Snake venom thrombin-like enzymes: from reptilase to now

The snake venom thrombin-like enzymes (SVTLEs) comprise a number of serine proteases functionally and structurally related to thrombin. Until recently, only nine complete sequences of this subgroup of the serine protease family were known. Over the past 5 years, the primary structure of several SVTLEs has been characterized, and now this family includes several members. Of particular interest is their possible use in pathologies such as thrombosis. The aim of the present review is to summarize the state of the art concerning the evolutionary, structural and biological features of the SVTLEs.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Laboratório de Bioquímica e Modelagem Molecular (LaBioMol), 3° andar, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, IB-CEG, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, 24001-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

   H. C. Castro & M. Pujol-Luz

2. Laboratório de Hemostase e Veneno (LabHemoVen), Departamento de Bioquímica Médica, ICB-CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

   R. B. Zingali

3. Laboratório de Modelagem Molecular (LabMMol), Departamento de Química Orgânica, IQ-CCMN, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

   M. G. Albuquerque

4. Laboratório de Modelagem Molecular e QSAR (ModMolQSAR), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

   C. R. Rodrigues

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. C. Castro.

Received 16 August 2003; received after revision 26 September 2003; accepted 1 October 2003

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