Yang Nawu, Matthew Maurice A, Yao Chaoqun
Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre P.O. Box 334, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Microorganisms. 2023 May 26;11(6):1397. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11061397.
Cysteine proteases, also known as thiol proteases, are a class of nucleophilic proteolytic enzymes containing cysteine residues in the enzymatic domain. These proteases generally play a pivotal role in many biological reactions, such as catabolic functions and protein processing, in all living organisms. They specifically take part in many important biological processes, especially in the absorption of nutrients, invasion, virulence, and immune evasion of parasitic organisms from unicellular protozoa to multicellular helminths. They can also be used as parasite diagnostic antigens and targets for gene modification and chemotherapy, as well as vaccine candidates, due to their species and even life-cycle stage specificity. This article highlights current knowledge on parasitic cysteine protease types, biological functions, and their applications in immunodiagnosis and chemotherapy.
半胱氨酸蛋白酶，也被称为硫醇蛋白酶，是一类在酶结构域中含有半胱氨酸残基的亲核蛋白水解酶。这些蛋白酶在所有生物体的许多生物反应中，如分解代谢功能和蛋白质加工，通常起着关键作用。它们特别参与许多重要的生物过程，尤其是单细胞原生动物到多细胞蠕虫等寄生生物的营养吸收、侵袭、毒力和免疫逃避。由于它们的物种甚至生命周期阶段特异性，它们还可以用作寄生虫诊断抗原、基因修饰和化疗的靶点以及疫苗候选物。本文重点介绍了关于寄生性半胱氨酸蛋白酶类型、生物学功能及其在免疫诊断和化疗中的应用的当前知识。
