The Role of Proteases and Protease Inhibitors in the Immune System
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 1565
Special Issue Editor
Interests: mast cells; basophilic leukocytes, neutrophilic leukocytes; serine proteases; cleavage specificity; phage display; IgE; evolution; allergy; vaccines; Fc receptors; dermatitis; cytokines; immune regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Proteases and protease inhibitors are key players in a large number of processes involved in immunity and also in the evasion of the immune system by infectious organisms. Proteases of cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells (NK-cells) induce apoptosis in target cells via cleavage and, as a result, the activation of another set of proteases, the caspases. Mast cells use proteases to regulate blood pressure via angiotensin cleavage. They also use proteases to regulate types of immunity by cleaving selective sets of cytokines to combat blood-feeding parasites such as mosquitos and ticks via the cleavage of anti-coagulant proteins and toxins from snakes and scorpions to reduce toxicity. Neutrophil proteases help these cells to migrate through tissues to reach the site of infection and cleave the pathogen-associated molecules of the infectious organisms to defend against these intruders. Proteases are also key players in both the complement and the coagulation systems, which both are tightly connected to immunity and inflammation. Some of these proteases are very active and have a relatively broad specificity; thus, they have many potential targets. Conversely, others are highly specific, with only one or a few selected targets.
The activity of these sometimes very potent proteases needs to be controlled, and to a large extent protease inhibitors are responsible for this. If left uncontrolled, some of them can cause severe negative effects, as exemplified by the excessive activity of neutrophil elastase in the case of low plasma levels regarding the protease inhibitor alpha-1-antitrypsin. These patients experience severe lung emphysema. Although a lot is known about these proteases and protease inhibitors, some aspects associated with them are very much still unknown. This Special Issue will try to address some of the important outstanding questions regarding the proteases and protease inhibitors involved in immunity.
Prof. Dr. Lars Hellman
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- serine protease
- cleavage specificity
- mast cell
- neutrophilic granulocyte
- cytotoxic T cell
- NK cell
- immune regulation
- toxin
- tissue homeostasis
- angiotensin
- cytokines
- complement system
- coagulation system
