Bioinformatics of proteases in the MEROPS database.

Proteolytic enzymes represent approximately approximately 2% of the total number of proteins present in all types of organisms. Many of these enzymes are of medical importance, and those that are of potential interest as drug targets can be divided into the endogenous enzymes encoded in the human genome, and the exogenous proteases encoded in the genomes of disease-causing organisms. There are also naturally occurring inhibitors of proteases, some of which have pharmaceutical relevance. The MEROPS database provides a rich source of information on proteases and their inhibitors. Storage and retrieval of this information is facilitated by the use of a hierarchical classification system (which was pioneered by the compilers of the database) in which homologous proteases and their inhibitors are divided into clans and families.