Cell Surface-Bound Plasminogen Regulates Hepatocyte Proliferation Through a uPA-Dependent Mechanism

Plasminogen and plasminogen activators play important roles in liver regeneration. Previously, we found that plasminogen potentiates hepatocyte proliferation in the primary culture of rat hepatocytes. Here, we examined how exogenous plasminogen affects the downstream events leading to cell proliferation. The addition of plasminogen to hepatocytes increased urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) activity, but did not affect matrix...