Proteases The Tip of the Iceberg

Proteases: The Tip of the Iceberg peptide-bond hydrolysis represent one of the largest known functional classes of proteins. Through the catal-Proteases of Infectious Agents ysis of an essentially irreversible reaction they regulate Edited be exploited in the drug design process. With new pathogenic targets for drug design that the editor CD-ROM $250.00 compiled the book Proteases of Infectious Agents. The contents of this book can be broken down into four " It is the power of man to make parasitic maladies disap-categories: six chapters on proteases involved in viral pear from the face of the globe. " infection (HIV protease, hepatitis C protease, herpesvi-—Louis Pasteur rus proteases, picornavirus proteases, host viral processing proteases, plant virus proteases), two chapters We live our lives unavoidably bathed in an ocean of on protozoan infection (malarial proteases, Chagas dis-viruses, bacteria, and parasites. The physical barriers ease proteases), one chapter on fungal infection (Can-of skin and mucosal membranes and the intricacy of dida proteases), and one chapter on bacterial infection the immune system allows us to live in peaceful equa-(bacterial signal peptidases). The book was not written nimity with microbes...for the most part. The delicate as an integrated approach to proteases involved in nature of the equilibrium between host and microbe has pathogenesis, but rather as separate stand-alone chap-been evident from the earliest accounts of civilization. ters contributed by researchers in the field. That being Indeed, the battle between humans and infectious dis-said, a theme that unifies each chapter is not only the ease has only in this past century been one of tempered presentation of the basic science of proteases involved success for humans. Attenuation of death from disease in particular infectious diseases but also the possible has been due to an increased understanding of infec-therapeutic consequences of protease inhibition. While tious agents and their modes of transmission as well as the focus on drug design is not evident from the title, the identification of successful treatments. Introduction Proteases of Infectious Agents, it becomes very obvious of physical processes like pasteurization, plastered after reading the last sentence of the preface: " The task walls, and condoms significantly reduced the incidence before us is clear: Find the critical protease and develop of tuberculosis, Chagas disease, and sexually transmit-a potent and selective inhibitor. " (p. xvii). The emphasis ted diseases, respectively. The identification and devel-of therapeutic intervention through protease inhibition opment of antibiotics in the early …