title: Parasite Cathepsin D-Like Peptidases and Their Relevance as Therapeutic Targets.
abstract: Inhibition of aspartic cathepsin D-like peptidases (APDs) has been often discussed as an antiparasite intervention strategy. APDs have been considered as virulence factors of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp., and have been demonstrated to have important roles in protein trafficking mechanisms of apicomplexan parasites. APDs also initiate blood digestion as components of multienzyme proteolytic complexes in malaria, platyhelminths, nematodes, and ticks. Increasing DNA and RNA sequencing data indicate that parasites express multiple APD isoenzymes of various functions that can now be specifically evaluated using new functional-genomic and biochemical tools, from which we can further assess the potential of APDs as targets for novel effective intervention strategies against parasitic diseases that still pose an alarming threat to mankind.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, Czech Republic. Electronic address: sojkadan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sojka
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bartošová-Sojková
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 14220, Czech Republic; Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 16610, Czech Republic; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dvořák
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D010271:Parasites / Q000201:enzymology*; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases
keywords: aspartic peptidases; cathepsin D; hemoglobinolysis; parasites; vectors