Malcolm B A
Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Protein Sci. 1995 Aug;4(8):1439-45. doi: 10.1002/pro.5560040801.
The 3C proteinases are a novel group of cysteine proteinases with a serine proteinase-like fold that are responsible for the bulk of polyprotein processing in the Picornaviridae. Because members of this viral family are to blame for several ongoing global pandemic problems (rhinovirus, hepatitis A virus) as well as sporadic outbreaks of more serious pathologies (poliovirus), there has been continuing interest over the last two decades in the development of antiviral therapies. The recent determination of the structure of two of the 3C proteinases by X-ray crystallography opens the door for the application of the latest advances in computer-assisted identification and design of anti-proteinase therapeutic/chemoprophylactic agents.
3C蛋白酶是一组新型的半胱氨酸蛋白酶，具有类似丝氨酸蛋白酶的折叠结构，负责微小核糖核酸病毒科中大部分多聚蛋白的加工。由于这个病毒家族的成员是造成一些持续的全球大流行问题（鼻病毒、甲型肝炎病毒）以及更严重疾病（脊髓灰质炎病毒）的零星爆发的原因，在过去二十年里，人们一直对开发抗病毒疗法感兴趣。最近通过X射线晶体学确定了两种3C蛋白酶的结构，这为应用计算机辅助鉴定和设计抗蛋白酶治疗/化学预防剂方面的最新进展打开了大门。
