Summary

Assays for the activated form of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis Inhibitor(a) (TAFIa) can measure the extent of TAFI activation in patient populations. TAFI is a human plasma zymogen that is related to pancreatic carboxypeptidase B (CPB). The active form of TAFI (TAFIa), formed by thrombin cleavage of the zymogen, likely inhibits fibrinolysis by removal of the carboxyl-terminal lysine residues of partially degraded fibrin that stimulate plasminogen activation. TAFI is encoded by the CPB2 gene (chromosome 13) [Boffa MB et al. Biochemistry 1999]. This article presents insights into the function and regulation of TAFI.