Factor XIIIa

Factor XIIIa (F13a) is a transglutaminase, which can catalyze the binding of glutamine residue in fibrin to lysine residues in adjacent protein, forming stable fibrin clot, playing an important role in blood coagulation, tissue repairing, and wound healing. F13a can be used to assist in the diagnosis of acute leukemia, and its positivity is considered as a marker of monocyte differentiation. Some research also suggested that patients with F13a negative B-cell progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia have shorter survival time and poorer prognosis. Moreover, F13a is expressed in dermatofibroma (DF) but absent in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), and its strong complementary expression pattern with CD34 has guiding significance for the differentiation between DF and DFSP. Meanwhile, F13a has significant specificity and sensitivity in the diagnosis of sebaceous neoplasm. In addition, F13a can exist in M2 tumor associated macrophages of lung cancer and gastric cancer, and its high expression may promote fibrin cross-linking, thereby establishing scaffolds for tumor invasion and metastasis.