title: Plasma kallikrein: the bradykinin-producing enzyme.
abstract: Plasma prekallikrein is the liver-derived precursor of the trypsin-like serine protease plasma kallikrein (PK) and circulates in plasma bound to high molecular weight kininogen. The zymogen is converted to PK by activated factor XII. PK drives multiple proteolytic reaction cascades in the cardiovascular system such as the intrinsic pathway of coagulation, the kallikrein-kinin system, the fibrinolytic system, the renin-angiotensin system and the alternative complement pathway. Here, we review the biochemistry and cell biology of PK and focus on recent in vivo studies that have established important functions of the protease in procoagulant and proinflammatory disease states. Targeting PK offers novel strategies not previously appreciated to interfere with thrombosis and vascular inflammation in a broad variety of diseases.
authors.affiliation: Thomas Renné, MD, PhD, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Solna (L1:00), SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden, Tel.: +46 8 517 73390, Fax: +46 310376, E-mail: thomas@renne.net.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Björkqvist
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jämsä
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Renné
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007611:Aprotinin / Q000737:chemistry; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D001920:Bradykinin / Q000378:metabolism*; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000378:metabolism; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000378:metabolism; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry; D015956:Factor XIIa / Q000737:chemistry; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D006487:Hemostasis; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D016234:Kallikrein-Kinin System; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000737:chemistry; D007705:Kinins / Q000737:chemistry; D051379:Mice; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000737:chemistry; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D020842:Plasma Kallikrein / Q000378:metabolism*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D059748:Proteolysis; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000378:metabolism; D014357:Trypsin / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D007705:Kinins; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D010455:Peptides; C511194:ecallantide; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D007611:Aprotinin; D007610:Kallikreins; D020842:Plasma Kallikrein; D015956:Factor XIIa; D014357:Trypsin; D003545:Cysteine; D001920:Bradykinin