Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 11, Issue 7, 2005

Snake venom disintegrins are the natural products that have been investigated as potent inhibitors of various integrins. Functionally, disintegrins can be divided into three groups according to their integrin selectivity and presence of specific, active motifs. This classification includes RGD-disintegrins, MLD-disintegrins, and KTS-disintegrins. RGD-disintegrins have been the most intensively investigated, and their research res Read More

Disintegrins represent a family of polypeptides released in the venoms of Viperidae and Crotalidae snakes (vipers and rattlesnakes) by the proteolytic processing of multidomain metalloproteinases, which selectively block the function of β1 and β3 integrin receptors. Research on disintegrins is relevant for understanding the biology of viper venom toxins, but also provides information of new structural determinant Read More

ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) are a family of cell surface proteins related to the Class III snake venom metalloproteases (SVMP). ADAMs are members of the Metazincin family which includes the matrix matalloproteases and the ADAMTS proteins. Unlike their snake venom relatives, ADAMs are expressed as transmembrane cell surface proteins. The domain structure of ADAMs suggests that these proteins p Read More

Specific antagonists have been successfully developed for several different integrins. Clinical trials have been initiated to study therapeutic uses of these inhibitors in cancer, thrombosis, and inflammatory diseases. Most efforts to date have focused on the platelet integrin αIIbβ3, endothelial αvβ3, and the leukocyte integrin α4β1. However, the integrin family contains additional members with interesting tissue specificities and Read More

In recent years, our understanding of the molecular interaction of collagens with their cognate integrin receptors has remarkably improved. Structural elucidations of both the integrin and the collagenous triple helix have contributed to this achievement. The structures of an entire integrin ectodomain and of an A-domain, which is unique to the integrin α subunits of collagen-binding and leukocyte integrins, have bee Read More

Integrins are adhesion receptors that connect cells to components of the extracellular matrix or to counter receptors on other cells. Besides mediating stable adhesion, these receptors are implicated in the deposition of extracellular matrices and they are crucial for cell migration. Integrin-mediated adhesion also modulates signal transduction cascades downstream of other receptors and thereby regulates cell surv Read More

Integrins are a family of heterodimeric transmembrane glycoproteins that mediate cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. They participate in inflammatory reactions mainly by regulation of leukocyte migration, activation and survival. Elevated expression of the cell adhesion molecules, such as VCAM, ICAM and MAdCAM on the lumenal surface of vascular endothelial cells is a critical early event in organ inflammatory pro Read More

The incidence of cardiovascular disease is increasing with the aging population. This has stimulated a need for innovative means to evaluate and develop therapeutic strategies intended to improve patient care. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is an advanced nuclear imaging technology. The advantage of PET over other non-invasive imaging modalities is its ability to accurately measure tissue concentrations o Read More

The powerful inducer of apoptosis Apo2L/TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has generated exciting promise as a potential tumour specific cancer therapeutic agent, since it selectively induces apoptosis in transformed versus normal cells. Interferons (IFNs) are important modulators of TRAIL expression, thus the ligand appears to play an important role in surveillance against viral infection and malignant tr Read More