Serpins flex their muscle: I. Putting the clamps on proteolysis in diverse biological systems.

摘要: Serpins compose the largest superfamily of peptidase inhibitors and are well known as regulators hemostasis thrombolysis. Studies using model organisms, from plants to vertebrates, now show that serpins their unique inhibitory mechanism conformational flexibility exploited control proteolysis in molecular pathways associated with cell survival, development, host defense. In addition, an increasing number non-inhibitory emerging important elements within a diversity biological systems by serving chaperones, hormone transporters, or anti-angiogenic factors.