Proteases in Human Diseases
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Proteases form one of the largest and most diverse families of enzymes known. It is now clear that proteases are involved in every aspect of life functions of an organism. Under physiological conditions, proteases are regulated by their endogenous inhibitors; however, when the activity of proteases is not regulated appropriately, disease processes can result in. So, there is absolute need for a stringent control of proteolytic activitiesin cells and tissues.
Dysregulation of proteases may cause derangement of cellular signalling network resulting in different pathophysiological conditions such as vascular remodelling, atherosclerotic plaque progression, ulcer and rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer disease, cancer metastasis, tumor progression and inflammation. Additionally, many infective microorganisms require proteases for replication or use proteases as virulence factors, which have facilitated the development of protease-targeted therapies for a variety of parasitic diseases.
Um höfundinn
Dr. Naranjan S Dhalla is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. His expertise includes the subcellular and molecular basis of heart function in health and disease. He has been engaged in multidisciplinary research and education for promoting the scientific basis of cardiology, as well as training of professional manpower for combating heart disease for over 50 years.
Dr. Tapati Chakraborti is a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Kalyani, West Bengal, India. Her research covers role of proteases in the pathophysiology of Leishmaniasis. She is also doing research on the role ofproteases in regulating pulmonary vascular tone. She has been engaged in teaching and research in biochemistry for the past 30 years.
