Kunitz-type protease inhibitor 1 is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecule ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''SPINT1''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

. The

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

encoded by this gene is a member of the

Kunitz Kunitz is the surname of several people: * Chris Kunitz (born 1979), a Canadian professional ice hockey player * Jaana Kunitz (Yaana Kunitz; born 1972), an award-winning ballroom dancer and fitness program creator * Matt Kunitz (born 1968), a telev ...

family of

serine protease inhibitors Serpins are a superfamily of proteins with similar structures that were first identified for their protease inhibition activity and are found in all kingdoms of life. The acronym serpin was originally coined because the first serpins to be id ...

. The protein is a potent inhibitor specific for HGF activator and is thought to be involved in the regulation of the

proteolytic Proteolysis is the breakdown of proteins into smaller polypeptides or amino acids. Uncatalysed, the hydrolysis of peptide bonds is extremely slow, taking hundreds of years. Proteolysis is typically catalysed by cellular enzymes called proteases ...

activation of HGF in injured tissues. Alternative splicing results in multiple variants encoding different

isoforms A protein isoform, or "protein variant", is a member of a set of highly similar proteins that originate from a single gene or gene family and are the result of genetic differences. While many perform the same or similar biological roles, some iso ...

References

Further reading