Abstract
Tissue factor (TF), the main trigger of blood coagulation, is essential for normal
hemostasis. Over the past 20 years, heightened intravascular levels and activity of
TF have been increasingly perceived as an entity that significantly contributes to
venous as well as arterial thrombosis. Various forms of the TF protein in the circulation
have been described and proposed to be thrombogenic. Aside from cell and vessel wall-associated
TF, several forms of non–cell-associated TF circulate in plasma and may serve as a
causative factor in thrombosis. At the present time, no firm consensus exists regarding
the extent, the vascular setting(s), and/or the mechanisms by which such TF forms
contribute to thrombus initiation and propagation. Here, we summarize the existing
paradigms and recent, sometimes paradigm-shifting findings elucidating the structural,
mechanistic, and pathophysiological characteristics of plasma-borne TF.
Keywords
tissue factor - thrombosis - microparticle - alternative splicing - atherosclerosis
