Coagulation Factor III/Tissue Factor: Proteins and Enzymes

Coagulation Factor III, also known as Tissue Factor (TF), Thromboplastin, and CD142, is the primary initiator of the extrinsic coagulation pathway. It is a transmembrane protein that is consitutively expressed in subendothelial cells throughout the vasculature and is inducible on endothelial cells and monocytes. Damage to the vessel wall exposes Coagulation Factor III to circulating Factor VII, triggering the proteolytic cascade that results in fibrin clot formation. Coagulation Factor III plays an important role in thrombotic diseases, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and atherosclerosis. It also plays a role in non-hemostatic inflammation, angiogenesis, and tumor progression.