Prompt entry #2 - Fibrinogen - Anzori K.
In Chapter 2, page 44, Dr. Moalem tells of a clotting factor (protein) called Fibrinogen. Fibrinogen, is a protein that repairs ice-damaged tissues in wood frogs. This clotting factor is also made in humans, but more is made around the winter months. The feature of this protein relates back to Big Idea 4: where Fibrinogen interacts with the
body in order to repair damage done by cold temperatures.
Are
there any diseases that cause overproduction or underproduction of Fibrinogen in
the body? If so, how is the person affected? Which chromosome
is responsible for the production of Fibrinogen and what is the protein's locus? Do any cancers affect the molecular composition or function of Fibrinogens? If so,
what would be some effects that one would experience? When are Fibrinogen produced most or least during the lifetime of a human being? Lastly, what are
the names of some popular medications that produce Fibrinogens for those who
cannot produce Fibrinogens themselves?
~Anzori Kuchaidze (akuchai3@students.d125.org)
One disease that causes an underproduction in Fibriogen is Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The person is affected as the platelets that usually respond to injury once the first layer of defense, the skin, is broken, begin to coagulate and blood clots form within the blood vessels. Eventually these blood clots will impair blood flow to vital organs such as the liver, brain, or kidney.
ReplyDeleteThe chromosome that is responsible for the production of fibrinogen is Chromosome 4. The gene locus is G−455-A β-Gene
A cancer that affects the function of fibrinogens is Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is the most common type of liver cancer. Hcc caused thrombin coagulase to take a longer time to convert fibrinogen into fribrin during the formation of blood clots in 80% of cases examined. On the other hand, Cirrhosis of the liver did not cause change in many of the patients tested. This shows that patients who have liver cancer as well as HCC will most likely see that whenever they receive an injury that requires the aid of a blood clot to patch up, they will be freely bleeding for a longer period of time.
The most fibrinogen is produced a woman's pregnancy. the average non-pregnant woman has an average 300 milligrams per deciliter while the average pregnant woman has an average of 450 milligrams per deciliter. People who cannot produce sufficent amounts of fibrinogen can use the FDA approved drug Riastap, which is a fibrinogen concentrate made from the plasma of healthy donors.
Sources:
Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine (19 ed.) Page 953
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/disseminated-intravascular-coagulation-dic/overview.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2986113
http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/15/1/96.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6096471
http://books.google.com/books?id=NCOuIwhaWNUC&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/managing-your-healthcare/policy/articles/2009/01/16/riastap-approved-for-rare-blood-disorder