Mirolysin structures open a window on gum disease

Abstract

Guevara, Rodriguez-Banqueri et al. [(2020), IUCrJ, 7, 18-29] determine crystal structures of mirolysin, a metalloprotease that helps oral pathogen Tannerella forsythia evade the human immune response. The structures provide insight into the regulation and specificity of mirolysin, and hint at how it might be inhibited for therapeutic effect.

Keywords: crystal structure; peptidase; periodo­ntitis; protease; substrate specificity; zymogen activation.