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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Experimental and Imaging Techniques for Examining Fibrin Clot Structures in Normal and Diseased States
Published on: April 1, 2015
Cross-linked gamma-chains in a fibrin fibril are situated transversely between its strands
1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 1054 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA. weisel@cellbio.med.upenn.edu
Abstract:
There is no evidence for the change from transverse to longitudinal orientation hypothesized to explain X-ray and electron microscope structures. Dissolution of the clot through fibrinolysis to produce soluble products is difficult to reconcile with transverse cross-linking. There are flaws in the interpretation supporting transverse cross-linking of experiments with fibrin as a template and stretching. In summary, the strongest evidence from X-ray crystallography, fibrinolysis, and electron microscopy experiments favors the presence of longitudinal cross-links in fibrin.
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