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Kallikrein

 
Veterinary Dictionary: kallikrein
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Any of a group of proteolytic enzymes present in various glands, lymph, urine, blood plasma, etc., or produced directly from mast cells or basophils, or indirectly from activated platelets. The major action of kallikreins is the liberation of kinins from α-2-globulins (kininogens), and they hence have vasodilator and whealing actions.

  • k.–kinin system — the enzyme system responsible for capillary permeability and smooth muscle contraction.
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Wikipedia: Kallikrein
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Kallikreins (tissue and plasma kallikrein) are peptidases (enzymes that cleave peptide bonds in proteins), a subgroup of the serine protease family.

Contents

Functions

They liberate kinins (BK and KD) from the kininogens.[1]

It also generates plasmin from plasminogen:

Fibrinolysis (simplified). Blue arrows denote stimulation, and red arrows inhibition.

Prekallikrein is the precursor of plasma kallikrein. It can only activate kinins after being activated itself by factor XII or other stimuli.

Genes

There are 15 known kallikreins: KLK1, KLK2, KLK3, KLK4, KLK5, KLK6, KLK7, KLK8, KLK9, KLK10, KLK11, KLK12, KLK13, KLK14, KLK15

Clinical significance

Kallikreins are targets of active investigation by drug researchers as possible biomarkers for cancer.[2][3]

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA; hk3, human kallikrein gene 3) and human glandular kallikrein (hK2) are used as tumor markers for prostate cancer.

See also

References

  1. ^ Bhoola, K.D., Figueroa, C.D., Worthy, K. "Bioregulation of kinins: kallikreins, kininogens, and kininases" Pharmacological Reviews 44: 1-80, 1992.
  2. ^ Borgono, C.A., and Diamandis, E.P. "The emerging roles of human tissue kallikreins in cancer" Nature Reviews Cancer 4: 876-90, 2004.
  3. ^ Diamandis, E.P., and Yousef, G.M. "Human Tissue Kallikreins: A Family of New Cancer Biomarkers" Clinical Chemistry 48: 1198-1205, 2002.

External links

v • d • e
Endopeptidases: serine proteases/serine endopeptidases (EC 3.4.21)
Digestive enzymes
Coagulation
Complement system
Other immune system
Venombin
Other
v • d • e
Proteins: coagulation
Coagulation factors
HMWK/Bradykinin · Prekallikrein/Kallikrein · XII "Hageman"
XI · IX · VIII
Coagulation inhibitors
Thrombolysis/fibrinolysis
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Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Kallikrein".  Read more