尿激酶是纤溶酶原的主要激活物之一。近年来的研究工作发现,尿激酶及其受体-尿激酶受体-在其他多种生理和病理过程中也发挥了重要作用,包括了创伤愈合、组织再生、细胞迁移、特别是癌症转移和血管生成等多种生理和病理过程。除了其配体尿激酶外,尿激酶受体还能结合其他多种蛋白质,包括了玻璃体结合蛋白、LDL受体蛋白,及多种整合素等蛋白质,这些蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用是尿激酶-尿激酶受体系统生物作用的结构基础,是目前的一个重要研究方向。结合作者的工作描述了该体系的结构研究现状。
uPA is one of the primary activator of plasminogen, playing important role in clot lysis. Studies in recent years illustrate that uPA and its receptor (uPAR) also affect other physiological and pathophysilogical processes, including wound healing, tissue regeneration, cell migration, angiogenesis, and cancer biology. Besides its uPA ligand, uPAR can also bind, with high affinity, with vitronectin, LDL receptor protein (LRP), and several intergrin proteins. These protein-protein interactions are the basis of uPA/uPAR biological functions, and are important research directions currently actively pursued. The authors oresent the current research status of theirs and others in this area.