Ecotin: A versatile protease inhibitor of bacteria and eukaryotes

Frédéric De Meyer; Aurélien Carlier

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1114690

Ecotin: A versatile protease inhibitor of bacteria and eukaryotes

Front Microbiol. 2023 Jan 24:14:1114690. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1114690. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Frédéric De Meyer¹, Aurélien Carlier^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
² LIPME, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CNRS, Castanet-Tolosan, France.

Abstract

Serine protease inhibitors are a large family of proteins involved in important pathways and processes, such as inflammatory responses and blood clotting. Most are characterized by a precise mode of action, thereby targeting a narrow range of protease substrates. However, the serine-protease inhibitor ecotin is able to inhibit a broad range of serine proteases that display a wide range of specificities. This specificity is driven by special structural features which allow unique flexibility upon binding to targets. Although frequently observed in many human/animal-associated bacteria, ecotin homologs may also be found in plant-associated taxa and environmental species. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the biological importance, role in host-microbe interactions, and evolutionary relationship between ecotin orthologs isolated from Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic species across the Tree of Life.

Keywords: ecotin; host-associated bacteria; protease inhibition; serpin; virulence.

Publication types

Review