Proteolytic Enzymes and Biological Inhibitors

MEROPS: the database of proteolytic enzymes, their substrates and inhibitors

Peptidases, their substrates and inhibitors are of great relevance to biology, medicine and biotechnology. The MEROPS database (http://merops.sanger.ac.uk) aims to fulfil the need for an integrated source of information about these. The database has hierarchical classifications in which homologous sets of peptidases and protein inhibitors are grouped into protein species, which are grouped into...

Proteolytic enzymes.

Leipner, J. and R. Saller (2000). "Systemic enzyme therapy in oncology: effect and mode of action." Drugs 59(4): 769-80. Plant extracts with a high content of proteolytic enzymes have been used for a long time in traditional medicine. Besides proteolytic enzymes from plants, 'modern' enzyme therapy additionally includes pancreatic enzymes. The therapeutic use of proteolytic enzymes is partly ba...

Role of proteolytic enzymes in biological regulation (a review).

Many enzymes, hormones, and other physiologically active proteins are synthesized as inactive precursors (zymogens) that are subsequently converted to the active form by the selective enzymatic cleavage (limited proteolysis) of peptide bonds. The ultimate agency of activating enzymatic function is limited proteolysis, either in a single activation step or in a consecutive series (cascade). The ...

Proteolytic enzymes.

Proteolytic enzymes and airway diseases.

For some 30 yrs proteolytic enzymes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of destructive lung diseases, with particular emphasis on their role in the development of emphysema. However, in recent years our concepts and views about proteolytic enzymes have increased dramatically. It is now recognized that some enzymes are exquisitely selective in their substrate specificities and may play a ro...