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Investigating von Willebrand Factor Pathophysiology Using a Flow Chamber Model of von Willebrand Factor-platelet String Formation
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von Willebrand factor: more than a regulator of hemostasis and thrombosis

Gui-Ping Luo1, Bing Ni, Xia Yang

  • 1Institute of Immunology, PLA, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, PR China.

Acta Haematologica
|August 15, 2012
PubMed

von Willebrand factor (vWF) was first identified as an adhesive glycoprotein involved in hemostasis by Zimmermann in 1971. Since then, vWF has been shown to play a vital role in platelet adhesion, platelet binding to collagen and factor VIII protection. Recent studies have implicated vWF as a regulator of angiogenesis, smooth muscle cell proliferation, tumor cell metastasis and crosstalk in the immune system. In this review, we will discuss the aspects of vWF structure that facilitate its biological effects and speculate on its newly discovered and hypothesized roles in the pathogenesis of several diseases.

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