Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine protease that functions in the conversion of the zymogen plasminogen to the active, broad-spectrum serine protease plasmin. Plasmin, in turn, mediates the pericellular proteolysis of extracellular matrix components and activates other proteases such as matrix metalloproteinases and collagenases that lead to the further degradation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix. Besides the proteolytic function, upon binding to uPA receptor (uPAR), uPA is involved in initiating versatile intracellular signal pathways that regulate cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration through its interaction with various integrins and vitronectin. uPA has been implicated in a number of normal and pathological processes, and recognized as a prognostic marker for various cancers as well as a target for drug discovery.
The SensoLyte AFC Urokinase (uPA) Assay Kit is optimized for screening of enzyme inhibitors. This kit contains a fluorogenic substrate with a high reactivity and low background. uPA cleaves the substrate resulting in release of AFC (7-amino-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin) fluorophore. Fluorescence can be monitored at excitation /emission= 380/500 nm.
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