The effects of human fibrinogen, and several plasmin-derived fragments of fibrinogen, on the streptokinase-induced activation of human plasminogen (Pg) have been investigated. Fibrinogen stimulates the rate of activation of human Glu1-Pg, Lys77-Pg, and Val442-Pg. The cofactor activity of fibrinogen appears to reside mainly in the D-domain region, since purified fragment D is active in this system. Fibrinogen fragment E was not active in this regard. The cofactor activity of fragment D was partially dependent on the presence of Ca2+. This effect of Ca2+ was likely due to its stabilizing influence on fragment D, as revealed by studied employing differential scanning calorimetry. Conversion of fragment D1 to fragments D2--5 did not alter the cofactor activity. Steady-state kinetic analysis of the activation of Val442-Pg by the streptokinase-Val442-plasmin complex demonstrated that the Km decreased approximately 2-fold, in the presence of fragment D1. Very little change in the steady-state kinetic parameters for Glu1-Pg and Lys77-Pg, when activated by the streptokinase-Lys77-plasmin complex, was noted in the presence of fragment D1. It was also found that both fibrinogen and fibrinogen fragment D1 increased the rate of formation of the active site in the streptokinase-plasminogen complex, of all forms of plasminogen, and that this effect was sufficient to explain the overall stimulation of the activation of plasminogen by fibrinogen and fibrinogen fragment D1.