PDI chaperones and client proteins in cancer pathogenesis

The function of proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is becoming an important target in pharmacological research due to the direct involvement in processing of secretory proteins linked to disease and cancer and the indirect effects on cellular stress signalling and apoptosis. To investigate their potential as pharmaceutical targets, the team of David M. Ferrari has succeeded in elucidating the peptide binding properties of various Protein Disulfide Isomerases, and report on novel inhibitors that inhibit these interactions.