ARE BACTERIAL PROTEASES IMPORTANT VIRULENCE FACTORS

The contribution of bacterial proteases to virulence has been relative ly understudied. It is a simple matter to argue that bacterial proteas es have the potential to destroy the structural and functional protein s that constitute host tissues as well as to destroy proteins importan t in host defense. Systematically demonstrating that such interactions occur during disease pathogenesis is more difficult, although a few s tudies have suggested that the ability of a pathogen to use proteases to cross proteinaceous barriers within the host contributes to bacteri al virulence. This manuscript reviews concepts of bacterial virulence. Next, it describes how the host regulates the activities of its own p roteases to maintain a stale of health, and examines evidence suggesti ng that dysregulation of host proteases results in disease. Finally, e vidence supporting a role for endogenous microbial proteases or acquis ition of host proteases by microbes as virulence determinants is discu ssed as are suggestions for future directions for research in this are a.