Proteinases as hormones: targets and mechanisms for proteolytic signaling
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Kristina K. Hansen
Abstract
Proteinases, such as kallikrein-related peptidases, trypsin and thrombin, can play hormone-like ‘messenger’ roles in vivo. They can regulate cell signaling by cleaving and activating a novel family of G-protein-coupled proteinase-activated receptors (PARs 1–4) by unmasking a tethered receptor-triggering ligand. Short synthetic PAR-derived peptide sequences (PAR-APs) can selectively activate PARs 1, 2 and 4, causing physiological responses in vitro and in vivo. Using the PAR-APs to activate the receptors in vivo, it has been found that PARs, like hormone receptors, can affect the vascular, renal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and nervous systems (central and peripheral). PARs trigger responses ranging from vasodilatation to intestinal inflammation, increased cytokine production and increased nociception. These PAR-stimulated responses have been implicated in various disease states, including cancer, atherosclerosis, asthma, arthritis, colitis and Alzheimer's disease. In addition to targeting the PARs, proteinases can also cause hormone-like effects by other signaling mechanisms that may be as important as the activation of PARs. Thus, the PARs themselves, their activating serine proteinases and their signaling pathways can be considered as attractive targets for therapeutic drug development. Further, proteinases can be considered as physiologically relevant ‘hormone-like’ messengers that can convey signals locally or systemically either via PARs or by other mechanisms.
©2008 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York
Articles in the same Issue
- Editors' Note
- Editors' Note
- Editorial
- Farewell to Hans Fritz, Executive Editor
- Guest Editorial
- Highlight on Advances in Proteolysis Research
- Highlight: 5th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society 2007
- Proteinases as hormones: targets and mechanisms for proteolytic signaling
- Glutaminyl cyclases from animals and plants: a case of functionally convergent protein evolution
- Alternative pathways for production of β-amyloid peptides of Alzheimer's disease
- Bauhinia Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitors: structural characteristics and biological properties
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme limits inflammation elicited by Trypanosoma cruzi cysteine proteases: a peripheral mechanism regulating adaptive immunity via the innate kinin pathway
- How Na+ activates thrombin – a review of the functional and structural data
- Cancer cells, adipocytes and matrix metalloproteinase 11: a vicious tumor progression cycle
- Isoaspartate residues dramatically influence substrate recognition and turnover by proteases
- Isoaspartate-containing amyloid precursor protein-derived peptides alter efficacy and specificity of potential β-secretases
- Trial of the cysteine cathepsin inhibitor JPM-OEt on early and advanced mammary cancer stages in the MMTV-PyMT-transgenic mouse model
- Metastasis-associated C4.4A, a GPI-anchored protein cleaved by ADAM10 and ADAM17
- Intestine-specific expression of green fluorescent protein-tagged cathepsin B: proof-of-principle experiments
- Substrate specificity determination of mouse implantation serine proteinase and human kallikrein-related peptidase 6 by phage display
- In vivo analysis reveals substrate-gating mutants of a rhomboid intramembrane protease display increased activity in living cells
- Human monocytes augment invasiveness and proteolytic activity of inflammatory breast cancer
- Regulation of cathepsin K activity by hydrogen peroxide
- Protein Structure and Function
- Contribution of the C30/C75 disulfide bond to the biological properties of onconase
- Conformational changes in bovine lactoferrin induced by slow or fast temperature increases
Articles in the same Issue
- Editors' Note
- Editors' Note
- Editorial
- Farewell to Hans Fritz, Executive Editor
- Guest Editorial
- Highlight on Advances in Proteolysis Research
- Highlight: 5th General Meeting of the International Proteolysis Society 2007
- Proteinases as hormones: targets and mechanisms for proteolytic signaling
- Glutaminyl cyclases from animals and plants: a case of functionally convergent protein evolution
- Alternative pathways for production of β-amyloid peptides of Alzheimer's disease
- Bauhinia Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitors: structural characteristics and biological properties
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme limits inflammation elicited by Trypanosoma cruzi cysteine proteases: a peripheral mechanism regulating adaptive immunity via the innate kinin pathway
- How Na+ activates thrombin – a review of the functional and structural data
- Cancer cells, adipocytes and matrix metalloproteinase 11: a vicious tumor progression cycle
- Isoaspartate residues dramatically influence substrate recognition and turnover by proteases
- Isoaspartate-containing amyloid precursor protein-derived peptides alter efficacy and specificity of potential β-secretases
- Trial of the cysteine cathepsin inhibitor JPM-OEt on early and advanced mammary cancer stages in the MMTV-PyMT-transgenic mouse model
- Metastasis-associated C4.4A, a GPI-anchored protein cleaved by ADAM10 and ADAM17
- Intestine-specific expression of green fluorescent protein-tagged cathepsin B: proof-of-principle experiments
- Substrate specificity determination of mouse implantation serine proteinase and human kallikrein-related peptidase 6 by phage display
- In vivo analysis reveals substrate-gating mutants of a rhomboid intramembrane protease display increased activity in living cells
- Human monocytes augment invasiveness and proteolytic activity of inflammatory breast cancer
- Regulation of cathepsin K activity by hydrogen peroxide
- Protein Structure and Function
- Contribution of the C30/C75 disulfide bond to the biological properties of onconase
- Conformational changes in bovine lactoferrin induced by slow or fast temperature increases
