Blood
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The initiation and regulation of fibrinolysis has been studied by reconstitution of fibrinolytic activity in human plasma in vitro. Depletion of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) antigen by immunoadsorption of human plasma with anti-tPA Ig Sepharose 4B leads to total loss of spontaneous fibrinolytic activity determined by lysis of a thrombin-induced clot. Addition of physiological concentrations of purified tPA to tPA-depleted plasma restores fibrinolytic activity as a function of the length of time between tPA addition and clotting. ⋯ These results reconcile the apparent discrepancy of the 100 kDA inhibitor-tPA complex manifesting plasminogen activation activity during zymography. The plasma tPA-inhibitor complex is precipitated strongly by antisera against plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAIs) of human Hep G2 hepatoma and HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells and weakly by antiserum against bovine aortic endothelial cell PAI but not by antiserum against a placental PAI (PAI-2) suggesting that the plasma inhibitor is immunologically related to Hep G2, HT-1080 and possibly endothedial cell PAIs. Based on the above findings, a simple model for the initiation and regulation of plasma fibrinolysis at the PA level has been formulated.