Evolution of the plasma and tissue kallikreins, and their alternative splicing isoforms.

ABSTRACT: Kallikreins are secreted serine proteases with important roles in human physiology. Human plasma kallikrein, encoded by the KLKB1 gene on locus 4q34-35, functions in the blood coagulation pathway, and in regulating blood pressure. The human tissue kallikrein and kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) have diverse expression patterns and physiological roles, including cancer-related processes such as cell growth regulation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the product of the KLK3 gene, is the most widely used biomarker in clinical practice today. A total of 15 KLKs are encoded by the largest contiguous cluster of protease genes in the human genome (19q13.3-13.4), which makes them ideal for evolutionary analysis of gene duplication events. Previous studi

SUBMITTER: Koumandou VL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3707919 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature