The evolution of our understanding of the formation of thrombin from the postulated thrombokinase of Morawitz to activated Factor X and prothrombinase occurred during a period of nearly 100 years. During this time structure-function relationships have emerged and the roles of phospholipid surfaces, the accessory factor, Factor V and its activated form have been clarified. This paper summarizes this story with particular acknowledgement of the seminal contributions of Haskell Milstone.
Keywords: Factor V; Factor X; Prothrombin; Thrombin; Thrombokinase.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.