@article {Vinsonec363, author = {Vinson, Valda}, title = {Small-Molecule Protease Activator}, volume = {2}, number = {96}, pages = {ec363--ec363}, year = {2009}, doi = {10.1126/scisignal.296ec363}, publisher = {Science Signaling}, abstract = {Human proteases regulate numerous biological processes. Most are stored as inactive proenzymes that are activated either by upstream processes or by self-proteolysis. Wolan et al. have identified a small molecule that activates the apoptotic procaspases-3 and -6. These caspases are homodimers, and the compound probably competitively inhibits one active site but stabilizes an on-state conformation that promotes self-cleavage by the unoccupied site. It may thus be possible to find other small-molecule activators for other proenzymes that should facilitate functional and mechanistic studies. D. W. Wolan, J. A. Zorn, D. C. Gray, J. A. Wells, Small-molecule activators of a proenzyme. Science 326, 853{\textendash}858 (2009). [Abstract] [Full Text]}, issn = {1945-0877}, URL = {https://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2/96/ec363}, eprint = {https://stke.sciencemag.org/content/2/96/ec363}, journal = {Science Signaling} }