β-碳酸酐酶(β-carbonic anhydrases,β-CAs)是一种锌金属酶,能高效催化CO2的水合作用,参与包括呼吸、p H及CO2稳态、生物合成、毒力调节等生理过程,在生命活动中起重要作用。β-CAs广泛分布于真菌、细菌、绿藻、植物及少数原生动物和后生动物中,但在脊椎动物体内未发现。因此将β-CAs作为靶点,设计开发抗细菌、真菌、寄生虫感染药物有着广阔的前景。本文就β-CAs的分布、生理功能、抑制剂及其作为抗寄生虫药物靶点的研究进展作一综述。
β-carbonic anhydrases (β-CAs) are ubiquitous metalloenzymes which active site contains a zinc ion (Zn2+), and they could catalyze the hydration of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate and protons efficiently and are involved in many biological processes, such as respiration, pH and CO2 homeostasis, biosynthetic reactions, virulence regulation and so on, and may play a critical role in the life activity of many organisms which contain these enzymes. β-CAs are widely distributed in fungi, bacteria, algae, plants and a small number of protozoan and metazoan except vertebrates. Therefore, as potential drug targets for designing and developing antibacterial and anti-parasitic drugs, β-CAs promise a broad application prospect. This paper focuses on the distribution, physiological function and the progress of researches on β-CAs in parasites and their vectors.