Identification of fibrin oligomers in sonicated fibrin clots

Clots of bovine fibrin, with both coarse and fine structure, and ligated to different extents by fibrinoligase, have been broken up by ultrasonic agitation and the sonicates have been examined by ultracentrifugal sedimentation. Sonication is followed by gross aggregation of the fragments unless guanidine hydrochloride is introduced (order of 1 M). In that case, sonicates of gamma-ligated fine clots contain two species whose sedimentation coefficients correspond to fibrin monomer and an oligomer with twice the monomer cross-section area and at least 20 monomer units, presumably with the structure of lateral dimerization with staggered overlapping. If the gamma ligation is incomplete, shorter oligomers are identified. The monomer and oligomer with degree of polymerization greater than 20 appear also in sonicates of coarse clots, but in smaller amounts, the principal product consisting of larger aggregates. The implications of these results with respect to metastability of the fine clot and the pattern of polymerization are discussed.