METHODS TO IDENTIFY AND CHARACTERIZE PROLYL OLIGO-PEPTIDASES BY USING SUBSTRATES AND PRODUCTS THEREOF

摘要

Proteases such as those belonging to the prolyl oligopeptidase family (POP-family), e.g. DPP4 and DPP8, are involved in many pathological processes and diseases such as diabetes, obesity, hypotension and inflammatory diseases and therefore, these proteases are attractive drug targets. Especially inhibitors of DPP4 and/or DPP8 bear great potential as drug candidates and consequently screening assays and assays to identify and characterize the properties of these potential drugs are of very high interest as valuable tools for drug research. The invention provides such screening assays as well as a panel of peptides or proteins which are substrates or products of a protease of the POP-family and which consequently can be used in various tests to determine the activity of said protease, to screen for inhibitors of said protease and to analyze the specificity of different inhibitors of said protease in clinical studies.