Cellular proteinases and their physiological role in normal and disease states have been the subject of great interest over recent decades. At present, specific protease inhibitors are exploited both as tools in unraveling the role of individual proteinases in particular cellular processes and for the development of chemotherapeutic agents for the

With contributions by numerous experts

These proceedings contain the papers presented at the Bayer-Symposium V which was held in Grosse Ledder on October 16-21, 1973 and which was simultaneously the Second International Research Conference on Proteinase Inhibitors. The cordial atmosphere, the frank discussions and the profitable exchange of ideas during the First International Research Conference on Proteinase Inhibitors which was held on November 4--6, 1970 in Munich were a stimulant for us to consider holding a Second Conference especially as the steadily increasing research activities in this and related fields called for a new assessment of recent efforts in proteinase inhibitor research. In the three years since the First Conference was held, this field has developed particularly in the areas of molecular aspects of protein-protein interactions and in the extension to inhibitors of nonserine proteinases and peptidases. In planning this meeting the Organizing Committee was faced with the problem of selecting a limited number of participants and we decided that it was appropriate and necessary to focus in detail on the chemistry of proteinase inhibitors, their interac tions with a variety of enzymes and also to invite more general papers to survey the physiological and clinical aspects of the subject which we felt would be of importance in the future.

Plant protease inhibitors are diverse in number & specificity towards various proteolytic enzymes.

The twelfth volume in this well established series presents the latest research on proteinases, which are known or suspected to be implicated in many aspects of normal physiology and disease processes. In order to understand the nature of this involvement the researcher must repeatedly resort to our current understanding of proteinase inhibitors. The chapters in this book cover various approaches to the investigation and treatment of a wide variety of medical problems, including malignancy, arthritis, hypertension and coagulation disorders, viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, muscular dystrophy, pulmonary emphysema and neurological disease. Due to the level of sophistication of naturally occurring protein inhibitors, techniques such as X-ray crystallography are being used intensively, and the results are being fed back into the design of artificial inhibitors made chemically or by genetic engineering. Rapid technical progress in these synthetic methods encourages the full use of new information available, and the outcome is that a range of new drugs are in the stage of pre-clinical trials.

Proteinases and their Inhibitors: Structure, Function, and Applied Aspects documents the proceedings of an international symposium organized by the Department of Biochemistry, Jozef Stefan Institute, E. Kardelj University, Ljubljana, and the Department of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Zagreb, held in Portoroz, Yugoslavia, September 29-October 3, 1980. The volume contains 34 papers that are organized into four parts. Part I on biological functions includes studies such as muscle protein breakdown in human catabolic state and age-dependent changes in intracellular protein turnover. The papers in Part II, which deals with properties and structure of enzymes, cover topics such as structures and biological functions of cathepsin B and L; and human erythrocytes peptidases. Part III is devoted to industrial applications, such as exogenous proteinases in dairy technology and the application of immobilized proteinases. Part IV on proteinase inhibitors includes papers on thiol inhibitors of proteases and and intracellular neutral proteinases and inhibitors. The papers in this volume provide new data, concepts, and visions which will not only prove useful, but will also stimulate further investigations of proteinases and their inhibitors.

The 8th volume in the Proteases in Biology and Disease series focuses on the role of proteases in virus function and their potential as anti-viral targets. Viral infections are still difficult to threat and some remained life-threatening diseases in spite of antiviral drug research over decades. Proteases are still regarded as an Achilles’ heel of the pathogens and, thus, protease inhibitors may help to handle the known and the emerging viral threads. The book discusses viral proteases of the most important pathogenic viruses, responsible for severe diseases: AIDS, SARS, Hepatitis, Cytomegalovirus, T-cell lymphotropic virus, Picornavirus. This book focuses specifically on the viral proteases, crucial prerequisites for viral entry into cells and viral replication. Viral proteases represent an important pharmaceutical target. The current stage of protease inhibitor development and therapy are summarised and discussed by experts in the field. This volume represents a timely and valuable continuation of the Proteases in Biology and Disease series. The reader will learn the potential for proteases as targets for effective anti-virals. This book will be a valuable source of information on viral proteases and provoke further research in this important field.