrombin aptamer and rGO for thrombin identification.¹

Researchers present an exceptionally sensitive colorimetric sensing platform that leverages the potent amplification capabilities of rolling circle amplification (RCA) combined with the efficiency of a straightforward urease-mediated litmus test. Upon target presence, RCA is initiated, allowing urease-labeled DNA to hybridize with biotinylated RCA products, which are then anchored to streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. These beads catalyze urea hydrolysis, causing a pH rise detectable via a litmus test. This platform demonstrates versatility by integrating anti-thrombin aptamers to detect a range of targets, including human thrombin, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and SARS-CoV-2 in saliva. Additionally, researchers showcase its adaptability into a basic paper-based device for detection purposes.

Creative Biolabs delivers specialized services focused on the functional characterization of thrombin, encompassing the examination of interaction dynamics and comprehensive functional assessments. Tailored to the specific requirements of esteemed clients, these offerings are instrumental in advancing clinical and scientific research efforts.

Reference

1. Chang, Dingran, et al. "A Colorimetric Biosensing Platform with Aptamers, Rolling Circle Amplification and Urease‐Mediated Litmus Test." Angewandte Chemie 135.51 (2023): e202315185. Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.