Summary
In the presence of activated factor XIII, 2-diethylbenzyl-aminoethylthiol-14C-transcinnamate bromide completely inhibited the crosslinking of fibrin. However, all three fibrin chains bound the cinnamic acid, and, in the α- and γ-chains, the binding of label was not restricted to the crosslinking donor sites as might be expected. Furthermore, even in the absence of activated factor XIII, fibrinogen and fibrin incorporated cinnamic acid. Thus, as well as reacting with the functional thiol group of factor XIII, the thiocholine ester of cinnamic acid is incorporated non-specifically throughout the fibrinogen and fibrin subunit chains. The thiocholine ester used differs in this respect from dansyl cadaverine which is incorporated enzymatically and exclusively to the (acceptor) sites involved in crosslinking. Thiocholine ester of cinnamic acid cannot be used as a label for localization of specific crosslinking donor sites.