Interplay of fibrinogen α_EC globular domains and factor XIIIa cross-linking dictates the extensibility and strain stiffening of fibrin networks

Background: Fibrinogen is a plasma protein forming the fibrin scaffold of blood clots. Its mechanical properties therefore affect the risk of bleeding as well as thrombosis. There has been much recent interest in the biophysical mechanisms controlling fibrin mechanics; however, the role of molecular heterogeneity of the circulating fibrinogen...