TY - JOUR UR - https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7224 DO - 10.7717/peerj.7224 TI - Serine protease inhibitors and human wellbeing interplay: new insights for old friends AU - Mkaouar,Héla AU - Akermi,Nizar AU - Kriaa,Aicha AU - Abraham,Anne-Laure AU - Jablaoui,Amin AU - Soussou,Souha AU - Mokdad-Gargouri,Raja AU - Maguin,Emmanuelle AU - Rhimi,Moez A2 - Gillespie,Joseph DA - 2019/08/30 PY - 2019 KW - Serine protease inhibitors KW - Disease KW - Homeostasis KW - Function KW - Human gut microbiota AB - Serine Protease Inhibitors (Serpins) control tightly regulated physiological processes and their dysfunction is associated to various diseases. Thus, increasing interest is given to these proteins as new therapeutic targets. Several studies provided functional and structural data about human serpins. By comparison, only little knowledge regarding bacterial serpins exists. Through the emergence of metagenomic studies, many bacterial serpins were identified from numerous ecological niches including the human gut microbiota. The origin, distribution and function of these proteins remain to be established. In this report, we shed light on the key role of human and bacterial serpins in health and disease. Moreover, we analyze their function, phylogeny and ecological distribution. This review highlights the potential use of bacterial serpins to set out new therapeutic approaches. VL - 7 SP - e7224 T2 - PeerJ JO - PeerJ J2 - PeerJ SN - 2167-8359 ER -