Functional regulation of tissue plasminogen activator on the surface of vascular smooth muscle cells by the type-II transmembrane protein p63 (CKAP4).

We have demonstrated that tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) binds specifically to human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in a functionally relevant manner, both increasing plasminogen activation and decreasing tPA inhibition (Ellis, V., and Whawell, S. A.