Procarboxypeptidase U (proCPU, TAFI, proCPB2) is a basic carboxypeptidase zymogen that is converted by thrombin(-thrombomodulin) or plasmin into the active carboxypeptidase U (CPU, TAFIa, CPB2), a potent attenuator of fibrinolysis. As CPU forms a molecular link between coagulation and fibrinolysis, the development of CPU inhibitors as profibrinolytic agents constitutes an attractive new concept to improve endogenous fibrinolysis or to increase the efficacy of thrombolytic therapy in thromboembolic diseases. Furthermore, extensive research has been conducted on the in vivo role of CPU in (the acute phase of) thromboembolic disease, as well as on the hypothesis that high proCPU levels and the Thr/Ile325 polymorphism may cause a thrombotic predisposition. In this paper, an overview is given of the methods available for measuring proCPU, CPU, and inactivated CPU (CPUi), together with a summary of the clinical data generated so far, ranging from the current knowledge on proCPU concentrations and polymorphisms as potential thromboembolic risk factors to the positioning of different CPU forms (proCPU, CPU, and CPUi) as diagnostic markers for thromboembolic disease, and the potential benefit of pharmacological inhibition of the CPU pathway.

Carboxypeptidase U (CPU, CPB2, TAFIa) is a basic carboxypeptidase that is able to attenuate fibrinolysis. The inactive precursor procarboxypeptidase U is converted to its active form by thrombin, the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex or plasmin. The aim of this study was to investigate and characterise the time course of CPU generation in healthy individuals. In plasma of 29 healthy volunteers, CPU generation was monitored during in vitro clot lysis. CPU activity was measured by means of an enzymatic assay that uses the specific substrate Bz-o-cyano-Phe-Arg. An algorithm was written to plot the CPU generation curve and calculate the parameters that define it. In all individuals, CPU generation was biphasic. Marked inter-individual differences were present and a reference range was determined. The endogenous CPU generation potential is the composite effect of multiple factors. With respect to the first CPU activity peak characteristics, we found correlations with baseline proCPU concentration, proCPU Thr325Ile polymorphism, time to clot initiation and the clot lysis time. The second CPU peak related with baseline proCPU levels and with the maximum turbidity of the clot lysis profile. In conclusion, our method offers a technique to determine the endogenous CPU generation potential of an individual. The parameters obtained by the method quantitatively describe the different mechanisms that influence CPU generation during the complex interplay between coagulation and fibrinolysis, which are in line with the threshold hypothesis. Supplementary Material to this article is available online at www.thrombosis-online.com.