Both soluble and insoluble fibrin stimulate the tissue-type plasminogen activator-catalysed conversion of plasminogen to plasmin. Whether fibrinogen can exert a similar effect has been a controversial issue. The present investigation shows that while fibrinogen purified by beta-alanine precipitation does not stimulate the tissue-type plasminogen activator-catalysed plasminogen activation, fibrinogen which has been either lyophilized or stripped of bound Ca2+ ions by EDTA chelation, stimulates this reaction. The data indicate that such procedures alter the molecular conformation of fibrinogen, and expose stimulatory sites which are hidden in the native fibrinogen molecule. These results may explain previous findings concerning the capacity of fibrinogen as a stimulator of the tissue-type plasminogen activator-catalysed plasminogen activation. Since even slight alteration of the molecular structure of fibrinogen leads to an increase in the tissue-type plasminogen activator stimulation, the authors suggest that this can be used to test if the fibrinogen is in a native state.