PLAU and neoplasm: Hawinkels et al (2007) also observed a significant relation between active TGF-β levels and urokinase activity, implying plasmin, via urokinase-mediated plasminogen activation, as a principal candidate of latent TGF-β activation. The correlation between scirrhous gastric cancer and uPA suggests a role for plasmin in TGF-β activation in the tumour-specific microenvironment, resulting in transformation of resident fibroblasts to tumour-promoting myofibroblasts (Hawinkels et al, 2007).