What is Fibrinogen?
'''Fibrinogen''' is the clotting element present in [[blood]]. When blood comes out of a wound in a vessel, the fibrinogen is activated and forms [[fibrin]], which clots the blood. Although this is fibrinogen's main job, it also forms bridges between [[platelets]]. Fibrinogen is a [[protein]] made by the [[liver]]. It is a [[dimer]] (made up of two similar units). Each unit has an alpha, beta, and gamma chain. The alpha and beta chains have a small [[peptide]] called fibrinopeptide. When fibrinogen is activated to form fibrin, an enzyme called [[thrombin]] cleaves the fibrinopeptides off of the alpha and beta chains. It is possible to examine a small sample of a person's [[blood]] to find out how much fibrinogen is in the blood. This helps medical professionals to know if too much or too little fibrinogen is the cause of a patient's medical problems. {{biology-stub}} [[Category:Blood]]