Regulation of Protease and Protease Inhibitor Gene Expression: The Role of the 3′‐UTR and Lessons from the Plasminogen Activating System

Coordinated and timely regulation of gene expression is all essential component of many aspects of physiology This is particularly relevant for proteases and protease inhibitors associated with fibrinolysis. The plasminogen activating family of proteases is vital to fibrinolysis as over- or Under-expression of these proteins call significantly impact on hemostasis. Although it is well established that the genes encoding members of the fibrinolytic system are subject to direct transcriptional control, it is becoming increasingly apparent that post-transcriptional mechanisms play an important yet previously unsuspected role in the expression of these genes. This chapter provides an Overview of mammalian post-transcriptional gene regulation and how this regulatory process impacts on protease, and protease inhibitor gene expression.