Thiol Proteinase

Thiol proteinases, also known as cysteine proteases, are a class of proteolytic enzymes that utilize a cysteine residue in their active site to catalyze the hydrolysis of peptide bonds in proteins. They are found across all domains of life and serve diverse physiological roles, including protein catabolism, apoptosis, immune responses, and pathogen virulence. Overexpression or dysregulation is linked with diseases such as cancer metastasis and inflammatory conditions. They are also targets for drug development against parasites and have been explored as vaccine candidates.

Other names

Cysteine Protease

Inhibition of cysteine protease activity through covalent or non-covalent binding to the active site cysteine residue.