Roles of Factor XII in Innate Immunity

Factor XII (FXII) is the zymogen of serine protease, factor XIIa (FXIIa). FXIIa enzymatic activities have been extensively studied and FXIIa inhibition is emerging as a promising target to treat or prevent thrombosis without creating a hemostatic defect. FXII and plasma prekallikrein reciprocally activate each other and result in liberation of bradykinin. Due to its unique structure among coagulation factors, FXII exerts mitogenic activity in...