Metacaspases: Potential Drug Target Against Protozoan Parasites

Frontiers in Pharmacology

Kailash C. Pandey¹  Rajnarayan Tiwari¹  Vandana²  Anju Katyal²  Vandana³  Rajnikant Dixit³ 

[1] Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, India;Dr Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, Delhi University, New Delhi, India;Host-Parasite Interaction Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India;

关键词: malaria;    metacaspases;    druggable target;    proteases;    plasmodium;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fphar.2019.00790

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Among the numerous strategies/targets for controlling infectious diseases, parasites-derived proteases receive prime attention due to their essential contribution to parasite growth and development. Parasites produce a broad array of proteases, which are required for parasite entry/invasion, modification/degradation of host proteins for their nourishment, and activation of inflammation that ensures their survival to maintain infection. Presently, extensive research is focused on unique proteases termed as “metacaspases” (MCAs) in relation to their versatile functions in plants and non-metazoans. Such unique MCAs proteases could be considered as a potential drug target against parasites due to their absence in the human host. MCAs are cysteine proteases, having Cys-His catalytic dyad present in fungi, protozoa, and plants. Studies so far indicated that MCAs are broadly associated with apoptosis-like cell death, growth, and stress regulation in different protozoa. The present review comprises the important research outcomes from our group and published literature, showing the variable properties and function of MCAs for therapeutic purpose against infectious diseases.

【 授权许可】

Unknown