Plasminogen activator, tissue-type mRNA (PLAT mRNA)

Plasminogen activator, tissue-type (PLAT) mRNA is the messenger RNA transcript that encodes the serine protease tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), a critical enzyme in the fibrinolytic system (Wikipedia, 2024). Its primary biological role is to catalyze the conversion of the zymogen plasminogen into active plasmin, which subsequently degrades fibrin clots to maintain vascular patency (NIH, 2024). Beyond its classical role in thrombolysis, PLAT mRNA and its protein product are involved in diverse processes such as extracellular matrix remodeling, cell migration, and neuronal plasticity in the central nervous system (NIH, 2025). Clinically, recombinant forms of the tPA protein, such as Alteplase and Tenecteplase, are the gold-standard treatments for acute thromboembolic events, including ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction (Wikipedia, 2024). While the protein is the established therapeutic agent, PLAT mRNA is increasingly targeted in research using gene-silencing technologies like siRNA and antisense oligonucleotides to modulate tPA expression in contexts such as cancer metastasis and tissue fibrosis (ResearchGate, 2021). Furthermore, emerging mRNA-based therapies are exploring the delivery of PLAT mRNA as a therapeutic modality to achieve localized or sustained tPA production in vivo for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and other clotting disorders (NIH, 2025).

Other names

tPA mRNATissue-type plasminogen activator mRNAPLAT transcriptTissue plasminogen activator mRNA

Fibrinolysis via plasminogen activation; mRNA-mediated protein expression; RNA interference-mediated gene silencing