Identification of First-in-Class Inhibitors of Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 6 That Promote Oligodendrocyte Differentiation.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that causes severe motor, sensory, and cognitive impairments. Kallikrein-related peptidase (KLK)6 is the most abundant serine protease secreted in the CNS, mainly by oligodendrocytes, the myelin-producing cells of the CNS, and KLK6 is assumed to be a robust biomarker of MS, since it is highly increased in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MS patients. Here, we report the design and biological evaluation of KLK6's low-molecular-weight inhibitors, -aminobenzyl derivatives.

Insights into the activity control of the kallikrein-related peptidase 6: small-molecule modulators and allosterism.

The activity of kallikrein-related peptidase 6 (KLK6) is deregulated in various diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. KLK6 is thus considered as an attractive therapeutical target. In this short report, we depict some novel findings on the regulation of the KLK6 activity.