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Active Site Design And Exploitation Of Allosteric Sites In Proteases, Maureen Hill

Doctoral Dissertations

Proteases are powerful enzymes with the intrinsic ability to proteolytically cleave other proteins, which often leads to a gain or loss of function. While proteases from the same family often share high similarity in the active site region, distal sites on the enzyme, such as allosteric sites, can differentiate closely related enzymes and allow for specific regulation. This dissertation investigates two different types of proteases, including the viral proteases from both Zika and dengue virus and the mammalian caspase proteases, and contributes significantly to the understanding of both allosteric sites and exosites in these enzymes. Flaviviruses, including Zika virus and …