Pathophysiological Implications of Dipeptidyl Peptidases

Dipeptidyl peptidases (DPPs) belong to one of the protease families classified under EC 3.4.14 in the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. DPPs family consists of eight members in the mammalian species. They play a role in oligopeptide N-terminal processing and degradation of bioactive peptides. Over the past 20 years, most of the studies have been focused on DPP 4 that has important roles in metabolism and immunity. A large number of pharmacological inhibitors against DPP 4 have been tested rigorously and some of them are now used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. In addition, current researches cast a spotlight on other physiological and pathological functions of DPP family members such as DPP 3 for the purpose of investigating their application as novel therapeutic compounds. In this review, we provide an update about the pathophysiological functions of DPPs, and discuss the future potential of the DPP family as pharmacological and therapeutic agents and targets.