Investigating how blood clots are broken down

Platelet plasminogen as a driver of local fibrinolysis

Dr Nicola Mutch and her team at the University of Aberdeen are working out how the body prevents dangerous blood clots forming in blood vessels and blocking the flow of blood in narrowed arteries. These blockages can lead to heart attacks and strokes. A process called fibrinolysis prevents unnecessary blood clots inside blood vessels by dissolving forming clots. Plasminogen is the main protein involved in fibrinolysis, and when it attaches to an enzyme, called plasmin, it becomes activated and breaks down the clot. Plasminogen circulates freely in the blood and within cells called platelets. Dr Mutch has found that when plasminogen is anchored to the surface of platelets, it becomes activated and controls fibrinolysis. But very little is known about how plasminogen attaches to the platelet surface, what activates it, and how it contributes to fibrinolysis. In this project, she will try to answer these questions, including the role of plasminogen receptors – proteins on the surface of the platelets that bind plasminogen. This research to understand how blood clots break down may reveal why they are sometimes not cleared properly and block blood vessels, eventually leading to new ways to dissolve blood clots.