Exploiting Proteases and their Inhibitors as Targets for the Treatment of Canine Intracranial Tumors

摘要

The post-genomic era has resulted in a rapid shift in the understanding of protease function. They are no longer considered blunt instruments limited to protein catabolism via hydrolysis. Their actions extend far beyond these nonspecific degradative processes, as proteases catalyze highly specific reactions producing new protein products that are crucial to the control of numerous biological functions.1 Proteases participate in cell proliferation and differentiation, tissue remodeling, DNA replication and transcription, coagulation, immunity, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, autophagy, necrosis, and apoptosis. Given their important and ubiquitous roles in the cellular life cycle, proteolytic alterations are fundamental to the pathogenesis of conditions such as neuroinflammation, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer.