CLIP-domain serine proteases in Drosophila innate immunity.
Extracellular proteases play an important role in a wide range of host physiological events, such as food digestion, extracellular matrix degradation, coagulation and immunity. Among the large extracellular protease family, serine proteases that contain a "paper clip"-like domain and are therefore referred to as CLIP-domain serine protease (clip-SP), have been found to be involved in unique biological processes, such as immunity and development. Despite the increasing amount of biochemical information available regarding the structure and function of clip-SPs, their in vivo physiological significance is not well known due to a lack of genetic studies. Recently, Drosophila has been shown to be a powerful genetic model system for the dissection of biological functions of the clip-SPs at the organism level. Here, the current knowledge regarding Drosophila clip-SPs has been summarized and future research directions to evaluate the role that clip-SPs play in Drosophila immunity are discussed.
Jang
In-Hwan
IH
Division of Molecular Life Science and National Creative Research Initiative Center for Symbiosystem, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
Nam
Hyuck-Jin
HJ
Lee
Won-Jae
WJ
D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000502:physiology*
D012697:Serine Endopeptidases