| abstract |
Provided is a protease inhibitor comprising as an active ingredient any protein selected from the group consisting of SCCA1, SCCA2, and variants thereof. The protease inhibitor of the present invention has an inhibitory action on the protease activity of the mite allergen, Der p1, and not only when a synthetic peptide is used as a substrate, but also Der p1 has an activity of cleaving the CD25 antigen on the surface of T cells. Also has an inhibitory effect. Therefore, the protease inhibitor of the present invention is useful for the treatment of mite allergy. The present invention also provides a screening method using the expression and activity level of SCCA1 or SCCA2 as an index. The compound screened by the present invention is useful as a therapeutic agent for mite allergy. |