No abstract

The contact system is a potent procoagulant and proinflammatory plasma protease cascade that is initiated by binding ("contact")-induced, auto-activation of factor XII zymogen. Formed active serine protease FXIIa then cleaves plasma prekallikrein to kallikrein that in turn liberates the mediator bradykinin from its precursor high molecular weight kininogen. Bradykinin induces inflammation with implications for host defense and innate immunity. FXIIa also triggers the intrinsic pathway of coagulation that has been shown to critically contribute to thrombosis. Vice versa, FXII deficiency impairs thrombosis in animal models without inducing abnormal excessive bleeding. Recent work has established the FXIIa-driven contact system as promising target for anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory drugs. This review focuses on the biochemistry of the contact system, its regulation by endogenous and exogenous inhibitors, and roles in disease states. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Proteolysis as a Regulatory Event in Pathophysiology edited by Stefan Rose-John.

Contact activation is the surface-induced conversion of factor XII (FXII) zymogen to the serine protease FXIIa. Blood-circulating FXII binds to negatively charged surfaces and this contact to surfaces triggers a conformational change in the zymogen inducing autoactivation. Several surfaces that have the capacity for initiating FXII contact activation have been identified, including misfolded protein aggregates, collagen, nucleic acids, and platelet and microbial polyphosphate. Activated FXII initiates the proinflammatory kallikrein-kinin system and the intrinsic coagulation pathway, leading to formation of bradykinin and thrombin, respectively. FXII contact activation is well characterized in vitro and provides the mechanistic basis for the diagnostic clotting assay, activated partial thromboplastin time. However, only in the past decade has the critical role of FXII contact activation in pathological thrombosis been appreciated. While defective FXII contact activation provides thromboprotection, excess activation underlies the swelling disorder hereditary angioedema type III. This review provides an overview of the molecular basis of FXII contact activation and FXII contact activation-associated disease states.