Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Sing CE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2862189 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Biophysical journal 20100501 9
The unfolding of von Willebrand Factor (vWF), one of the largest multimeric proteins in our body, has been shown to be a crucial step in the process of blood clotting. Here we show that elongational flows, which appear during vasoconstriction or stenosis, are the primary activation mechanisms of vWF, and unfold the multimeric protein at flow rates that are two orders-of -magnitude below those corresponding to pure shear. The findings presented here complement the current understanding of blood c ...[more]